JP6365840B2 - Balancer device for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a balancer device for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to a balancer device that drives and stops a balancer shaft in accordance with an operation region of the internal combustion engine.

  Since secondary vibration caused by the main motion system of a reciprocating internal combustion engine causes unpleasant low-frequency booming noise, etc., an unbalanced mass that is eccentric with respect to the rotational axis is used for the purpose of reducing secondary vibration. A balancer device in which a balancer shaft is rotated in synchronization with engine rotation has been put into practical use. As this type of internal combustion engine balancer device, there is one that drives and stops the balancer shaft in accordance with the operation region of the internal combustion engine.

  For example, in the balancer device described in Patent Document 1, a fixed unbalance mass is fixed on a balancer shaft and a movable unbalance mass is rotatably provided, and the movable unbalance mass is provided at a predetermined rotation angle via a clutch mechanism. It can be connected to the balancer shaft. For example, in an engine low rotation range where the excitation force due to the main motion system is small, the engine that reduces the engine vibration only by the fixed unbalance mass by cutting the movable unbalance mass from the balancer shaft by cutting the clutch mechanism, and the excitation force increases. In the high rotation range, a movable unbalanced mass is coupled to the balancer shaft by connecting a clutch mechanism, and engine vibration is reduced by the movable unbalanced mass in addition to the fixed unbalanced mass.

JP-A-5-87192

  In general, a balancer shaft of a balancer device is driven by a crankshaft via a transmission mechanism such as a chain or a gear. However, in the balancer device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the driving force is transmitted according to the connection / disconnection of the clutch mechanism.・ It will be blocked. As the operating range of the internal combustion engine changes, the clutch mechanism is frequently connected and disconnected, and accordingly, the driving force to the balancer shaft via the transmission mechanism is transmitted and cut off, so that a large load acts on the clutch mechanism itself. Of course, the load on the transmission mechanism is also extremely increased. Since an increase in load causes wear and failure of the clutch mechanism and the transmission mechanism, a countermeasure for reducing the load is demanded. However, no countermeasure has been taken in the balancer device of the patent document.

  In addition, since the connection / disconnection of the clutch mechanism depends only on the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine, the balancer effect is not exhibited in the high load region where the secondary vibration caused by the main motion system increases even in the low rotational speed region. On the contrary, unnecessary energy loss and noise from the transmission mechanism are generated by driving the balancer in a low load region where secondary vibration is small and unpleasant booming noise is not generated.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its object is to transmit a driving force from the crankshaft to the balancer shaft, and to transmit / cut off the driving force. The internal combustion engine can reduce the load on the clutch mechanism, improve reliability and prevent failure, drive the balancer only in the necessary and optimal state, and improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise from the transmission mechanism It is to provide an engine balancer device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the balancer device for an internal combustion engine of the present invention has an unbalanced mass and is rotatably supported by the internal combustion engine, and rotates in synchronization with the engine rotation by driving the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. The balancer shaft that cancels the excitation force generated by the main motion system of the internal combustion engine and between the crankshaft and the balancer shaft is used to transmit or cut off the driving force from the crankshaft to the balancer shaft according to connection and disconnection. The clutch mechanism and the clutch mechanism are connected when the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is in a drive region set in advance on the high rotation side, and the clutch mechanism is connected when the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is in a stop region set in advance on the low rotation side. The clutch control means for disconnecting the mechanism and the driver's intention to accelerate while the clutch mechanism is disengaged in the stop region. Characterized by comprising the acceleration corresponding command means for commanding connection of the clutch mechanism in the clutch control means when was boss (claim 1).

As another aspect, the acceleration response command means calculates an acceleration coefficient that predicts a transition of the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine to the high rotation side based on at least the driver's accelerator operation, and the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine is calculated based on the acceleration coefficient. When it is determined that the vehicle will enter the drive region, it is preferable that the vehicle has an intention to accelerate (claim 2).
As another aspect, the drive region is set on the high load side of the internal combustion engine, the stop region is set on the low load side of the internal combustion engine, and the clutch control means It is preferable to discriminate from the stop area (claim 3).

