Controller and control method for wastegate

The present disclosure relates to a controller and a control method for a wastegate. The wastegate is provided in a bypass passage that allows exhaust gas to bypass the turbine wheel of an exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device.

As described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent 5-231165, some of the controllers for wastegates of exhaust turbine-type forced-induction devices control a boost pressure of the engine by controlling the opening degree of the wastegate.

A wastegate is driven against the friction of sliding parts of the wastegate or against the friction of sliding parts of the drive mechanism.

Thus, when wastegates vary in friction, variation also occurs in the response of drive control of the wastegates. This will result in deterioration of the controllability.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a controller and a control method for a wastegate that limit the variation in response.

Example 1 is a controller for a wastegate. The wastegate is provided in an exhaust bypass passage that allows exhaust gas to bypass a turbine wheel of an exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device. The differential pressure of exhaust gas that results from the pressure loss when passing through the turbine wheel acts on the wastegate controlled by such a controller. Thus, holding the opening degree of the wastegate requires a drive force large enough to counter such a differential pressure. Further, the pressure acting on the wastegate increases as the boost pressure increases. Thus, a larger drive force is necessary to achieve a higher boost pressure.

Wastegates and the drive mechanisms vary in friction. The variation in the friction causes the response of control of the wastegate to vary. The friction affects the response of the drive control of the wastegate to a larger extent as the drive force for driving the wastegate becomes smaller. Thus, the variation in the friction increases the variation in the response of the drive control of the wastegate when driving with a small drive force.

In the controller of example 1, a required boost pressure is set in accordance with a running state of an engine. The controller is configured to control a drive force of the wastegate to a magnitude that achieves the required boost pressure when the required boost pressure is higher than a preset pressure and control the drive force to a magnitude that achieves a higher boost pressure than the required boost pressure when the required boost pressure is less than or equal to the preset pressure. The required boost pressure is set in accordance with the running state of the engine while the engine is running in the boost region. That is, when a high boost pressure is assigned to the required boost pressure and the drive force necessary to achieve the required boost pressure is large, the drive force of the wastegate is controlled to a magnitude necessary to achieve the required boost pressure. When a low boost pressure is assigned to the required boost pressure and the drive force necessary to achieve the required boost pressure is small, the drive force of the wastegate is controlled to a magnitude necessary to achieve a higher pressure than the required boost pressure. This limits the driving of the wastegate with a small drive force in which the variation in friction greatly affects the response of control. Accordingly, the response varies in a limited manner in the controller for the wastegate.

In example 2, the controller is further configured to control the drive force through feedback control in which the drive force is input and the boost pressure is output, assign the required boost pressure to a target value of the feedback control when the required boost pressure is higher than the preset pressure, and assign a higher pressure than the required boost pressure to the target value of the feedback control when the required boost pressure is less than or equal to the preset pressure. This allows for control of the drive force in the controller for the wastegate.

In example 3, the controller is configured to assign the preset pressure to the target value of the feedback control when the required boost pressure is less than or equal to the preset pressure. In this manner, when the required boost pressure changes across the preset pressure, the value of the target boost pressure changes continuously. This keeps the continuity of the feedback control.

In an engine having a multi-bank structure in which a plurality of banks are each provided with an exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device separately, the variation in the response may vary the opening degree of the wastegate of the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device of each bank. As a result, the difference in the back pressure varies the internal EGR amount and the amount of residual gas in the cylinders so that the combustion can deteriorate. In example 4, the engine to which the controller of example 1 is applied has a multi-bank structure including a plurality of banks, and the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device is one of a plurality of exhaust turbine-type forced-induction devices, which are respectively provided in the banks of the engine. When control of the wastegate of each bank is performed by the above controller, even if the friction varies in the wastegate of each bank, the response varies in a limited manner. This limits variation in the opening degree between the banks, which causes the combustion to deteriorate.

Example 5 is embodied as a method for controlling the wastegate that executes the processes described in examples 1 to 4.

Example 6 is embodied as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program causing a processor to execute the processes described in examples 1 to 4.

