US 8,025,043 B2Granted

Controller for internal combustion engine

AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorYoshihito Moriya

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Abstract

The engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control is switched between the cylinder deactivation region AP1 and the cylinder deactivation region AP2 depending on whether a variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation allowed state and control of the valve timing of an intake valve is being performed, or the variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation inhibited state and the control of the valve timing of the intake valve is stopped. In this way, depending on whether the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state or in the operation inhibited state, the engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed can be set so that the engine operational region is made suitable for each of these state.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A controller for an internal combustion engine in which open/close characteristics of an engine valve of each of cylinders are continuously varied by operation of a variable valve timing mechanism so that the open/close characteristics are made suitable for engine operating conditions, and in which cylinder deactivation control is performed that switches, according to the engine operating conditions, the internal combustion engine between an all cylinder operation, in which all of the cylinders are operated, and a cylinder deactivation operation, in which operation of part of the cylinders is stopped, which the controller switches the variable valve timing mechanism between an operation allowed state and an operation inhibited state while the cylinder deactivation control is performed,

wherein an engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control is either a first engine operational region or a second engine operational region;
the first engine operational region is determined provided that the open/close characteristics of the engine valve are varied so that the open/close characteristics are made suitable for the engine operating conditions when the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state;
the second engine operational region is determined provided that the open/close characteristics of the engine valve are fixed when the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation inhibited state;
wherein the second engine operational region in which the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation inhibited state is narrower as compared to the first engine operational region in which the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state.

1 more element

A controller for an internal combustion engine that includes a variable valve timing mechanism that continuously varies open/close characteristics of an engine valve of each of cylinders, and in which a cylinder deactivation control is performed that switches, according to engine operating conditions, the internal combustion engine between an all cylinder operation, in which all of the cylinders are operated, and a cylinder deactivation operation, in which operation of part of the cylinders is stopped, which the controller switches the variable valve timing mechanism between an operation allowed state and an operation inhibited state while the cylinder deactivation control is performed,

wherein an engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control is changed depending on whether the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state or in the operation inhibited state, and
wherein the engine operational region when the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation inhibited state is narrower as compared to the engine operational region when the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state.

A method of controlling an internal combustion engine that includes a variable valve timing mechanism that continuously varies open/close characteristics of an engine valve of each of cylinders, and in which a cylinder deactivation control is performed that switches, according to engine operating conditions, the internal combustion engine between an all cylinder operation, in which all of the cylinders are operated, and a cylinder deactivation operation, in which operation of part of the cylinders is stopped, the method comprising:

switching the variable valve timing mechanism between an operation allowed state and an operation inhibited state while the cylinder deactivation control is performed;
and
changing an engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control, depending on whether the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state or in the operation inhibited state,
wherein the engine operational region when the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation inhibited state is narrower as compared to the engine operational region when the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/367,753Filed 9 Feb 2009
Priority: JP 2008-0289578 Feb 2008
Published: US 2009/0204312 A113 Aug 2009
Granted: 27 Sep 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

F02D 41/0087
Controlling each cylinder individually: selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation
F01L 1/344
Characterised by the provision of means for changing the timing of the valves without changing the duration of opening and without affecting the…:…
F01L 13/0005
Modifications of valve-gear to facilitate reversing, braking, starting, changing compression ratio, or other specific operations: deactivating valves
F02D 13/06
During engine operation: cutting-out cylinders