JP2006063913A - Starter device and method for controlling drive of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress sticking of an oil seal on an engine block during operation in a vicinity of a one-way clutch constructing a starter device of the engine. <P>SOLUTION: When drive time T exceeds a threshold Tth, start signal for starting a start motor 12 is turned on by ECU 20 (S104). Consequently, the oil seal 17a is slid on the engine block 24 for only a predetermined time (S106) by driving a starter motor 12 for only the predetermined time (S105). Even if the engine 1 continuously operates, sticking of the oil seal 17a on the engine block 24 can be suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of, for example, a constant meshing gear type starting device having a gear mechanism including a one-way clutch for starting an engine for a vehicle and a driving control method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques for various starting mechanisms including a one-way clutch have been proposed for vehicle engines and the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for driving an oil pump by periodically driving a starter after starting the engine.

  On the other hand, recently, in order to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust gas when idling, from the viewpoint of environmental conservation or resource saving energy, when the vehicle stops, an internal combustion engine (hereinafter also referred to as “engine”) is used. Starters equipped with an economy running system (hereinafter referred to as “eco-run”) that automatically stops and automatically restarts the engine when a start instruction is issued from a stopped state are being actively developed. ing.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for improving the lubricity of the overrunning clutch, and more specifically, a technique for supplying lubricating oil to the overrunning clutch at the time of starting. .

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for eliminating the inconvenience of performing an idling operation at the time of engine start and before stopping, and more specifically, an oil pump connected to an engine starter starter motor is disclosed. A technique for driving for a preset time after starting and stopping the engine is disclosed.

JP 2001-99040 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-47939

  In a starter equipped with an eco-run, there is a general demand for an improvement in sealing performance that suppresses leakage of lubricating oil to the outside after supplying lubricating oil without hindrance.

  According to the research by the present inventors, in the case of eco-run, it is preferable to always connect the starter to the crankshaft in order to quickly restart the engine. For this purpose, the starter is always connected to the crankshaft via a one-way clutch, and the rotation of the starter is transmitted to the crankshaft at the time of restart, and the rotation of the crankshaft is not transmitted to the starter after the engine is started. It is preferable to configure as described above. The starting device provided with such a constantly meshing gear is not driven after the rotational force generated by a starter such as a starting motor is transmitted from the one-way clutch to the ring gear. That is, during the period during which the engine is driven, the starter is in a stopped state, and the ring gear is also stopped without rotating.

  However, when the oil seal that suppresses the leakage of the lubricating oil is disposed between the engine block that is a part of the engine and the ring gear, the oil seal slides on the engine block while the engine is driven. Accordingly, the state where the oil seal remains in contact with the engine block is maintained. If the oil seal remains in contact with the engine block and does not slide for a long time in this way, the oil film of lubricating oil interposed between the seal portion of the oil seal and the surface of the engine block is reduced, and the oil seal is attached to the engine block. There may be a problem of sticking. Further, when the oil seal is fixed to the engine block, it is expected that the sealing performance of the oil seal is lowered.

  In particular, a vehicle equipped with an engine that can run ecologically has a system in which the engine is started with a starter at the same time that the engine is idle-stopped and the brake is removed. When the engine is driven without idling for a long time, the oil seal described above may stick to the engine block. Also, when the oil seal is not slid for a long period of time, the heat energy generated in the engine, for example, the oil seal formed with synthetic resin as the main material melts and the components of the melted synthetic resin solidify. It is also expected that the oil seal will be easily fixed to the oil gallery.

  The above-mentioned problems have been recognized by the inventors of the present application in order to suppress the deterioration of the sealing performance, and Patent Document 1 includes a description focusing on such problems. I can't. Further, in Patent Document 2, the main problem is to lubricate the engine, and there is no description recognizing the technology for suppressing the deterioration of the oil seal.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a starting device and a drive control method thereof capable of suppressing oil sticking.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a starter according to the present invention is a starter for starting an internal combustion engine having a main body block portion, the starter capable of generating a starting rotational force of the internal combustion engine, A ring gear for transmitting a starting rotational force to the internal combustion engine, and a rotational rotation for driving the internal combustion engine from the ring gear side to the internal combustion engine side and the internal combustion engine side to the ring gear side A one-way clutch for preventing transmission of force, an oil seal for oil-sealing the main body block portion side of the ring gear, and generating the starting rotational force when starting the internal combustion engine, Control means for controlling the starter so as to intermittently generate the starting rotational force at predetermined intervals during an operation period after the start and until the next stop. Obtain.

