Vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle for reducing applicable man-hours regarding fuel combustion conditions when rejecting changeover to a circuit mode.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes: an engine; and an engine control part for, when a portable terminal operated by a vehicle user determines that the current position of the vehicle mounted with the engine is in a circuit, controlling the engine in a circuit mode in which the travelling function of the vehicle is improved, on the basis of a request transmitted from the portable terminal. When determining that partial combustion conditions of all combustion conditions for stably combusting fuel supplied into the engine in the circuit mode are not established, the engine control part rejects changeover to the circuit mode despite the request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Limiters are known to restrict various functions for the safety of the vehicle or to save fuel. Examples of functions for safety include anti-lock brake systems and other anti-skid functions. Examples of functions for fuel saving include variable cylinder management, which automatically shuts down one-third or half of the engine depending on the driving conditions to save fuel.

[0003] There is also known a technology that identifies the current position of the vehicle from data acquired by a GPS (Global Positioning System) and map information, and changes the amount of steering force assist if the vehicle is on a circuit. There is also known a technology that releases the limiter when it is determined that the vehicle is located on a circuit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-199382 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the limiter is released while the vehicle is on a circuit, for example, fuel saving is relaxed. However, even if fuel saving is relaxed, there is a possibility that fuel may not be burned stably inside the engine depending on, for example, the amount of fuel injected or the temperature of the intake air taken in by the engine. In this case, even if the vehicle is switched to a circuit mode that aims to improve the driving performance of the vehicle on a circuit road, there is a possibility that the driving performance of the vehicle will not be sufficiently improved.

[0006] Therefore, for example, when switching to the circuit mode, it is desirable to determine in advance whether the fuel supplied to the engine satisfies all of the numerous combustion conditions that determine whether the fuel will burn stably. However, if each of these combustion conditions is individually determined to be met, the amount of work required for adaptation may increase. Similarly, even when switching to the circuit mode is rejected, the amount of work required for adaptation may increase. If the amount of work required for adaptation increases, it may take a long time to adapt the combustion conditions.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle that reduces the number of steps required to adapt fuel combustion conditions when switching to the circuit mode is rejected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle of the present invention comprises an engine, and an engine control unit that, when a mobile terminal operated by a user of the vehicle determines that the current location of the vehicle equipped with the engine is within a circuit, controls the engine in a circuit mode that improves the vehicle's driving performance based on a request sent from the mobile terminal, and when the engine control unit determines that some of the combustion conditions for stable combustion of fuel supplied to the engine in the circuit mode are not met, it refuses to switch to the circuit mode regardless of the request.

[0009] In the above configuration, if the engine control unit determines that some of the combustion conditions are not met while the engine is controlled in the circuit mode and the vehicle is running, the engine control unit may turn off the circuit mode after the vehicle has stopped and its behavior has stabilized.

[0010] In the above configuration, the vehicle may further include a display control unit that controls the display of a display device provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and when the mobile terminal determines that the current position of the vehicle is outside the circuit, the display control unit may output a display to the display device requesting the vehicle to stop based on an instruction sent from the mobile terminal, and the engine control unit may turn off the circuit mode after the vehicle has stopped and its behavior has stabilized.

[0011] In the above configuration, the vehicle may further include a communication control unit that is provided in the vehicle and controls communication between the mobile terminal and the engine control unit, and the engine control unit may turn off the circuit mode when it does not receive a signal transmitted from the communication control unit.

[0012] In the above configuration, the engine control unit may exclude determination regarding fail-safe control for the engine from the time a starter that starts the engine is turned on until a predetermined time has elapsed since the starter is turned off. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of steps required for adapting the fuel combustion conditions when refusing to switch to the circuit mode. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is an example of a vehicle control system. [Figure 2] 1A is an example of a correspondence table stored in a mobile terminal, and FIG. 1B is an example of a hardware configuration of an engine ECU. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a processing sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation of the vehicle control system. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a determination process. [Figure 5] 1 is an example of a display device including a stop request display. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle control system ST includes a vehicle 10, a server 20, and a mobile terminal 30. In Fig. 1, a smartphone is shown as an example of the mobile terminal 30, but a tablet terminal may be used instead of a smartphone. By linking the vehicle 10, the server 20, and the mobile terminal 30, the vehicle control system ST provides a service limited to a circuit C1 to a driver 10D who is a user of the vehicle 10.

