Internal combustion engine control apparatus

Details Internal combustion engine control apparatus Internal combustion engine control apparatus

1999-07-01

2001-05-29

Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)

Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location

Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication

Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration

C701S084000, C701S087000, C123S436000, C303S140000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06240354

ABSTRACT:

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclose of Japanese Patent Application No. HEI 10-222790 filed on Aug. 6, 1998, including the specification, drawings and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for controlling the torque of an internal combustion engine so as to reduce behavioral changes and the like of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of technologies for stabilizing the behavior of a vehicle by controlling at least one of the torque produced by an internal combustion engine and the braking force produced by a brake device in accordance with the behavior of the vehicle during acceleration, a turn and the like has been lately pursued.
One example of such technology is a vehicular acceleration slip control apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. HEI 8-175366. The acceleration slip control apparatus performs engine torque control and braking control in response to occurrence of an acceleration slip of a drive wheel. Upon detecting discontinuation of the engine torque control during execution of the engine torque control and the braking control in response to a drive wheel acceleration slip, the control apparatus calculates an engine torque control value at the time of the discontinuation of the engine torque control. The control apparatus then converts the calculated engine torque control value into a braking hydraulic pressure correction value, and corrects the braking hydraulic pressure on the drive wheel by using the converted braking hydraulic pressure correction amount to reduce the acceleration slip.
As an example of the engine torque control method employed in behavior stabilizing technologies as mentioned above, a method adopting control of the throttle valve opening is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. HEI 9-158752. Upon an engine torque reduction request, the method corrects the throttle valve opening in the closing direction to reduce the intake air flow into the internal combustion engine to reduce the engine torque.
However, the control of the engine torque through adjustment of the throttle valve opening has the following problems in control responsiveness. That is, there exists a time lag between start of control of the throttle valve and actual establishment of a desired opening of the throttle valve. A certain length of time is also required between the establishment of the desired throttle valve opening and attainment of operation of the internal combustion engine based on the intake air flow in accordance with the established throttle valve opening. Therefore, adjustment of the throttle valve opening cannot easily control the engine torque with good responsiveness.
Moreover, if a butterfly-type throttle valve is employed, the precision in the engine torque control decreases. Due to the mechanism of the butterfly-type throttle valve, the changing rate of the intake passage sectional area increases as the valve opening decreases. Therefore, if the opening of the butterfly-type throttle valve is small, it is difficult to perform fine and precise adjustment of the intake air flow. Accordingly, the engine torque control precision decreases.
Cylinder injection-type internal combustion engines having fuel injection valves for injecting fuel directly into the cylinders have lately been developed in which the operation of the engine can be changed between a stratified charge combustion operation and a uniform combustion operation by controlling the amount of fuel to be injected, the fuel injecting timing, and the like in accordance with the engine operating condition. In such internal combustion engines, the throttle valve is maintained in a substantially fully open state over most operation ranges excluding a very low load operating range in order to reduce the drive force loss caused by the intake air pumping. Therefore, if the control of the engine torque through adjustment of the throttle valve opening is performed in such an engine, the combustion condition becomes unstable to that torque fluctuation, misfire or the like may result.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technology capable of performing engine torque control with high responsiveness and high precision while preventing deterioration of the combustion condition in an internal combustion engine, such as a cylinder injection-type engine, which is able to change between stratified charge combustion and uniform combustion
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an internal combustion engine control apparatus includes an internal combustion engine that allows an operation of the internal combustion engine to be changed between a stratified charge combustion operation and a uniform combustion operation in accordance with an opening condition. The internal combustion engine control apparatus includes an engine operation changing device for changing the operation of the internal combustion engine to the stratified charge combustion operation if a torque reduction request for a reduction in torque of the internal combustion engine occurs.
In this internal combustion engine control apparatus, if the request for a reduction in the torque of the internal combustion engine occurs, the engine operation changing device changes the combustion mode of the internal combustion engine to stratified charge combustion.
During the stratified charge combustion operation, the torque of the internal combustion engine is controlled mainly through fuel injection control. Therefore, when the combustion mode of the engine is changed to stratified charge combustion by the engine operation changing device, the torque control related to the torque reduction request is performed through the fuel injection control. In a cylinder injection type internal combustion engine, for example, the fuel injection control is immediately reflected in the operation of the engine. Consequently, torque control with high responsiveness and high precision can be achieved.
The control apparatus according to the invention may further include an engine torque control device for adjusting the torque of the internal combustion engine by changing at least one of an amount of fuel to be injected and a fuel injection timing if the operation of the internal combustion engine is changed to the stratified charge combustion operation by the engine operation.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an internal combustion engine control apparatus includes an internal combustion engine that allows an operation of the internal combustion engine to be changed between a stratified charge combustion operation and a uniform combustion operation in accordance with an operating condition. The control apparatus also includes a behavior change detecting device for detecting a change in behavior of a vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine. If a change in the behavior is detected by the behavior change detecting device, a torque reduction request device outputs a torque reduction request for a reduction in torque of the internal combustion engine in order to reduce the change in the behavior. An engine operation changing device changes the operation of the internal combustion engine to the stratified charge combustion operation if the torque reduction request is outputted by the torque reduction request device.
This internal combustion engine control apparatus changes the operation of the internal combustion engine to the stratified charge combustion operation if the behavior of the vehicle changes. The torque control of the internal combustion engine is performed mainly through fuel injection control. Therefore, the torque control with high responsiveness and high precision can be achieved. As a result, the vehicle behavior change is reduced in an early period.
The internal combustion engine control apparatus may further include an engine torque control device for adjusting the torque of the inter

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