Hybrid vehicle
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsRyuta Teraya, Toshikazu Kato, Yoshikazu Asami
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An engine has a variable valve actuation device for controlling an actuation characteristic of an intake valve that is an amount of lifting the intake valve and/or a working angle on the intake valve. When the intake valve having the actuation characteristic (or lifted in an amount and/or worked by a working angle) controlled by the variable valve actuation device has the actuation characteristic (or the amount and/or the angle) fixed, intermittently operating the engine is not unconditionally stopped, and when a power storage device is not limited in chargeability and dischargeability and a cranking torque is ensured to ensure that the engine is startable, intermittently stopping the engine is permitted.
Claims19
A hybrid vehicle comprising:
- an internal combustion engine having a variable valve actuation device configured to control an actuation characteristic of an intake valve, said actuation characteristic being at least one of an amount of lifting said intake valve and a working angle on said intake valve;
- a detector configured to detect said actuation characteristic controlled by said variable valve actuation device;
- a rotating electric machine configured to be capable of starting said internal combustion engine;
- a power storage device configured to store electric power therein for driving said rotating electric machine;
- and
- a control device configured to receive an output of said detector and also control said internal combustion engine,
- when said detector detects that said actuation characteristic is fixed, said control device permits intermittently stopping said internal combustion engine, based on a state of said power storage device associated with a cranking torque that said rotating electric machine can output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.