JP2007051646A - Remote starting device of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely execute a fail safe operation of an internal combustion engine executing a remote starting operation. <P>SOLUTION: When the remote starting operation is instructed from a transmitter 34, a starter control circuit 31 starts the internal combustion engine of a vehicle by a starter motor 26 and an internal combustion engine control circuit 64 and an idling state of the internal combustion engine 3 after start is maintained. During the starting operation and during the operation for maintaining the idling state of the internal combustion engine 3, the circuit 31 makes sensors 51-62 measure operating states of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral parts and current state of the vehicle. From results of the measurement, presence of abnormality of a number of determination items as follows is determined; excessive consumption of fuel, abnormal actions of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral parts, maintenance of the idling state of the vehicle, stopping the vehicle, and possibility of theft of the vehicle. When the presence of abnormality of at least of one of the determination items is determined, the internal combustion engine 3 is automatically stopped. Thus, the fail safe operation can be surely executed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle that starts the internal combustion engine by a remote operation from the outside of a vehicle on which the internal combustion engine is mounted, and a rotational speed detection device that detects the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine.

  For example, an internal combustion engine mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car is subjected to a so-called warm-up operation before a load operation such as vehicle driving is performed. In the warm-up operation, the internal combustion engine is started while the vehicle is stopped, and after the start, the internal combustion engine is kept in an idle state. In this warm-up operation, in addition to sufficiently warming up the internal combustion engine before the load operation, an air conditioner that operates in conjunction with the drive of the internal combustion engine, such as a cooler and a heater, is installed before the vehicle starts running. It is also implemented to operate and to air-condition the vehicle interior. For such a warm-up operation, a starter for an internal combustion engine using a timer has been proposed in which the internal combustion engine is automatically started at a predetermined time. Also, a remote starter for an internal combustion engine called a so-called remote control engine starter has been proposed.

  When the internal combustion engine is started with these starting devices to perform the warm-up operation, there are often no people in the passenger compartment. For this reason, when the internal combustion engine becomes in an abnormal operation state during the warm-up operation or when the vehicle starts to travel despite the warm-up operation, the starter must quickly stop the internal combustion engine by a so-called fail-safe operation. There is.

  One of the prior arts of the internal combustion engine starter described above is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The engine starter disclosed in this publication automatically starts the internal combustion engine at a designated time set in a timer. However, when the remaining fuel amount at the time of start is less than a predetermined amount, the vehicle runs because of insufficient fuel. In order to prevent disappearance, starting of the internal combustion engine is prohibited. This engine starter only detects the remaining amount of fuel, and does not detect an abnormal operation state of the internal combustion engine during the warm-up operation.

  Further, as another conventional technique of an internal combustion engine starter, one disclosed in Patent Document 2 can be cited. In the automatic start cancellation device for automobiles of this publication, the internal combustion engine is automatically started at the start time set in the timer, but the operation of the internal combustion engine is stopped when the wheel starts moving during the start operation. In this device, the internal combustion engine is stopped when the vehicle starts traveling, but it is difficult to stop the internal combustion engine before the vehicle starts traveling.

  Further, as another prior art of a starting device for an internal combustion engine, one disclosed in Patent Document 3 can be cited. In the remote control system for automobiles in this publication, the start of the internal combustion engine is commanded from the outside of the vehicle by wireless communication, but one condition such as unlocking the vehicle door and bonnet and releasing the brake is detected during the start operation. Then, it is determined that there is a possibility of vehicle runaway and vehicle theft, and the internal combustion engine is stopped.

  In the above three conventional techniques, the presence or absence of occurrence of an abnormal operation state of the internal combustion engine body is not directly detected. Therefore, even if the internal combustion engine operates abnormally during the warm-up operation, it is difficult to stop the internal combustion engine. It is also difficult to stop the internal combustion engine by predicting the possibility of abnormal operation in advance.

  Further, as a conventional technique for detecting an abnormal operation of an internal combustion engine, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 4. In the remote starter for an automobile engine disclosed in this publication, the start of the internal combustion engine is instructed from the outside of the vehicle through wireless communication. If it is out of the range, it is determined that the internal combustion engine has operated abnormally, and the internal combustion engine is stopped. In this apparatus, the presence / absence of abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine is determined only by the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine, and therefore, there are few items for determining abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine. If the number of determination items is small, it becomes difficult to detect an abnormal operation under a condition irrelevant to the fluctuation of the rotational speed in the internal combustion engine, and the fail-safe function does not work sufficiently.

  Moreover, the above-mentioned rotation speed is detected by detecting noise generated at the negative terminal of the igniter in association with the ignition operation of the ignition plug of the internal combustion engine and estimating it from the generation timing of this noise. Further, in the drive signal supply device disclosed in Patent Document 5, the number of revolutions is detected on the basis of a pulse signal generated when the automobile engine is ignited. In such an estimation method of the rotational speed, the rotational speed is estimated using noise generated accompanying driving of the internal combustion engine as a reference signal, so that a reference signal reading error tends to increase. As a result, an error is likely to occur in the estimated rotational speed. In addition, a sensor for detecting noise of the internal combustion engine needs to be installed by extending the lead wire from the installation position of the electronic component to the inside of the space where the internal combustion engine is installed in the vehicle, and the mounting structure becomes complicated. . Therefore, it becomes difficult to add the remote starter for the internal combustion engine described above to an existing vehicle in a place such as a vehicle dealer.

