EP0793014B1 - A circuit for detecting the starting of an internal combustion engine - Google Patents

A circuit for detecting the starting of an internal combustion engine Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0793014B1
EP0793014B1 EP97103097A EP97103097A EP0793014B1 EP 0793014 B1 EP0793014 B1 EP 0793014B1 EP 97103097 A EP97103097 A EP 97103097A EP 97103097 A EP97103097 A EP 97103097A EP 0793014 B1 EP0793014 B1 EP 0793014B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
starter motor
voltage
internal combustion
combustion engine
circuit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP97103097A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0793014A1 (en
Inventor
Mario Montuschi
Giancarlo Casellato
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Original Assignee
Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA filed Critical Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Publication of EP0793014A1 publication Critical patent/EP0793014A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0793014B1 publication Critical patent/EP0793014B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02N—STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F02N11/00—Starting of engines by means of electric motors
    • F02N11/08—Circuits or control means specially adapted for starting of engines
    • F02N11/0848—Circuits or control means specially adapted for starting of engines with means for detecting successful engine start, e.g. to stop starter actuation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02N—STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F02N2200/00—Parameters used for control of starting apparatus
    • F02N2200/06—Parameters used for control of starting apparatus said parameters being related to the power supply or driving circuits for the starter
    • F02N2200/063—Battery voltage

Definitions

  • the present invention relates in general to circuits for detecting the starting of an internal combustion engine, in particular for motor car applications. More specifically the pre e t invention relates to a circuit for detecting the starting of an internal combustion engine of the kind defined in the preamble of claim 1.
  • a free wheel associated with the pinion is or has been until now universally adopted.
  • This free wheel permits the pinion to rotate at a speed greater than that of the starter motor. In this way, when the internal combustion engine starts, and exceeds the speed at which it is driven by the starter motor, it uncouples from the starter motor thanks to the free wheel. In this case, therefore, the pinion is driven at high speed whilst the starter motor spins with no load.
  • the starter motor drives the internal combustion engine to rotate the voltage across and the current consumed by the electric motor have an oscillating or pulsing form due to the load variations caused by the compression phases of the various cylinders of the internal combustion engine.
  • the free wheel uncouples the starter motor and therefore this latter starts to run with no load and to consume a substantially constant current without further oscillations of said voltage and current.
  • the device according to the invention can advantageously be formed completely within the solenoid of the starter motor. It can therefore be completely integrated into the solenoid therefore allowing a completely self-contained and self-controlled system to be formed.
  • the idea on which the invention is based is that of detecting the voltage across the terminals of the starter motor rather than the current which flows through it.
  • figure 2 shows the variation in the speed of rotation of the internal combustion engine, indicated RPM, and the current consumed by the starter motor indicated I, during starting.
  • the speed of rotation RPM of the internal combustion engine initially nil, subsequently increases until it reaches a modest and substantially constant value about the order of 200 revolutions per minute, by the effect of the starter motor.
  • the internal combustion engine is being driven by the starter motor and has not yet started.
  • the speed of rotation RPM of the internal combustion engine is not constant but oscillates or pulses because of the compressions which arise in the various cylinders.
  • the current I consumed by the starter motor also assumes, after an initial peak in the current through the starter motor, a pulsing variation due to the variable load because of the compressions, which the motor must overcome to drive the internal combustion engine to rotate.
  • the voltage drop across the supply cables of the starter motor which is detected. More specifically, the-voltage on the positive supply terminal of the starter motor is detected.
  • the starter motor MA is provided with a pinion P for the purpose of being able to connect to an internal combustion engine (not illustrated) by means of a ring gear (not illustrated).
  • the starter motor MA has associated with it an electromagnet (or solenoid) EM serving to engage the pinion P on the ring gear and, in an almost simultaneous manner, energising the starter motor MA.
  • the solenoid EM closes an electrical contact between two terminals.
  • One of these two terminals, indicated V+, is connected by a cable of large dimensions (not illustrated) to the positive battery terminal (not illustrated).
  • the other of these two terminals, indicated M+ is connected to the positive supply terminal of the starter motor MA which naturally is adjacent to it.
  • This terminal C is the terminal by means of which the winding of the solenoid EM is supplied, which must obviously be separated from the supply cable connected to the terminal V+ of the starter motor MA.
  • the device according to the invention therefore detects the voltage present on the terminal M+.
  • This voltage on the terminal M+ has a variation substantially corresponding to the variation of the voltage drop due to the supply cable of the starter motor MA and to the internal resistance of the battery.
  • the variation of this voltage, indicated V is shown in Figures 3 and 4 which illustrate two starting operations.
  • the voltage drop, and therefore the voltage V, during the starting phase has a characteristic variation and is consistent with the variation of the current I.
  • the variation of the voltage V can be utilised very advantageously to detect the starting.
  • the contact or rather the positive supply terminal M+ of the starter motor MA at which it is possible to effect a measurement of the voltage V.
  • This contact M+ is, moreover, already available outside the solenoid EM in that it serves to determine the holding current of the solenoid EM at the end of the stroke. This contact thus costs nothing and makes it possible to achieve a device completely contained within the solenoid EM.
  • the circuit of the device according to the invention is very simple and comprises three fundamental blocks. These blocks are essentially constituted by a filter FIL, a threshold comparator SW and a timer or rather a circuit TM operable to form a voltage ramp.
  • This electronic circuit is very simple. In substance it effects detection of the pulsation of the voltage V.
  • This voltage V is sent to a filter FIL which serves to eliminate disturbances.
  • This filter FIL is constituted by a high-pass filter connected in series with a low-pass filter and therefore is, in practice, a band-pass filter.
  • the output of the filter FIL is sent to an operational amplifier configured as a threshold comparator SW which functions as a switch.
  • This comparator SW is configured to switch its output to ground when it detects a pulsation in the input signal V greater than a predetermined threshold S.
  • This input voltage V is used, moreover, to command a timer TM formed with a circuit of RC type. This voltage V then goes, for example, to charge a capacitor of the RC circuit of the timer TM with a time constant greater than the period of the minimum starting frequency.
  • the comparator SW commutes to ground, that is to say connects its output to earth, it discharges the capacitor of the RC circuit which was partially charged and therefore zeros the timer TM.
  • the comparator SW discharges the timer TM zeroing it.
  • the timer TM therefore continually tries to charge itself and is discharged by each oscillation received on the input signal V.
  • the oscillations on the input signal V cease the timer TM is then no longer zeroed or discharged by the comparator SW and can therefore become fully charged.
  • a predetermined threshold for example 4 volts
  • the time delay interval is therefore intrinsic to the circuit according to the invention and is given by the time constant of the timer TM.
  • the output threshold comparator CM receiving at its input the voltage VOUT at the output of the timer TM and the comparator SW, therefore makes it possible to generate the output signal U which is indicative of the starting of the internal combustion engine.
  • This output signal U is locally memorised by the comparator CM, which is configured with a positive feedback, and therefore evidently can be utilised to disconnect the supply from the solenoid EM as previously mentioned.
  • This positive feedback on the output comparator CM is essential in that it serves to ensure that the disconnection of the starter motor MA is stable. If, in fact, this positive feed back were not there, upon exceeding the predetermined threshold value for the output voltage VOUT the comparator CM would, as envisaged, cause disengagement of the supply to the starter motor MA. However, disconnection of the supply would mean that the supply terminal M+ of the starter motor MA would no longer be supplied. This would mean that the timer TM, also supplied via the terminal M+, would discharge causing lowering of the output voltage VOUT. Consequently the output comparator CM would again switch and this would mean that the starter motor MA would be again supplied.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combined Controls Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
  • Electrical Control Of Air Or Fuel Supplied To Internal-Combustion Engine (AREA)
  • Cooling, Air Intake And Gas Exhaust, And Fuel Tank Arrangements In Propulsion Units (AREA)
EP97103097A 1996-02-28 1997-02-26 A circuit for detecting the starting of an internal combustion engine Expired - Lifetime EP0793014B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO960144 1996-02-28
IT96TO000144A IT1285276B1 (it) 1996-02-28 1996-02-28 Dispositivo per rilevare l'avvenuto avviamento di un motore a combustione interna

