Patents by Inventor Daigo Ando

Daigo Ando has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20130160727
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine includes: a variable valve timing mechanism that changes a valve timing; and a control unit that controls a change of the valve timing. The control unit sets an engine stop request-time target valve timing that is a target valve timing at the time when a request for an engine stop is issued, starts control for changing the valve timing coincides with the engine stop request-time target valve timing and causes the internal combustion engine to operate at an idle at the time when the request for the engine stop is issued, starts a process of stopping operation of internal combustion engine at the time when the valve timing has reached a predetermined valve timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinya OHORI, Daigo ANDO
  • Publication number: 20130166185
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine includes: a variable valve timing mechanism that changes a valve timing by pressure of hydraulic fluid; and a control unit that controls a change of the valve timing. The control unit sets an engine stop request-time target valve timing that is a target valve timing at the time when a request for an engine stop is issued, starts control for changing the valve timing such that the valve timing coincides with the engine stop request-time target valve timing and causes the internal combustion engine to operate at an idle at the time when the request for the engine stop is issued, starts a process of stopping the operation of the internal combustion engine at the time when the valve timing has reached a predetermined valve timing, and sets the predetermined valve timing on the basis of a temperature of the hydraulic fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daigo ANDO
  • Patent number: 8442745
    Abstract: In control executed by a fuel supply apparatus having a delivery passage that delivers fuel to a fuel injection valve, a fuel pump that pumps the fuel from a fuel tank to the delivery passage, and a check valve that allows the fuel to flow out of the delivery passage into the fuel tank, that opens when a first fuel pressure on the delivery passage is higher than a second fuel pressure on the fuel tank by at least a set pressure, when the first fuel pressure is lower than a lower limit pressure being higher than the set pressure in a case where fuel injection is to be stopped, the fuel pump is controlled so that the first fuel pressure rises to or above the lower limit pressure, and after the first fuel pressure has reached or exceeded the lower limit pressure, the abnormality diagnosis is executed on the check valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daigo Ando
  • Patent number: 8386151
    Abstract: An ECU executes a program based on which, when a fuel-supply cutoff control is executed or when a hybrid vehicle travels in a second mode in which the engine is stopped and the hybrid vehicle travels using only the drive power generated by a second MG an intake VVT mechanism is controlled so that a valve phase is brought to the mechanically determined most retarded phase. The phase, which is detected by a cam position sensor, is learned as the most retarded phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayoshi Hattori, Tsukasa Abe, Eiichi Hioka, Daigo Ando
  • Publication number: 20120222652
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle including an engine provided with a plurality of VVTs (variable valve timing mechanisms) as one motive power source, an ECU increments a time lapse counter when a sensor detects the fact that a greatest-retard command has been output to all VVTs and an operation position of each VVT has actually returned to a greatest-retard position in response to the greatest-retard command. The ECU determines whether count by the time lapse counter has exceeded a predetermined defined time or not, and it does not permit engine stop until count by the time lapse counter reaches the predetermined defined time and permits engine stop when count by the time lapse counter has exceeded the predetermined defined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daigo Ando
  • Patent number: 8229653
    Abstract: A power output apparatus for outputting power to a drive shaft includes a control unit that controls an internal combustion engine to perform an idle operation at a predetermined rotation speed, executes idle control amount learning, in which an idle control amount serving as a control amount obtained during the control is learned in accordance with establishment of a predetermined learning condition, within a range in which a rotation speed of the drive shaft is lower than a first speed, when the idle control amount learning is incomplete, and executes again the idle control amount learning within a range in which the rotation speed of the drive shaft is lower than a second speed, which is lower than the first speed, when the idle control amount learning is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daigo Ando, Takeshi Harada
  • Patent number: 8200385
    Abstract: A power output apparatus includes a control unit that controls an internal combustion engine, a generator, and an electric motor such that a required driving force is output to a drive shaft. The control unit learns an idle control amount, which is a control amount obtained during an idle operation of the internal combustion engine, in accordance with establishment of a predetermined learning condition when a rotation variation amount of the drive shaft is within a predetermined range including a value of zero, and does not learn the idle control amount when the rotation variation amount of the drive shaft is not within the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daigo Ando, Takeshi Harada