JP-A-62-258167 JP-A-1-119430 JP-A-4-278864 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-147069 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-338

  An object of the present invention is to provide a remote starter for an internal combustion engine that can automatically detect the inconvenience of the operation of the internal combustion engine that is started by remote control and is warming up in advance and can automatically stop the internal combustion engine. . Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotation speed detection device that is easy to mount.

The present invention includes a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a fuel remaining amount measuring means for measuring the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the fuel remaining amount measured by the fuel remaining amount measuring means is less than a predetermined amount;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, in a vehicle equipped with a vehicle internal combustion engine remote starter, the internal combustion engine for so-called warm-up operation can be started remotely from the outside of the vehicle. In this remote start operation, the driver outside the vehicle body instructs the start of the internal combustion engine via the remote instruction means. When an instruction is given, the starting means and the maintaining means are activated. First, the starting means and the maintaining means perform a starting operation for starting the internal combustion engine. After completion of the starting operation, the maintaining means performs a maintaining operation for maintaining the idling state of the internal combustion engine.

  The control means performs a so-called fail-safe operation after the start of the internal combustion engine is instructed until the start operation is started, and during the start operation and the maintenance operation. In this fail-safe operation, first, after the instruction, the remaining fuel amount is measured by the remaining fuel amount measuring means, and then it is determined whether or not the remaining fuel amount for operating the internal combustion engine is less than a predetermined threshold amount. Let When it is determined that the remaining amount of fuel is less than a predetermined threshold amount, the stop means stops at least one operation of the starting means and the maintaining means. The internal combustion engine cannot be started when the starting means is stopped, and stops when the maintaining means is stopped because the rotation cannot be continued. Therefore, when at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means is stopped, the above-described starting operation and / or maintaining operation is stopped.

  Since the internal combustion engine consumes fuel if the above-described start operation and maintenance operation are performed, if the maintenance operation is continued for a long time regardless of the remaining amount of fuel, the driver tries to drive the vehicle after the warm-up operation ends. When doing so, the remaining amount of fuel may become so small that it may become impossible to travel. The above-mentioned control means stops the operation of the internal combustion engine before the remaining amount of fuel becomes very small. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the subsequent running from becoming impossible due to the shortage of fuel due to the above-described start operation and maintenance operation.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, it is determined whether or not there is a failure in the measurement means that measures at least a physical quantity that varies in accordance with the operating state of the internal combustion engine. Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the maintaining means;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, the maintenance means of the remote starter of the internal combustion engine for vehicles is a so-called electronic control unit (ECU), and the controllable parameters relating to the operation of the internal combustion engine during the start operation and the maintenance operation described above. Adjust. This parameter is determined so as to estimate the actual operating state from the physical quantity that varies in accordance with the current operating state of the internal combustion engine, and to bring the estimated operating state closer to the ideal operating state. If the measurement means for measuring these physical quantities fails and the physical quantity becomes unknown, the parameters cannot be accurately determined, so that the maintenance means may operate abnormally and the idle state may not be maintained.

  The control means stops the operation of at least one of the start means and the maintenance means by the stop means when the measurement means for measuring the physical quantity fails as the fail safe operation. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, the internal combustion engine can be automatically stopped when there is a possibility that the maintenance means operates abnormally.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote indicating means, at least an exhaust temperature measuring means for measuring an exhaust temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the exhaust gas temperature measured by the exhaust gas temperature measuring means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, the control means of the remote starter described above, as the fail-safe operation described above, when the exhaust gas temperature measured by the exhaust gas temperature measurement means rises above a predetermined threshold temperature, the stop means causes the internal combustion engine to At least one operation of the starting means and the maintaining means is stopped. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, it is possible to automatically prevent a problem caused by exhaust gas having an exhaust temperature higher than the threshold temperature being exhausted during the warm-up operation.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is installed inside a vehicle and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote indicating means, at least a hydraulic pressure measuring means for measuring the hydraulic pressure of the lubricating oil in the lubricating device of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the oil pressure measured by the oil pressure measuring means is less than a predetermined pressure;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, the control means of the above-mentioned remote starter starts using the stop means when the oil pressure measured by the oil pressure measurement means falls below a predetermined threshold pressure as the above fail-safe operation. The operation of at least one of the means and the maintaining means is stopped. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, it is possible to automatically prevent an abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine due to insufficient oil pressure of the lubricating oil during the warm-up operation in advance.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a cooling water temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the cooling water in the cooling device of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the water temperature measured by the cooling water temperature measuring means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, the control means of the above-mentioned remote starter is configured such that the stop means starts the start means when the water temperature measured by the cooling water temperature measurement means rises above a predetermined threshold temperature as the failsafe operation. And at least one operation of the maintaining means is stopped. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, the abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine due to insufficient cooling of the internal combustion engine during the warm-up operation can be automatically prevented in advance.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a valve opening degree measuring means for measuring a valve opening degree of a throttle valve that adjusts an intake amount of air sucked into the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the valve opening measured by the valve opening measuring means exceeds the minimum valve opening corresponding to the idle state of the internal combustion engine;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, a throttle valve that opens and closes in conjunction with the accelerator pedal is interposed in the intake pipe for taking air into the internal combustion engine from the outside of the vehicle. Adjust the amount. As the valve opening of the throttle valve increases, the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine increases correspondingly, so that the throttle valve maintains the above-described minimum valve opening while the maintaining means maintains the idle state.

