Method for meshing a starter pinion of a starting device into a ring gear of an internal combustion engine

• US 9,494,122 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seg Automotive Germany GMBH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Tumback, Stefan, Gross, Juergen, Mauritz, Ewald, Roessle, Markus, Cwik, Matthias, Tsakiris, Apostolos
• Primary Examiner(s): Solis, Erick
• Application Number:
  US14/369,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20140350829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 701/113, 123/179.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/0855 during engine shutdown or after engine stop before start command, e.g. pre-engagement of pinion
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/022 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/047 Information about pinion position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/048 Information about pinion speed, both translational or rotational speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/20 characterised by the control method
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/2006 using prediction of future conditions

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for meshing a starter pinion (19) of a starting device (16) into a ring gear (13) of an internal combustion engine (10). The internal combustion engine (10) has a driveshaft (22), and the starting device (16) has a starter motor (25), said driveshaft (22) having a variable rotational speed (n). The internal combustion engine (10) is switched off in a method step (S1), and the starter pinion (19), which is not being rotationally driven by the starter motor (25), is then advanced in the direction of the ring gear (13) by a toe-in actuator (28) by means of a toe-in force (FV) in a method step (S2) until the starter pinion contacts the ring gear. A meshing force (FE) is then exerted onto the starter pinion (19) in a controlled manner in an additional method step (S3) in order to mesh the starter pinion (19) into a tooth gap (34) of the ring gear (13).

Claims

1. A method for meshing a starter pinion (19) of a starting device (16) into a ring gear (13) of an internal combustion engine (10), wherein the internal combustion engine (10) has a driveshaft (22) and the starting device (16) has a starter motor (25), wherein the driveshaft (22) has a variable rotation speed (n), and in a method step (S1) the internal combustion engine (10) is switched off and then in a method step (S2) the starter pinion (19), which is not driven in rotation by the starter motor (25), is advanced by a pre-meshing force (FV) using a pre-meshing actuator (28), in a direction of the ring gear (13), and then in a further method step (S3) a meshing force (FE) is selectively applied to the starter pinion (19) in order to mesh the starter pinion (19) in a tooth gap (34) of the ring gear (13) during a time period (tE), characterized in that the starter pinion (19) is advanced in the direction of the ring gear (13) by the pre-meshing force (FV) until the starter pinion (19) touches the ring gear (13), and then starting from a time (t2) the starter pinion (19) is applied to the ring gear (13) during a time period (tA), wherein the meshing of the starter pinion (19) takes place up to a time (tD1, tD2) at which the driveshaft (22) of the internal combustion engine (10) has, after the switching off of the internal combustion engine (10), a rotational speed (n) which is zero, and thereby a zero crossover occurs during the time period (tE) of the meshing at the rotational speed (n) of the driveshaft (22).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the rotational speed (n) is set at zero a first time or a further time occurring thereafter.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that a time (tD1, tD2) at which the rotational speed (n) is set at zero is determined by pre-calculation.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the starter pinion (19) is advanced in the direction of the ring gear (13) by the pre-meshing force (FV) after the pre-calculation.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the method step (S2) occurs after the internal combustion engine (10) has been switched off and before a first or second time (tD 1, tD2) at which the driveshaft (22) of the internal combustion engine (10) reaches the rotational speed (n) zero, or not until after the driveshaft (22) has reached an angular acceleration with an absolute value of zero.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method step (S3) takes place whenever the internal combustion engine (10) is switched off.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the method step (S3) takes place only if a controller of the internal combustion engine (10) receives a starting signal, after which the internal combustion engine (10) is to be returned to the self-sustained engine operating mode for driving a vehicle.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the method step (S2) occurs after the internal combustion engine (10) has been switched off and before a first or second time (tD 1, tD2) at which the driveshaft (22) of the internal combustion engine (10) reaches the rotational speed (n) zero, or not until after the driveshaft (22) has reached an angular acceleration with an absolute value of zero.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the method step (S3) takes place whenever the internal combustion engine (10) is switched off.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the method step (S3) takes place only if a controller of the internal combustion engine (10) receives a starting signal, after which the internal combustion engine (10) is to be returned to the self-sustained engine operating mode for driving a vehicle.