As another aspect, it is preferable that hysteresis is set between the drive region and the stop region.
As another aspect, there is a case where the temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the internal combustion engine and the acceleration response command means determine that there is an intention to accelerate when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means is on the low temperature side. However, it is preferable to further include a cold switching prohibiting means for prohibiting a clutch mechanism connection command to the clutch control means.

  According to the balancer device for an internal combustion engine of the present invention, the load of the transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force from the crankshaft to the balancer shaft and the clutch mechanism for transmitting and interrupting the driving force can be reduced. Improvement and failure prevention can be achieved, and the balancer can be driven only in the necessary and optimal state, so that fuel consumption can be improved and noise from the transmission mechanism can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the balancer apparatus of the engine of embodiment. It is a side view of the engine which shows the power transmission path | route of a balancer apparatus. It is a control block diagram which shows the calculation process of the acceleration value by ECU. It is a control block diagram which shows the determination process of the drive permission of the balancer apparatus by ECU. It is a flowchart which shows the acceleration value calculation routine which ECU performs in order to calculate an acceleration value. It is a flowchart which shows the drive permission determination routine which ECU performs in order to determine drive permission. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control map in which the stop area | region and drive area | region of the balancer apparatus were set.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an engine balancer device of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the engine showing a power transmission path of the balancer device.
An engine 1 (internal combustion engine) equipped with a balancer device according to the present embodiment is an in-line four-cylinder engine and is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) as a driving power source. The engine 1 is configured as an intake pipe injection type (Multi Point Injection: MPI) gasoline engine.

  An ignition plug 3 is attached to the cylinder head 2 of the engine 1 for each cylinder, and an ignition coil 4 that outputs a high voltage is connected to the ignition plug 3. In the cylinder head 2, an intake port is formed for each cylinder, and one end of an intake manifold 5 is connected so as to communicate with each intake port. An electromagnetic fuel injection valve 6 is attached to the intake manifold 5, and a fuel supply device having a fuel tank (not shown) is connected to the fuel injection valve 6 via a fuel pipe 7. The fuel injection valve 6 is provided for each intake port of each cylinder, and can supply fuel independently to the intake air flowing into each cylinder.

An electromagnetic throttle valve 8 that adjusts the amount of intake air is provided upstream of the fuel injection valve 6 of the intake manifold 5, and a throttle position sensor (TPS) that detects the valve opening of the throttle valve 8 together. ) 9 is provided. Further, an air flow sensor 10 for measuring the intake air amount is interposed upstream of the throttle valve 8.
The cylinder head 2 has an exhaust port for each cylinder, and one end of the exhaust manifold 11 is connected so as to communicate with each exhaust port. An exhaust pipe 12 is connected to the other end of the exhaust manifold 11, and although not shown, a three-way catalyst is interposed in the exhaust pipe 12 as an exhaust purification catalyst device.

  A crankcase lower 16 is coupled to the lower surface of the cylinder block 15 of the engine 1, and a balancer case 17 is coupled to the lower surface of the crankcase lower 16. A crankshaft 18 is rotatably supported between the cylinder block 15 and the crankcase lower 16. A front end of the crankshaft 18 projects forward from the cylinder block 15 and a crank gear 19 is fixed. Although not shown, during the operation of the engine 1, the driving force is transmitted to the crankshaft 18 through the connecting rod by the movement of the piston in the cylinder of each cylinder so as to be driven to rotate.

  An idler gear 21 is rotatably supported by an idler shaft 20 on the front side of the crankcase lower 16, and the idler gear 21 meshes with the crank gear 19. A balancer shaft 22 is rotatably supported in the balancer case 17, and the balancer shaft 22 includes an unbalanced mass that is eccentric with respect to the rotation axis. A front end of the balancer shaft 22 protrudes forward from the balancer case 17 and is connected to a balancer gear 23, and the balancer gear 23 meshes with an idler gear 21.

