# US 2019/0376456 A1 · Control Device for Internal Combustion Engine and Control Method for Variable Mechanism for Internal Combustion Engine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0376456 A1 - Document ID: US20190376456A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/334,163 - Filed: 2018-03-06 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-09 - Assignees: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. - Applicants: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. - Inventors: Naoki OKAMOTO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190376456A1 ## CPC - F02B 75/045: {by means of a variable connecting rod length} - F02D 15/02: by alteration or displacement of piston stroke - F02B 75/048: {by means of a variable crank stroke length} - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) ## Abstract A control device for an internal combustion engine and a control method for a variable mechanism for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, according to the present invention, is configured to maintain a drive stopped state of an electric actuator of the variable mechanism when a position of the electric actuator does not change in a case in which the position of the electric actuator is apart from stoppers and the electric actuator is stopped, whereas to restart driving the electric actuator when the position of the electric actuator changes. In this way, it is possible to prevent wasteful power consumption while the internal combustion engine is stopped. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control device for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, that controls a variable mechanism that makes operating characteristics of the internal combustion engine variable by changing a position of an electric actuator within a range defined by a restriction provided by stoppers, the variable mechanism receiving a reaction force that changes the position of the electric actuator by operation of the internal combustion engine, the control device comprising a control unit that, when the position of the electric actuator does not change from a position apart from the stoppers in a state in which driving of the electric actuator is stopped, maintains the driving of the electric actuator to be in the stopped state, and that, when the position of the electric actuator changes from the position apart from the stoppers in the state in which the driving of the electric actuator is stopped, restarts the driving of the electric actuator. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the position of the electric actuator to be a predetermined position apart from the stoppers and then stops the driving of the electric actuator, and the control unit restarts the driving of the electric actuator when the position of the electric actuator changes from the predetermined position after stopping the driving of the electric actuator, to control the position of the electric actuator to be the predetermined position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops the driving of the electric actuator again when a predetermined time period has elapsed since the restart of the driving of the electric actuator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the control device receives a target value for the variable mechanism from an external device through an in-car communication line, wherein the control unit operates when an abnormality occurs in communications through the in-car communication line. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the variable mechanism to be a target value for abnormal state stored in an internal memory when restarting the driving of the electric actuator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 4, wherein the control unit confirms that there is an abnormality in communications through the in-car communication line, when the restart of the driving of the electric actuator repeats a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches a mode of the control device to a power-saving mode, when the stopped state of the driving of the electric actuator continues for a predetermined time period. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 4, further comprising a power supply unit that switches between power application to the control device and power shutoff based on a switching signal indicating a manipulated state of a power switch of the internal combustion engine, wherein the control unit confirms that there is an abnormality in the switching signal, when the target value for the variable mechanism transmitted from the external device at the time of the restart of communications through the in-car communication line is a target value for normal communication. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 8, wherein the control unit switches a mode of the control device to a power-saving mode when it is confirmed that there is an abnormality in the switching signal and the communications through the in-car communication line is abnormal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the variable mechanism to be a target value for startup of the internal combustion engine by driving the electric actuator, when it is confirmed that there is an abnormality in the switching signal and the communications through the in-car communication line is abnormal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The control device for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the variable mechanism is a variable compression ratio mechanism that makes a mechanical compression ratio variable by changing a top dead center position of a piston of the internal combustion engine by the electric actuator. ### Claim 12 A control method for a variable mechanism for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, for controlling a variable mechanism that makes operating characteristics of the internal combustion engine variable by changing a position of an electric actuator within a range defined by a restriction provided by stoppers, the variable mechanism receiving a reaction force that changes the position of the electric actuator by operation of the internal combustion engine, the control method comprising: a first step of determining whether communications through an in-car communication line for receiving a target value for the variable mechanism from an external device is abnormal or not; a second step of determining whether or not the position of the electric actuator changes from a position apart from the stoppers; a third step of maintaining a stopped state of driving of the electric actuator, when the position of the electric actuator does not change; and a fourth step of restarting the driving of the electric actuator, when the position of the electric actuator changes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The control method for the variable mechanism for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 12, wherein the second step comprises the steps of: controlling the position of the electric actuator to a predetermined position apart from the stoppers by driving the electric actuator; and stopping the driving of the electric actuator after controlling the position of the electric actuator to the predetermined position, wherein the fourth step comprising the step of controlling the position of the electric actuator to the predetermined position by restarting the driving of the electric actuator, when the position of the electric actuator changes from the predetermined position after stopping the driving of the electric actuator. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The control method for the variable mechanism for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 12, further comprising a fifth step of stopping the driving of the electric actuator again when a predetermined time period has elapsed since the restart of the driving of the electric actuator. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The control method for the variable mechanism for the internal combustion engine, according to claim 12, wherein the variable mechanism is a variable compression ratio mechanism that makes a mechanical compression ratio variable by changing a top dead center position of a piston of the internal combustion engine by the electric actuator.