  According to the starting device of the present invention, when a starting rotational force is generated during the operation period, the ring gear rotates and the one-way oil seal is slid on the main body block portion side of the ring gear. As a result, an oil film is formed between the oil seal and the ring gear. Therefore, the starting rotational force generated by the starter in the operating engine of the internal combustion engine can be said to be an oil supplying rotational force for supplying lubricating oil between the oil seal and the main body block portion. At this time, since the starting torque is only intermittently generated, energy loss, wear, deterioration, and the like caused by driving the starter during the operation period can be suppressed. In addition, since it is sufficient to generate the starting rotational force for a short time such as several seconds or several tens of seconds, for example, every few minutes or tens of minutes, for example, the operating period is long. However, no problem occurs. Note that “intermittently” according to the present invention means that the starter is repeatedly driven at predetermined intervals during the operation period of the internal combustion engine. Further, the oil seal only needs to be disposed on the main body block portion side of the ring gear. For example, the oil seal may be in direct contact with the main body block portion, or may be an oil seal disposed between the ring gear and the main body block portion. An oil seal may be provided in contact with the auxiliary plate.

  Therefore, according to the starter according to the present invention, for example, it is possible to suppress the oil seal from adhering to the main body block portion and the deterioration of the sealing performance of the oil seal due to this.

  In one aspect of the internal combustion engine starter according to the present invention, the control means includes a predetermined (i) time interval and (ii) the internal combustion engine as the predetermined interval during the operation period. The distance of the mileage related to the vehicle, (iii) the distance of the cumulative rotational speed related to the internal combustion engine, (iv) the distance of the cumulative injected fuel amount related to the internal combustion engine, and (v) the cumulative amount of generated heat related to the internal combustion engine. The starter is controlled to generate the starting torque at at least one of the intervals.

  According to this aspect, the predetermined interval for driving the starter during the operation period of the internal combustion engine can be determined by the parameter serving as a guide for the driving state of the internal combustion engine. The “predetermined interval” according to the present invention is, for example, a constant time interval, a constant travel distance interval, a constant cumulative speed interval, a constant cumulative fuel injection amount interval, etc. It means the interval for a predetermined type of parameter that serves as a guideline for continuity or length of operation period. When such a parameter exceeds a preset threshold value, the starter is driven to slide the oil seal on the main body block portion. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the oil seal from being fixed to the main body block portion by being fixed while being in contact with the main body block portion. More specifically, after starting the internal combustion engine, when the starter is not continuously driven for several hours, that is, when the internal combustion engine is continuously driven for several hours, the internal combustion engine is started. The elapsed time is counted, and when the elapsed time exceeds a threshold value, the starter is driven to slide the oil seal on the main body block portion. Needless to say, the parameters serving as the guide for the predetermined interval are not limited to those described above. The predetermined period may be set in advance according to the environment in which the starter is used. The starter is driven for several tens of seconds when the internal combustion engine is continuously driven for several hours. The starter is used for driving the starter. It can be set to such an extent that the oil seal does not stick according to the environment.

  In another aspect of the starter according to the present invention, the control means includes a measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the predetermined interval, and the measured predetermined interval is preset during the operation period. Determining means for determining whether or not the threshold value is exceeded, and when the determining means determines that the threshold value is exceeded, the starter is controlled to generate the starting torque.

