JP2018155170A - Vehicle controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately suppress an engine from performing cylinder deactivation operation in a case where a range of a transmission is a non-travel range.SOLUTION: A vehicle controller includes: a plurality of cylinders 2; an engine 10 enabling cylinder deactivation operation of stopping combustion in some cylinders among the plurality of cylinders 2; an automatic transmission 200 provided on a power transmission passage between the engine 10 and a wheel; a shift lever 201 capable of switching a range of the automatic transmission 200; and a range sensor 39 configured to detect a range position of the shift lever 201. Then, a PCM 50 is configured to, when the range sensor 39 detects a non-travel range, suppress the cylinder deactivation operation of the engine 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus, and more particularly, to a vehicle control apparatus having an engine that can be operated by switching between full cylinder operation and reduced cylinder operation.

  Conventionally, an engine operation mode between a reduced-cylinder operation in which combustion of some cylinders is stopped and an all-cylinder operation in which combustion is performed in all of the plurality of cylinders, depending on the operation state of the engine. A technique for switching between them has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In particular, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for prohibiting switching between all-cylinder operation and reduced-cylinder operation when it is detected that an engine brake range or a manual shift range is set. With this technology, it is intended to prevent a shock caused by performing control for switching between all-cylinder operation and reduced-cylinder operation during control in the engine brake range or the manual shift range.

JP-A-8-2293

  Incidentally, the driver may select a non-traveling range (typically a neutral range) as the transmission range when there is no request for driving the vehicle or applying an engine brake. For example, the driver may select the non-traveling range when the vehicle is coasting on a downhill or the like. Even in the situation where the non-traveling range is selected in this manner, the engine operating state is the area where the entire cylinder operation is performed (all cylinder operation area) and the reduced cylinder operation is performed due to the engine state or the driver's accelerator operation. It may change to (reduced cylinder operation region). At this time, even if the engine operation mode is switched to the reduced cylinder operation, the engine operating state often changes from the reduced cylinder operation region to the all cylinder operation region immediately thereafter. Basically, the selection of the non-traveling range is temporary.

  As a result, the engine operation mode is frequently switched between the all-cylinder operation and the reduced-cylinder operation, so that interference with other engine control requests is likely to occur. Typically, interference occurs between the engine control for the non-traveling range and the engine control for switching the operation mode. As described above, since the non-traveling range is often selected temporarily, it is not desirable to switch between all-cylinder operation and reduced-cylinder operation depending on the change in the engine state in such a temporary situation. It can be said.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and is a vehicle that can appropriately prevent the engine from performing a reduced-cylinder operation when the transmission range is a non-traveling range. An object is to provide a control device.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a plurality of cylinders, an engine capable of reducing cylinder operation that stops combustion of some of the plurality of cylinders, and the engine and wheels. A vehicle control device having an automatic transmission provided on a power transmission path, a shift lever capable of switching a range of the automatic transmission, and a range sensor for detecting a range position of the shift lever, It further has suppression means for suppressing the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine when the non-traveling range is detected by the range sensor.
According to the present invention configured as described above, when the range of the automatic transmission is the non-traveling range, it is possible to appropriately suppress the engine from performing the reduced cylinder operation. Accordingly, the engine operation mode is frequently switched between the all-cylinder operation and the reduced-cylinder operation during the non-traveling range, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of interference with other engine control requests. In particular, it is possible to suppress interference between engine control for the non-traveling range and engine control for switching the operation mode.

  In a preferred example of the present invention, the non-traveling range is a neutral range.

In the present invention, preferably, the suppression means performs either one of stricter operating conditions for executing the reduced-cylinder operation or prohibiting the reduced-cylinder operation as suppression of the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine.
According to the present invention configured as described above, when the range of the automatic transmission is the non-traveling range, it is possible to effectively suppress the engine from performing the reduced cylinder operation.

In the present invention, preferably, when the range of the automatic transmission is a non-traveling range, first ignition timing control means for retarding the ignition timing of the engine by a predetermined amount, and all of the plurality of cylinders performing combustion. A second ignition timing control means for retarding the ignition timing of the engine in order to suppress the torque difference of the engine at the time of switching between the cylinder operation and the reduced cylinder operation; and the suppression means is a first ignition timing control means When the ignition timing is retarded by the above, the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine is suppressed by suppressing the retardation of the ignition timing by the second ignition timing control means.
According to the present invention configured as described above, in the state where the ignition timing is retarded by the first ignition timing control means during the non-traveling range, the ignition timing is controlled by the second ignition timing control means in order to switch the operation mode. Can be further prevented from being retarded. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the engine from misfiring when the ignition timing exceeds the retard limit.

