Patent ID: 9194488
Filing Date: 2015-11-24
Classification: B60W,F02D,F16H,H02J,H02P

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle having an internal combustion engine mounted thereon, a transmission mechanism that changes rotation of the engine in speed, a torque converter that has a lockup clutch and is disposed between the engine and the transmission mechanism, a generator that is driven by the engine and generates power, and a vehicle deceleration-time controller that controls operation of the vehicle to cut off or restrict fuel supply to the engine and to engage the lockup clutch of the torque converter based on at least a vehicle speed indicative of traveling speed of the vehicle, a speed of the engine and an accelerator opening, comprising: a generator load reducing condition determiner that determines whether a condition that enables to reduce load of the generator is established; and a disengaging vehicle speed setter that sets a disengaging vehicle speed at which the lockup clutch is to be disengaged based on the determination by the generator load reducing condition determiner as to whether or not the condition that enables to reduce load of the generator is established; wherein the disengaging vehicle speed setter sets a desired power generation value of the generator to a first voltage value and sets the disengaging vehicle speed at which the lockup clutch is to be disengaged to a first vehicle speed when it is determined that the condition that enables to reduce the load of the generator is not established, while sets the desired power generation value of the generator to a second voltage value that is determined based on a detected vehicle speed based on characteristics preset relative to deceleration of the vehicle and sets the disengaging vehicle speed to a second vehicle speed that is lower than the first vehicle speed when it is determined that the condition that enables to reduce the load of the generator is established.