Other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an intake and exhaust system of the engine provided with a controller for a wastegate of one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a partial, cross-sectional diagram showing an exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device for the engine shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a boost pressure control routine executed by the controller in the engine shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship of the value of a required boost pressure and the value of a target boost pressure, in which the two values are set in a process of the boost pressure control routine in the engine shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a time chart showing, as a comparative example, how control is performed in a case of performing boost pressure control by constantly assigning a value of the required boost pressure to a value of the target boost pressure; and

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing how the boost pressure control is performed in the engine shown in FIG. 1 .

A controller for a wastegate according to one embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 .

First, the structure of an intake and exhaust system of the engine 10 to which the controller for a wastegate of the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . The white arrows in FIG. 1 represent the direction in which intake air flows in the intake system of the engine 10 , and the black arrows represent the direction in which exhaust gas flows in the exhaust system of the engine 10 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the controller for the wastegate of the present embodiment is applied to the engine 10 , which is a V6 engine. In the engine 10 , six cylinders # 1 to # 6 are arranged separately in two banks, namely, a first bank 11 A and a second bank 11 B. The cylinders of the engine 10 are fired in the order of the cylinder # 1 , the cylinder # 2 , the cylinder # 3 , the cylinder # 4 , the cylinder # 5 , and the cylinder # 6 . Three cylinders, namely, the cylinders # 1 , # 3 , and # 5 , are arranged in the first bank 11 A, and three cylinders, namely, the cylinders # 2 , # 4 , and # 6 , are arranged in the second bank 11 B, respectively.

The engine 10 includes two exhaust turbine-type forced-induction devices 12 A and 12 B, which are respectively arranged for the first bank 11 A and the second bank 11 B. The exhaust turbine-type forced-induction devices 12 A and 12 B respectively include compressors 13 A and 13 B, which compress intake air, and turbines 14 A and 14 B, which receive exhaust gas to drive the compressors 13 A and 13 B.

The engine 10 includes a first intake passage 15 A and a second intake passage 15 B. The first intake passage 15 A is provided with the compressor 13 A of the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 A for the first bank 11 A, and the second intake passage 15 B is provided with the compressor 13 B of the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 B for the second bank 11 B. The first intake passage 15 A and the second intake passage 15 B merge with each other to be connected to a surge tank 16 so that intake air is supplied and distributed from the surge tank 16 to each of the cylinders # 1 to # 6 .

The compressors 13 A and 13 B respectively include compressor wheels 17 A and 17 B, which compress intake air when the compressor wheels 17 A and 17 B rotate. Further, the compressors 13 A and 13 B respectively include intake bypass passages 18 A and 18 B, which bypass the compressor wheels 17 A and 17 B for intake air to flow in the intake bypass passages 18 A and 18 B, and air bypass valves 19 A and 19 B, which respectively open and close the intake bypass passage 18 A and 18 B.

Air flow meters 20 A and 20 B and atmospheric pressure sensors 21 A and 21 B are respectively provided upstream of the compressors 13 A and 13 B in the first intake passage 15 A and the second intake passage 15 B. The air flow meters 20 A and 20 B detect the flow rate of intake air flowing through the first intake passage 15 A and the second intake passage 15 B. The atmospheric pressure sensors 21 A and 21 B detect atmospheric pressure. Further, throttle valves 22 A and 22 B and intercoolers 23 A and 23 B are respectively provided downstream of the compressors 13 A and 13 B in the first intake passage 15 A and the second intake passage 15 B. The throttle valves 22 A and 22 B adjust the flow rate of intake air. The intercoolers 23 A and 23 B cool intake air. Additionally, boost pressure sensors 24 A and 24 B, which detect boost pressure PB, are respectively provided downstream of the compressors 13 A and 13 B and upstream of the throttle valves 22 A and 22 B in the first intake passage 15 A and the second intake passage 15 B. In the following description, the value of the boost pressure PB indicates the absolute pressure of intake air flowing at a section where the boost pressure sensors 24 A and 24 B are provided.