In the present invention, preferably, the suppression means prohibits the retard of the ignition timing by the second ignition timing control means.
According to the present invention thus configured, it is possible to reliably suppress the ignition timing from being retarded by the second ignition timing control means during the non-traveling range. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress the ignition timing from exceeding the retard limit.

In the present invention, preferably, when the ignition timing is retarded by the first ignition timing control means, the suppressing means has the second ignition timing than when the ignition timing is not retarded by the first ignition timing control means. A restriction is provided on the retard of the ignition timing so that the retard amount of the ignition timing by the timing control means becomes small.
According to the present invention configured in this way, it is possible to ensure a certain degree of retardation of the ignition timing by the second ignition timing control means while suppressing the ignition timing from exceeding the retardation limit during the non-traveling range. it can.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a power transmission path between an engine having a plurality of cylinders and capable of reducing cylinder operation in which combustion of some of the plurality of cylinders is stopped, and the engine and wheels. A control device for a vehicle having an automatic transmission provided on the vehicle, further comprising suppression means for suppressing a reduced-cylinder operation of the engine when the automatic transmission is in a neutral state.
According to the present invention configured as described above, when the automatic transmission is in the neutral state, it is possible to appropriately suppress the engine from performing the reduced cylinder operation.

In still another aspect, the present invention provides a power transmission path between an engine having a plurality of cylinders and capable of reducing cylinder operation in which combustion of some of the plurality of cylinders is stopped, and the engine and wheels. A control device for a vehicle having a manual transmission provided above, further comprising suppression means for suppressing reduced-cylinder operation of the engine when the manual transmission is in a neutral state. .
According to the present invention configured as described above, when the manual transmission is in the neutral state, it is possible to appropriately suppress the engine from performing the reduced cylinder operation.

  According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately suppress the engine from performing the reduced-cylinder operation when the transmission range is the non-traveling range.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine system to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 1 is a schematic plan view of an engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the control apparatus of the vehicle by embodiment of this invention. It is the map which showed notionally the operation area | region which switches an operation mode in embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart for demonstrating the basic switching control from all cylinder operation to reduced cylinder operation in embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart for demonstrating the basic switching control from D range to N range in embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart for demonstrating the problem which generate | occur | produces when switching to a reduced cylinder driving | running | working during N range. It is a flowchart which shows the control by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart for demonstrating the effect by 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<System configuration>
First, a system to which a vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine system to which a vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the vehicle control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the engine system 100 mainly includes an intake passage 1 through which intake air (air) introduced from the outside passes, intake air supplied from the intake passage 1, and a fuel injection valve 13 described later. An engine 10 (specifically, a gasoline engine) that generates a vehicle power by burning an air-fuel mixture with the supplied fuel, an exhaust passage 25 that discharges exhaust gas generated by combustion in the engine 10, and an engine It has sensors 30 to 39 for detecting various states related to the system 100 and a PCM (Power-train Control Module) 50 for controlling the entire engine system 100 (see also FIG. 4).

  In the intake passage 1, in order from the upstream side, an air cleaner 3 for purifying intake air introduced from the outside, a throttle valve 5 for adjusting the amount of intake air (intake air amount) passing through, and the intake air supplied to the engine 10 temporarily. And a surge tank 7 for storing automatically.

As shown in FIG. 2, the engine 10 according to the present embodiment is an in-line four-cylinder engine including four cylinders 2 (2A to 2D) arranged in a straight line. The engine 10 mainly includes an intake valve 12 that introduces intake air supplied from the intake passage 1 into the combustion chamber 11, a fuel injection valve 13 that injects fuel toward the combustion chamber 11, and a combustion chamber 11. A spark plug 14 that ignites the supplied air-fuel mixture, a piston 15 that reciprocates by combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber 11, a crankshaft 16 that is rotated by the reciprocating motion of the piston 15, And an exhaust valve 17 that exhausts exhaust gas generated by combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber 11 to the exhaust passage 25.
The pistons 15 provided in the cylinders 2A to 2D reciprocate with a phase difference of 180 ° (180 ° CA) at the crank angle. Correspondingly, the ignition timing in each of the cylinders 2A to 2D is set to a timing shifted in phase by 180 ° CA.

