Method and apparatus to evaluate a starter for an internal combustion engine
First Claim
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1. A method for monitoring a starter of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- initiating an engine starting event, including;
electrically connecting a starter motor to a battery; and
activating a motor solenoid to cause the starter motor to spin with corresponding activation of a pinion activation 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;
determining electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids operative to activate and rotate the pinion gear of the electrically-powered starter motor, said pinion gear meshingly engageable to the starter ring gear portion of the flywheel of the engine during the engine starting event;
monitoring current ringing in 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 the pinion and motor solenoids based upon the current ringing and the consumed electrical energy during the engine starting event; and
permitting subsequent engine starting events based on the identified fault in the pinion and motor solenoids.
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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.
7 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring a starter of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
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initiating an engine starting event, including; electrically connecting a starter motor to a battery; and activating a motor solenoid to cause the starter motor to spin with corresponding activation of a pinion activation 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; determining electrical energy consumed by the pinion and motor solenoids operative to activate and rotate the pinion gear of the electrically-powered starter motor, said pinion gear meshingly engageable to the starter ring gear portion of the flywheel of the engine during the engine starting event; monitoring current ringing in 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 the pinion and motor solenoids based upon the current ringing and the consumed electrical energy during the engine starting event; and permitting subsequent engine starting events based on the identified fault in the pinion and motor solenoids. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification