Patent ID: 9598065
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: B60W

Claim:
1. An engine controller for controlling an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine operatively coupled to an automatic transmission and including a plurality of cylinders, the engine controller in signal communication with the internal combustion engine, the automatic transmission, and a displacement adjusting mechanism, the engine controller configured to: determine an operating condition of the internal combustion engine; and communicate to at least one of the automatic transmission to shift to one of a plurality of gear configurations, each of the plurality of gear configurations corresponding to a range of operating conditions of the internal combustion engine, and the displacement adjusting mechanism to one of activate and deactivate at least one cylinder of the plurality of cylinders, wherein the engine controller determines that a shift from a first gear configuration of the plurality of gear configurations to a second gear configuration of the plurality of gear configurations requires a positive torque from the internal combustion engine when the at least one cylinder is deactivated, and the engine controller communicates with the displacement adjusting mechanism to activate the at least one deactivated cylinder such that the plurality of cylinders are activated before the shift from the first gear configuration to the second gear configuration and the positive torque are completed.