Accordingly, during operation of the engine 1, the driving force from the crankshaft 18 is always transmitted from the crank gear 19 to the balancer gear 23 via the idler gear 21. A gear case 24 is disposed in front of the crankcase lower 16 and the balancer case 17, and an idler gear 21 and a balancer gear 23 are accommodated in the gear case 24.
The idler gear 21 incorporates a clutch mechanism 25. The clutch mechanism 25 is provided between the crank gear 19 and the idler gear 21 (balancer gear 23 side). 21 is combined and separated.

  That is, when the clutch mechanism 25 is disengaged, the crank gear 19 and the idler gear 21 are separated, so that the driving force from the crankshaft 18 is not transmitted to the balancer gear 23 meshing with the idler gear 21, and the balancer shaft connected to the balancer gear 23. 22 is held in a stopped state. Further, when the clutch mechanism 25 is connected, the crank gear 19 and the idler gear 21 are coupled, and the driving force from the crankshaft 18 is transmitted to the balancer gear 23 meshing with the idler gear 21 and the balancer shaft 22 connected to the balancer gear 23. Is rotated.

The coupling between the crank gear 19 and the idler gear 21 by the clutch mechanism 25 is always performed at a predetermined rotational angle, whereby the balancer shaft 22 is rotationally driven in synchronization with the rotational phase of the crankshaft 18 and the engine 1 is driven by the unbalanced mass. Excitation force due to the main motion system (piston, connecting rod, etc.) is offset.
The clutch mechanism 25 is connected / disconnected by an electric or hydraulic actuator, but the specific configuration thereof is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and the like, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

On the other hand, the ECU (engine control unit) 31 includes an input / output device, a storage device (ROM, RAM, nonvolatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), a timer counter, and the like. Comprehensive control of the included balancer device is performed.
On the input side of the ECU 31, in addition to the TPS 9 and the airflow sensor 10 described above, a crank angle sensor 32 that detects the crank angle of the engine 1, a water temperature sensor 33 (temperature detection means) that detects the cooling water temperature Tw of the engine 1, an accelerator opening Various sensors such as an accelerator sensor 34 for detecting the degree θacc and a vehicle speed sensor 35 for detecting the vehicle speed V are connected, and detection information from these sensors is inputted. Although not shown, the ECU 31 is connected with a controller for controlling the shift of an automatic transmission mounted on the vehicle, and the current gear stage of the automatic transmission is input from this controller. Yes.

  On the other hand, on the output side of the ECU 31, various output devices such as the fuel injection valve 6 and the ignition coil 4, the throttle valve 8, and the clutch mechanism 25 of each cylinder described above are connected. The ECU 31 calculates the fuel injection amount, fuel injection timing, ignition timing, throttle opening, connection / disconnection of the clutch mechanism 25, and the like based on detection information from various sensors, and drives and controls various output devices based on the calculation results. To do.

  Basically, the connection / disconnection control of the clutch mechanism 25 is executed based on a preset control map. As described in [Problems to be Solved by the Invention], the connection / disconnection of the clutch mechanism 25 is performed during engine operation. Accordingly, since the driving force is frequently transmitted / cut off in response to this, a countermeasure for reducing the load on the clutch mechanism 25 and the transmission mechanism (crank gear 19, idler gear 21, balancer gear 23) has been demanded. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a measure for connecting and disconnecting the clutch mechanism 25 in the low rotation and low torque range as much as possible is taken for the purpose of reducing the load. Hereinafter, control executed by the ECU 31 for that purpose will be described.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram illustrating acceleration value calculation processing by the ECU 31, and FIG. 4 is a control block diagram illustrating determination processing for permission to drive the balancer device by the ECU 31. The balancer apparatus drive permission determination process is a process of determining whether or not to start driving the balancer apparatus in a stopped state (whether or not the clutch mechanism 25 may be connected).
First, acceleration value calculation processing will be described with reference to FIG. Based on the accelerator opening θacc detected by the accelerator sensor 34 and the engine rotational speed Ne obtained from the crank angle signal of the crank angle sensor 32, a target torque Ttgt (corresponding to the engine load) that the engine 1 should output from a predetermined map is obtained. The target torque change rate is calculated from the target torque Ttgt.