The engine 10 of the present embodiment is a cylinder deactivation engine capable of performing an operation in which two of the four cylinders 2A to 2D are deactivated and the remaining two cylinders are operated, that is, a reduced cylinder operation.
Specifically, in order from the left side of FIG. 2, assuming that the cylinder 2A is the first cylinder, the cylinder 2B is the second cylinder, the cylinder 2C is the third cylinder, and the cylinder 2D is the fourth cylinder, all of the four cylinders 2A to 2D When all cylinders are operated (all cylinder operation mode), ignition is performed in the order of the first cylinder 2A → the third cylinder 2C → the fourth cylinder 2D → the second cylinder 2B.
In the reduced-cylinder operation (reduced-cylinder operation mode), the ignition operation of the spark plug 14 is prohibited in the two cylinders (the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D in this embodiment) whose ignition order is not continuous, and the remaining two Ignition is alternately performed in two cylinders (that is, the third cylinder 2C and the second cylinder 2B).

  In addition, the engine 10 has variable intake valve mechanisms 18 and variable exhaust valve mechanisms in which the operation timings (corresponding to valve phases) of the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17 are variable valve timing mechanisms. 19 is variably configured. As the variable intake valve mechanism 18 and the variable exhaust valve mechanism 19, various known types can be applied. For example, the operation of the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17 is performed using a mechanism configured in an electromagnetic or hydraulic manner. Timing can be changed.

  Further, the engine 10 has a valve stop mechanism 20 that stops the opening and closing operations of the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17 of the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D during the reduced cylinder operation. The valve stop mechanism 20 is configured to keep the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17 of the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D in the closed state during the reduced cylinder operation. For example, the valve stop mechanism 20 includes a so-called lost motion mechanism that is interposed between the cam and the valve and that enables or disables transmission of the driving force of the cam to the valve. Alternatively, the valve stop mechanism 20 includes two types of cams having different cam profiles, a first cam having a cam crest for opening and closing the valve, and a second cam for stopping the valve opening and closing operation, and the first cam A so-called cam shifting mechanism that selectively transmits an operating state of one of the second cams to the valve may be included.

  The exhaust passage 25 is mainly provided with exhaust purification catalysts 26a and 26b having an exhaust gas purification function, such as a NOx catalyst, a three-way catalyst, and an oxidation catalyst. Hereinafter, when the exhaust purification catalysts 26a and 26b are used without being distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as “exhaust purification catalyst 26”.

Here, an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shift lever and the shift gate of the automatic transmission 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The automatic transmission 200 is a transmission provided on a power transmission path between the engine 10 and wheels (not shown) and having a function of automatically switching a gear ratio according to a vehicle speed, an engine speed, and the like. is there.
As shown in FIG. 3, the shift lever 201 is a lever for selecting the shift range of the automatic transmission 200, and is located above the cover 203 attached to the center console 202 between the driver seat and the passenger seat of the vehicle. It is provided so that it may protrude. A zigzag shift gate 204 is formed on the cover 203, and a shift lever 201 is inserted into the shift gate 204. By shifting the shift lever 201 along the shift gate 204, the shift range can be alternatively selected from the P range, R range, N range, D range, and M range. The D range (drive range) is a range for selecting an automatic shift mode in which the shift stage of the automatic transmission 200 is automatically switched based on a predetermined shift characteristic. The M range (manual range) is a range in which the driver selects a manual shift mode in which the gear position of the automatic transmission 200 can be switched manually. The R range (reverse range) is a range for moving the vehicle backward. The N range (neutral range) and the P range (parking range) correspond to a non-traveling range.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the engine system 100 is provided with sensors 30 to 39 that detect various states relating to the engine system 100. Specifically, these sensors 30 to 39 are as follows. The accelerator opening sensor 30 detects an accelerator opening that is an accelerator pedal opening (corresponding to an amount by which the driver has depressed the accelerator pedal). The air flow sensor 31 detects an intake air amount corresponding to the flow rate of the intake air passing through the intake passage 1. The throttle opening sensor 32 detects the throttle opening that is the opening of the throttle valve 5. The pressure sensor 33 detects an intake manifold pressure (intake manifold pressure) corresponding to the pressure of intake air supplied to the engine 10. The crank angle sensor 34 detects the crank angle in the crankshaft 16. The water temperature sensor 35 detects the water temperature that is the temperature of the cooling water that cools the engine 10. The temperature sensor 36 detects an in-cylinder temperature that is a temperature in the cylinder 2 of the engine 10. The cam angle sensors 37 and 38 detect operation timings including the closing timings of the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17, respectively. The range sensor 39 detects the range position of the shift lever 201 in the automatic transmission 200. These various sensors 30 to 39 output detection signals S130 to S139 corresponding to the detected parameters to the PCM 50, respectively.