  According to this aspect, it is determined whether or not the predetermined interval measured directly or indirectly by the measuring means exceeds a preset threshold value, and based on the result, the starter is driven and the oil seal is It is slid to the part. For example, when the internal combustion engine is continuously driven since the start, the starter is driven to slide the oil seal on the main body block portion when a predetermined time has elapsed since the internal combustion engine was started. In addition, “directly or indirectly” according to the present invention means that a measured value measured as a parameter indicating the driving state of the internal combustion engine is used as it is as a predetermined interval, or a measured value measured during an operation period is used. It means that the accumulated value obtained by accumulation is used as a predetermined interval. More specifically, the former includes the time elapsed since the internal combustion engine was started, and the latter includes the cumulative rotational speed of the internal combustion engine.

  In this aspect, the measurement unit remeasures the predetermined interval every time the determination unit determines that the threshold value is exceeded.

  According to this aspect, the control means resets the predetermined interval each time the oil seal is slid on the main body block portion, that is, every time the starter is driven during the operation period of the internal combustion engine, and again Re-measure the predetermined interval. For example, when the starter is driven during the operation period of the internal combustion engine, the drive time of the internal combustion engine measured until the starter is driven is reset once, and the drive time is measured again. Accordingly, the starter can be repeatedly driven while the internal combustion engine is continuously operated, and the starter can be driven every time the predetermined interval remeasured exceeds a preset threshold value. Therefore, the oil seal can be repeatedly slid on the main body block portion during the operation period of the internal combustion engine, and the oil seal is prevented from sticking to the main body block portion even when the internal combustion engine is continuously driven. It becomes possible.

  In this aspect, the control means controls the starter so as to generate the starting rotational force at a rotational speed equal to or less than half of the rotational speed related to the starting rotational force at the time of starting during the operation period. Control.

  According to this aspect, the rotation speed of the starter that is started during the operation period of the internal combustion engine is less than half of the rotation speed of the starter motor at the time of starting the internal combustion engine, and the oil seal is slid on the main body block portion. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the power consumed to generate the starting rotational force. Therefore, it is possible to suppress sticking of the oil seal without substantially increasing the power consumed by the starting device.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a drive control method for a starter according to the present invention includes a starter capable of generating a starting rotational force of an internal combustion engine having a main body block portion, and the starting rotational force to the internal combustion engine. A transmission ring gear, and transmitting the starting rotational force from the ring gear side to the internal combustion engine side and preventing transmission of the driving rotational force of the internal combustion engine from the internal combustion engine side to the ring gear side A control method for controlling a starter of the internal combustion engine, comprising: a one-way clutch; and an oil seal disposed on the main body block portion side of the ring gear so as to be in contact with the main body block portion. The starter is controlled so as to generate the starting rotational force at the time of starting, and during the operation period after starting the internal combustion engine and until the next stop, As intermittently generating said starting rotational force at a constant interval, and a step of controlling the starter.

  According to the drive control method for a starter according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the oil seal from adhering to the main body block portion and the deterioration of the sealability of the oil seal, similarly to the starter of the present invention. .

  Such an operation and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments described below.

  A starting device and a drive control method thereof according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the following embodiments, the starter according to the present invention is applied to an engine starter that performs an eco-run with a constant mesh gear type.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of an engine 1 to which a starting device of the present invention is applied.

  In FIG. 1, the engine 1 includes a starter 10 for starting the engine 1, an engine block 24, an electronic control unit (ECU) 20, a counter unit 21, and a measurement unit 22.

  The starter 10 includes a starter motor 12, a pinion gear 13 provided coaxially with the rotation output shaft of the starter motor 12, a ring gear 14 that is always meshed with the pinion gear 13, a one-way clutch 15 that transmits rotational force only in one direction, An oil seal 17 a disposed on the engine block 24 side of the ring gear 14, an oil seal 17 b disposed on the flywheel 16 side of the ring gear 14, a rolling bearing portion 18 that supports the ring gear 14 in a rollable manner, and the starter 10. An oil supply path 19 for supplying lubricating oil is provided. The engine block 24 is an example of a “main body block portion” according to the present invention, and an oil gallery connected to the oil supply 19 is provided in the engine block 24. The oil gallery is a passage through which lubricating oil for cooling a piston head provided in the engine 1 flows. The lubricating oil flows through the oil gallery and is supplied to the starting device 10 from the oil supply path 19 through the oil passage 40.