Further, the accelerator opening change rate is calculated from the accelerator opening θacc, and the driver's intention to accelerate is determined from these target torque change rate and accelerator opening change rate. That is, when the target torque change rate and the accelerator opening change rate change to the increasing side, the driver has an intention to accelerate, and it is considered that the more rapid the change is, the more rapid acceleration is required.
Further, the acceleration value during the acceleration state of the vehicle is calculated from the driver's intention to accelerate, the target torque change rate, and the accelerator opening change rate. The acceleration value is calculated as an index that anticipates how the acceleration state of the vehicle in the future (such as slowness and duration) will change.

  Next, the determination process for permission to drive the balancer device will be described with reference to FIG. First, a balancer drive basic coefficient is calculated from a control map (shown in FIG. 7) described later based on the target torque Ttgt and the engine rotational speed Ne. The balancer drive basic coefficient is an index that correlates with the current operation range of the engine 1 defined by the target torque Ttgt and the engine rotational speed Ne. Based on the balancer drive basic coefficient, the balancer drive basic coefficient is essential. It becomes possible to determine whether or not.

  In parallel with this, a balancer drive acceleration coefficient is calculated from a predetermined control map based on the acceleration value calculated in the above procedure and the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 35. The balancer drive acceleration factor that reflects the acceleration value is an index that predicts the acceleration state of the vehicle that is predicted in the future, and thus the future transition of the operating region of the engine 1 to the high rotation / high load side. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the balancer drive is necessary from a transitional point of view in anticipation of future changes.

However, the acceleration state of the vehicle in the future will be affected by the vehicle speed V, and as the acceleration starts from the low vehicle speed range, the possibility that the operation range of the engine 1 will shift to a high rotation / high load range increases. The vehicle speed V is reflected in the calculation of the coefficient.
Further, a gear stage correction coefficient is calculated from a predetermined control map based on the gear stage, and the balancer drive acceleration coefficient is multiplied by the gear stage correction coefficient. As with the vehicle speed V, the gear stage also affects the acceleration state of the vehicle, and the higher the speed at which the gear 1 is accelerated, the higher the possibility that the operating range of the engine 1 will shift to a higher rotation / high load range. Correction based on the correction coefficient is performed.

  The balancer driving basic coefficient calculated as described above and the balancer driving acceleration coefficient are compared, and it is determined which coefficient is to be used. Specifically, the driving coefficient on the side from which the operating region of the engine 1 in the higher rotation / higher load region is derived is employed (acceleration corresponding command means). Then, driving of the balancer device is appropriately permitted in accordance with the adopted driving coefficient, but when the cooling water temperature of the engine 1 is low, driving of the balancer device is prohibited.

  Therefore, based on the cooling water temperature Tw of the engine 1 detected by the water temperature sensor 33, a larger value is calculated as the drive prohibition determination value as the cooling water temperature Tw is lower. When the selected drive coefficient is less than the drive prohibition determination value, the balancer drive is prohibited (cooling switching prohibiting means), and only when the drive coefficient is equal to or greater than the drive prohibition determination value, the balancer device Driving is allowed. As a result, the lower the cooling water temperature Tw, the harder the driving of the balancer device is permitted, and the driving of the balancer device is prohibited in the entire operation region of the engine 1 below a certain fixed water temperature.