[0017] For example, when vehicle 10 enters circuit C1 and driver 10D operates mobile terminal 30 in office C2 within circuit C1 to launch a circuit app, mobile terminal 30 obtains GPS information including the current location of vehicle 10 via server 20. The circuit app is application software installed on mobile terminal 30 and is associated with vehicle 10. The circuit app is used when controlling vehicle 10 in a circuit mode that improves the driving performance of vehicle 10.

[0018] The vehicle 10 includes a DCM (Data Communication Module) 11 as a wireless communication device connected to an antenna ATN, a DCM-ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 12, and a GPS 13. The DCM-ECU 12 is an example of a communication control unit and controls communication between the mobile terminal 30 and an engine ECU 15 (described later). The GPS 13 measures the position of the vehicle 10 and stores GPS information including the measured position. The DCM-ECU 12 acquires the GPS information from the GPS 13 and transmits the GPS information to the server 20 by radio waves WL via the DCM 11 and the antenna ATN. Therefore, when the server 20 requests the vehicle 10 to transmit GPS information, the server 20 can acquire the GPS information from the vehicle 10.

[0019] The GPS information reaches the server 20 via a mobile base station BS and a communication network NW. The communication network NW includes either the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network), or both. When the mobile terminal 30 requests the server 20 to transmit the GPS information, the server 20 transmits the GPS information to the mobile terminal 30 by radio waves WL via the communication network NW and the mobile base station BS. This allows the mobile terminal 30 to obtain the GPS information of the vehicle 10.

[0020] The server 20 also stores map information (hereinafter referred to as circuit information) including the location or area of ​​the circuit C1. When the mobile terminal 30 requests the server 20 to transmit the circuit information, the server 20 transmits the circuit information to the mobile terminal 30 by radio waves WL via the communication network NW and the mobile base station BS. This allows the mobile terminal 30 to obtain the circuit information.

[0021] When the mobile terminal 30 acquires the GPS information and the circuit information, it determines whether the current location of the vehicle 10 is within the circuit C1 based on the circuit information and the GPS information. If the location of the vehicle 10 is not within the circuit C1, the mobile terminal 30 rejects the switch to the circuit mode and notifies the driver 10D of this on the screen.

[0022] On the other hand, if the vehicle 10 is located within the circuit C1, the mobile terminal 30 presents the driver 10D with precautions that may arise from switching to the circuit mode and requests the driver 10D to agree to the switch. In this way, the circuit mode determines whether the vehicle 10 is located within the circuit C1 based on the circuit information and GPS information. Therefore, the circuit mode differs from the sports mode (or sports driving mode) in which the driving performance is improved simply by switching a switch provided inside the vehicle 10 without making such a determination.

[0023] When the mobile terminal 30 receives consent to switch from the driver 10D, it transmits circuit mode request information (hereinafter referred to as a request ID (Identifier)) including the consent to switch to the circuit mode to the server 20. The request ID is identification information that requests the vehicle 10 to switch to the circuit mode. A request ID is prepared and defined for each version of the circuit app. Therefore, when the version of the circuit app is updated, a different and independent request ID is transmitted based on the version update.

[0024] When the request ID is transmitted from the mobile terminal 30, the server 20 generates switching information including the request ID and transmits it to the vehicle 10. As will be described in detail later, the switching information is information for switching the driving performance of the vehicle 10 to driving performance specialized for driving on the circuit C1. For example, the server 20 transmits the switching information to the vehicle 10 by SMS (Short Message Service).

[0025] In the vehicle 10, the DCM-ECU 12 receives switching information from the server 20 via the DCM 11 and the antenna ATN. Here, the vehicle 10 is equipped with an engine 14, an engine ECU 15, a display device 16, and a meter ECU 17. The engine ECU 15 is an example of an engine control unit. The meter ECU 17 is an example of a display control unit. The engine 14 is provided with a starter 14A that starts the engine 14. A speed sensor 15V that detects the speed of the vehicle 10 is connected to the engine ECU 15. The display device 16 is provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10. Note that the DCM-ECU 12, the engine ECU 15, and the meter ECU 17 can realize a control device for the vehicle 10.