  The ring gear 14 transmits the starting rotational force generated by the starting motor 12 to the crankshaft 25 via the one-way clutch 15 and the flywheel 16 when starting the engine 1 and restarting the engine from the idling stop state. . The flywheel 16 and the crankshaft 25 are connected by bolts 26. When the flywheel 16 rotates, the crankshaft 25 rotates, the crank connected to the crankshaft 25 rotates, and the main drive of the engine 1 starts. Is done. Here, the main drive of the engine 1 means generating a rotational force for driving the engine 1 by burning fuel in the engine body. Therefore, after the engine is started, the engine 1 is driven by the driving torque, and the flywheel 16 connected to the crankshaft 25 also rotates at a high speed in accordance with the main drive of the engine. The ring gear 14 that extends in the circumferential direction of the crankshaft 25a and has a flat plate shape is provided coaxially with the crankshaft 25a and is supported by the rolling surface of the rolling bearing portion 18 so as to be able to roll.

  The ring gear 14 includes an oil discharge path 31 that penetrates from the flywheel 16 side toward the engine block 24 side of the ring gear 14 in a region between the oil seal 17a and the oil seal 17b in the radial direction of the ring gear 14. More specifically, in the oil discharge passage 31, in the radial direction of the ring gear 14, the oil seal 17 b is above the seal surface 37 that contacts the upper surface of the convex portion 35 of the flywheel 16, and the oil seal 17 a is connected to the ring gear 14. It is provided below the sealing surface 38 in contact therewith. Further, the oil discharge path 31 is provided outside the one-way clutch 15 in the radial direction of the ring gear 14.

  Therefore, according to the oil discharge path 31, the lubricating oil that has flowed through the rolling bearing portion 18 and the one-way clutch 15 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the centrifugal force of the crankshaft 25, and the oil supply path 19, the rolling bearing portion 18, and the one-way clutch 15 are discharged. A flow path for the lubricating oil is formed across the oil discharge path 31. According to such a flow path of the lubricating oil, it is possible to flow the lubricating oil in the starter 10 without stagnation, and the occurrence of malfunction of the ring gear 14, the one-way clutch 15 and the rolling bearing portion 18 is reduced. Therefore, the startability of the starter 10 can be improved.

  The one-way clutch 15 extends in the circumferential direction of the crankshaft 25 and is provided coaxially with the rotation shafts of the crankshaft 25 and the ring gear 14. The one-way clutch 15 is provided between the convex portion 34 of the ring gear 14 protruding toward the flywheel 16 and the convex portion 35 of the flywheel 16 protruding toward the ring gear 14. The one-way clutch 15 is in contact with the convex portion 35 of the flywheel 16 and the convex portion 34 of the ring gear 14, and transmits the starting rotational force from the ring gear 14 to the flywheel 16 when the engine 1 is started. The driving rotational force is prevented from being transmitted to the ring gear 14. More specifically, when the engine is started by the starter 10, the one-way clutch 15 transmits the rotational force of the ring gear 14, that is, the starting rotational force to the flywheel 16 side, and rotates the flywheel 16. On the other hand, after the engine is started, the one-way clutch 15 idles even when the flywheel 16 rotates due to the driving torque, and the driving torque is not transmitted from the flywheel 16 to the ring gear 14.

  Oil seals 17a and 17b are disposed on the engine block 24 side and the flywheel 16 side of the ring gear 14, respectively, and seal the engine block 24 side and the flywheel 16 side of the ring gear 14. The oil seal 17a is not limited to the arrangement in the present embodiment as long as the oil seal 17a is arranged on the engine block 24 side of the ring gear 14 and arranged so as to contact the engine block 24.