Note that the driving of the balancer device may be prohibited in the entire operation region of the engine 1 at a temperature lower than the predetermined cooling water temperature Tw without setting the drive prohibition determination value in accordance with the cooling water temperature Tw.
Next, a control flow executed by the ECU 31 will be described based on the above control block diagrams.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an acceleration value calculation routine executed by the ECU 31 to calculate an acceleration value. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a drive permission determination routine executed by the ECU 31 to determine drive permission.
In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the ECU 31 calculates a target torque Ttgt in step S2, and calculates a target torque change rate and an accelerator opening change rate in step S4. In the subsequent step S6, the driver's intention to accelerate is determined from the target torque change rate and the accelerator opening change rate. ) Thereafter, the maximum value of the target torque change rate and the accelerator opening change rate is stored in step S10, and the routine is terminated after the acceleration value is calculated in step S12.

  On the other hand, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the ECU 31 reads the target torque Ttgt and the engine speed Ne in step S22, and calculates the balancer drive basic coefficient in the subsequent step S24. Further, in step S26, it is determined whether or not the acceleration state flag F is set. If the determination is No (No), the process proceeds to step S28, and after determining that the balancer driving basic coefficient is adopted, the process proceeds to step S30. .

  If the determination in step S26 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S32, where the acceleration value is read. In step S34, the balancer drive acceleration coefficient is calculated based on the acceleration value, the vehicle speed V, and the gear stage. In subsequent step S36, it is determined whether or not the balancer drive acceleration coefficient is larger than the balancer drive basic coefficient. If the determination is No, the process proceeds to step S28. When the determination in step S36 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S38, and after determining that the balancer driving acceleration coefficient is adopted, the process proceeds to step S30.

  In step S30, a drive prohibition determination value is calculated from the coolant temperature Tw of the engine 1, and in the subsequent step S40, the balancer drive basic coefficient employed in step S28 described above or the balancer drive acceleration coefficient employed in step S38 is greater than or equal to the drive prohibition determination value. It is determined whether or not there is. If the determination in step S40 is No, the process returns to step S22. If the determination is Yes, the balancer drive permission is granted in step S42, and the routine is terminated.

Next, the control status of the balancer device by the processing of the ECU 31 will be described.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a control map in which a stop region and a drive region of the balancer device are set.
As shown in this figure, when the engine speed Ne and the target torque Ttgt are lower than a predetermined value (including idle), a stop area for holding the balancer device in a stopped state is set, and the engine speed is higher than that. In the region where Ne and the target torque Ttgt are high, a drive region for driving the balancer device is set.

  Hysteresis is set between the two regions in order to prevent repeated driving / stopping of the balancer device (disconnection / disconnection of the clutch mechanism 25) when the operation region of the engine 1 frequently changes between the two regions. . For this reason, the driving of the balancer apparatus that is stopped is executed at the timing when the operating region of the engine 1 crosses the boundary shown by the solid line in the drawing, and the operating region of the engine 1 is stopped in the drawing when the driving balancer device is stopped. It is executed at the timing of crossing the boundary indicated by a broken line.

A boundary line for determining switching from stopping to driving of the balancer device indicated by a solid line in this figure functions as the balancer driving basic coefficient described above.
For example, in a driving region where the engine rotational speed Ne and the target torque Ttgt are kept relatively low, such as when the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, the secondary vibration level resulting from the original main motion system is low, and the balancer device Even if there is no vibration reducing effect due to the above, no significant booming noise is generated, so comfort can be ensured. On the other hand, in such an operation region, the energy loss for driving the balancer is relatively large compared to the high rotation & high torque region, so that the influence on fuel consumption is large.

  In the control map of FIG. 7, such an engine operation region is set as a stop region, and the clutch mechanism 25 is disconnected by the ECU 31 and the balancer device is held in a stopped state (clutch control means). Therefore, energy loss for driving the balancer device can be avoided and fuel efficiency can be improved. Further, as a secondary effect, it is possible to reduce gear noise of the transmission mechanism and to suppress wear of each gear.

