Engine starting apparatus

• US 10,240,572 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2014
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Kamei, Koichiro, Mizuno, Daisuke, Kitano, Hiroaki, Kaneda, Naohito, Odahara, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dallo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/513,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20180230957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0844 with means for restarting the engine directly after an engine stop request, e.g. caused by change of driver mind
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0851 characterised by means for controlling the engagement or disengagement between engine and starter, e.g. meshing of pinion and engine gear
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 15/04 the gearing including disengaging toothed gears
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 15/067 the starter comprising an electro-magnetically actuated lever
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/021 Engine crank angle
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/022 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2250/04 Reverse rotation of the engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

The rotation speed and the crank position of an engine in an engine stopping process are detected; then, in the case where when the detected crank position is at an intermediate point between the top dead center of any one of the cylinders and the top dead center of the cylinder following said one of the cylinders, it is determined that the engine rotation speed is within a predetermined range, drive of the starter is prohibited for a predetermined time period.

Claims

1. An engine starting apparatus that is provided with an idling stop system for automatically stopping combustion in an engine with a plurality of cylinders so as to stop the engine, when a predetermined condition is established, and that restarts the engine by driving a starter so as to make a pinion gear provided in the starter engage with a ring gear of the engine in an inertial rotation, in the case where when combustion of the engine is stopped by the idling stop system and hence the engine is in the inertial rotation, a restart demand for the engine is issued,

wherein an engine rotation speed and a crank angle position at a time when the engine is in the inertial rotation are detected, and

wherein in the case where when the detected crank angle position is at an intermediate point between the top dead center of any one of the cylinders of the engine in the inertial rotation and the top dead center of the cylinder following said one of the cylinders, it is determined that the detected engine rotation speed is within a predetermined range, drive of the starter is prohibited for a predetermined time period.

2. The engine starting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the case where when the restart demand is issued before the predetermined time period elapses, the piston of the following cylinder passes through the top dead center, prohibition of the drive of the starter is cancelled.

3. The engine starting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined time period is determined based on the engine rotation speed at a time point when the determination is performed, and

wherein the predetermined time period starts at the time point when the determination is performed.

4. An engine starting apparatus that is provided with an idling stop system for automatically stopping combustion in an engine with a plurality of cylinders so as to stop the engine, when a predetermined condition is established, and that restarts the engine by driving a starter so as to make a pinion gear provided in the starter engage with a ring gear of the engine in an inertial rotation, in the case where when combustion of the engine is stopped by the idling stop system and hence the engine is in the inertial rotation, a restart demand for the engine is issued,

wherein an engine rotation speed and a crank angle position at a time when the engine is in the inertial rotation are detected,

wherein there are provided a first predetermined time period and a second predetermined time period that each start in the case where when the detected crank angle position is at an intermediate point between the top dead center of any one of the cylinders of the engine in the inertial rotation and the top dead center of the cylinder following said one of the cylinders, it is determined that the detected engine rotation speed is within a predetermined range,

wherein each of the first predetermined time period and the second predetermined time period is determined based on the engine rotation speed at the time point when the determination is performed,

wherein the second predetermined time period is set to be longer than the first predetermined time period, and

wherein drive of the starter is prohibited for a time period from a time point when the first predetermined time period ends to a time point when the second predetermined time period ends.