# US 10,864,903 B2 · Vehicle controller > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,864,903 B2 - Document ID: US10864903B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/145,480 - Filed: 2018-09-28 - Published: 2019-05-23 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-22 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Takeaki Suzuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864903B2 ## CPC - B60K 6/485: Motor-assist type - B60K 6/26: characterised by the motors or the generators - B60K 6/28: characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators - B60W 10/26: for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors - B60W 20/10: Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand - B60W 30/18018: {Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam} - F02N 11/0825: {related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state} - F02N 11/0862: {characterised by the electrical power supply means, e.g. battery} - H02J 7/1492: {by means of controlling devices between the generator output and the battery} - B60W 2510/244: Charge state - B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed - B60Y 2200/92: Hybrid vehicles - B60Y 2300/192: Power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start up of a cold engine - F02N 2011/0888: {DC/DC converters} - F02N 2011/0896: {Inverters for electric machines, e.g. starter-generators} - F02N 2200/061: Battery state of charge [SOC] - F02N 2200/0801: Vehicle speed - H02J 7/61: against overcharge - H02J 7/82: Control of state of charge [SOC] - H02P 9/14: by variation of field (H02P9/08, H02P9/10 take precedence) - Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle controller for use with a vehicle is configured to control the vehicle. The vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, an electric generator, an auxiliary machine, an electricity storage device, and a DC-DC converter. The controller is configured to execute an automatic stop process of stopping combustion control of the internal combustion engine in response to an automatic stop request of the internal combustion engine, and an increase process of operating, when the automatic stop process is executed, the DC-DC converter to increase an amount of electricity supplied to the electricity storage device, thereby increasing an electricity generation amount of the electric generator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle controller for use with a vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine, an electric generator, which converts rotational force of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine into electricity, an auxiliary machine, to which an output voltage of the electric generator is applied, a rechargeable battery, and a DC-DC converter, which is connected between the rechargeable battery and a set of the electric generator and the auxiliary machine, the controller being configured to control the vehicle by executing: an automatic stop process of stopping combustion control of the internal combustion engine in response to an automatic stop request of the internal combustion engine, and an increase process of increasing, when the automatic stop process is executed, an output voltage of the DC-DC converter toward the rechargeable battery with an output voltage of the electric generator to the auxiliary machine and the DC-DC converter maintained, thereby increasing an electricity generation amount of the electric generator. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to execute, on condition that the increase process is not being executed, a state-of-charge limiting process of operating the DC-DC converter such that a state of charge of the rechargeable battery becomes lower than or equal to a specified value, and the increase process includes a process of allowing the state of charge to exceed the specified value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle controller according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to execute the automatic stop process on condition that a vehicle speed is lower than or equal to a specified speed, and when the vehicle speed is lower than or equal to a predetermined speed, execute, on condition that the increase process is not being executed, a state-of-charge limiting process of operating the DC-DC converter such that a state of charge of the rechargeable battery becomes lower than or equal to a specified value, and the predetermined speed is set to be lower than or equal to the specified speed. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to execute the automatic stop process on condition that a state of charge of the rechargeable battery is lower than or equal to a specified value, and execute a discharge process of discharging the rechargeable battery if the state of charge is higher than the specified value when an automatic stop request of the internal combustion engine is made. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle controller according to claim 1, wherein, after the increase process is started, the controller maintains the output voltage of the electric generator to be equal to the output voltage of the electric generator prior to the start of the increase process. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller executes the automatic stop process and the increase process to shorten a time until rotation of the crankshaft stops when a vehicle speed reaches to zero.