JP2002147325A - Three-position type engine starter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To rapidly gear a motor-side pinion with an engine-side gear when the engine is started and driven by a starter motor and to sufficiently separate the pinion from the engine-side gear during engine operation. SOLUTION: The pinion driven by the starter motor is stably set at three positions such as a sufficiently separated position from a gear connected to an engine rotation shaft by disengaging from the gearing, an intermediate gearing waiting position adjoining but not gearing with it yet, and a gearing position, and the pinion is made to wait at the intermediate waiting position for the restart of the engine after the temporary stop of the engine during operation of a fuel saving type vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an engine starting device for an engine which is started by being driven to rotate, such as an internal combustion engine in an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Engine starting devices as described above are well known and widely used for engines of automobiles and the like. Such an engine starter generally has a starter motor and a pinion rotationally driven by the starter motor, and a battery is provided to the starter motor in a state where the pinion is meshed with a gear connected to a rotation shaft of the engine. When more current is supplied, the engine is rotationally driven and started.

[0003] The pinion of such an engine starting device is engaged with a gear connected to the engine rotating shaft only when the rotating shaft of the engine is driven for starting the engine. When the engine is started, the pinion is quickly engaged with the gear. In addition, this type of engine rotation shaft is supported with some play in the axial direction to cope with thermal expansion due to temperature changes, and in particular, engines such as automobiles generally use a piston type engine. During the operation, not only does the entire engine vibrate violently, but also the rotating shaft, the crankshaft, is subjected to repeated bending stress. The engine rotation is provided along the circumference of the flywheel with a diameter and meshes with the pinion of the engine starter. Since the teeth of the shaft side gear oscillate over a considerable amplitude with the rotation of the engine, the pinion of the engine starting device is simply disengaged from the engagement with the engine shaft side gear after the engine is started. In addition, the gear must be retracted sufficiently away from the gear so as not to interfere with the axial play and vibration of the gear.

[0004]

In a conventional general automobile, the engine is started by the engine starting device only at the initial start of the normal operation of the automobile. When turning the switch to operate the starter, there was no particular problem regarding the speed with which the pinion of the engine starting device meshed with the gear on the engine rotating shaft side. However, in recent years, fuel-saving / environment-conservation-type vehicles, which are becoming increasingly popular in response to fuel-resource-conservation and environmental-conservation measures, require that the engine be temporarily stopped when the vehicle is temporarily stopped due to signal waiting or traffic congestion. Also, in a hybrid vehicle in which the vehicle is driven by a motor instead of the engine at any time according to the driving situation of the vehicle, the engine is stopped at any time during the operation of the vehicle, and these vehicles restart Alternatively, when shifting from motor drive to engine drive, the engine must be restarted as soon as possible. At this time, if the pinion of the engine starting device is in a state of being retracted at a large distance from the gear on the engine rotating shaft side as in the conventional starting device, the quickness in restarting the engine is correspondingly impaired.

The present invention is to apply the conventional engine starting device as it is when quick start of the engine is important such as the engine of a new fuel resource saving / environmental conservation type or hybrid type vehicle. In view of the above problems, it is an object to provide an engine starting device improved in this respect.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a starter motor and a pinion rotationally driven by the starter motor, wherein the pinion is connected to a rotating shaft of an engine. In a state where the starter motor is supplied with current from the power storage device in a state in which the pinion is engaged with the gear, the engine is driven to rotate and start the engine, and the position of the pinion with respect to the gear is determined. A first position sufficiently spaced from the gear, a second position close to but not yet meshing with the gear, and a pinion position stably set at each of a third position meshed with the gear. An engine starting device having setting means is proposed.

In the above-described engine starting device, the pinion position setting means includes an armature integrally connected to the pinion, and a connected body of the pinion and the armature, wherein the pinion is moved from the third position to the second position. An elastic urging means for urging the armature toward one position, a solenoid for electromagnetically driving the armature so that the pinion moves from the first position to the third position, and a current controlled by the solenoid. Means for supplying
The pinion is positioned between the second position and the third position by a balance between an elastic urging force of the elastic urging means and an electromagnetic driving force generated by the solenoid according to control of a current supplied to the solenoid. Each may be set stably.

In this case, the supply of current to the solenoid for setting the pinion at the second position may be performed by a current pulse whose duty ratio is controlled.

Alternatively, the pinion position setting means includes:
It has a first solenoid that is energized when the starter motor is energized and a second solenoid that is energized during rotation after the engine is started, and the pinion is an electromagnetic field generated by the first and second solenoids. The pinion position setting means is configured to set the pinion when none of the first and second solenoids generates an electromagnetic force. An intermediate position setting means for setting the position to the second position may be provided.