[0026] When the DCM-ECU 12 receives the switching information, it transmits the switching information to the engine ECU 15 using a CAN (Controller Area Network) signal. As a result, the engine ECU 15 receives the switching information. Upon receiving the switching information, the engine ECU 15 determines whether or not both a first condition and a second condition, which are part of at least three or more conditions for stable combustion of fuel supplied to the engine 14 in the circuit mode, are not satisfied. The first condition and the second condition are examples of the partial combustion conditions. Any of the at least three or more conditions including the first condition and the second condition is an example of the combustion condition.

[0027] For example, the at least three conditions include a first condition related to the temperature of the coolant that cools the engine 14, a second condition related to atmospheric pressure, and a third condition related to the amount of fuel injected into the engine 14. The at least three conditions may also include, for example, a fourth condition related to the engine 14 rotation speed, a fifth condition related to the outside air temperature, and a sixth condition related to communication between the DCM-ECU 12 and the engine ECU 15. The engine ECU 15 determines whether, for example, both the first and second conditions among the first through sixth conditions are not satisfied. In this way, the engine ECU 15 determines whether both the first and second conditions are satisfied. Therefore, the engine ECU 15 can reduce the number of man-hours required for the adaptation compared to determining whether all of the first through sixth conditions are satisfied.

[0028] If either the first condition or the second condition is satisfied, the engine ECU 15 permits switching to the circuit mode. As a result, the engine ECU 15 changes the control of the engine 14 based on the request ID included in the switching information. That is, the engine ECU 15 controls the engine 14 in the circuit mode.

[0029] For example, the engine ECU 15 changes a plurality of torque upper limit maps (hereinafter simply referred to as torque maps) that define the upper limit of the torque of the engine 14 based on the request ID. This allows the engine 14 to operate in a circuit mode that can output high torque. The circuit mode improves the driving performance of the vehicle 10 compared to a normal driving mode. In this way, by approving the use of the circuit mode, the vehicle control system ST can provide the driver 10D with a service that conveys the fun of motorsports.

[0030] On the other hand, if neither the first condition nor the second condition is satisfied, the engine ECU 15 denies the switch to the circuit mode. In this case, the engine ECU 15 notifies the mobile terminal 30 of a switch error via the DCM-ECU 12, the server 20, or the like. This allows the driver 10D to confirm that the switch to the circuit mode has been denied.

[0031] When the vehicle 10 moves from the inside to the outside of the circuit C1, the mobile terminal 30 determines that the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the circuit C1. In this case, the mobile terminal 30 notifies the server 20 of predetermined information including the fact that the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the circuit C1. Based on this predetermined information, the server 20 transmits an instruction to the meter ECU 17 including control information for controlling the display of the display device 16. Based on the instruction transmitted from the server 20, the meter ECU 17 outputs a display requesting the vehicle 10 to stop to the display device 16.

[0032] It is assumed that the driver 10D will then take action to stop the vehicle 10 by applying the brakes. The instruction transmitted from the server 20 reaches the meter ECU 17 via the DCM-ECU 12, the engine ECU 15, etc. The engine ECU 15 determines whether the vehicle 10 has stopped based on the speed detected by the speed sensor 15V. The engine ECU 15 turns off the circuit mode after the vehicle 10 has stopped. If the engine ECU 15 turns off the circuit mode while the vehicle 10 is traveling, the behavior of the vehicle 10 may become unstable. However, by having the engine ECU 15 turn off the circuit mode after the vehicle 10 has stopped, such a possibility is reduced.

[0033] Next, the mobile terminal 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the mobile terminal 30 includes a non-volatile memory (NVM) 31. The NVM 31 stores a correspondence table between a version ID that identifies the version of the circuit app and a request ID. For example, the version ID "Ver1" is associated with the request ID "#1." The version ID "Ver2" is associated with the request ID "#2." This allows the mobile terminal 30 to send the request ID "#2" when the version of the circuit app is updated, for example, from the version ID "Ver1" to the version ID "Ver2."

[0035] Next, the engine ECU 15 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2(b). The hardware configurations of the DCM-ECU 12 and the meter ECU 17 described above are basically the same as the hardware configuration of the engine ECU 15, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. The engine ECU 15 communicates indirectly with the mobile terminal 30 via the DCM-ECU 12, the server 20, etc.