  Further, when the engine rotational speed Ne and the target torque Ttgt are increased, a muffled noise becomes prominent due to the secondary vibration caused by the main motion system of the engine 1, but in the control map of FIG. The ECU 31 is connected to the clutch mechanism 25 to drive the balancer device (clutch control means). Therefore, the excitation force due to the main motion system of the engine 1 is offset, and comfort can be maintained by suppressing the booming noise.

  On the other hand, when the accelerator is depressed by the driver when the operation region of the engine 1 is in the stop region, the target torque change rate and the accelerator opening change rate increase as the accelerator opening θacc and the engine rotational speed Ne increase. The acceleration value is calculated based on these values (step S12 in FIG. 5). When the driver's intention to accelerate is determined (Yes in step S26 in FIG. 6), a balancer drive acceleration coefficient is calculated (step S34 in FIG. 6). The balancer drive acceleration coefficient is a prediction of the future transition of the operating region of the engine 1 to the high rotation / high torque side as the vehicle accelerates, for example, as indicated by solid and broken arrows in FIG.

Based on the comparison between the balancer drive basic coefficient and the balancer drive acceleration coefficient, the larger coefficient is adopted (steps S28, 36, and 38 in FIG. 6).
The acceleration state of the vehicle is not so abrupt. For example, as indicated by a broken arrow in FIG. 7, the operation region after the transition to the high rotation / high torque side expressed as the balancer drive acceleration coefficient is the stop region. If it stays (when the operation area does not cross the boundary indicated by the solid line in the figure), it is determined that the balancer drive acceleration coefficient is equal to or less than the balancer drive basic coefficient, and the balancer drive basic coefficient is adopted, and the balancer device is held in a stopped state. The

  Further, the acceleration state of the vehicle is abrupt, and as shown by a solid line arrow in FIG. 7, the operation region after the transition to the high rotation / high torque side expressed as a balancer drive acceleration coefficient enters the drive region. In the case (when the operation region crosses the boundary indicated by the solid line in the figure), it is determined that the balancer drive acceleration coefficient> balancer drive basic coefficient, the balancer drive acceleration coefficient is adopted, and the balancer device is started to drive (acceleration Corresponding command means).

  That is, when it is predicted that the operating region of the engine 1 will enter the driving region based on the balancer driving acceleration coefficient due to rapid acceleration of the vehicle, the driving of the balancer device is started immediately before actually entering the driving region. . As a result, since the clutch mechanism 25 is connected in the stop region on the low rotation / low torque side compared to the drive region, the load on the clutch mechanism 25 itself and the load on the transmission mechanism can be greatly reduced. Improvement of the reliability and failure prevention can be achieved.

  Further, when the engine rotational speed Ne and the target torque Ttgt are increased due to the entry into the drive region, the excitation force due to the main motion system of the engine 1 immediately increases, but on the other hand, due to the mechanical response of the clutch mechanism 25. Thus, there is a slight delay before the excitation force starts to cancel due to the start of driving of the balancer device. In order to prevent such a delay, it is necessary to reduce the stop area (enlarge the drive area) and advance the timing of starting the driving of the clutch mechanism 25. The reduction of the stop area is caused by the stop of the balancer device described above. The merit in terms of fuel consumption will be hindered. According to the present embodiment, since the balancer device starts to be driven immediately before entering the drive region, it is possible to achieve a high level of both suppression of booming noise and improvement of fuel consumption without reducing the stop region. .

  Further, after predicting the transition of the operation region of the engine 1 accompanying the acceleration of the vehicle as a balancer drive acceleration coefficient, the operation region of the engine 1 is specifically based on the comparison with the balancer drive basic coefficient corresponding to the characteristics of the control map. It is determined whether or not to enter the drive region. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether the balancer device is driven or stopped. As a result, the balancer device can be appropriately driven only when the excitation force needs to be canceled by entering the drive region. This factor also contributes to both the suppression of noise and improvement of fuel consumption.