Additionally, the engine 10 includes a first exhaust passage 25 A, through which exhaust gas of each of the cylinders # 1 , # 3 , and # 5 of the first bank 11 A flows, and a second exhaust passage 25 B, through which exhaust gas of each of the cylinders # 2 , # 4 , and # 6 of the second bank 11 B flows. The first exhaust passage 25 A is provided with the turbine 14 A of the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 A for the first bank 11 A, and the second exhaust passage 25 B is provided with the turbine 14 B of the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 B for the second bank 11 B. Air-fuel ratio sensors 26 A and 26 B, which detect the air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture burned in each of the cylinders # 1 to # 6 , are respectively provided downstream of the turbines 14 A and 14 B in the first exhaust passage 25 A and the second exhaust passage 25 B. In addition, catalytic devices 27 A and 27 B, which purify exhaust gas, are respectively provided downstream of the air-fuel ratio sensors 26 A and 26 B in the first exhaust passage 25 A and the second exhaust passage 25 B.

The turbines 14 A and 14 B respectively include turbine wheels 28 A and 28 B, which rotate when receiving exhaust gas that passes through the turbine wheels 28 A and 28 B. In the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction devices 12 A and 12 B, the turbine wheels 28 A and 28 B are respectively coupled to the compressor wheels 17 A and 17 B so that they are integrally rotatable. Rotation of the turbine wheels 28 A and 28 B rotates the compressor wheels 17 A and 17 B to drive the compressors 13 A and 13 B. In addition, the turbines 14 A and 14 B respectively include exhaust bypass passages 29 A and 29 B and wastegates 30 A and 30 B. The exhaust bypass passages 29 A and 29 B allow exhaust gas to bypass the turbine wheels 28 A and 28 B. The wastegates 30 A and 30 B respectively open and close the exhaust bypass passages 29 A and 29 B.

FIG. 2 shows the partial, cross-sectional structure of the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 A for the first bank 11 A. The exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 B for the second bank 11 B has the same structure as the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 A for the first bank 11 A.

The turbine 14 A ( 14 B) of the exhaust turbine-type forced-induction device 12 A ( 12 B) includes a scroll passage 31 , which circles around the outer side of the turbine wheel 28 A ( 28 B) in the radial direction, and an exhaust flow outlet 32 , out of which exhaust gas is emitted. Further, the turbine 14 A ( 14 B) includes the exhaust bypass passage 29 A ( 29 B) to allow direct communication between the scroll passage 31 and the exhaust flow outlet 32 . The wastegate 30 A ( 30 B) is provided on the opening of the exhaust bypass passage 29 A ( 29 B) in the exhaust flow outlet 32 .

The wastegate 30 A ( 30 B) is attached to the turbine 14 A ( 14 B) operably in a direction away from the opening of the exhaust bypass passage 29 A ( 29 B) at the side of the exhaust flow outlet 32 (hereinafter referred to as opening direction) and in a direction toward the opening (hereinafter referred to as closing direction). In the following description, the state in which the wastegate valve 30 A ( 30 B) is closed so as to close the opening is referred to as “fully-closed.” Further, the state in which the wastegate valve 30 A ( 30 B) is located on a limit operation position in the opening direction of the operation range is referred to as “fully-open.” In addition, the amount of changes in the operation position of the wastegate valve 30 A ( 30 B) in the opening direction from the fully-closed operation position is referred to as the “opening degree” of the wastegate valve 30 A ( 30 B).

An actuator 34 is coupled to the wastegate 30 A ( 30 B) by a rod 33 . The actuator 34 incorporates a direct-current motor 35 . Power generated by the direct-current motor 35 in accordance with energization is transmitted through the rod 33 to the wastegate 30 A ( 30 B) so that a drive force is applied to the wastegate 30 A ( 30 B). In addition, the actuator 34 includes an opening degree sensor 36 that detects the opening degree of the wastegate 30 A ( 30 B) (hereinafter referred to as WGV opening degree).