  • Patent number: 8170778
    Abstract: On incompletion of port learning, an auto stop-permitting water temperature is set to a temperature which is higher than a temperature set on completion of the port learning and is higher than a port injection temperature as an upper limit temperature that enables an engine to be driven in a port injection drive mode. This arrangement increases the opportunity of continuing the operation of the engine with fuel injection from a port fuel injection valve without an auto stop, thus increasing the opportunity of the port learning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daigo Ando, Kazuhiro Ichimoto, Shinji Yamanaka
  • Publication number: 20120090391
    Abstract: After an engine stop duration exceeds a predetermined time period (that is, if a decision outcome of S100 is positive), diagnosis of a leakage mechanism, which is a relief valve, for diagnosing the presence/absence of an abnormality is not performed during a current engine stop (S102). Therefore, even if the fuel pressure in the high-pressure fuel system is reduced to a low-pressure level due to temperature decrease as though fuel has been leaked in a state in which high-pressure fuel in a high-pressure fuel system cannot be leaked due to an abnormality in the relief valve, it generally occurs after the predetermined time period since such a decrease to a low-pressure level due to the temperature decrease is slow. Thus, an erroneous diagnosis as being normal is prevented from being made since the diagnosis has been suspended when the fuel pressure becomes equal to the low-pressure level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daigo Ando
  • Publication number: 20120065868
    Abstract: In control executed by a fuel supply apparatus having a delivery passage that delivers fuel to a fuel injection valve, a fuel pump that pumps the fuel from a fuel tank to the delivery passage, and a check valve that allows the fuel to flow out of the delivery passage into the fuel tank, that opens when a first fuel pressure on the delivery passage is higher than a second fuel pressure on the fuel tank by at least a set pressure, when the first fuel pressure is lower than a lower limit pressure being higher than the set pressure in a case where fuel injection is to be stopped, the fuel pump is controlled so that the first fuel pressure rises to or above the lower limit pressure, and after the first fuel pressure has reached or exceeded the lower limit pressure, the abnormality diagnosis is executed on the check valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daigo Ando
  • Patent number: 8108089
    Abstract: When the engine being in an idling operation and it is in a running state (S410, S420), a value 1 is set to a learning-determination flag F1 (step S460) and the learning of the idling control value is performed when the transmission is in the state of Lo gear and it is not immediately after a Hi-Lo shifting has been performed (S430 to S450).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiko Hasegawa, Toshio Inoue, Daigo Ando, Mamoru Tomatsuri, Keita Fukui
  • Patent number: 7971668
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle 20, when a deceleration demand based on accelerator-off is made in selecting an S position that allows arbitrary selection of shift positions SP1 to SP6, and fuel cut cannot be prohibited from a state of a battery 50, an engine 22 and motors MG1 and MG2 are controlled so that a driving force based on a torque demand Tr* is outputted with the fuel cut (Steps S410, S420, S360 to S400). When the deceleration demand based on the accelerator-off is made in selecting the S position, and the fuel cut can be prohibited from the state of the battery 50, the engine 22 and the motors MG1 and MG2 are controlled so that the engine 22 substantially performs self-sustaining operation at a target rotation speed Ne0 and a driving force based on the torque demand Tr* is outputted (Steps S340 to S400).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daigo Ando, Toshio Inoue, Mamoru Tomatsuri, Keiko Hasegawa, Shunsuke Fushiki, Tsukasa Abe
  • Patent number: 7958957
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle 20 sets a tentative limit value Win0 of determining a fuel increase relation with respect to a selected gearshift position SP for driving (S220, S230, S350), and performs increasing correction of a fuel injection amount according to either a first OT increase factor setting map or a second OT increase factor setting map that is enabled based on a relation of an input limit Win of the battery 50 to the tentative limit value Win0. Prohibition of fuel cutoff may be cancelled, based on a relation of the input limit Win to a driving force demand in an accelerator-off state set at the selected gearshift position SP. Even in this case, the increasing correction enables temperature regulation of an exhaust gas purification catalyst, with a view to controlling deterioration of the exhaust gas purification catalyst in an actual fuel cutoff condition after cancellation of the prohibition of the fuel cutoff.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Daigo Ando
  • Patent number: 7891341
    Abstract: A fuel supply system includes a first non-return valve for a low-pressure delivery connection pipe and a second non-return valve for a pump supply pipe. The former non-return pipe does not allow fuel to flow from the low-pressure delivery pipe to the low-pressure supply pipe. The second non-return valve does not allow fuel to flow from pump supply pipe to the low-pressure supply pipe. Upon determining that air purging is necessary, an engine ECU operates a feed pump for approximately one second and then opens, for dummy injection, an in-cylinder injector and an intake manifold injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Inoue, Osamu Harada, Shunsuke Fushiki, Daigo Ando
  • Patent number: 7814743
    Abstract: In an engine 5 including an in-cylinder injector, the valve timing of an intake valve is retarded by VVT (Variable Valve Timing) controlled by an engine ECU to decompress in a combustion chamber at engine startup. In accordance with a configuration in which the valve timing of intake valve is advanced in a stepped manner from an initial set value, fuel injection from in-cylinder injector is inhibited during the time when the advance is equal to or below a predetermined standard value, and fuel injection from in-cylinder injector is allowed when exceeding the predetermined standard value, whereby degradation in the exhaust emission level in accordance with start time decompression control can be suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Inoue, Tsukasa Abe, Shunsuke Fushiki, Mamoru Tomatsuri, Daigo Ando, Keiko Hasegawa, Osamu Harada, Katsuhiko Yamaguchi, Keita Fukui, Yukihiro Sonoda, Koji Morita, Takuji Matsubara, Yusuke Nakayama
  • Patent number: 7788023
    Abstract: A hybrid electronic control unit sends a combustion start command to an engine ECU when the rotation speed of an engine reaches a combustion start rotation speed by engine cranking. The engine ECU sends an initial explosion advance notification to the hybrid electronic control unit when the crank position of the engine reaches a specific position prior to an ignition timing of an initial explosion cylinder by a preset crank angle ?ec. Ignition of the initial explosion cylinder is performed at a timing when the crank position is further rotated by the preset crank angle ?ec. The hybrid electronic control unit sends a torque command in view of a counter torque T? to a motor ECU after elapse of a preset time period tv.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daigo Ando, Fumikazu Satou, Takeshi Kanayama
  • Publication number: 20100204864
    Abstract: When the catalyst warm-up is not completed and the driving power Pdrv is larger than the battery output allowable power (k·Wout), the power demand Pe* to be output from the engine 22 is set as a power obtained by subtracting the battery output allowable power from the driving power Pdrv (S130) and the engine 22 and the motors MG1 and MG2 are controlled so that the engine 22 outputs the power demand Pe* and the hybrid vehicle 20 is driven with the driving power Pdrv (S160, S190 through S230). This arrangement enables the hybrid vehicle 20 to be driven with output of the driving power Pdrv while preventing more the emission of exhaust from becoming worse, in comparison to the case where the power demand Pe* is set as the driving power Pdrv and the control is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ikuo Ando, Daigo Ando
  • Publication number: 20100185349
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle is equipped with an engine and a motor generator (MG2) serving as a power source for driving the vehicle. A catalytic converter is provided in an exhaust pipe of the engine. An HV-ECU estimates a possible EV-running distance based on an SOC of a power storage device for comparison with a traveling distance (L) to a destination set by a navigation device. When the possible EV-running distance is longer than the traveling distance (L), the HV-ECU outputs a control signal (CTL2) instructing prohibition of warm-up of the catalytic converter, to an EG-ECU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Harada, Daigo Ando
  • Patent number: 7751965
    Abstract: When a start command of an engine is given in the presence of the driver's power demand, the start control sets the ignition timing of the engine to a power demand ignition timing, in order to enable quick output of a large power from the engine in response to the driver's power demand. When the start command of the engine is given in the absence of the driver's power demand in a vehicle drive state, there is little possibility of the occurrence of gear chattering noise because of application of a torque to a driveshaft. The start control accordingly sets the ignition timing of the engine to a vibration control ignition timing, in order to reduce the vibration of the vehicle body. When the start command of the engine is given in the absence of the driver's power demand in a vehicle stop state, on the other hand, application of a small torque may cause the occurrence of chattering noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daigo Ando, Fumikazu Satou, Takeshi Kanayama
  • Publication number: 20100106355
    Abstract: An ECU executes a program based on which, when a fuel-supply cutoff control is executed or when a hybrid vehicle travels in a second mode in which the engine is stopped and the hybrid vehicle travels using only the drive power generated by a second MG an intake VVT mechanism is controlled so that a valve phase is brought to the mechanically determined most retarded phase. The phase, which is detected by a cam position sensor, is learned as the most retarded phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Inventors: Masayoshi Hattori, Tsukasa Abe, Eiichi Hioka, Daigo Ando