  The PCM 50 controls the components in the engine system 100 based on the detection signals S130 to S139 input from the various sensors 30 to 39 described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the PCM 50 supplies a control signal S105 to the throttle valve 5, controls the opening / closing timing and throttle opening of the throttle valve 5, and sends a control signal S113 to the fuel injection valve 13. Then, the fuel injection amount and the fuel injection timing are controlled, the control signal S114 is supplied to the spark plug 14, the ignition timing is controlled, and the control signal S118 is supplied to each of the variable intake valve mechanism 18 and the variable exhaust valve mechanism 19. , S119 is supplied to control the operation timing of the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17, and the control signal S120 is supplied to the valve stop mechanism 20 to supply the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve of the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D. The stop / operation of the opening / closing operation 17 is controlled. The PCM 50 corresponds to an example of “suppression unit”, “first ignition timing control unit”, and “second ignition timing control unit” in the present invention.

  The PCM 50 includes a CPU, various programs that are interpreted and executed on the CPU (including basic control programs such as an OS and application programs that are activated on the OS to realize specific functions), programs, and various types of programs. And an internal memory such as a ROM or RAM for storing the data.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 5, an operation region in which each of the reduced-cylinder operation and the all-cylinder operation in the embodiment of the present invention is described. FIG. 5 is an example of a map that conceptually shows the operation region of the engine for switching the operation mode (all-cylinder operation mode and reduced-cylinder operation mode) in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows the engine speed on the horizontal axis and the engine load on the vertical axis.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a reduced-cylinder operation region for performing reduced-cylinder operation is set in a range where the engine speed is relatively low and the engine load is low (see symbol A). An all-cylinder operation region for performing all-cylinder operation is set in a range excluding (refer to reference numeral B). The PCM 50 refers to such a map, determines whether the engine speed and the engine load are included in the reduced-cylinder operation region or the all-cylinder operation region, and reduces the reduced-cylinder operation and the entire engine according to the determination result. Perform one of the tube operations. Specifically, the PCM 50 controls the stop / operation of the opening / closing operation of the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17 of each of the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D by the valve stop mechanism 20. In addition, the PCM 50 controls execution / non-execution of ignition of the spark plug 14 and fuel injection of the fuel injection valve 13 for the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D.

<Control details>
Below, the control content which PCM50 performs in embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

(Basic concept)
First, basic control performed by the PCM 50 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining basic switching control from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a time chart for explaining basic switching control from the D range to the N range in the embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 6 shows, in order from the top, time changes of the operation mode switching request, the intake charge amount (intake amount / intake air amount) of the engine 10, and the ignition timing of the spark plug 14. First, at time t11, when the region including the operation state of the engine 10 changes from the all-cylinder operation region to the reduced-cylinder operation region (see FIG. 5), the PCM 50 changes the operation mode of the engine 10 from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation region. Issue a request to switch to driving. From this time t11, the PCM 50 sets the intake charge amount of the engine 10 so that the intake charge amount of the engine 10 is larger than that during full cylinder operation (during four cylinder operation) and during reduced cylinder operation (during two cylinder operation). Control to increase gradually. For example, the PCM 50 increases the intake charge amount by controlling the variable intake valve mechanism 18 to change the valve timing of the intake valve 12 to the advance side and / or increasing the opening of the throttle valve 5. Let

  Further, the PCM 50 performs control to gradually retard the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 from time t11 in accordance with an increase in the intake charge amount. In this case, the PCM 50 retards the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 within a range on the advance side of the predetermined retard limit Lim. The retard limit Lim is determined based on, for example, the retard value on the retard side at which the combustion stability of the engine 10 is ensured, in other words, the ignition timing at which misfire of the engine 10 starts to occur. Hereinafter, the retard control of the ignition timing performed at the time of switching from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation in this manner is appropriately referred to as “second ignition timing control”.