  When the valve opening measured by the valve opening measuring means exceeds the minimum valve opening as the above fail-safe operation, the control means of the remote starter described above is configured to stop at least the starting means and the maintaining means by the stopping means. Stop one operation. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, by directly detecting that the accelerator pedal is operated during the warm-up operation, the actual rotational speed increases beyond the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine corresponding to the idle state, and the internal combustion engine is overheated. This can be prevented automatically in advance.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a rotation speed estimation means for estimating the rotation speed of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine from a signal generated accompanying rotation of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the rotational speed estimated by the rotational speed estimation means exceeds the minimum rotational speed corresponding to the idle state of the internal combustion engine;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, the control means of the remote starter described above is configured such that the actual rotational speed estimated by the rotational speed estimation means from the signal generated accompanying the rotation of the internal combustion engine is the idle speed as the above-described fail-safe operation. When the minimum rotational speed of the internal combustion engine corresponding to the state is exceeded, at least one operation of the starting means and the maintaining means is stopped by the stopping means. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, it is possible to automatically prevent the internal combustion engine from being overheated in advance by increasing the actual rotational speed beyond the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine corresponding to the idle state.

In the present invention, the signal generated accompanying the rotation of the internal combustion engine is:
An injection signal given from the maintenance means to the internal combustion engine in order to control the injection timing of a fuel injection valve for supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine;
An ignition signal given from the maintenance means to the internal combustion engine in order to control the ignition timing of a spark plug for burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine;
A confirmation signal provided from the internal combustion engine to the maintenance means immediately after ignition of the air-fuel mixture by the spark plug in order to confirm combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine;
A crank angle signal given from the internal combustion engine to the maintaining means for detecting the rotation angle of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine from the rotation of the rotary shaft of the ignition timing control means for controlling the ignition timing of the spark plug; and the internal combustion engine In order to detect the top dead center position of the piston in the cylinder from the rotation of the rotating shaft rotating in synchronization with the crankshaft in the ignition timing control means for controlling the ignition timing of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder It is at least one of crank angle reference position signals given from the engine to the maintaining means.

  According to the present invention, the signals used for estimating the rotational speed are, for example, an injection signal and an ignition signal given from the maintenance means to the internal combustion engine, a confirmation signal given from the internal combustion engine to the maintenance means, and a crank angle reference position signal. , And a crank angle signal. Since these signals are originally control signals used by the maintaining means to maintain the operating state of the internal combustion engine, they are compared with noise signals mixed in the negative terminal of the ignition device (igniter) used for detecting the rotational speed in the prior art. Thus, there are few reading errors. Therefore, the estimated rotational speed estimation error can be reduced as compared with the conventional rotational speed estimation method. Further, when the above-described remote indicating device is attached later to an existing vehicle, these signals can be obtained by branching from the maintenance means, so that compared with the prior art device, the installation portion of the internal combustion engine in the vehicle Up to this point, there is no need to route the connecting wire, and the mounting becomes easy.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
Vehicle speed measuring means for measuring at least the traveling speed of the vehicle in response to an instruction from the remote instruction means;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the traveling speed measured by the vehicle speed measuring means exceeds the stop state of the vehicle;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, when the unmanned vehicle is warmed up using the remote starter described above, the vehicle must be stopped. When the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed measuring means exceeds the vehicle speed when the vehicle is in a stopped state, the control means of the remote starter described above has at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means as a fail-safe operation. Stop one action. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, when the vehicle starts to travel, the internal combustion engine can be automatically stopped quickly and the vehicle can be stopped.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least an exhaust gas concentration measuring means for measuring the concentration in the space of exhaust gas discharged from the internal combustion engine and stored in a predetermined space;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the concentration measured by the exhaust gas concentration measuring means is equal to or higher than a predetermined concentration;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping said at least one of start means and maintenance means in response to a stop signal from a control means.

  According to the present invention, when the control means of the remote starter described above is in fail-safe operation, the concentration of the exhaust gas in the space measured by the exhaust gas concentration measurement means is equal to or higher than a predetermined concentration. The operation of at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means is stopped by the stopping means. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, since the warm-up operation is performed, for example, it is possible to prevent the exhaust gas from being filled in the garage storing the vehicle.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, an object detection means for detecting an object that has entered the vehicle interior of the vehicle;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when an intruding object is detected by the object detecting means;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.

  According to the present invention, the control means of the remote starter described above detects the presence or absence of an object that has entered the vehicle by the object detection means as the failsafe operation, and stops when there is an intruded object. To stop the operation of at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means. As a result, the starting operation and / or the maintaining operation are stopped. Therefore, when there is an intruder in the passenger compartment during the warm-up operation, the internal combustion engine can be automatically stopped.

  According to the present invention, the object detection means is any one of a radar and an ultrasonic sensor for detecting an object in a vehicle interior, and a vibration sensor for detecting vibration applied to the vehicle. Features.

  According to the present invention, when a radar and an ultrasonic sensor are used as the above-described object detection means, it is possible to directly detect the presence or absence of a foreign substance that has entered the vehicle interior. Further, when a vibration sensor is used as the object detection means, for example, it is possible to estimate the presence or absence of an invading foreign object by detecting vibration generated by an opening / closing operation of a door for entering the vehicle interior.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, a physical quantity that varies in accordance with the operating state of the internal combustion engine is measured, and when the measured physical quantity indicates a state incompatible with the continuation of the operation of the internal combustion engine, starting means and maintenance are performed. Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the means;
In response to a stop signal from the control means, a power supply cutoff means for cutting off the supply of power to the at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means;
Supply detection means for detecting the presence or absence of power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means;
When the power detection means detects that power is supplied to the starting means and the maintaining means when power is cut off by the power supply cutoff means, or when power is supplied by the power supply cutoff means and A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising: a failure determination unit that determines that the power supply cutoff unit has failed when it is detected that the power to the maintenance unit is cut off.