  The oil seal 17 a is fixed to the ring gear 14 and extends along the circumferential direction of the ring gear 14. The oil seal 17a includes a spring as an example of an elastic body and a lip portion, and the lip portion of the oil seal 17a is pressed against the engine block 24 by the spring. When the engine is started, the lip portion of the oil seal 17a is slid on the engine block 24. After the engine is started, the starter motor 12 is driven at predetermined intervals under the control of the ECU 20, and the oil seal 17 a is slid on the engine block 24 so as not to adhere to the engine block 24. Thus, lubricating oil is supplied between the lip portion of the oil seal 17a and the engine block 24, and an oil film is formed between the lip portion of the oil seal 17a and the engine block 24, whereby the oil seal 17a is connected to the engine block 24. It can suppress sticking to.

  The counter unit 21 and the measurement unit 22 are examples of “measurement means” according to the present invention.

  The counter unit 21 counts at least one of the drive time of the engine 1 and the travel distance of the vehicle on which the engine 1 is mounted, and outputs at least one of the drive time and the travel distance to the ECU 20. That is, the counter unit 21 directly measures a predetermined interval for driving the starter motor 12. Here, the “driving time” is the time that has elapsed since the engine was started when the engine 1 is continuously driven after being started by the starter 10. Therefore, when the engine 1 is once stopped after the engine 1 is started, the time elapsed from when the engine 1 is started to before it is stopped is not included in the driving time. Similarly, the “travel distance” is reset once the engine 1 is stopped, and is newly counted from zero when the engine 1 is restarted.

  The measurement unit 22 measures at least one parameter of the number of revolutions of the engine 1, the amount of fuel injection, and the amount of heat generated in the engine 1, and sequentially outputs a measured value of the measured parameter to the ECU 20. Is cumulatively calculated. That is, the measurement unit 22 indirectly measures a predetermined interval for driving the starter motor 12.

  The ECU 20 is an example of the “control unit” according to the present invention, and determines whether at least one of the driving time and the travel distance output from the counter unit 21 exceeds a preset threshold value. When at least one of the drive time and the travel distance exceeds the threshold value, the ECU 20 outputs a drive command to the starter motor 12 and drives the starter motor 12 for a predetermined time. As a result, the ring gear 14 rotates and the oil seal 17a slides on the engine block 24, thereby preventing the oil seal 17a from adhering to the engine block 24 while the engine 1 is being driven. Further, when the engine 1 is continuously driven, the starter motor 12 can be repeatedly driven so that the oil seal 17a slides on the engine block 24. At this time, for example, when it is determined whether or not the starting motor 12 is driven based on the driving time, the threshold of the driving time corresponds to the time interval at which the starting motor 12 is driven. Therefore, when the engine 1 is continuously driven, the starter motor 12 is driven at regular time intervals, and the oil seal 17a is slid on the engine block.

  The ECU 20 cumulatively calculates at least one of the rotational speed of the engine 1, the fuel injection amount, and the amount of heat generated in the engine 1 output from the measurement unit 22 after the engine 1 is started, and accumulates these parameters. Calculate the value. The ECU 20 determines whether or not the accumulated value exceeds a preset threshold value. When it is determined that the accumulated value exceeds the threshold value, the ECU 20 outputs a start command to the start motor 12 to drive the start motor 12. Thereby, even during the operation period of the engine 1, the oil seal 17 a is slid on the engine block 24, and the oil seal 17 a is suppressed from adhering to the engine block 24. Note that such an accumulated value is similar to the drive time and travel distance described above when the oil seal 17a is slid onto the engine block 24 by the starter motor 12 when the engine 1 is stopped and while the engine 1 is being driven. If it is moved, it is reset and accumulated again from zero. Therefore, during the operation period in which the engine 1 is driven, the starter motor 12 can be repeatedly driven so that the oil seal 17a is slid on the engine block 24 at a predetermined interval corresponding to the accumulated value.

  Although the starting device 10 according to the present embodiment includes both the counter unit 21 and the measuring unit 22, the starting device of the present invention only needs to include at least one of the counter unit 21 and the measuring unit 22. . Further, the ECU 20 drives the starter motor 12 based on data obtained by counting or measuring at least one of the drive time, travel distance, engine speed, amount of heat generated by the engine, and fuel injection amount. What is necessary is just to discriminate | determine. Further, the parameter for determining the predetermined interval for driving the starter motor 12 is not limited to the above-described parameter, and is a parameter indicating the driving state of the internal combustion engine 1 and is applied for determining the predetermined interval. It goes without saying that it can be anything.