[0036] The engine ECU 15 is a hardware circuit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 15A, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 15B, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 15C, and an input / output I / F (Interface) 15D. The CPU 15A is an example of a processor, and communicates indirectly with the mobile terminal 30. The CPU 15A, RAM 15B, ROM 15C, and input / output I / F 15D are connected to one another via an internal bus 15E. Although omitted in FIG. 2(b), the input / output I / F 15D is connected to the DCM-ECU 12, the engine 14, and the meter ECU 17. A computer is realized by cooperation of at least the CPU 15A and the RAM 15B.

[0037] The software stored in advance in the ROM 15C is stored in the RAM 15B by the CPU 15A. The stored software is executed by the CPU 15A, causing the CPU 15A to execute a series of processes described below. The software may be one that corresponds to the process sequence diagram described below.

[0038] The ROM 15C also stores, for each request ID, a plurality of torque maps that respectively define the upper limit of torque of the engine 14. Since a request ID is prepared and defined for each version of the circuit app, it can be said that the ROM 15C stores a plurality of torque maps for each version of the circuit app.

[0039] Next, the operation of the vehicle control system ST will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] First, the mobile terminal 30 waits until the circuit app is launched (step S1: NO). For example, the mobile terminal 30 waits until the driver 10D performs a predetermined operation on the circuit app icon displayed on the mobile terminal 30 to instruct the circuit app to be launched. When the predetermined operation is performed on the circuit app icon while the vehicle 10 is stopped and the circuit app is launched (step S1: YES), the mobile terminal 30 requests determination information from the server 20 and the DCM-ECU 12 (step S2). The determination information is information for determining whether the vehicle 10 is located within the circuit C1.

[0041] For example, the mobile terminal 30 directly requests the server 20 for the determination information. On the other hand, the mobile terminal 30 indirectly requests the determination information from the DCM-ECU 12. That is, the mobile terminal 30 requests the determination information from the DCM-ECU 12 via the server 20. When the determination information is requested from the mobile terminal 30, the server 20 transmits circuit information as the determination information to the mobile terminal 30 (step S3). When the determination information is requested from the mobile terminal 30 via the server 20, the DCM-ECU 12 transmits GPS information as the determination information to the mobile terminal 30 via the server 20 (step S4).

[0042] After acquiring the GPS information and the circuit information, the mobile terminal 30 determines whether the current location of the vehicle 10 is within the circuit C1 (step S5). If the current location is not within the circuit C1 (step S5: NO), the mobile terminal 30 skips the subsequent processing. In this case, the mobile terminal 30 refuses to switch to the circuit mode, and control of the vehicle 10 in the circuit mode is discontinued.

[0043] On the other hand, if the current location is within the circuit C1 (step S5: YES), the mobile terminal 30 determines whether or not there has been consent to switching to the circuit mode (step S6). For example, the mobile terminal 30 presents to the driver 10D on the screen of the mobile terminal 30 notes that may result from switching to the circuit mode, and requests consent from the driver 10D to switch. The notes may include, for example, an explanation regarding deterioration of the engine 14. If the driver 10D performs an operation to reject the switch to the circuit mode, the mobile terminal 30 determines that there has been no consent to switching to the circuit mode (step S6: NO). In this case, the mobile terminal 30 rejects the switch to the circuit mode, and control of the vehicle 10 in the circuit mode is discontinued.

[0044] On the other hand, if the driver 10D performs an operation to consent to switching to the circuit mode (for example, pressing the "YES" button as shown in FIG. 1), the mobile terminal 30 determines that there is consent to switching to the circuit mode (step S6: YES). In this case, the mobile terminal 30 transmits a request ID to the server 20 (step S7). More specifically, the mobile terminal 30 checks the version ID that identifies the version of the current circuit app installed on the mobile terminal 30, and identifies and transmits the request ID that corresponds to the version ID. For example, if the version of the circuit app identified by the version ID "Ver2" is installed on the mobile terminal 30, the mobile terminal 30 transmits the request ID "#2".

[0045] When the server 20 receives the request ID, it transmits the switching information to the DCM-ECU 12 (step S8). More specifically, when the server 20 receives the request ID, it generates switching information including the received request ID and transmits the switching information to the DCM-ECU 12. When the DCM-ECU 12 receives the switching information, it transfers the switching information to the engine ECU 15 (step S9).

