ENGINE START DETERMINING APPARATUS

• US 20140144403A1
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Published: 05/29/2014
• 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, KAMURA, Hitoshi, MATSUNAGA, Hideo, FUJIWARA, Koetsu
• Granted Patent: US 10,190,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/179.3
• 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:

a dynamo-electric machine driving an engine;

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; and

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.

2. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determiner determines that the engine has started on a condition that the increments in the crank angular acceleration until the end of a certain period and until the end of the preceding certain period both exceed the standard value.

3. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculator calculates the increment in the crank angular acceleration of the engine every period of piston stroke.

4. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the calculator calculates the increment in the crank angular acceleration of the engine every period of piston stroke.

5. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the stroke of the engine is a spark-ignition period of the engine or a compression-ignition period of the engine.

6. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stroke of the engine is a spark-ignition period of the engine or a compression-ignition period of the engine.

7. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determiner sets the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.

8. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determiner sets the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.

9. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determiner sets the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.

10. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the determiner sets the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.

11. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determiner sets the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.

12. The engine start determining apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determiner sets the standard value based on an amount of intake air of the engine and an angular velocity of a crank shaft.