  According to the present invention, the starting means and the maintaining means of the internal combustion engine switch between operation and stop depending on the presence or absence of power supply through the power supply cutoff means. The failure determination means compares the presence / absence of power supply interruption of the power supply interruption means with the presence / absence of actual power supply to the starting means and the maintenance means as described above, and makes a failure determination of the power supply interruption means. . Thereby, it is possible to easily detect the presence or absence of a failure in the power supply cutoff means.

In the present invention, the power supply cutoff means is
Switching means for reversibly allowing or prohibiting power supply to the starting means and maintaining means, and forcibly prohibiting power supply when the failure determination means determines that the power supply cutoff means has failed;
Inspection means for determining whether or not the power supply interruption means and the switching means are faulty when the starting means and the maintenance means are stopped,
The power supply is permitted by the switching means, the power to the starting means and the maintaining means is interrupted by the power supply cutoff means, and the presence or absence of power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means is detected by the supply detecting means, and the power supply When it is detected that the power supply is interrupted, it is determined that the power supply interruption means is malfunctioning,
The power supply is prohibited by the switching means, the power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means is supplied by the power supply cutoff means, and the presence or absence of the power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means is detected by the supply detecting means. Inspection means for determining that the switching means is faulty when it is detected,
When it is determined by the inspection means that at least one of the switching means and the power supply cutoff means is out of order, the operation of the starting means and the maintaining means is stopped.

  According to the present invention, the power supply cutoff means is added with switching means for forcibly prohibiting the power supply when it is determined that the power supply cutoff means itself has failed. Also, the operation of at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means can be stopped.

  Further, the failure between the power supply cutoff means and the switching means is determined in advance when the internal combustion engine is stopped. If at least one of them fails, the above-described starting means and maintaining means are stopped. As a result, the start operation and the maintenance operation are performed in a state in which one of the power supply cutoff means and the switching means has failed, and the other means fails in the middle, and the above fail-safe operation becomes impossible. Can be prevented in advance.

The present invention also provides a starting means for starting an internal combustion engine that is mounted on a vehicle body and can be remotely started,
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, a physical quantity that varies in accordance with the operating state of the internal combustion engine is measured, and when the measured physical quantity indicates a state incompatible with the continuation of the operation of the internal combustion engine, starting means and maintenance are performed. Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the means;
In response to a stop signal from the control means, power supply shut-off means for shutting off the power supply to either one of the starting means and the maintaining means;
Rotation detecting means for detecting presence or absence of rotation of the internal combustion engine;
And a failure determination unit that determines that the power supply cutoff unit is out of order when rotation of the internal combustion engine is detected by the rotation detection unit when the power is cut off by the power supply cutoff unit. This is a remote starter for an internal combustion engine.

  According to the present invention, the failure determination means of the remote starter compares the presence / absence of the power supply interruption of the power supply interruption means with the operating state of the internal combustion engine as described above, and the failure of the power supply interruption means Make a decision. As described above, if the internal combustion engine is rotating when the power supply is cut off, it is estimated that the power supply cut-off means is in a state where the power supply cannot be cut off. By performing the failure determination by such a method, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a failure in the power supply interruption means.

In the present invention, the power supply cutoff means is
The apparatus further includes prohibiting means for forcibly prohibiting power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means when the failure determining means determines that the power supply cutoff means has failed.

  According to the present invention, the power supply cutoff unit includes a prohibition unit in addition to the switching unit, and forcibly prohibits the power supply by the prohibition unit when the power supply cutoff unit fails. Thus, even when both the power supply shut-off means and the switching means fail, the power supply is shut off by the prohibiting means, and at least one operation of the starting means and the maintaining means can be reliably stopped.

Further, the present invention is a rotation speed detection device that detects a pulse signal generated accompanying the rotation of the internal combustion engine and estimates the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine from the pulse interval of the pulse signal,
The pulse signal is
An injection signal for controlling the injection timing of a fuel injection valve for supplying fuel into the internal combustion engine;
An ignition signal for controlling the ignition timing of a spark plug for burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine,
A confirmation signal output immediately after ignition of the mixture by the spark plug to confirm combustion of the mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine;
The crank angle signal for detecting the rotation angle of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine from the rotation of the rotation shaft of the ignition timing control means for controlling the ignition timing of the spark plug, and the ignition timing for the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine Any one of the crank angle reference position signals for detecting the top dead center position of the piston in the cylinder from the rotation of the rotating shaft rotating in synchronization with the crankshaft in the ignition timing control means for controlling the engine An engine speed detection device for an internal combustion engine.

