System for restarting internal combustion engine when engine restart condition is met

• US 8,671,903 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Notani, Hideya
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie, Mahmoud
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMAOUI, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US12/876,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20110056450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 123/179.4, 123/179.3, 123/179.25, 123/179.28, 123/491, 701/113, 701/101, 701/102, 701/110
• US Class Current: 123/179.4
• 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 11/0855 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 2200/048 Information about pinion speed, both translational or rotational speed

Abstract

In a system, a pinion shift unit starts shift of a pinion to a ring gear for engagement therebetween during an internal combustion engine coasting in a forward direction after an automatic stop of the internal combustion engine. An engagement determining unit determines whether the pinion and the ring gear have any one of first and second positional relationships therebetween. The first positional relationship represents that the pinion is at least partly engaged with the ring gear. The second positional relationship represents that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear. When an engine restart condition is met before it is determined that the pinion and the ring gear have any one of first and second positional relationships therebetween after the start of the shift of the pinion to the ring gear, a rotation adjusting unit adjusts a start timing of rotation of the pinion.

Claims

1. An engine stop and start control system having an automatic stop and start function of automatically stopping an engine when a preset automatic stop condition is met, and of performing cranking by a starter when a preset engine restart condition is met to restart the engine, the engine stop and start control system comprising:

an engagement control means that shifts a pinion of the starter to a ring gear coupled to an output shaft of the engine to perform engagement between the pinion and the ring gear during the engine coasting after the automatic stop of the engine;

a rotation control means that rotates the pinion using a rotational drive means when the engine restart condition is met;

an engagement determining means that determines whether the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion has been shifted to a contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear; and

a state determining means that determines, based on a speed of the engine or a parameter associated with the speed of the engine, whether the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine,

wherein;

when the engine restart condition is met after the engagement by the engagement control means is started and before it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, the rotation control means disables rotational drive of the pinion by the rotational drive means during a period until it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear,

the rotation control means determines the period when it is determined that the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine, and

the state determining means determines whether the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine based on a reduction rate of the speed of the engine.

2. An engine stop and start control system having an automatic stop and start function of automatically stopping an engine when a preset automatic stop condition is met, and of performing cranking by a starter when a preset engine restart condition is met to restart the engine, the engine stop and start control system comprising:

an engagement control means that shifts a pinion of the starter to a ring gear coupled to an output shaft of the engine to perform engagement between the pinion and the ring gear during the engine coasting after the automatic stop of the engine;

a rotation control means that rotates the pinion using a rotational drive means when the engine restart condition is met;

an engagement determining means that determines whether the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to a contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear;

a period setting means that sets a rotation disable period when the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine, rotation of the pinion by the rotational drive means being disabled during the rotation disable period; and

a state determining means that determines, based on a speed of the engine or a parameter associated with the speed of the engine, whether the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine,

wherein;

when the engine restart condition is met after the engagement by the engagement control means is started and before it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, the rotation control means waits until it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, and thereafter starts rotational drive of the pinion by the rotational drive means,

when the rotation disable period is set by the period setting means, the rotation control means waits for a lapse of the rotation disable period, and thereafter, starts rotation of the pinion by the rotational drive means,

the state determining means determines whether the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine based on a reduction rate of the speed of the engine, and

the period setting means sets the rotation disable period when it is determined that the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine.

3. An engine stop and start control system having an automatic stop and start function of automatically stopping an engine when a preset automatic stop condition is met, and of performing cranking by a starter when a preset engine restart condition is met to restart the engine, the engine stop and start control system comprising:

an engagement control means that shifts a pinion of the starter to a ring gear coupled to an output shaft of the engine to perform engagement between the pinion and the ring gear during the engine coasting after the automatic stop of the engine;

a rotation control means that rotates the pinion using a rotational drive means when the engine restart condition is met;

an engagement determining means that determines whether the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to a contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear; and

a period setting means that sets a rotation disable period when the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine, rotation of the pinion by the rotational drive means being disabled during the rotation disable period,

wherein;