  As described above, according to the starting device 10 according to the present embodiment, the engine block 24 and the oil seal 17a can be prevented from sticking, and the sealing performance of the oil seal 17a can be maintained over a long period of time. Is possible.

  The starting device of the present invention is applicable even when the oil seal 17a is in contact with, for example, a retainer or auxiliary plate disposed on the engine block 24 side of the ring gear 14, and is limited to the above-described embodiment. It is not a thing. Therefore, according to the starting device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the retainer or the holding plate and the oil seal from sticking to each other.

(Starting device drive control method)
Next, the starter drive control method applied to the above-described starter 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the drive control method according to the present embodiment, and is a flowchart in a case where drive time is taken as an example as a parameter for determining the “predetermined interval” according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, first, the starting torque is transmitted to the engine by the starting device, and the driving of the engine 1 is started (S101). When the engine 1 starts to be driven, measurement of the driving time by the counter unit 21 is started (S102), and the ECU 20 determines whether or not the driving time T exceeds a predetermined threshold Tth while the engine 1 is continuously driven. It is determined (S103). Here, the threshold value Tth is set to, for example, about several hours, but can be set individually in advance according to the temperature and driving state when the vehicle on which the engine 1 is mounted travels. If the drive time T does not exceed the threshold value Tth, the process returns to step S102 again, and the drive time T is continuously measured. When the drive time T exceeds the threshold value Tth, the start signal for starting the starter motor 12 is turned on by the ECU 20 (S104). As a result, the starting motor 12 is driven for a predetermined time (S105), whereby the oil seal 17a is slid on the engine block 24 for a predetermined time (S106). Here, the time for which the starter motor 12 is driven is, for example, about several tens of seconds. Further, the rotational speed of the starting motor 12 is set to be equal to or less than half of the rotational speed of the starting motor 12 when the engine 1 is started. By driving the ring gear 14 for several tens of seconds at such a rotational speed of the starting motor 12, the lip portion of the oil seal 17a that seals the engine block 24 side of the ring gear 14 is slid to the engine block 24, and the oil seal 17a is Sticking to the block 24 can be suppressed. Further, since the rotational speed of the ring gear 14 when the oil seal 17a is slid on the engine block 24 is smaller than the rotational speed of the engine 1, no rotational force is transmitted from the ring gear 14 to the engine 1 side.

  Subsequently, the starter drive signal for driving the starter motor 12 is turned off by the ECU 20 (S107), the drive of the starter motor 12 is stopped (S108), and the sliding of the oil seal 17a is also stopped (S109). ). Then, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the driving of the engine 1 is stopped, and when the engine 1 is continuously driven, the ECU 20 returns to step S102 and starts measuring the driving time T of the engine 1 again. Here, after the oil seal 17a is slid once, the drive time T measured until the oil seal 17a is slid is reset, and the drive time T is measured again from zero. Accordingly, even when the engine 1 is continuously driven, the starter motor 12 can be repeatedly driven every time the driving time T exceeds the threshold value Tth, and the oil seal 17a is fixed to the engine block 24 by the threshold value Tth. It is possible to slide repeatedly at intervals. As a result, it is possible to suppress the oil seal 17a from adhering to the engine block 24 while the engine 1 is continuously driven, and to suppress the deterioration of the oil seal and the deterioration of the sealing performance accompanying the deterioration. Is possible.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the drive control method according to the present embodiment, and is a flowchart in a case where the accumulated engine speed is taken as an example as the “predetermined interval” according to the present invention. Note that the same processing routine is used when the “predetermined interval” is an example of the cumulative value of the amount of fuel injected into the cylinders provided in the engine or the amount of heat generated since the engine was started. Become. In the present embodiment, the drive control of the starting device 10 is performed by the same processing routine as that of the first embodiment except that the cumulative value of the parameter measured as an index indicating the driving state of the engine is used. Therefore, the same processing steps as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