  At time t12, when the intake charge amount of the engine 10 reaches an amount to be applied during the reduced cylinder operation, the PCM 50 retards the control for increasing the intake charge amount of the engine 10 and the ignition timing of the spark plug 14. End both controls. Specifically, the PCM 50 maintains the current intake charge amount of the engine 10 and rapidly advances the ignition timing of the spark plug 14, more specifically, the original ignition timing (all cylinders before the ignition timing is retarded). The ignition timing is advanced substantially stepwise until the ignition timing during operation. Immediately after this, the PCM 50 stops the opening and closing operations of the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17 of each of the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D by the valve stop mechanism 20 (specifically, to keep the valve closed). In addition, the ignition of the spark plug 14 and the fuel injection of the fuel injection valve 13 are stopped for the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D. As a result, the reduced-cylinder operation starts.

  In this way, when switching from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation, before starting the reduced-cylinder operation (that is, before stopping the combustion in the deactivated cylinder), the intake charge amount of each cylinder is used for reduced-cylinder operation. Therefore, the intake charge amount of each operating cylinder can be sufficiently secured at the start of the reduced-cylinder operation. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the engine torque of the operating cylinder at the start of the reduced cylinder operation. Further, when the intake charge amount is increased in this way, the ignition timing is changed to a timing that is retarded from that during normal all-cylinder operation, so that an increase in engine torque due to an increase in the intake charge amount is suppressed. be able to. From the above, before and after switching from full cylinder operation to reduced cylinder operation, it is possible to reliably avoid an increase or decrease in engine torque, that is, a torque step.

  Next, FIG. 7 shows respective time changes of the range (D range or N range) and ignition timing of the automatic transmission 200 in order from the top. First, at time t21, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is switched from the D range to the N range, the PCM 50 quickly retards the ignition timing of the spark plug 14, specifically, delays the ignition timing in a substantially step-like manner. Horn. Also in this case, the PCM 50 is within a range on the advance side of the retard limit Lim (the same value as the retard limit Lim shown in FIG. 6 or a different value may be used). The ignition timing of the spark plug 14 is retarded. Hereinafter, the retard control of the ignition timing performed at the time of switching from the D range to the N range in this manner is appropriately referred to as “first ignition timing control”. When the range of the automatic transmission 200 is switched from the N range to the D range at time t22, the PCM 50 quickly advances the ignition timing of the spark plug 14, more specifically, the ignition timing is changed to the original value before the delay. Until the ignition timing (ignition timing in the D range) is advanced stepwise.

  Thus, by retarding the ignition timing when switching from the D range to the N range, the engine torque is reduced while the N range is set. Then, at the time of switching from the N range to the D range thereafter, the ignition timing is advanced at a stretch so that the engine torque is increased to a required torque in the D range. By doing so, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the engine speed due to an increase in load (that is, a decrease in the engine speed) when switching from the N range to the D range.

  Next, a problem that occurs when the operation mode is switched from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows, in order from the top, time changes of the operation mode switching request, the range of the automatic transmission 200 (D range or N range), the intake charge amount of the engine 10, and the ignition timing of the spark plug 14. .

  First, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is switched from the D range to the N range at time t31, the PCM 50 retards the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 in a substantially step shape. Thereafter, at time t32 while the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, the region including the operating state of the engine 10 changes from the all-cylinder operation region to the reduced-cylinder operation region. At this time t32, the PCM 50 issues a request to switch the operation mode of the engine 10 from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation, and performs control to gradually increase the intake charge amount of the engine 10 and increase the intake charge amount. Accordingly, control is performed to gradually retard the ignition timing of the spark plug 14.