  According to the present invention, the above-described rotation speed detection device generates the rotation of the internal combustion engine from the above signal, which is a control signal generated accompanying the rotation of the internal combustion engine and used for operation control of the internal combustion engine. Guess the number. These signals have fewer reading errors than a noise signal mixed in the negative terminal of an ignition device (igniter) used for detecting the rotational speed in the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the estimation error of the estimated rotational speed as compared with the prior art. In addition, since these signals are existing signals given to the so-called electric control unit (ECU), connecting wires are added to the installation part of the internal combustion engine as compared with the prior art devices. This eliminates the need for routing and facilitates installation.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle automatically gives an internal combustion engine when the start of the internal combustion engine is instructed by a remote instruction and the remaining amount of fuel becomes small. Stop at least one of starting and maintaining idle state. As a result, it is possible to prevent the subsequent travel from becoming impossible due to excessive consumption of fuel during the warm-up operation.

  Further, according to the present invention, a remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle includes a failure of a measuring means for measuring a physical quantity representing a current driving state of the internal combustion engine, an abnormal increase in exhaust gas temperature and cooling water temperature, and an oil pressure of lubricating oil. When detecting at least one of the abnormal drop, at least one of the starting operation and the maintaining operation of the internal combustion engine is automatically stopped. Therefore, for example, during the warm-up operation, the fail-safe operation for preventing the abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine and the device accompanying the engine can be performed from various viewpoints.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, a remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle is capable of estimating an increase in the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine from a change in the valve opening of a throttle valve or a control signal of the internal combustion engine. When detecting based on the number, at least one of the starting operation and the maintaining operation of the internal combustion engine is automatically stopped. Therefore, for example, during the warm-up operation, a fail-safe operation that prevents an abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine can be performed.

  According to the invention, the remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle stops at least one of a start operation and a maintenance operation of the internal combustion engine when detecting the start of traveling of the vehicle. As a result, when the brake is accidentally released, the internal combustion engine can be automatically stopped quickly and the vehicle can be stopped.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle has at least one of a start operation and a maintenance operation of the internal combustion engine when the concentration of exhaust gas stored around the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined concentration. Stop. As a result, it is possible to prevent a person near the vehicle and the driver from being affected by the exhaust gas for the warm-up operation.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the remote starter for a vehicle internal combustion engine detects an object that has entered the vehicle interior during warm-up operation using, for example, a radar, an ultrasonic sensor, and a vibration sensor. When there is, at least one of the starting operation and the maintaining operation of the internal combustion engine is stopped. This prevents the vehicle from being stolen because the warm-up operation was performed.

  According to the present invention, the remote starter for an internal combustion engine can easily determine the failure of the stop means of the device from the supply timing of power supply to the starter and the maintainer and the operation timing of the internal combustion engine. .

  Further, according to the present invention, when the stopping means fails, the starting means and the maintaining means are forcibly stopped using the switching means. Further, the failure of the stopping means and the switching means is determined in advance when the internal combustion engine is stopped, and if at least one of them has failed, the warm-up operation is stopped. As a result, it is possible to prevent in advance the so-called fail-safe operation of the internal combustion engine from becoming impossible.

  According to the invention, the prohibiting means is realized by an apparatus having a structure different from that of the stopping means itself. As a result, the possibility that the stopping means and the prohibiting means may fail at the same time can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the rotational speed detection device for an internal combustion engine estimates the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine from a control signal generated accompanying the rotation of the internal combustion engine and used for operation control of the internal combustion engine. As a result, the estimation error of the rotational speed can be reduced and the mounting becomes easy as compared with the prior art device.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle electronic device 1 including a remote starter for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The remote starter is used, for example, to start the internal combustion engine 3 remotely from the outside of the vehicle when the internal combustion engine 3 is warmed up. The internal combustion engine 3 started by the remote start operation using the remote start device is kept idle while the vehicle is unattended, and is stopped when the driver gets into the vehicle. From this state, the driver starts the internal combustion engine again and starts running the vehicle.

  The internal combustion engine 3 controlled by the electronic device 1 is a four-cylinder four-cycle gasoline engine, for example, and is mounted on a vehicle. The electronic device 1 controls, for example, the fuel injection amount of the internal combustion engine 3, the fuel injection timing, and the ignition timing for the air-fuel mixture.

  The air-fuel mixture sucked into the cylinder 4 of the internal combustion engine 3 includes intake air in which the amount of intake into the intake pipe 6 is adjusted by the throttle valve 7 in the intake pipe 6 and the intake pipe from the fuel injection valve 8. 6 and the fuel injected into 6 are mixed and produced. The throttle valve 7 is installed in the intake pipe 6 on the upstream side of the air flow from the place where the fuel injection valve 8 is installed, and its valve opening is determined in accordance with the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 9 in the passenger compartment. The The fuel injected from the fuel injection valve 8 is stored in the fuel tank 10.

  The internal combustion engine 3 has a plurality of cylinders 4, and each of the cylinders 4 is provided with a spark plug 12 for igniting the intake air-fuel mixture. In association with the spark plug 12, an igniter 13, an ignition coil 14, and a distributor 15 are provided. The ignition coil 14 is abbreviated as “IGC” in the drawings. The distributor 15 is abbreviated as “D” in the drawings. Is provided. The igniter 13 is an ignition device that is attached to the ignition coil 14 and controls the supply and cutoff timing of power to the coil 14. The distributor 15 is an ignition timing control device that is interposed between the ignition coil 14 and the ignition plug 12 of each cylinder, and controls the ignition timing between the cylinders. Details of these components 13 to 15 will be described later.

Exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine 3 is discharged to the outside of the vehicle via a discharge pipe 16 in which the catalyst 17 is disposed. The catalyst 17 removes carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen compounds (NO _x ) from the exhaust gas passing through the inside of the catalyst 17.