  In FIG. 3, the starting torque is transmitted to the engine 1 by the starting device 10, and the driving of the engine is started (S201). The engine 1 starts to be driven and the rotational speed of the engine 1 starts to be detected (S202). The ECU 20 accumulates the rotational speed of the engine 1 detected while the engine 1 is being driven (S203), and determines whether or not the cumulative value N of the rotational speed of the engine 1 exceeds the threshold value Nth (S204). . Here, the threshold value Nth can be individually set in advance, for example, according to the temperature and driving state when the vehicle on which the engine 1 is mounted travels in the same manner as the threshold value Tth in the first embodiment. When the accumulated value N does not exceed the threshold value Nth, the process returns to step S202 again, and the engine speed of the engine 1 is continuously accumulated. When the cumulative value N exceeds the threshold value Nth, the processing from step S104 to step S110 is performed as in the first embodiment. As a result, the oil seal 17a can be prevented from adhering to the engine block 24 during the operation period of the engine 1 as in the first embodiment, and the deterioration of the oil seal 17a and the sealing performance accompanying this deterioration can be reduced. It is possible to suppress.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit or idea of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. Needless to say, the starting device and its drive control method with changes are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the principal part of the engine which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process routine of the drive control method of the starter which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process routine of the drive control method of the starter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

Engine 1, starter 10, starter motor 12, ring gear 14, one-way clutch 15, oil seals 17 a and 17 b, ECU 20, counter unit 21, measurement unit 22, engine block 24

Claims (6)

A starting device for starting an internal combustion engine having a main body block portion,
A starter capable of generating a starting rotational force of the internal combustion engine;
A ring gear for transmitting the starting rotational force to the internal combustion engine;
A one-way clutch for transmitting the starting rotational force from the ring gear side to the internal combustion engine side and preventing the driving rotational force of the internal combustion engine from being transmitted from the internal combustion engine side to the ring gear side;
An oil seal that oil-seals the main body block portion side of the ring gear;
The starting rotational force is generated when the internal combustion engine is started, and the starting rotational force is intermittently generated at predetermined intervals after the internal combustion engine is started and during the operation period until the next stop. And a control means for controlling the starter. The control means includes, during the operation period, as the predetermined interval, a predetermined (i) time interval, (ii) an interval of a travel distance related to a vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine, and (iii) an internal combustion engine The starting rotational force is generated at at least one of an interval of cumulative rotational speeds, (iv) an interval of cumulative injected fuel amounts related to the internal combustion engine, and (v) an interval of cumulative heat generation amounts related to the internal combustion engine. The starter according to claim 1, wherein the starter is controlled. The control means includes
Measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the predetermined interval;
Determination means for determining whether or not the measured predetermined interval exceeds a preset threshold value during the operation period;
3. The starter according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that the threshold value is exceeded, the starter is controlled to generate the starting torque. 4. 4. The starter according to claim 3, wherein the measurement unit remeasures the predetermined interval every time the determination unit determines that the threshold value is exceeded. The control means controls the starter so as to generate the starting rotational force at a rotational speed equal to or less than half of the rotational speed related to the starting rotational force at the time of starting during the operation period. The starting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A starter capable of generating a starting rotational force of an internal combustion engine having a main body block portion, a ring gear for transmitting the starting rotational force to the internal combustion engine, and the starting rotation from the ring gear side to the internal combustion engine side A one-way clutch for transmitting force and preventing transmission of driving torque of the internal combustion engine from the internal combustion engine side to the ring gear side; and the main body block portion of the ring gear so as to be in contact with the main body block portion A starter drive control method for controlling the starter of the internal combustion engine, comprising an oil seal disposed on the side,
Controlling the starter to generate the starting rotational force when starting the internal combustion engine;
And a step of controlling the starter so that the starting rotational force is intermittently generated at predetermined intervals during the operation period after the internal combustion engine is started and until the next stop. A drive control method for a starting device.

Images