  As a result, after the time t32, the ignition timing is retarded beyond the retard limit Lim. That is, in the state where the ignition timing is retarded in the N range, if the ignition timing is further retarded in response to a request for switching from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation, the ignition timing exceeds the retardation limit Lim. It is. If the ignition timing exceeds the retard limit Lim in this way, misfire occurs in the engine 10.

  In the present embodiment, the PCM 50 has a problem that occurs when switching to the reduced cylinder operation during the N range (in short, between the engine control in the N range and the engine control for switching from the all cylinder operation to the reduced cylinder operation). Control to eliminate interference). Specifically, in this embodiment, the PCM 50 suppresses the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine 10 when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range. Hereinafter, specific embodiments (first and second embodiments) of control contents performed by the PCM 50 will be described.

(Control by 1st Embodiment)
Initially, with reference to FIG. 9, the control by 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the control according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The flow shown in FIG. 9 is repeatedly executed by the PCM 50 after the ignition of the vehicle is turned on and the PCM 50 is powered on.

  First, in step S101, the PCM 50 determines whether or not the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, in other words, whether or not the automatic transmission 200 is in a neutral state. Specifically, the PCM 50 determines whether or not the range position of the shift lever 201 of the automatic transmission 200 is at a position corresponding to the N range based on the detection signal S139 from the range sensor 39.

  As a result of the determination in step S101, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is not the N range (step S101: No), the process ends. On the other hand, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range (step S101: Yes), the process proceeds to step S102.

  In step S102, the PCM 50 prohibits the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine 10 because the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range. Specifically, the PCM 50 performs all kinds of control for switching the operation mode from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation, particularly control for increasing the intake charge amount and control for retarding the ignition timing (second ignition timing control). Execution is prohibited (of course, control for maintaining the closed state of the intake and exhaust valves by the valve stop mechanism 20, control for stopping ignition of the spark plug 14, and control for stopping fuel injection of the fuel injection valve 13 are also included). By doing so, the PCM 50 prohibits the engine 10 from performing the reduced cylinder operation while the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range.

  According to the first embodiment, in the state where the ignition timing is retarded in the N range, it is prohibited to further retard the ignition timing in order to switch the operation mode from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation. can do. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the ignition timing from exceeding the retard limit Lim. Therefore, misfire of the engine 10 caused by the ignition timing exceeding the retardation limit Lim can be reliably suppressed.

(Control by 2nd Embodiment)
Next, control according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the control according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The flow shown in FIG. 10 is also repeatedly executed by the PCM 50 after the vehicle ignition is turned on and the PCM 50 is powered on.

  First, in step S201, the PCM 50 determines whether or not the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, in other words, whether or not the automatic transmission 200 is in a neutral state. Specifically, the PCM 50 determines whether or not the range position of the shift lever 201 of the automatic transmission 200 is at a position corresponding to the N range based on the detection signal S139 from the range sensor 39.

  As a result of the determination in step S201, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is not the N range (step S201: No), the process ends. On the other hand, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range (step S201: Yes), the process proceeds to step S202.

  In step S202, the PCM 50 executes first ignition timing control for retarding the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range. Specifically, the PCM 50 delays the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 by a predetermined amount from the ignition timing in the D range from the viewpoint of suppressing a decrease in the engine speed when switching from the N range to the D range thereafter. Horn. This predetermined amount is determined according to the amount of decrease in engine torque necessary to suppress the engine speed reduction described above.

  Next, in step S203, the PCM 50 determines whether or not the range of the automatic transmission 200 has been switched from the N range to the D range. Also in this case, the PCM 50 performs the determination in step S203 based on the detection signal S139 from the range sensor 39.

  As a result of the determination in step S203, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is switched from the N range to the D range (step S203: Yes), the process proceeds to step S204. In step S204, the PCM 50 ends the first ignition timing control and promptly advances the ignition timing of the spark plug 14. Specifically, the PCM 50 returns the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 to the original ignition timing (normal ignition timing) applied in the D range before the current N range.

  On the other hand, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is not switched from the N range to the D range (step S203: No), the process proceeds to step S205. In step S205, the PCM 50 determines whether or not the region including the operation state of the engine 10 has changed from the all-cylinder operation region to the reduced-cylinder operation region. Specifically, the PCM 50 refers to the map of the operation region shown in FIG. 5 to determine whether the region including the current engine speed and engine load has changed from the all-cylinder operation region to the reduced-cylinder operation region. Determine whether.