  The internal combustion engine 3 includes a water-cooled cooling device 19 for cooling the components including the cylinder 4 and a pressure-feed type lubricating device 20 that supplies lubricating oil to the components of the internal combustion engine 3. The rotation of the crankshaft 22 of the internal combustion engine 3 is transmitted to the wheels 24 via the automatic transmission 23 and becomes the driving force of the vehicle. Furthermore, a starter motor 26 that is a starting device for the internal combustion engine 3 is attached to the crankshaft 22.

  The electronic device 1 includes a starter control circuit 31, a power supply 32, an ignition switch 33, a receiving circuit 39, switching circuits 45 to 47, sensors 51 to 62, an internal combustion engine control circuit 64, and warning lights 66 to 70. Is done.

  The starter control circuit 31 controls each component described later in order to perform a remote start operation of the internal combustion engine. In the remote starting operation of the internal combustion engine 3, the driver of the vehicle transmits the internal combustion engine 3 from the transmitter 34 outside the vehicle with the ignition switch 33 interposed between the power supply 32 and the electrical parts of the vehicle being cut off. Instruct the start of When an instruction is given, the starter control circuit 31 uses switching circuits 45 to 47 described later to forcibly supply electric power to each electrical component in the vehicle while the switch 33 is cut off, thereby Start.

  The transmitter 34 includes a start switch 36, a stop switch 37, and a transmission circuit 38. The transmitter 34 is, for example, remote instruction means possessed by the driver of the vehicle, and instructs the electronic device 1 to start and stop the internal combustion engine 3 through wireless communication. For example, when the driver operates the start switch 36, the transmission circuit 38 transmits an instruction signal for instructing start of the internal combustion engine 3. Further, when the stop switch 37 is operated, a stop signal for stopping the internal combustion engine 3 that is being started or kept in an idle state is transmitted. The instruction signal and the stop signal transmitted from the transmission circuit 38 are received by the reception circuit 39 including the antenna, and then given to the starter control circuit 31.

  The ignition switch 33 described above has a key cylinder into which an ignition key is to be inserted, and includes an OFF contact, an ACC contact, an IG contact, and an ST contact. Each contact is made conductive by rotating an ignition key inserted in the key cylinder. Conductive wires 41 to 43 are connected to the ACC contact, the IG contact, and the ST contact, respectively.

  When the ACC contact point of the ignition switch 33 is turned on, power is supplied from the power source 32 to the electric equipment in the vehicle interior such as an acoustic device, for example, via the lead wire 41. When the IG contact is conducted, electric power is supplied from the power source 32 to the electric parts of the vehicle for internal combustion engine control including the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 described later via the lead wire 42. When the ST contact is conducted, power is supplied from the power source 32 to the starter motor 26 via the lead wire 43. The starter motor 26 operates simultaneously with the supply of electric power, transmits the rotational force to the crankshaft 22, and starts the internal combustion engine 3.

  Switching lines 45 to 47 for bypassing the ignition switch 33 and supplying power from the power supply 32 are connected to the conductors 41 to 43, respectively. The switching circuits 45 to 47 are controlled by the starter control circuit 31. Details of the switching circuits 45 to 47 will be described later.

  The starter control circuit 31 includes a plurality of sensors 51 to 59 installed in the peripheral parts of the internal combustion engine 3 described above, and each sensor 51 to 59 measures a physical quantity that varies according to the operating state of the internal combustion engine 3. A measurement signal representing the result is given. The starter control circuit 31 is supplied with measurement signals representing physical quantities representing the vehicle and its surroundings from sensors 60 to 62 installed in vehicle parts other than the peripheral parts.

  Among the sensors 51 to 62 described above, the intake air temperature sensor 51 is installed upstream of the attachment position of the throttle valve 7 in the intake pipe 6 and measures the temperature of intake air. The valve opening sensor 52 is installed in association with the valve body of the throttle valve 7 and measures the valve opening of the throttle valve 7. Further, the valve opening sensor 52 measures whether the internal combustion engine 3 is in an idle state or a high load state. The intake pressure sensor 53 is installed between the attachment positions of the throttle valve 7 and the fuel injection valve 8 in the intake pipe 6 and measures the pressure of intake air after adjusting the intake amount. The fuel remaining amount sensor 54 is installed inside the fuel tank 10 and measures the fuel remaining amount in the fuel tank 10.

  The exhaust gas temperature sensor 55 is installed on the upstream side of the exhaust gas flow from the attachment position of the catalyst 17 in the exhaust pipe 16, and measures the exhaust gas temperature immediately after being arranged from the internal combustion engine 3. The cooling water temperature sensor 56 is installed in the path of the cooling water flowing out from the water jacket in the cylinder block, for example, in the cooling device 19, and measures the temperature of the cooling water. The oil pressure sensor 57 is installed in the lubricating device 20 and measures the oil pressure of the lubricating oil in the device 20.

  The crank angle sensor 58 is provided in the vicinity of the crankshaft 22 of the internal combustion engine 3 and directly measures the rotation angle of the crankshaft 22. The vehicle speed sensor 59 is installed in the transmission path for transmitting the rotational force from the automatic transmission 23 to the wheel 24, or in the vicinity of the wheel, and detects the measurement speed at which the vehicle travels. The measurement signals of these sensors 51 to 59 are used not only for the fail-safe operation of the remote starting operation of the internal combustion engine 3 in the starter control circuit 31 but also for the operation control operation of the internal combustion engine 3 in the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 described later. Used.

