Start-Up Possibility Determining Apparatus and Start-Up Possibility Determining Method

• US 20130317729A1
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Automotive Systems Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited), Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Automotive Systems Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited), Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: MITSUYAMA, Taiji, SATO, Etsuzo
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/113
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/00 Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A start-up possibility determining apparatus that determines an engine-start-up possibility by driving a starter motor by power accumulated in a secondary battery includes a dynamic internal resistance measuring unit that measures an internal resistance of the secondary battery while the engine is being started up by the starter motor, a static internal resistance measuring unit that measures an internal resistance of the secondary battery when the engine is stopped, and a determining unit that determines an engine start-up possibility by the secondary battery, based on a value obtained by a product of a ratio between a first static internal resistance before or after the past engine start-up and a second static internal resistance within a predetermined time since a current time point and the dynamic internal resistance measured by the dynamic internal resistance measuring unit at the time of the engine start-up in the past.

Claims

1. A start-up possibility determining apparatus that determines whether an engine can be started up by driving a starter motor by electric power accumulated in a secondary battery, comprising:

a dynamic internal resistance measuring unit that measures a dynamic internal resistance which is an internal resistance of the secondary battery while the engine is being started up by the starter motor;

a static internal resistance measuring unit that measures a static internal resistance which is an internal resistance of the secondary battery when the engine is stopped; and

a determining unit that determines possibility of a start-up of the engine by the secondary battery, based on a value obtained by a product of a ratio between a first static internal resistance which was measured by the static internal resistance measuring unit before or after a time of an engine start-up in the past and a second static internal resistance which was measured by the static internal resistance measuring unit within a predetermined time since a current point of time and the dynamic internal resistance measured by the dynamic internal resistance measuring unit at the time of the engine start-up in the past.

2. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the dynamic internal resistance measuring unit measures the dynamic internal resistance based on a voltage and an electric current of the secondary battery while the engine is being started-up by the starter motor, and

the static internal resistance measuring unit measures the static internal resistance based on a voltage and an electric current when the secondary battery is caused to intermittently discharge electricity.

3. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic internal resistance measuring unit measures the dynamic internal resistance after a predetermined time has elapsed since a start of rotation of the starter motor.

4. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the possibility of the start-up of the engine based on a value obtained by correcting values of the dynamic internal resistance and the first static internal resistance in accordance with a temperature at a time of measurement by the dynamic internal resistance measuring unit and the static internal resistance measuring unit.

5. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit estimates a voltage and an electric current of the secondary battery at the time of the start-up of the engine based on a value obtained by a product of a ratio between the first and second static internal resistances and the dynamic internal resistance, and determines that the start-up of the engine is possible in a case where one of the estimated voltage and the estimated electric current is greater than the predetermined threshold.

6. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the start-up is possible when a voltage prediction value V2 of the secondary battery at a time of an engine start-up, which is expressed by the following equation, is greater than a predetermined threshold,

7. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the start-up is possible when a voltage prediction value V2 of the secondary battery at a time of an engine start-up, which is expressed by the following equation, is greater than a predetermined threshold,

8. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the start-up is possible when a voltage prediction value V2 of the secondary battery at a time of an engine start-up, which is expressed by the following equation, is greater than a predetermined threshold,

9. The start-up possibility determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the start-up is possible when a voltage prediction value V2 of the secondary battery at a time of an engine start-up, which is expressed by the following equation, is greater than a predetermined threshold,

10. A start-up possibility determining method of determining whether an engine can be started up by driving a starter motor by electric power accumulated in a secondary battery, the method comprising:

measuring a dynamic internal resistance which is an internal resistance of the secondary battery while the engine is being started up by the starter motor;

measuring a static internal resistance which is an internal resistance of the secondary battery when the engine is stopped; and

determining possibility of a start-up of the engine by the secondary battery, based on a value obtained by a product of a ratio between a first static internal resistance which was measured by the static internal resistance measuring unit before or after a time of an engine start-up in the past and a second static internal resistance which was measured by the static internal resistance measuring unit within a predetermined time since a current point of time and the dynamic internal resistance measured by the dynamic internal resistance measuring unit at the time of the engine start-up in the past.