  As a result of the determination in step S205, when the region including the operation state of the engine 10 has not changed from the all-cylinder operation region to the reduced-cylinder operation region (step S205: No), the process ends. On the other hand, when the region including the operation state of the engine 10 has changed from the all-cylinder operation region to the reduced-cylinder operation region (step S205: Yes), the process proceeds to step S206.

  In step S206, the PCM 50 prohibits the second ignition timing control for retarding the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 in order to switch the operation mode from the all cylinder operation to the reduced cylinder operation. That is, in the state where the ignition timing is retarded by the first ignition timing control in the N range, the PCM 50 further retards the ignition timing by the second ignition timing control for switching to the reduced cylinder operation. Is prohibited. In this case, in one example, the PCM 50 not only prohibits the second ignition timing control, but also prohibits any control for switching the operation mode from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation, as in the first embodiment. To do. Specifically, the PCM 50 performs control for increasing the intake charge amount, control for maintaining the closed state of the intake and exhaust valves by the valve stop mechanism 20, control for stopping ignition of the spark plug 14, and fuel injection of the fuel injection valve 13. Control to stop is also prohibited. In another example, the PCM 50 prohibits the second ignition timing control while permitting a part of the other control for switching the above-described operation mode from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation. That is, the PCM 50 permits a certain transition from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the effect by 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 11 shows, in order from the top, time changes of the operation mode switching request, the range of the automatic transmission 200 (D range or N range), the intake charge amount of the engine 10, and the ignition timing of the spark plug 14. .

  First, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is switched from the D range to the N range at time t41, the PCM 50 retards the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 in a substantially step shape. Thereafter, at time t42 during which the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, the region including the operation state of the engine 10 changes from the all-cylinder operation region to the reduced-cylinder operation region. A request to switch the operation mode from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation is issued.

  However, in the second embodiment, the PCM 50 prohibits the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine 10 at the time t42 because the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range. Specifically, while the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, the PCM 50 performs control and ignition timing for increasing the intake charge amount for switching the operation mode of the engine 10 from full cylinder operation to reduced cylinder operation. Do not execute both retarded controls. Therefore, after time t42, the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 is maintained constant, specifically, the ignition timing set on the retard side for the N range. As a result, the ignition timing does not exceed the retard limit Lim.

  Thereafter, at time t43, the range of the automatic transmission 200 is switched from the N range to the D range. At this time t43, first, the PCM 50 advances the ignition timing in a substantially step shape. That is, the PCM 50 returns the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 to the original ignition timing (normal ignition timing) applied in the D range before the N range. Immediately after this, since the request for switching the operation mode of the engine 10 from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation is still issued, the PCM 50 performs the control to gradually increase the intake charge amount of the engine 10 and As the amount increases, control is performed to gradually retard the ignition timing of the spark plug 14. Even if the ignition timing is retarded in this way, the ignition timing is temporarily returned to the normal ignition timing as described above before the ignition timing is retarded, so that the ignition timing exceeds the retard limit Lim. There is no.

  Thereafter, when the intake charge amount reaches an amount to be applied during the reduced-cylinder operation, the PCM 50 ends both the control for increasing the intake charge amount of the engine 10 and the control for retarding the ignition timing of the spark plug 14. . Specifically, the PCM 50 maintains the current intake charge amount of the engine 10 and advances the ignition timing of the spark plug 14 in a substantially step shape so that the original ignition timing before the delay (the normal all cylinders) Return to the ignition timing during operation. The PCM 50 holds the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 17 of each of the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D in the closed state by the valve stop mechanism 20, and the first cylinder 2A and the fourth cylinder 2D. Then, the ignition of the spark plug 14 and the fuel injection of the fuel injection valve 13 are stopped. As a result, the reduced-cylinder operation starts.

  According to the second embodiment described above, in the state where the ignition timing is retarded in the N range, it is appropriate that the ignition timing is further retarded in order to switch the operation mode from all-cylinder operation to reduced-cylinder operation. Can be prohibited. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the ignition timing from exceeding the retard limit Lim, and it is possible to reliably suppress misfire of the engine 10.

<Modification>
Next, various modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described.