  The exhaust gas concentration sensor 60 measures the concentration of exhaust gas stored in a predetermined space inside the vehicle interior or outside the vehicle. The predetermined space is, for example, the inside of a garage for storing a vehicle or a passenger compartment. The exhaust gas concentration sensor 60 is installed, for example, in the garage, on the outer wall of the vehicle, or in the passenger compartment. The exhaust gas concentration sensor 60 is realized by, for example, a carbon monoxide concentration sensor. The exhaust gas concentration sensor 60 may be a sensor other than the above-described sensor as long as it detects the concentration of a component contained in the exhaust gas.

  The object intrusion sensor 61 detects the presence or absence of an object that has entered the vehicle cabin from the outside. The object intrusion sensor 61 is realized by at least one of a radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and an infrared sensor, for example. These sensors are installed in the vehicle cabin. The vibration sensor 62 is installed in the vehicle body and detects the presence or absence of vibration applied to the vehicle body.

  The starter control circuit 31 estimates the current state of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral components and the vehicle from the measurement signals from these sensors 51 to 62, and performs a felsafe operation which will be described later.

  The internal combustion engine control circuit 64 is realized by a so-called electronic control unit. The control circuit 64 is supplied with measurement signals from the aforementioned sensors 51 to 59 installed in the peripheral parts of the internal combustion engine 3. Further, an IGf signal is given from the igniter 13 described above. The IGf signal is an ignition confirmation signal for confirming the ignition timing of the spark plug 12 with respect to the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder 4 of the internal combustion engine 3. The control circuit 64 is supplied with the Ne signal and the G signal from the Ne and G signal generation circuits 111 and 112 installed in the distributor 15. The Ne signal is a crank angle signal for detecting the rotation angle of the crankshaft 22 of the internal combustion engine 3. The G signal is a crank angle reference position signal for detecting the top dead center position of the piston in the cylinder 4. The signal generation circuit and generation method will be described later.

  The internal combustion engine control circuit 64 estimates the current operating state of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral components based on the measurement signals from the sensors 51 to 59, the IGf signal, the Ne signal, and the G signal, and the estimated operating state Based on the above, an IGt signal and an injection signal are generated. The IGt signal is an ignition signal for controlling the ignition timing at which the spark plug 12 ignites the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder 4 and is given to the igniter 13. The injection signal is a signal for controlling the fuel injection amount and injection timing of the fuel from the fuel injection valve 8, and is given to the fuel injection valve 8. The IGt signal and the injection signal are determined so that the current operating state of the current internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral components estimated as described above approaches a predetermined ideal operating state.

  Further, the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 detects the presence or absence of abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral parts from the estimated current operating state of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral parts. When an abnormal operation is detected, the warning lights 66 to 70 attached to the instrument panel in the passenger compartment are turned on, and at the same time, a fail-safe operation is performed on the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral components.

  Among the warning lights 66 to 70, the remaining fuel warning light 66 is used when the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 10 measured by the remaining fuel sensor 54 is less than a predetermined remaining amount that can travel a predetermined distance. Illuminated. The exhaust temperature abnormality warning lamp 67 is turned on when the exhaust temperature of the exhaust gas measured by the exhaust temperature sensor 55 is equal to or higher than the upper limit value of the operable temperature range of the catalyst 17. The oil pressure abnormality warning light 68 is turned on when the oil pressure of the lubricating oil measured by the oil pressure sensor 57 is less than a predetermined oil pressure required for supplying the lubricating oil to the internal combustion engine 3. The water temperature abnormality warning lamp 69 is turned on when the coolant temperature measured by the coolant temperature sensor 56 is equal to or higher than a predetermined specified water temperature sufficient for cooling the internal combustion engine 3. The check engine warning lamp 70 is used to rotate the crankshaft 22 of the internal combustion engine 3 when the measurement signals from the sensors 51 to 53, 58, and 59 indicate an abnormality in a physical quantity to be measured by each sensor, and by a rotational speed estimation method described later. Illuminated when the number cannot be estimated. The check engine warning light 70 is also turned on when a failure of the sensors 51 to 59 is detected.

  FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a specific electrical configuration of the switching circuit 46 described above. The switching circuit 46 includes an auxiliary relay circuit 71, a control relay circuit 72, and transistors T1 and T2.

  One terminal of the switch SW1 of the auxiliary relay circuit 71 is connected to a conducting wire 73 branched from a power supply line from the power supply 32 to the ignition switch 33. One terminal of the switch SW2 of the control relay circuit 72 is connected to a conductor 74 branched from the conductor 42 of the IG contact. Further, the other terminals of the switches SW1 and SW2 are connected in series. As a result, the conducting wire 73, the switches SW1 and SW2, and the conducting wire 74 bypass the ignition switch 33 in this order to form a bypass circuit that connects the power supply 32 and the conducting wire 42.

  One terminals of the coils L1 and L2 of the auxiliary and control relay circuits 71 and 72 are connected to the power source 32, respectively. The other terminals of the coils L1, L2 are connected to the collector terminals of the transistors T1, T2, respectively. The emitter terminals of the transistors T1 and T2 are grounded, and the base terminal is connected to the starter control circuit 31. Further, the conducting wire 74 branches off in the middle and is also connected to the starter control circuit 31.