[0046] When the engine ECU 15 receives the switching information, it executes a determination process (step S10). The determination process is a process for determining whether both the first condition and the second condition among the at least three or more conditions described above are not satisfied. The determination process will be described in detail later. If either the first condition or the second condition is satisfied, the engine ECU 15 changes the torque map and immediately uses the changed torque map (step S11). More specifically, if either the first condition or the second condition is satisfied, the engine ECU 15 extracts a request ID from the switching information, and identifies and selects a torque map corresponding to the extracted request ID. For example, if the request ID "#2" is extracted, the engine ECU 15 identifies and selects one of the multiple torque maps associated with the request ID "#2."

[0047] Here, if the torque map associated with the request ID "#1" of the vehicle 10 is being used before receiving the switching information, the engine ECU 15 changes this torque map to the torque map associated with the request ID "#2". After changing the torque map, the engine ECU 15 uses the changed torque map to control the vehicle 10.

[0048] The above-mentioned determination process will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0049] As described above, when the engine ECU 15 receives the switching information, the engine ECU 15 first determines whether or not the first condition is met (step S21). For example, the engine ECU 15 determines whether or not the water temperature of the coolant that cools the engine 14 is equal to or higher than the threshold water temperature as the first condition. The threshold water temperature is set based on design, experiments, etc. to a water temperature at which the fuel supplied to the engine 14 can be stably burned.

[0050] If the first condition is not met because the coolant temperature is lower than the threshold water temperature (step S21: NO), the engine ECU 15 then determines whether the second condition is met (step S22). For example, the engine ECU 15 determines whether the atmospheric pressure is equal to or higher than the threshold air pressure as the second condition. The threshold air pressure is set based on design, experiments, etc. to a pressure at which the fuel supplied to the engine 14 can be stably burned.

[0051] If the second condition is not met because the atmospheric pressure is lower than the threshold pressure (step S22: NO), the engine ECU 15 denies switching to the circuit mode (step S23). That is, if both the first condition and the second condition are not met, the engine ECU 15 may not be able to stably burn the fuel supplied to the engine 14. In such a case, the engine ECU 15 denies switching to the circuit mode because it may not be suitable to control the engine 14 in the circuit mode.

[0052] If the driver 10D refuses to switch to the circuit mode, the engine ECU 15 notifies the mobile terminal 30 of a switching error (step S24) and ends the determination process. More specifically, the engine ECU 15 notifies the mobile terminal 30 of the switching error. The switching error reaches the mobile terminal 30 via the DCM-ECU 12, the server 20, etc. This allows the driver 10D to confirm that the switching to the circuit mode has been refused. Note that if the driver 10D refuses to switch to the circuit mode, the engine ECU 15 skips the process of step S11 described above.

[0053] On the other hand, if either the first condition or the second condition is met (step S21: YES, step S22: YES), the engine ECU 15 permits switching to the circuit mode (step S25). That is, if the first condition is met because the coolant temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold water temperature, the engine ECU 15 permits switching to the circuit mode. Also, if the second condition is met because the atmospheric pressure is equal to or higher than the threshold atmospheric pressure, the engine ECU 15 permits switching to the circuit mode. If switching to the circuit mode is permitted, the engine ECU 15 executes the process of step S11 described above and ends the determination process.

[0054] In this way, the engine ECU 15 denies switching to the circuit mode when it determines that both the first and second conditions among the at least three or more conditions for stable combustion of fuel supplied to the engine 14 are not met. This reduces the number of man-hours required for adaptation by the engine ECU 15 compared to when it is individually determined whether all of the at least three or more conditions are met. As a result, the adaptation time is reduced compared to when it is individually determined whether all of the at least three or more conditions are met.

[0055] Here, if the engine ECU 15 determines that both the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied while the engine 14 is controlled in the circuit mode and the vehicle 10 is traveling, the engine ECU 15 turns off the circuit mode after the vehicle 10 comes to a stop. If the engine ECU 15 turns off the circuit mode while the vehicle 10 is traveling, the behavior of the vehicle 10 may become unstable. By having the engine ECU 15 turn off the circuit mode after the vehicle 10 comes to a stop, this possibility is reduced.

[0056] Furthermore, as described above, when the vehicle 10 moves from the inside to the outside of the circuit C1, the meter ECU 17 outputs a stop request display 19 requesting the vehicle 10 to stop to the display device 16, as shown in FIG. 5, based on an instruction transmitted from the server 20. The stop request display 19 is output near the tachometer 18. It is assumed that this will prompt the driver 10D to take action to stop the vehicle 10 by braking. The engine ECU 15 turns off the circuit mode after the vehicle 10 has stopped. If the engine ECU 15 turns off the circuit mode while the vehicle 10 is traveling, there is a possibility that the behavior of the vehicle 10 will become unstable. By having the engine ECU 15 turn off the circuit mode after the vehicle 10 has stopped, such a possibility is reduced.

[0057] Furthermore, the engine ECU 15 turns off the circuit mode when it does not receive an electrical signal sent from the DCM-ECU 12. If the engine ECU 15 does not receive a signal from the DCM-ECU 12, there is a possibility that the vehicle 10 will behave in a manner that differs from the specifications of the circuit mode. By turning off the circuit mode, the engine ECU 15 can avoid this possibility.

[0058] In addition, the engine ECU 15 excludes determination regarding fail-safe control for the engine 14 from the time when the starter 14A is turned on until a predetermined offset time is added when the starter 14A is turned off. The fail-safe control includes, for example, a limit on the maximum rotation speed of the engine 14. The fail-safe control also includes a limit on the amount of air taken in by the engine 14 and a limit on the voltage of the battery mounted on the vehicle 10. The offset time is set to tens to hundreds of milliseconds.

[0059] The reason for excluding the determination regarding the fail-safe control is as follows: If the ignition switch is on and the engine 14 is stopped and the vehicle is started in circuit mode, the circuit mode is canceled due to a voltage drop that occurs when the starter 14A is on. That is, the voltage drop causes the circuit mode to dynamically switch from on to off. In this case, the driver 10D is required to request to switch the circuit mode on again. As a result, there is a possibility that the driver 10D's satisfaction with the service that conveys the enjoyment of motorsports to the driver 10D will decrease. By temporarily excluding the determination regarding the fail-safe control, the dynamic cancellation of the circuit mode is avoided. This suppresses the decrease in satisfaction described above.

[0060] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims.

[0061] For example, although the first condition and the second condition have been used as examples of specific combustion conditions, the specific combustion condition may be either the first condition or the second condition. Furthermore, when four or more combustion conditions are adopted, the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition may be adopted as the specific combustion conditions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 vehicles 12 DCM-ECU 14 Engine 14A starter 15 Engine ECU 16 Display device 17 Meter ECU 19 Stop request sign 20 servers 30 Mobile Devices

Claims

1. The engine and an engine control unit that, when a mobile terminal operated by a user of the vehicle determines that the current location of the vehicle equipped with the engine is within a circuit, controls the engine in a circuit mode that improves the driving performance of the vehicle based on a request transmitted from the mobile terminal; When the engine control unit determines that some of the combustion conditions for stable combustion of the fuel supplied to the engine in the circuit mode are not satisfied, the engine control unit rejects switching to the circuit mode regardless of the request. A vehicle characterized by:

2. When the engine control unit determines that some of the combustion conditions are not satisfied while the engine is controlled in the circuit mode and the vehicle is running, the engine control unit turns off the circuit mode after the vehicle is stopped and behavior of the vehicle stabilizes.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 .

3. a display control unit that controls the display of a display device provided in a passenger compartment of the vehicle; When the mobile device determines that the current position of the vehicle is outside the circuit, the display control unit outputs, to the display device, a display requesting that the vehicle be stopped based on an instruction transmitted from the mobile device; the engine control unit turns off the circuit mode after the vehicle has stopped and its behavior has stabilized.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 .

4. a communication control unit provided in the vehicle for controlling communication between the mobile terminal and the engine control unit; the engine control unit turns off the circuit mode when it does not receive a signal transmitted from the communication control unit; 2. The vehicle according to claim 1 .

5. the engine control unit excludes determination regarding fail-safe control for the engine from a time from when a starter that starts the engine is turned on until a predetermined time has elapsed since the starter is turned off, 5. A vehicle according to claim 1.

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