Further, in this case, the pinion position setting means includes a means for energizing the first solenoid in a direction opposite to the energization when energizing the starter motor when energizing the second solenoid. Good.

Further, the intermediate position setting means may be means utilizing magnetic attraction by a permanent magnet or means utilizing elastic force by a spring.

[0012]

As described above, the pinion of the engine starting device is moved with respect to the gear connected to the engine rotating shaft.
By being configured so as to not only take the isolation position and the engagement position as in the past, but also to stably take a position in the middle between them where the pinion is close to the gear but not yet engaged with it. The pinion is always retracted sufficiently against vibrations of the entire engine, which occur during operation of the engine, and irregular displacements of the gears caused by axial play of the engine rotating shaft (crankshaft) and bending vibrations. At the time of automatic start after automatic stop of the engine during vehicle operation, the pinion can be more quickly meshed with the gears, and the engine can be started more quickly.

In this case, the pinion position setting means includes:
An armature integrally connected to a pinion; an elastic urging means for urging a pinion and an armature connected body so that the pinion moves from the third position toward the first position; and A solenoid that is electromagnetically driven to move from the position to the third position, and means for supplying a controlled current to the solenoid, wherein the pinion is elastically biasing means in accordance with control of the current supplied to the solenoid. If the elastic biasing force of the solenoid and the electromagnetic driving force generated by the solenoid are set so as to be stably set to each of the second position and the third position, the pinion is in the retracted position. The solenoid / armature driving from the first position to the third position, which is the meshing operation position, and the current control means thereof are used as they are, and the control of the current control means is simply performed. It can be achieved only by the second position of the pinion Add-like software manner.

In particular, if the supply of current to the solenoid for setting the pinion at the second position is performed by a current pulse whose duty ratio is controlled, the duty ratio of the current pulse is determined while checking the pinion position with an arbitrary sensor. The setting of the pinion to the second position can be easily and reliably performed by adjusting.

Alternatively, the pinion position setting means includes:
It has a first solenoid that is energized when the starter motor is energized and a second solenoid that is energized during rotation after the engine starts, and the pinion is driven by electromagnetic force generated by the first and second solenoids. The pinion position setting means further sets the pinion to the third position when none of the first and second solenoids generates an electromagnetic force. If it has an intermediate position setting means to set the second position, the pinion is in a rest state of the device in which none of the first and second solenoids is energized,
Without requiring any energy, it is always in a state of waiting close to the gears to engage with the engine start.

If the pinion position setting means includes means for energizing the second solenoid in a direction opposite to the energization when the starter motor is energized, the engine is started. Later, when the pinion is moved from the third position to the first position by magnetic attraction by energizing the second solenoid, the pinion is simultaneously caused by magnetic repulsion by reverse energization of the first solenoid. The pinion is flipped from the third position to the first position, and the pinion can be moved from the meshing position to the retracted position more quickly.

The means for setting the pinion to the return position as described above is a means that operates when the engine is not operating. Therefore, by using a means such as a permanent magnet or a spring that exerts an independent operating force, this means It can be operated stably without needing to supply energy based on the operation of the engine.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 1 to 3 are diagrams schematically showing a first embodiment of an engine starting device according to the present invention in three operating states in which it can be stably performed. In these figures, reference numeral 10 denotes a starter motor, 12 denotes a pinion that is driven to rotate by the starter motor, and 14 denotes a flywheel connected to a rotating shaft of an engine (not shown). It is a formed gear. Pinion 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes a pinion 18 provided at a tip end of a rotating shaft 16 of the starter motor 10, a gear 20 meshing with the pinion 18,
The gear 22 is meshed with the gear 22, a one-way clutch 24 provided at the center of the gear 22, and a pinion shaft 26 engaged with an inner portion of the one-way clutch. The pinion shaft 26 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 28 and 30 to rotatably support the one-way clutch 24 and the gear 22.
It is guided in the axial direction by bearings 28 and 30 while maintaining the torque transmission relationship with the inner member of the one-way clutch 24, and can move left and right in the figure. An armature 32 is provided at the other end of the pinion shaft 26. The armature 32 is elastically urged leftward in the figure by a tension coil spring 34 whose left end is fixedly supported by a housing structure (not shown).

Reference numeral 36 denotes a solenoid, which is selectively supplied with an exciting current from a power storage device A (not shown) via a transistor 40 which is turned on / off by a control signal issued from a control device 38 incorporating a computer. It has become. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the solenoid 36 is not energized, and the left end of the pinion 12 is brought into contact with the armature 32 by the action of the tension coil spring 34 against the stopper 42 supported by the housing structure. The gear 14 is pulled to the left in the figure, and is at a position sufficiently separated from the gear 14.

