DE102009006032B4 - Method and device for starting an internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for starting an internal combustion engine (12) of a vehicle (10), wherein a starter (2) of the internal combustion engine (12) is actuated to start the internal combustion engine (12), the vehicle (10) comprising a bus (1), and wherein the Starter (2) of the internal combustion engine (12) is only actuated when an engine start signal is detected by the bus (1), characterized in that the starter (2) continues to be actuated until the internal combustion engine (12) is running, even if the engine start signal is then no longer detected by the bus (1).

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a device for starting or starting an internal combustion engine, particularly during an automatic start.

The DE 199 37 460 A1 describes a circuit for the starting process in a motor vehicle, whereby the use of a thyristor ensures a perfect starting process even when the battery voltage is significantly reduced.

The DE 10 2004 059 944 A1 discloses a method for controlling an idle stop-and-go system. To do this, an engine can be started using an integrated generator starter (IGS).

In motor vehicles according to the prior art, a request signal is sent from an ignition starter lock to an engine control unit via a (hard-wired) line used only for this purpose when an internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle is to be started. The engine control unit evaluates this request signal, checks certain conditions and activates a starter if the check is successful.

The present invention aims to simplify this procedure according to the prior art.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method for starting an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, by a device for starting an internal combustion engine according to claim 4 and by a vehicle according to claim 8. The dependent claims define preferred and advantageous embodiments of the present invention.

Within the scope of the present invention, a method for starting an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, which includes a bus, e.g. a CAN bus or another bus structure for connecting various electronic components of the vehicle, is provided. In order to start or start the internal combustion engine, a starter of the internal combustion engine is actuated. According to the invention, the starter of the internal combustion engine is only activated when an engine start signal is detected on the bus.

The engine start signal is used, for example, to signal to an engine control unit of the vehicle that the driver of the vehicle wants to start the internal combustion engine. This engine start signal is generated in particular by a vehicle designed for an automatic start when the starting process for the internal combustion engine is started by pressing a button once. By detecting this engine start signal from the bus, an additional hard-wired signal line over which, in prior art vehicles, this engine start signal (or a terminal 50 request) is transmitted quasi-redundantly or in parallel to the bus can advantageously be provided by the present invention omitted.

In other words, the present invention does not transmit an engine start signal on a communication link or line other than the bus to a starter controller or engine controller which (among other things) exists to control the starter since the starter controller detects the engine start signal exclusively via the bus. Thus, according to this invention, the starter controller or engine controller is able to acquire any information necessary to start the engine via the bus. This means that the additional line for transmitting the engine start signal, which is common in the prior art, can be saved.

According to the invention, the starter continues to be operated until the internal combustion engine is running, even if the engine start signal is no longer detected by the bus.

In other words, it is sufficient if the engine start signal is detected once by the bus to operate the starter until the internal combustion engine is running. This has the advantage that the starter continues to be operated even if the bus is briefly inactive due to the high starting current required to operate the starter and due to a voltage drop that often occurs, so that it is not possible to check via the bus during this time whether the engine start signal is (still) present or not.

Within the scope of the present invention, a device for starting an internal combustion engine of a vehicle is also provided. The device includes a signal generating device, a starter control (for example an engine control) and a bus, for example a CAN bus or another bus structure for connecting various electronic components of the vehicle. The signal generating device, for example an ignition starter lock with an integrated electronic control unit or an electronic ignition starter lock (EZS), generates an engine start signal when a driver of the vehicle is actuated accordingly. The starter controller controls or actuates a starter of the internal combustion engine depending on this engine start signal to thereby start the internal combustion engine. Both the signal generation device The voltage and the starter control are connected to the bus so that they can communicate via the bus. According to the invention, the device is now designed in such a way that the engine start signal is applied exclusively to the bus by the signal generating device in order to be detected from there by the starter control.

The advantages of the device according to the invention essentially correspond to the advantages of the method according to the invention, which have been explained in detail in advance, so that repetition is omitted here.

According to the invention, the starter control is designed such that the starter control continues to control or actuate the starter in such a way that the starter continues to start the internal combustion engine until the internal combustion engine is running, provided that the starter control has once detected the engine control signal from the bus. In other words, the starter control continues to actuate the starter until the internal combustion engine is running, even if the starter control no longer detects an engine control signal on the bus after detecting the engine control signal from the bus once.

In particular, there is no separate line next to the bus with which the engine start signal is transmitted from the signal generating device to the starter control. In other words, the discrete line customary in the prior art for transmitting the engine start signal from the ignition starter lock to the engine control unit according to the present invention does not currently exist, since the necessary signal transmission only takes place via the bus, which saves costs and weight due to potential errors the additional line can be reduced and thus the availability of the vehicle is increased.

Finally, within the scope of the present invention, a vehicle with a device according to the invention is also provided.

The present invention is particularly suitable for vehicles with an internal combustion engine. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this preferred application, but can also be used in ships, track-bound vehicles or aircraft that have an internal combustion engine.

The present invention is explained in detail below using preferred embodiments in comparison to the prior art, with reference being made to the attached figures.

In 1 a device for actuating a starter according to the prior art is shown schematically.

In 2 A device according to the invention for actuating a starter is shown schematically.