  In the above-described embodiment (particularly the first embodiment), the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine 10 is prohibited during the N range, but in other examples, the automatic transmission 200 range is not prohibited without prohibiting the reduced-cylinder operation. When N is in the N range, the operating conditions for executing the reduced cylinder operation may be stricter than in the D range. Specifically, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, it is better to narrow the reduced-cylinder operation region (see FIG. 5) than when the range is the D range. For example, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, the lower limit of the engine speed range that defines the reduced-cylinder operation range is changed to a higher rotation side, or the engine speed range that defines the reduced-cylinder operation range The upper limit of the engine load may be changed to the low rotation side, or the upper limit of the engine load range defining the reduced cylinder operating region may be changed to the low load side.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, the retard of the ignition timing for switching the operation mode from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation is prohibited. Some retarding of the ignition timing may be allowed. Specifically, when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the N range, the ignition timing for switching the operation mode from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation is greater than when the range of the automatic transmission 200 is the D range. The retard amount may be reduced, that is, the retard limit may be set to the advance side to further limit the retard amount of the ignition timing.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied at the time of switching between the D range and the N range has been shown, but the present invention can also be applied at the time of switching between a traveling range other than the D range (for example, the M range) and the N range. It is. Further, the present invention is not limited to the case where the N range is detected by the range sensor 39, and the present embodiment is not used when the automatic transmission 200 is determined to be in the neutral state without using the range sensor 39. The invention may be applied.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a vehicle including the automatic transmission 200 has been shown. However, the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle including a manual transmission. In that case, when the manual transmission is in the neutral state, the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine 10 may be suppressed in the same manner as the method described in the above embodiment. The neutral state of the manual transmission may be detected by, for example, a neutral sensor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Intake passage 2 (2A-2D) Cylinder 5 Throttle valve 10 Engine 13 Fuel injection valve 14 Spark plug 18 Variable intake valve mechanism 20 Valve stop mechanism 39 Range sensor 50 PCM
100 Engine system 200 Automatic transmission 201 Shift lever

Claims (8)

An engine including a plurality of cylinders and capable of reduced-cylinder operation for stopping combustion of some of the cylinders;
An automatic transmission provided on a power transmission path between the engine and the wheels;
A shift lever capable of switching the range of the automatic transmission;
A range sensor for detecting the range position of the shift lever;
A vehicle control device comprising:
When the non-traveling range is detected by the range sensor, the engine further includes suppression means for suppressing the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine.
A control apparatus for a vehicle. The non-traveling range is a neutral range.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. The suppression means, as suppression of the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine, to either tighten the operating conditions for executing the reduced-cylinder operation, or prohibit the reduced-cylinder operation,
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. Furthermore,
First ignition timing control means for retarding the ignition timing of the engine by a predetermined amount when the range of the automatic transmission is a non-traveling range;
Second ignition timing control means for retarding the engine ignition timing in order to suppress a torque step of the engine at the time of switching between all-cylinder operation in which combustion is performed in all of the plurality of cylinders and the reduced-cylinder operation;
Have
When the ignition timing is retarded by the first ignition timing control means, the suppression means suppresses the retard of the ignition timing by the second ignition timing control means, thereby reducing the cylinder operation of the engine. Suppress,
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The suppression means prohibits a retard of the ignition timing by the second ignition timing control means;
The vehicle control device according to claim 4. The suppression means has the second ignition timing control means when the ignition timing is retarded by the first ignition timing control means than when the ignition timing is not retarded by the first ignition timing control means. The ignition timing retardation is limited so that the amount of ignition timing retardation caused by
The vehicle control device according to claim 4. An engine including a plurality of cylinders and capable of reduced-cylinder operation for stopping combustion of some of the cylinders;
An automatic transmission provided on a power transmission path between the engine and the wheels;
A vehicle control device comprising:
When the automatic transmission is in a neutral state, the automatic transmission further includes suppression means for suppressing the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine.
A control apparatus for a vehicle. An engine including a plurality of cylinders and capable of reduced-cylinder operation for stopping combustion of some of the cylinders;
A manual transmission provided on a power transmission path between the engine and the wheels;
A vehicle control device comprising:
The manual transmission further includes suppression means for suppressing the reduced-cylinder operation of the engine when the manual transmission is in a neutral state.
A control apparatus for a vehicle.

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