Method and apparatus to evaluate a starter for an internal combustion engine

• US 9,765,746 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2016
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Ghoneim, Youssef A., Howell, Mark N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/242,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20160356254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 701 344
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/00 Starting of engines by means of electric motors
• 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 11/108 for diagnosis of the starter or its components
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 15/067 the starter comprising an electro-magnetically actuated lever
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/044 Starter current
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/045 Starter temperature or parameters related to it
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/046 Energy or power necessary for starting
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/047 Information about pinion position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/304 with other systems inside the vehicle

Abstract

An internal combustion engine including a starter is shown. A method for monitoring the starter includes determining electrical energy consumed by pinion and motor solenoids operative to activate and rotate a pinion gear of an electrically-powered motor meshingly engageable to a starter ring gear portion of a flywheel of the engine during an engine starting event. Current ringing in the pinion and motor solenoids is monitored during the engine starting even, and a fault is identified in the pinion and motor solenoids based upon the current ringing and the electrical energy consumption of the starter during the engine starting event.

Claims

1. Method for monitoring pinion and motor solenoids of an electrically-powered motor for a starter of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

initiating an engine starting event, comprising;

electrically connecting a starter motor to a battery; and

activating said motor solenoid to cause the starter motor to spin with corresponding activation of said pinion solenoid to urge a shaft and a pinion gear into engagement with a starter ring gear portion of a flywheel of the internal combustion engine; and

within a controller;

monitoring current and electrical energy consumed by said pinion and motor solenoids of the starter during said engine starting event;

determining electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event;

monitoring current ringing associated with activation of the pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event, the current ringing comprising a quantity of current oscillations and a magnitude of the current oscillations; and

identifying a fault in one of the pinion solenoid and the motor solenoid based upon the current ringing and the electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event; and

permitting subsequent engine starting events based on the identified fault.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the electrical energy consumed by said pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event comprises:

monitoring battery voltage and current flow through the pinion and motor solenoids during activation of the motor solenoid prior to activation of the pinion solenoid;

determining an equivalent resistance of the pinion and motor solenoids based upon said battery voltage and current flow;

determining current flow during the engine starting event based upon the equivalent resistance of the pinion and motor solenoids; and

determining solenoid energy based upon the current flow during the engine starting event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining solenoid energy based upon the current flow during the engine starting comprises integrating a term comprising the current flow multiplied by battery voltage during the engine starting event.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the electrical energy consumed by pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event further comprises:

adjusting the equivalent resistance of the pinion and motor solenoids based upon temperature;

determining current flow during the engine starting event based upon the temperature-adjusted equivalent resistance of the pinion and motor solenoids; and

determining solenoid energy based upon the current flow during the engine starting event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a fault in the pinion solenoid based upon the current ringing and the electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event comprises identifying a fault in the pinion solenoid when the electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event is greater than a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a fault in the motor solenoid based upon the current ringing and the electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event comprises identifying a fault in the motor solenoid when the current ringing is greater than a threshold during the engine starting event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a state of health (SOH) of the pinion and motor solenoids based upon the current ringing and the electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids; and

identifying a motor solenoid fault when the SOH of the pinion and motor solenoids is less than a first threshold and a time factor correlated to the current ringing is less than a threshold and identifying a pinion solenoid fault when the SOH of the pinion and motor solenoids is less than the first threshold and the electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids during the engine starting event is greater than a threshold.