The present embodiment includes a controller 37 configured as a microcomputer for engine control. The controller 37 performs drive control of the wastegate 30 A ( 30 B) as an intake air control of the engine 10 . Detection results of the air flow meters 20 A and 20 B, the atmospheric pressure sensors 21 A and 21 B, the boost pressure sensors 24 A and 24 B, the air-fuel ratio sensors 26 A and 26 B, and the opening degree sensor 36 are input to the controller 37 . Further, detection results of a vehicle sensor 38 , which detects the travelling speed of the vehicle equipped with the engine 10 , i.e., a vehicle speed SPD, an accelerator position sensor 39 , which detects the depression amount of the accelerator pedal by the driver of the vehicle, i.e., an acceleration position ACCP, and the like are input to the controller 37 .

When the engine 10 is run in a natural aspiration region, the controller 37 controls the wastegates 30 A and 30 B to be fully-open in order to limit increases in the back pressure that result from the pressure loss of exhaust gas when passing through the turbines 14 A and 14 B. When the engine 10 is run in a boost region, the controller 37 performs drive control of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B to control the boost pressure PB. The drive control is performed through feedback control in which the drive force of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B is input and the boost pressure PB is output. The detail of the drive control of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B to control the boost pressure PB (hereinafter referred to as boost pressure control) will now be described.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a boost pressure control routine executed by the controller 37 for the boost pressure control. The controller 37 repeatedly executes a process of the boost pressure control routine at preset control intervals while the engine 10 is running in the boost region under the condition that the execution of control for failure diagnosis, overheating prevention of the catalytic devices 27 A and 27 B, and the like, which have a higher priority than the boost pressure control, has not been required.

When the process of the boost pressure control routine is started, in step S 100 , a target torque TR, which is a target value of engine torque, is first calculated based on the detection values of an acceleration opening degree ACCP, a vehicle speed SPD, and the like that indicate the running state of the engine 10 . Subsequently, in step S 110 , the boost pressure necessary to generate engine torque corresponding to the target torque TR is calculated as a value of a required boost pressure PBR based on the target torque TR. In the natural aspiration region, the standard atmospheric pressure (1013.25 [hPa]) is assigned to the value of the required boost pressure PBR.

In a process of a routine that differs from the boost pressure control routine, the controller 37 calculates a target intake manifold pressure PMT, which is a target value of pressure of intake air (intake manifold pressure) at a section downstream of the throttle valves 22 A and 22 B, from the target torque TR. The value of the target intake manifold pressure PMT is calculated to be less than or equal to the atmospheric pressure in the natural aspiration region and calculated to be equal to the required boost pressure PBR in the boost region. Further, the controller 37 performs opening degree control of the throttle valves 22 A and 22 B for the opening degree to achieve the target intake manifold pressure PMT.

When the required boost pressure PBR is calculated in step S 110 , it is determined in step S 120 whether or not the calculated required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to a preset pressure α. A higher pressure than the standard atmospheric pressure is assigned to the preset pressure α. Further, if the required boost pressure PBR is higher than the preset pressure α (step S 120 : NO), the process proceeds to step S 130 . In step S 130 , the value of the required boost pressure PBR is assigned to the value of a target boost pressure PBT, which is a target value of the feedback control. If the required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to the preset pressure α (step S 120 : YES), the process proceeds to step S 140 . In step S 140 , the value of the preset pressure α is assigned to the value of the target boost pressure PBT.

Either if the process proceeds to step S 130 or if the process proceeds to step S 140 , the process thereafter proceeds to step S 150 . In step S 150 , a value of a target drive force FT is calculated based on the target boost pressure PBT. To calculate the target drive force FT, a value of a feedforward term of the target drive force FT is obtained from the target boost pressure PBT by referring to a calculation map that stores the relationship of the target boost pressure PBT obtained in advance through experiments or the like and the drive force of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B, which is necessary to achieve the target boost pressure PBT. Subsequently, a feedback term of the target drive force FT is obtained from the difference between the target boost pressure PBT and the boost pressure PB, and the sum obtained by adding the feedback term to the feedforward term is calculated as a value of the target drive force FT. In the present embodiment, the average value of the detection values of the two boost pressure sensors 24 A and 24 B is used as the value of the boost pressure PB, which is used to calculate the feedback term.