when the engine restart condition is met after the engagement by the engagement control means is started and before it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, the rotation control means waits until it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, and thereafter starts rotational drive of the pinion by the rotational drive means,

when the rotation disable period is set by the period setting means, the rotation control means waits for a lapse of the rotation disable period, and thereafter, starts rotation of the pinion by the rotational drive means, and

the engagement control means uses a first start time for the engagement when a reduction rate of a speed of the engine after the automatic stop of the engine is less than or equal to a preset threshold, and the engagement control means uses a second start time for the engagement when the reduction rate of the speed of the engine after the automatic stop of the engine is greater than the preset threshold, wherein the second start time is earlier than the first start time.

4. An engine stop and start control system having an automatic stop and start function of automatically stopping an engine when a preset automatic stop condition is met, and of performing cranking by a starter when a preset engine restart condition is met to restart the engine, the engine stop and start control system comprising:

an engagement control means that shifts a pinion of the starter to a ring gear coupled to an output shaft of the engine to perform engagement between the pinion and the ring gear during the engine coasting after the automatic stop of the engine;

a rotation control means that rotates the pinion using a rotational drive means when the engine restart condition is met;

an engagement determining means that determines whether the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to a contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear;

a period setting means that sets a rotation disable period when the engagement is completed or the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear during reverse rotation of the output shaft of the engine, rotation of the pinion by the rotational drive means being disabled during the rotation disable period; and

a required-time determining means that determines whether an engagement required time is equal to or less than a preset threshold, the engagement required time being a time required from a start of the engagement,

wherein;

when the engine restart condition is met after the engagement by the engagement control means is started and before it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, the rotation control means waits until it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, and thereafter starts rotational drive of the pinion by the rotational drive means,

when the rotation disable period is set by the period setting means, the rotation control means waits for a lapse of the rotation disable period, and thereafter, starts rotation of the pinion by the rotational drive means, and

when it is determined that the engagement required time is equal to or less than the preset threshold by the required-time determining means within a period after the engagement by the engagement control means is started and before it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed, the rotation control means starts the rotational drive of the pinion by the rotation drive means without waiting until it is determined that the engagement is completed by the engagement determining means.

5. The engine stop and start control system according to claim 4, wherein, when the engine restart condition is met before the pinion being in abutment with the ring gear, the rotation control means starts the rotational drive of the pinion by the rotational drive means at timing when the pinion is shifted to be in abutment with the ring gear.

6. The engine stop and start control system according to claim 4, wherein the required-time determining means determines whether the engagement required time is equal to or less than the preset threshold based on a temperature of the engine.

7. The engine stop and start control system according to claim 4, wherein the required-time determining means whether the engagement required time is equal to or less than the preset threshold based on a number of starts of the engine by the starter.

8. An engine stop and start control system having an automatic stop and start function of automatically stopping an engine when a preset automatic stop condition is met, and of performing cranking by a starter when a preset engine restart condition is met to restart the engine, the engine stop and start control system comprising:

an engagement control means that shifts a pinion of the starter to a ring gear coupled to an output shaft of the engine to perform engagement between the pinion and the ring gear during the engine coasting after the automatic stop of the engine;

a rotation control means that rotates the pinion using a rotational drive means when the engine restart condition is met;

an engagement determining means that determines whether the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion has been shifted to a contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear; and

a required-time determining means that determines whether an engagement required time is equal to or less than a preset threshold, the engagement required time being a time required from a start of the engagement to a completion of the engagement,

wherein, when the engine restart condition is met after the engagement by the engagement control means is started and before it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, the rotation control means waits until it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed or the pinion is shifted to the contact position of the ring gear so that the pinion is in abutment with the ring gear, and thereafter starts rotational drive of the pinion by the rotational drive means, and

when it is determined that the engagement required time is equal to or less than the preset threshold by the required-time determining means within a period after the engagement by the engagement control means is started and before it is determined that the engagement by the engagement control means is completed, the rotation control means starts rotational drive of the pinion by the rotation drive means without waiting until it is determined that the engagement is completed by the engagement determining means.