  Further, the control map of FIG. 7 is set according to the target torque Ttgt as well as the engine speed Ne, and the balancer driving acceleration coefficient corresponding to the increase in the engine speed Ne and the target torque Ttgt are correspondingly increased. Calculated with consideration. Therefore, even when it is necessary to cancel the excitation force due to an increase in the target torque Ttgt, it is possible to appropriately start driving the balancer device and suppress the booming noise. However, it is not always necessary to consider the target torque Ttgt, and the balancer device may be driven / stopped based only on the engine rotational speed Ne.

Further, in the control map of FIG. 7, since hysteresis is set between the stop region and the drive region, the balancer device is driven even when the operation region of the engine 1 frequently changes between the two regions. -Repeated stop is avoided. Therefore, it is possible to prevent wear due to unnecessary connection and disconnection of the clutch mechanism 25, which also contributes to improvement of reliability and prevention of failure.
Further, when the cooling water temperature Tw of the engine 1 is low, the balancer device is prohibited from being driven based on the drive prohibition determination value, so that the balancer device can be prevented from being driven when the engine 1 is easily subjected to a load. This leads to improvement in reliability of the engine itself and prevention of failure.

This is the end of the description of the embodiment, but the aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the balancer device of the in-line four-cylinder MPI engine 1 is embodied. However, the type of the engine 1 is not limited to this and can be arbitrarily changed.
In the above embodiment, the driver's intention to accelerate is determined based on the target torque change rate and the accelerator opening change rate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the vehicle accelerates, in an automatic transmission, kickdown is executed in response to the driver's accelerator depression, and in a manual transmission, the clutch is disengaged by the driver and the gear is switched prior to downshifting. Therefore, in an automatic transmission, the intention to accelerate may be determined based on kick-down information input from a shift control controller. In a manual transmission, the intention to accelerate is determined based on a clutch disconnection operation or a gear switching operation. May be.

1 engine (internal combustion engine)
18 Crankshaft 22 Balancer shaft 25 Clutch mechanism 31 ECU (clutch control means, acceleration response command means, cold switching prohibition means)
33 Water temperature sensor (temperature detection means)

Claims (5)

A balancer shaft that has an unbalanced mass and is rotatably supported by the internal combustion engine, and rotates in synchronization with the engine rotation by driving the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine to cancel the excitation force generated by the main motion system of the internal combustion engine When,
A clutch mechanism that is provided between the crankshaft and the balancer shaft and transmits or interrupts the driving force from the crankshaft to the balancer shaft according to connection and disconnection;
The clutch mechanism is connected when the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine is in a drive region set in advance on the high rotation side, and the clutch mechanism is connected when the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine is in a stop region set in advance on the low rotation side. Clutch control means for cutting the mechanism;
Accelerating corresponding command means for determining the driver's intention to accelerate while the clutch mechanism is disengaged in the stop region, and commanding the clutch control means to connect the clutch mechanism when it is determined that the acceleration intention is present. A balancer device for an internal combustion engine characterized by the above. The acceleration response command means calculates an acceleration coefficient that predicts a transition of the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine to a higher rotation side based on at least a driver's accelerator operation, and the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine is calculated based on the acceleration coefficient. 2. The balancer device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the vehicle enters the drive region, the intention to accelerate is considered to be present. The drive region is set on the high load side of the internal combustion engine, the stop region is set on the low load side of the internal combustion engine,
The balancer device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the clutch control means discriminates the drive region and the stop region according to a load together with a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine. The balancer device for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a hysteresis is set between the drive region and the stop region. Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the internal combustion engine;
When the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is on a low temperature side, the clutch mechanism connection instruction to the clutch control means is prohibited even when the acceleration response command means determines that there is an intention to accelerate. The balancer device for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a cold state switching prohibiting means.

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