Engine start determining apparatus

• US 10,190,562 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Maeda, Satoshi, Matsunaga, Hideo, Kamura, Hitoshi, Fujiwara, Koetsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Monahon, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US14/075,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20140144403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0848 with means for detecting successful engine start, e.g. to stop starter actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/022 Engine speed

Abstract

An apparatus includes a dynamo-electric machine driving an engine, and a calculator calculating an increment in a crank angular acceleration of the engine every certain period from a base time after the driving of the engine by the dynamo-electric machine. The apparatus further includes a determiner determining that the engine has started by the dynamo-electric machine on a condition that the increment calculated by the calculator exceeds a standard value.

Claims

1. An engine start determining apparatus comprising:

an engine;

a clutch disposed in a power transmission path connecting between the engine and drive wheels, dividing the power transmission path into an engine-side path and a wheel-side path;

a motor connected to the wheel-side path; and

a dynamo-electric machine connected to the engine-side path, rotating the engine while the clutch is disconnected and generating electric power when rotated by the engine;

a calculator programmed to;

control the dynamo-electric machine to rotate the engine so that a rotating speed of the dynamo-electric machine for spontaneous revolution of the engine becomes a predetermined speed, and

calculate an increment in a crank angular acceleration of the engine every certain period from a base time after rotating the engine by the dynamo-electric machine, the base time being after start of fuel injection; and

a determiner programmed to determine that the engine has started by the dynamo-electric machine rotating the engine when the increment in the crank angular acceleration calculated by the calculator exceeds a standard value after the dynamo-electric machine starts to rotate the engine, and after the crank angular acceleration decreases as a rotational speed of the engine approaches a rotational speed of the dynamo-electric machine,

the determiner is programmed to further determine that the engine has started when the increments in the crank angular acceleration until an end of said certain period and until the end of a preceding certain period both exceed the standard value.

2. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the calculator is programmed to further calculate the increment in the crank angular acceleration of the engine every period of a piston stroke.

3. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the piston stroke of the engine is a spark-ignition period of the engine or a compression-ignition period of the engine.

4. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the determiner is programmed to further set the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.

5. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the determiner is programmed to further set the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.

6. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the determiner is programmed to further set the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.