START CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20110239821A1
• Filed: 12/01/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: OGAWA, Yasufumi, Okabe, Takeru
• Granted Patent: US 8,549,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/7.R
• 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 11/0855 during engine shutdown or after engine stop before start command, e.g. pre-engagement of pinion
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 15/06 the toothed gears being moved by axial displacement
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/042 Starter torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/063 Battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/131 Automatic

Abstract

Provided is a start control device capable of reducing power consumption during the driving operation of a starter motor, to thereby improve fuel efficiency of a vehicle. In the start control device, a motor drive torque estimating part (123) estimates a motor drive torque based on a battery voltage drop amount of a battery (107) that supplies an electric power to a motor (105). A start control part (122) turns off energization of a pinion pushing device (104) by a pinion driving part (120) when the motor drive torque estimated by the motor drive torque estimating part (123) is equal to or larger than a given value.

Claims

1. A start control device, comprising:

pinion driving means for driving a pinion pushing device that pushes a pinion into a ring gear coupled with an engine;

motor driving means for driving a motor drive device that rotationally drives a motor coupled with the pinion;

start control means for controlling an operation of the pinion driving means and the motor driving means to start the engine, in response to a start request externally received; and

motor drive torque estimating means for estimating a motor drive torque of the motor,

wherein the start control means controls the operation of the pinion driving means, based on the motor drive torque estimated by the motor drive torque estimating means.

2. A start control device according to claim 1,

wherein the pinion driving means turns on and off energization of the pinion pushing device, and

wherein the start control means turns off the energization of the pinion pushing device by the pinion driving means when the motor drive torque estimated by the motor drive torque estimating means is equal to or larger than a given value.

3. A start control device according to claim 2, wherein the start control means restarts the energization of the pinion pushing device by the pinion driving means when the motor drive torque becomes smaller than the given value after the energization of the pinion pushing device by the pinion driving means is turned off.

4. A start control device according to claim 2, wherein the given value which is compared with the motor drive torque by the start control means is a value of a drive torque of the motor when a frictional force acting between the ring gear and the pinion is smaller than a return force produced by a return spring disposed for pulling out the pinion from the ring gear.

5. A start control device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion driving means changes a duty ratio of the energization of the pinion pushing device, to thereby change the pinion pushing force, and

wherein the start control means includes a duty calculation section that calculates a duty ratio for obtaining a pinion pushing force required for pushing the pinion toward the ring gear, based on the motor drive torque estimated by the motor drive torque estimating means and the return force produced by the return spring disposed for pulling out the pinion from the ring gear, and controls the operation of the pinion driving means so that the duty ratio of the energization of the pinion pushing device coincides with the duty ratio obtained by the duty calculation section.

6. A start control device according to any one of claim 1, wherein the motor drive torque estimating means estimates the motor drive torque, based on a battery voltage drop amount of the battery that supplies an electric power to the motor.