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0793014A1 EP0793014A1 (en) 1997-09-03
EP0793014B1 true EP0793014B1 (en) 2002-04-10

Family

ID=11414326

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP97103097A Expired - Lifetime EP0793014B1 (en) 1996-02-28 1997-02-26 A circuit for detecting the starting of an internal combustion engine

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0793014B1 (it)
DE (1) DE69711747T2 (it)
ES (1) ES2175208T3 (it)
IT (1) IT1285276B1 (it)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2772085B1 (fr) * 1997-12-10 2000-02-25 Valeo Equip Electr Moteur Perfectionnement aux dispositifs pour la commande d'un demarreur de vehicule automobile
JP3577298B2 (ja) * 2001-10-03 2004-10-13 三菱電機株式会社 スタ−タ制御装置
DE10151680A1 (de) * 2001-10-19 2003-05-08 Bosch Gmbh Robert Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Bestimmen des Endes eines Startvorgangs eines Verbrennungsmotors
DE10218011A1 (de) * 2002-04-23 2003-11-06 Bosch Gmbh Robert Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Detektion der Beendigung eines Startvorgangs bei einer Brennkraftmaschine eines Kraftfahrzeugs

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2393165A1 (fr) * 1977-01-12 1978-12-29 Bosch Gmbh Robert Dispositif de connexion pour demarreurs electriques

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3322209A1 (de) * 1983-06-21 1985-01-03 Robert Bosch Gmbh, 7000 Stuttgart Startzeitbegrenzung fuer brennkraftmaschinen mit einspritzung
JPS60175765A (ja) * 1984-02-21 1985-09-09 Nippon Denso Co Ltd スタ−タのオ−バ−ラン防止装置
US4947051A (en) * 1988-01-22 1990-08-07 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Starter protector for an engine
IT1263109B (it) * 1992-03-24 1996-07-30 Magneti Marelli Spa Sistema di avviamento per un motore a combustione interna
IT1279543B1 (it) * 1995-02-17 1997-12-16 Magneti Marelli Spa Dispositivo per il controllo elettronico di un elettromagnete di innesto, in particolare per un motorino d'avviamento.

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2393165A1 (fr) * 1977-01-12 1978-12-29 Bosch Gmbh Robert Dispositif de connexion pour demarreurs electriques

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69711747D1 (de) 2002-05-16
ITTO960144A1 (it) 1997-08-28
ES2175208T3 (es) 2002-11-16
IT1285276B1 (it) 1998-06-03
ITTO960144A0 (it) 1996-02-28
EP0793014A1 (en) 1997-09-03
DE69711747T2 (de) 2002-11-21

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