The starter motor 10 has contacts 46, which are insulated from each other by the armature flange 44 when the pinion / armature is in the position shown in FIG.
Through 48, the drive current is selectively supplied from the power storage device A.

In the above configuration of the engine starting device, when the key switch (not shown) is turned to the starter operating position when the engine is started,
The control device 38 turns on the transistor 40 to energize the solenoid 36, drives the armature 32 from the position of FIG. 1 to the position of FIG. 3, and meshes the pinion 12 with the gear 14, and the pinion 12 completely meshes with the gear 14. When the contacts 46 and 48 are electrically connected by the armature flange 44, the starter motor 10 is energized and driven. When the engine is started and the key switch is disengaged from the starter operating position, the power to the solenoid 36 and the starter motor 10 are both released, and the pinion / armature returns to the position shown in FIG.

During operation of the vehicle, the vehicle operation control device determines that the engine should be temporarily stopped due to a signal waiting or traffic jam, and when the engine is stopped under the automatic control of the vehicle operation control device, the automatic operation of the engine is stopped. In preparation for restart, the control device 38 controls the transistor 40 to be turned on / off with a pulse current having a variable duty ratio, and duty-controls the magnitude of the current supplied to the solenoid 36, as shown in FIG. The pinion 12 is set at a position close to the gear 14 but not engaged. The intermediate pinion setting position is such that the above-described duty control for the current of the solenoid 36 is performed by the flange portion 4 of the armature.
The feedback control may be performed based on the output of an arbitrary sensor 50 that detects the position of No. 4.
The setting to the intermediate pinion position is performed by controlling the current of the solenoid 36 by the duty control. The flexible positioning means by notch fitting or magnetic attraction not shown in the drawing is used for the pinion shaft. It may be assisted by acting on the appropriate portion of the armature 26 or armature 32.

In this proximity standby state, when an instruction to restart the engine is issued from the vehicle operation control device, the control device 38 immediately instructs the transistor 40 to change the duty ratio of the duty control with respect to the current of the solenoid 36 to 100%. , The pinion 12 is instantaneously engaged with the gear 14, and the starter motor is driven to restart the engine.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show semi-schematically a second embodiment of the engine starting device according to the invention in three operating states in which it can be stably taken, similar to FIGS. FIG. 4 to 6, parts corresponding to the parts shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS.

In the second embodiment, the armature 32 is permanently magnetized so as to have N and S poles as shown. In place of the solenoid 36 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an annular permanent magnet 52 having a polarity as shown in the drawing and two solenoids 54 and 56 arranged adjacent to both sides in the axial direction are provided. ing. Solenoids 54 and 56 are selectively supplied with current from power storage device A via transistors 58 to 66 which are switched between on and off by a control signal issued from control device 38. Also, the starter motor 10
Is selectively supplied with a current from the power storage device A via a solenoid switch 68 which is also turned on / off by a control signal issued from the control device 38.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the key switch is turned on and the engine is running, or when the key switch is turned on to start the engine but has not yet been turned to the starter operating position. Indicates the status. At this time, the transistor 66 is turned on under the control of the control device 38, and the solenoid 56 is energized so as to exhibit a magnetic pole as shown. By the excitation of the solenoid 56, the armature 32 is moved to a leftward position as shown in the figure by the electromagnetic force and is stably held at this position. In this way, the pinion 12 is disengaged from the engagement with the gear 14 during the operation of the engine before the cranking at the time of starting the engine and after the starting, and the pinion 12 is moved away from the gear 14 by a sufficient distance.

The state shown in FIG.
Is close to the gear 14 but has not yet meshed with it. At this time, neither of the solenoids 54 and 56 is energized. Of course, the starter motor 10 is also not energized. In this state, the key switch is open,
This occurs when the vehicle is not driving and when the engine is temporarily stopped during the vehicle driving according to the judgment of the vehicle driving control device. The armature 32 is stably held at an intermediate position as shown by the magnetic attraction of the permanent magnet 52.

Then, after the engine is temporarily stopped during the operation of the vehicle according to the judgment of the vehicle operation control device, when the engine should be restarted under the automatic control of the vehicle operation control device, the transistor 58 and the transistor 58 are switched from the state of FIG. When 64 is turned on and 60 and 62 are turned off, the solenoid 54 is energized to exhibit magnetic poles as shown, and the electromagnetic force attracts the armature 32 to the position as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the pinion 12 is engaged with the gear 14. Also in this way pinion 12
Is engaged with the gear 14, the relay switch 68 is closed by a control signal from the controller 38,
The electric current from the power storage device A is supplied to the starter motor 10, and the gear 12 drives the rotation shaft of the engine in the starting direction via the gear 14.

In this embodiment, when the pinion 12 is shifted from the meshing position shown in FIG. 6 to the isolated position shown in FIG. 4 after the engine is started, the solenoid 54 temporarily turns on the transistors 62 and 60. By turning off 58 and 64, current is supplied to present a magnetic pole opposite to that shown in FIG. 6, whereby the armature 32 is attracted by the solenoid 56 to the position shown in FIG. The solenoid 54 is flipped toward the position shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a similar view showing the third embodiment, which is different from the engine starting device described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 only in a part thereof, in the same state as in FIG.
In FIG. 7, portions corresponding to those shown in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG.

In the third embodiment, the permanent magnet 52 in the second embodiment is eliminated, and the armature is replaced when neither of the solenoids 54 and 56 is energized. A pair of compression coil springs 70 and 72 are used as means for stably holding 32 at the intermediate position. It will be apparent that in such an embodiment, substantially the same operation as described above with reference to FIGS.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to three embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the invention described in the appended claims. Will be obvious to

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded view of a first embodiment of an engine starting device according to the present invention in a state where its operation is substantially stopped.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the device shown in FIG. 1 in an intermediate operating state in preparation for rapid starter motor operation.

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the device shown in FIG. 1 in an operation state in which a starter motor can drive an engine.

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing a second embodiment of the engine starting device according to the present invention in the same state as that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing a second embodiment of the engine starting device according to the present invention in the same state as that shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a similar view showing a second embodiment of the engine starting device according to the present invention in the same state as the state shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a similar view showing a third embodiment of the engine starting device according to the present invention in the same state as the state shown in FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Starter motor 12 ... Pinion 14 ... Gear 16 ... Rotary shaft of starter motor 18 ... Pinion 20, 22 ... Gear 24 ... One-way clutch 26 ... Pinion shaft 28, 30 ... Bearing 32 ... Armature 34 ... Tension coil spring 36 ... Solenoid 38 ... Control device 40 ... Transistor 42 ... Stopper 44 ... Flange part 46,48 ... Contact 50 ... Sensor 52 ... Solid permanent magnet 54,56 ... Solenoid 58-66 ... Transistor 68 ... Relay switch 70,72 ... Compression coil spring

Claims (7)

[Claims] A starter motor having a pinion rotatably driven by the starter motor, wherein the pinion is engaged with a gear connected to a rotating shaft of an engine, and the starter motor supplies a current from the power storage device. An engine starting device configured to rotate and start an engine by being supplied, wherein the position of the pinion with respect to the gear is a first position sufficiently separated from the gear, and a position close to the gear. An engine starter comprising: a pinion position setting means for stably setting each of a second position which is not engaged with the gear and a third position which is engaged with the gear. 2. The pinion position setting means urges an armature integrally connected to the pinion and a connected body of the pinion and the armature such that the pinion moves from the third position to the first position. Elastic biasing means, a solenoid for electromagnetically driving the armature so that the pinion moves from the first position to the third position, and means for supplying a controlled current to the solenoid. The pinion is configured such that the second position and the third position are determined by a balance between an elastic urging force of the elastic urging means and an electromagnetic driving force generated by the solenoid in accordance with control of a current supplied to the solenoid. The engine starting device according to claim 1, wherein the engine starting device is set stably. 3. The engine starting device according to claim 2, wherein a current is supplied to the solenoid for setting the pinion at the second position by a current pulse whose duty ratio is controlled. 4. The pinion position setting means has a first solenoid that is energized when the starter motor is energized and a second solenoid that is energized during rotation after the engine is started, and the pinion is The electromagnetic force generated by the first and second solenoids is set to the third and first positions, respectively, and the pinion position setting means further sets the first and second solenoids together. The engine starting device according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate position setting unit that sets the pinion to the second position when no electromagnetic force is generated. 5. The pinion position setting means includes means for energizing the first solenoid in a direction opposite to the energization in energizing the starter motor when energizing the second solenoid. The engine starting device according to claim 4. 6. The engine starting device according to claim 4, wherein said intermediate position setting means is means for utilizing magnetic attraction by a permanent magnet. 7. The engine starting device according to claim 4, wherein said intermediate position setting means is means for utilizing elastic force of a spring.