3 represents a vehicle according to the invention with a device according to the invention for actuating a starter.

In 1 is a device 3 for starting an internal combustion engine (in 1 not shown) according to the state of the art. This device 3 includes an ignition starter lock 5 with an electronic control unit, a starter control 9, which is usually part of an engine control unit, a CAN bus 1 and an additional discrete line 6 on which an engine start signal or a “terminal 50 request” is sent the ignition starter lock 5 is transmitted to the starter control 9. The starter control 9 in turn comprises a control unit 4 and a relay 11, which is controlled via the control unit 4 in order to actuate a starter 2 to start the internal combustion engine.

If a corresponding button is pressed to start the internal combustion engine in a conventional motor vehicle with automatic start, the ignition starter lock 5 recognizes this and reports this start request on the one hand via the additional line 6 to the starter control 9 and on the other hand via a signal 7 to the CAN bus 1 , whereby the start request is placed on the CAN bus 1 by a steering column switch module, for example. When the control unit 4 receives the engine start signal via the additional line 6, the control unit 4 checks whether further conditions for starting the internal combustion engine are met, such as whether the drive train is decoupled in a manual transmission or whether the shift lever is in the correct position in an automatic transmission and the brake is applied. If these additional conditions are met, a “terminal 50 (KL-50) signal” is sent to relay 11 so that starter 2 is supplied with power (terminal 15) to start the combustion engine. In addition, the terminal signal terminal 50 'is applied by the control unit 4 to the CAN bus 1 via a signal 8.

In 2 a device 3 according to the invention for starting an internal combustion engine is shown. The crucial difference between the prior art device 3 and the device according to the invention 3 in 2 is that the device according to the invention 3 in 2 has no additional line between the ignition starter lock 5 and the starter control 9.

Thus, in the device 3 according to the invention, the ignition starter lock 5 reports the start request only via the CAN bus 1 to the starter control 9. If the starter control 9 in the form of the control unit 4 detects the driver's start request via the CAN bus 1, the control unit 4 checks this further conditions (see above) and actuates the relay 11 if these further conditions are met to supply the starter 2 with power, as with regard to the device 3 according to the prior art in 1 has been described.

Once the control unit 4 has detected the engine start signal via the CAN bus 1 and the other conditions are met, the starter 2 is operated until the internal combustion engine is running or until another error condition exists, such as the expiration of a predetermined period of time without the combustion engine could be started. In other words, the starter control 9 in the form of the control unit 4 no longer checks whether the engine start signal is still present on the CAN bus 1 after the starter control 9 has once detected the engine start signal. This is advantageous because, due to the immense power requirement of the starter 2, the vehicle's on-board electrical system voltage can drop, which could result in communication via the CAN bus 1 being interrupted, so that the starter control 9 could not detect the engine start signal via the CAN bus 1 even then , if it would continue to be fed from the ignition starter lock 5 to the CAN bus 1.

In 3 a vehicle 10 according to the invention with a device 3 according to the invention is shown partly schematically. The starter 2 is controlled via the device 3 according to the invention, via which the internal combustion engine 12 of the vehicle 10 can finally be started.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

1

CAN bus

2

Starter

3

contraption

4

Control unit

5

Ignition lock

6

discrete line

7

Signal or line

8th

Signal or line

9

Starter control

10

vehicle

11

relay

12

Internal combustion engine

KL-15

Terminal 15

KL-50

Terminal 50

Claims (6)

Method for starting an internal combustion engine (12) of a vehicle (10), wherein a starter (2) of the internal combustion engine (12) is actuated to start the internal combustion engine (12), the vehicle (10) comprising a bus (1), and wherein the starter (2) of the internal combustion engine (12) is only actuated when an engine start signal is detected by the bus (1), characterized in that the starter (2) continues to be actuated until the internal combustion engine (12) is running, even if that Engine start signal is then no longer detected by the bus (1). Procedure according to Claim 1 , characterized in that there is a starter control (9) for controlling the starter (2), that the starter control (9) detects the engine start signal from the bus (1), and that there is no engine start signal on a line other than the bus (1). is transmitted to the starter control (9). Device for starting an internal combustion engine (12) of a vehicle (10), wherein the device (3) has a generating device (5) for generating an engine start signal, a starter control (9) for controlling a starter (2) of the internal combustion engine (12) depending on the Engine start signal and a bus (1), wherein the generating device (5) and the starter control (9) are connected to the bus (1), the starter (2) being actuated to start the internal combustion engine (12), and wherein the device (3) is designed such that the engine start signal is transmitted from the generating device (5) to the starter control (9) only via the bus (1), characterized in that the starter control (9) is designed such that the starter control (9 ) continues to control the starter (2) in such a way that the starter (2) starts the internal combustion engine (12) until the internal combustion engine (12) is running when the starter control (9) receives the engine control signal from the bus (1), even if the starter control (9) no longer detects the engine control signal from the bus (1). Device according to Claim 3 , characterized in that there is no line separate from the bus (1) which transmits the engine control signal from the generating device (5) to the starter control (9). Device according to Claim 3 or 4 , characterized in that the device (3) for carrying out the method according to one of the Claims 1 - 3 is designed. Vehicle with a device (3) according to one of the Claims 3 - 5 .

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