Engine starting apparatus
First Claim
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1. An engine starting apparatus comprising:
- a starter which, when it is required to start an engine, moves a pinion to establish engagement with a ring gear coupled to the engine and energizes an electric motor to produce and transmit torque to the ring gear through the pinion for cranking the engine, after the pinion engages the ring gear, the starter working to rotate the pinion so as to continue to exert the torque on the ring gear at least until after fuel in the engine is burned for the first time after the engine is started by the starter; and
an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit configured to control the starter to bring an instantaneous circumferential speed of the pinion at a point of contact between the pinion and the ring gear up to an instantaneous circumferential speed of the ring gear at the point of contact between the pinion and the ring gear at least from a time at which the pinion starts exerting torque on the ring gear until the engine has completed a second compression stroke and starts the third compression stroke after the engine started being cranked at normal or room temperature, andthe electronic control unit further configured to operate as a firing-up determiner which works to determine that the engine has been fired up when at least one of a first firing-up condition, a second firing-up condition, and a third firing-up condition is met after the pinion engages the ring gear, the first firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of decrease in current flowing in the electric motor exceeds a given value, the second firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of increase in voltage appearing at a terminal of the starter exceeds a given value, the third firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of increase in voltage appearing at a terminal of a power source for the electric motor exceeds a given value.
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Abstract
An engine starting apparatus is equipped with a starter which, when it is required to start an engine, moves a pinion to establish engagement with a ring gear coupled to the engine and energizes an electric motor to produce and transmit torque to the ring gear through the pinion for cranking the engine. When the rate of decrease in current flowing in the electric motor or the rate of rise in voltage appearing at a terminal of the starter or a power supply for the electric motor exceeds a given value after the engine starts being cranked, the engine starting apparatus works as a firing-up determiner to determine that the engine has been fully fired up.
31 Citations
8 Claims
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1. An engine starting apparatus comprising:
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a starter which, when it is required to start an engine, moves a pinion to establish engagement with a ring gear coupled to the engine and energizes an electric motor to produce and transmit torque to the ring gear through the pinion for cranking the engine, after the pinion engages the ring gear, the starter working to rotate the pinion so as to continue to exert the torque on the ring gear at least until after fuel in the engine is burned for the first time after the engine is started by the starter; and an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit configured to control the starter to bring an instantaneous circumferential speed of the pinion at a point of contact between the pinion and the ring gear up to an instantaneous circumferential speed of the ring gear at the point of contact between the pinion and the ring gear at least from a time at which the pinion starts exerting torque on the ring gear until the engine has completed a second compression stroke and starts the third compression stroke after the engine started being cranked at normal or room temperature, and the electronic control unit further configured to operate as a firing-up determiner which works to determine that the engine has been fired up when at least one of a first firing-up condition, a second firing-up condition, and a third firing-up condition is met after the pinion engages the ring gear, the first firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of decrease in current flowing in the electric motor exceeds a given value, the second firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of increase in voltage appearing at a terminal of the starter exceeds a given value, the third firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of increase in voltage appearing at a terminal of a power source for the electric motor exceeds a given value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A combination of an automatic engine restart system designed to automatically restart an engine and an engine starting apparatus comprising:
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a starter which, when it is required to start or restart an engine, moves a pinion to establish engagement with a ring gear coupled to the engine and energizes an electric motor to produce and transmit torque to the ring gear through the pinion for cranking the engine, after the pinion engages the ring gear, the starter working to rotate the pinion so as to continue to exert the torque on the ring gear at least until after fuel in the engine is burned for the first time after the engine is started by the starter; and an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit configured to control the starter to bring an instantaneous circumferential speed of the pinion at a point of contact between the pinion and the ring gear up to an instantaneous circumferential speed of the ring gear at the point of contact between the pinion and the ring gear at least from a time at which the pinion starts exerting torque on the ring gear until the engine has completed a second compression stroke and starts the third compression stroke after the engine started being cranked at normal or room temperature, and the electronic control unit further configured to operate as a firing-up determiner which works to determine that the engine has been fired up when at least one of a first firing-up condition, a second firing-up condition, and a third firing-up condition is met after the pinion engages the ring gear, the first firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of decrease in current flowing in the electric motor exceeds a given value, the second firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of increase in voltage appearing at a terminal of the starter exceeds a given value, the third firing-up condition being a condition in which a rate of increase in voltage appearing at a terminal of a power source for the electric motor exceeds a given value.
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Specification