In step S 160 , the drive current of the direct-current motor 35 necessary to generate the drive force corresponding to the target drive force FT is calculated as a value of a current instruction value IC based on the target drive force FT. Then, the process of the current boost pressure control routine is ended. The controller 37 performs the drive control of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B for the boost pressure control by outputting the calculated current instruction value IC to the direct-current motor 35 . As the value assigned to the current instruction value IC becomes higher, the drive force in the closing direction applied to the wastegates 30 A and 30 B by the actuator 34 during the drive control becomes larger.

The operation and advantages of the present embodiment will now be described.

As described above, in the boost region of the engine 10 , the controller 37 controls the boost pressure PB by performing the feedback control, in which the drive force of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B, i.e., the current instruction value IC, is input and the boost pressure PB is output. Further, the controller 37 sets the target boost pressure PBT, which is a target value of the feedback control, in accordance with the required boost pressure PBR, which is set in accordance with the running state of the engine 10 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , when the required boost pressure PBR is higher than the preset pressure α, the controller 37 of the present embodiment assigns the value of the required boost pressure PBR to the value of the target boost pressure PBT. When the required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to the preset pressure α, the controller 37 assigns the preset pressure α to the value of the target boost pressure PBT. Thus, in the boost pressure control, the drive force of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B is controlled to a magnitude that achieves the required boost pressure when the required boost pressure PBR is higher than the preset pressure α, and the drive force is controlled to a magnitude that achieves a higher boost pressure than the required boost pressure PBR (preset pressure α) when the required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to the preset pressure α.

FIG. 5 shows how the boost pressure control is performed when the value of the required boost pressure PBR is constantly assigned to the value of the target boost pressure PBT regardless of whether or not the required boost pressure PBR is high or low. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the target intake manifold pressure PMT monotonically increases from a lower pressure than the atmospheric pressure to a higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure during a period from time t 1 to time t 3 and the target intake manifold pressure PMT monotonically decreases from the higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure to the lower pressure than the atmospheric pressure during a period from time t 3 to time t 5 . In such a case, the boost pressure control is performed during a period from time t 2 , at which the target intake manifold pressure PMT increases to be greater than or equal to the atmospheric pressure, to time t 4 , at which the target intake manifold pressure PMT subsequently decreases to be less than or equal to the atmospheric pressure again.

The wastegates 30 A and 30 B are fully-open during a period in which the engine 10 is run in the natural aspiration region before time t 2 , at which the boost pressure control is started. Thus, the wastegates 30 A and 30 B are driven in the closing direction immediately after the boost pressure control is started at time t 2 .

Force in the opening direction is applied to the wastegates 30 A and 30 B by the differential pressure of exhaust gas that results from the pressure loss when passing through the turbine wheels 28 A and 28 B. The driving of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B in the closing direction requires a larger drive force in the closing direction than the force in the opening direction resulting from the differential pressure. Further, the differential pressure is large when the boost pressure PB is high, and the differential pressure is small when the boost pressure PB is low. Thus, in the boost pressure control, the drive force of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B, i.e., the current instruction value IC, is smaller when a low boost pressure is assigned to the target boost pressure PBT than when a high boost pressure is assigned to the target boost pressure PBT.

The driving of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B in the closing direction immediately after starting the boost pressure control is performed in a state in which a low boost pressure is assigned to the required boost pressure PBR. Thus, when the value of the required boost pressure PBR is assigned to the value of the target boost pressure PBT, the driving of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B in the closing direction has to be performed with a small drive force (current instruction value IC).

The friction of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B, the actuator 34 , and the like varies. The variation in the friction causes the response of control of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B to vary. The variation in the response, which results from the variation in the friction, becomes larger as the drive force that drives the wastegates 30 A and 30 B becomes smaller.

In FIG. 5 , the change of the WGV opening degree of a wastegate having a small friction is represented by the solid line, and the change of the WGV opening degree of a wastegate having a large friction is represented by the long dashed double-short dashed line. As shown in FIG. 5 , if the required boost pressure PBR is constantly assigned to the target boost pressure PBT to control the drive force, in a state in which the required boost pressure PBR is low, the variation in the WGV opening degree resulting from the variation in the friction is large when the wastegates 30 A and 30 B are driven in the closing direction immediately after starting the boost control performed with a small drive force. When the friction varies between the wastegates 30 A and 30 B of the two banks and the WGV opening degrees of the two exhaust turbine-type forced-induction devices 12 A and 12 B deviate from each other, the difference in the back pressure varies the internal EGR amount and the amount of residual gas in the cylinders so that the combustion can deteriorate.

FIG. 6 shows how boost pressure control of the controller 37 of the present embodiment is performed when the target intake manifold pressure PMT changes in the same manner as the case of FIG. 5 . In the present embodiment, among execution periods of the boost pressure control from time t 2 to time t 4 , during a period from time t 2 to time to and a period from time tb to time t 4 , which are when the required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to the preset pressure α, the preset pressure α instead of the required boost pressure PBR is assigned to the value of the target boost pressure PBT. In the present embodiment, even if a low boost pressure is assigned to the required boost pressure PBR, the wastegates 30 A and 30 B are driven with a large drive force, i.e., a large current instruction value IC. Thus, the drive control of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B in the boost pressure control limits the variation in the response resulting from the variation in the friction. As a result, deviation occurs in a limited manner in the WGC opening degrees between the banks, which causes the combustion to deteriorate.

In the present embodiment, the preset pressure α is used as the value of the target boost pressure PBT when the required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to the preset pressure α. Accordingly, when the required boost pressure PBR changes across the preset pressure α, the value of the target boost pressure PBT changes continuously. This keeps the continuity of the feedback control.

The present embodiment may be modified as follows. The present embodiment and the following modifications can be combined as long as the combined modifications remain technically consistent with each other.

When the required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to the preset pressure α, a boost pressure other than the preset pressure α may be assigned to the target boost pressure PBT. Further, when the required boost pressure PBR is less than or equal to the preset pressure α, the target boost pressure PBT does not have to be a fixed value and may be a value that changes depending on the required boost pressure PBR or the like. Even in such a case, as long as a higher boost pressure than the required boost pressure PBR is assigned to the target boost pressure PBT, the driving of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B with a small drive force in which the variation in the friction greatly affects the response is performed in a limited manner.

In the above embodiment, the drive control of the wastegates 30 A and 30 B in the boost pressure control is performed through the feedback control. Instead, the drive control may be performed through open control based on the target boost pressure PBT.

In the above embodiment, the two wastegates 30 A and 30 B, which are respectively arranged for the first bank 11 A and the second bank 11 B, are controlled. The control of the wastegates in the embodiment may be applied to the control of a single wastegate or three or more wastegates in the same manner.

In the above embodiment, an electric actuator that generates a drive force in accordance with energization to the direct-current motor 35 is used as the actuator 34 for the wastegates 30 A and 30 B. Alternatively, as long as the actuator is capable of controlling a drive force that is to be generated, other types of actuators such as a vacuum diaphragm may be used.

The controller can be configured by a device that includes a CPU and a ROM and executes software processing, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, at least part of the processes executed by the software in the above-described embodiment may be executed by hardware circuits dedicated to executing these processes (such as ASIC). That is, the controller may be modified as long as it has any one of the following configurations (a) to (c). (a) A configuration including a processor that executes all of the above-described processes according to programs and a program storage device such as a ROM (including a non-transitory computer readable medium) that stores the programs. (b) A configuration including a processor and a program storage device that execute part of the above-described processes according to the programs and a dedicated hardware circuit that executes the remaining processes. (c) A configuration including a dedicated hardware circuit that executes all of the above-described processes. A plurality of software processing circuits each including a processor and a program storage device and a plurality of dedicated hardware circuits may be provided. That is, the above processes may be executed in any manner as long as the processes are executed by processing circuitry that includes at least one of a set of one or more software processing circuits and a set of one or more dedicated hardware circuits.