  In the auxiliary and control relay circuits 71 and 72, the coils L1 and L2 are excited and the switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on only when the transistors T1 and T2 are in an on state in which the current passes. The starter control circuit 31 turns on or off the switches SW1 and SW2 of the relay circuits 71 and 72 by switching the state of the transistors T1 and T2 to the on state or the off state that cuts off the current.

  The auxiliary relay circuit 71 is used for fail-safe operation when a switching circuit 46 described later fails, and the switch SW1 is turned on only when the switching circuit 46 operates normally. The control relay circuit 72 is used for a remote starting operation of the internal combustion engine 3, and when the instruction signal from the transmitter 34 is received by the receiving circuit 39, the switch SW2 is turned on. When both the switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on, power is supplied from the power supply 32 to the components after the conductor 42 via the bypass circuit, and when at least one of the switches SW1 and SW2 is cut off, the conductor 42 and the subsequent parts are disconnected. No power is supplied to these components.

  The switching circuits 45 and 47 have a structure similar to that of the switching circuit 46, except that the conducting wire 74 is connected to the conducting wires 41 and 43, respectively, and the other structures and the operation of each component are the same. The switching circuits 45 to 47 described above may be replaced with a switching circuit 76 shown below.

  FIG. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a specific electrical configuration of the switching circuit 76. The switching circuit 76 differs from the switching circuit 46 only in that a switching element having a structure different from that of the control relay circuit 72 is used instead of the auxiliary relay circuit 71 and the transistor T1, and other components and operations of the components are the same. Among the components of the switching circuit 76 in FIG. 3, the same components as those of the switching circuit 46 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  For example, a power control field effect transistor 77 is used as the switching element. The starter control circuit 31 is connected in series with the gate terminal of the field effect transistor 77. The field effect transistor 77 is directly controlled by the starter control circuit 31 so as to cut off the current of the bypass circuit when the control relay circuit 72 fails. Thus, when elements having different structures are used for the control relay circuit 72 and the fail-safe switching element, the failure rates of the control relay circuit 72 and the fail-safe switching element can be made different from each other. As a result, the probability that the control relay circuit 72 and the switching element fail at the same time can be reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 in the starter control circuit 31 of FIG.

  The starter control circuit 31 is always operated by being supplied with electric power from the power source 32 when the vehicle is stopped and the ignition key is removed from the ignition switch 33, for example. When the starter control circuit 31 starts to operate, the process proceeds from step a1 to step a2, and it is determined whether or not the receiving circuit 39 has received an instruction signal from the transmitter 34. The determination in step a2 is repeated until the receiving circuit 39 receives the instruction signal. When the instruction signal is received, the process proceeds from step a2 to step a3.

  In step a3, the starter control circuit 31 determines whether or not the switching circuits 45 to 47 are normally operated. A method for inspecting the operating state of the switching circuits 45 to 47 will be described below using the switching circuit 46 shown in FIG. 2 as an example.

  First, the starter control circuit 31 conducts the auxiliary relay circuit 71 and cuts off the control relay circuit 72 in a state where all of the ACC contact, IG contact, and ST contact of the ignition switch 33 are cut off. In this state, it is determined whether or not the reference voltage from the power supply 32 is applied to the conducting wire 74. When the reference voltage is applied, it is determined that the control relay circuit 72 fails and the power cannot be cut off. When it is determined that the reference voltage is not applied to the lead wire 74 and the control relay circuit 72 operates normally and cuts off power, the auxiliary relay circuit 71 is cut off and the control relay circuit 72 is turned on. The above-described determination is performed. In this state, when the reference voltage is applied to the lead wire 74, it is determined that the auxiliary relay circuit 71 fails and the power cannot be cut off. When it is determined that at least one of the relay circuits 71 and 72 has failed, it is determined that the switching circuit 46 operates abnormally. Only when both the relay circuits 71 and 72 are operating normally, it is determined that the switching circuit 46 is operating normally.

  Each of the switching circuits 45 to 47 is inspected by the above-described inspection method, and when it is determined that any one of the circuits is operating abnormally, the process proceeds from step a3 to step a4. In step a4, the starter control circuit 31 is prohibited from remotely starting the internal combustion engine 3, and the processing operation of the flowchart is terminated as it is.

  When the remote start operation is prohibited in step a4, the remote start operation is not executed even if the receiving circuit 39 receives an instruction signal thereafter. Thereby, for example, when a failure occurs in which at least one of the switches SW1 and SW2 in the relay circuits 71 and 72 is welded, the warm-up operation of the internal combustion engine can be stopped reliably. Therefore, for example, when one of the relay circuits 71 and 72 is welded, the warm-up operation is performed as it is, and the other circuit of each relay circuit 71 and 72 is further welded during the warm-up operation. It is possible to prevent the power supply from being interrupted by a fail-safe operation described later.

  Refer to FIG. 4 again. When it is determined in step a3 that all the switching circuits 45 to 47 are operating normally, the process proceeds to step a5. In step a5, the starter control circuit 31 turns on the switch SW2 of the control relay circuit 72 of the switching circuits 45 to 47. As a result, power is supplied from the power source 32 to the starter motor 26 and the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 while the IG contact and the ST contact of the ignition switch 33 are cut off, so that the motor 26 and the circuit 64 start to operate.

  Therefore, first, the starter motor 26 forcibly rotates the crankshaft 22, and simultaneously, the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 starts fuel injection from the fuel injection valve 8 and ignition of the air-fuel mixture in the spark plug 12. After the internal combustion engine 3 is started, the circuit 31 stops the motor 26 by cutting off the electric power to the starter motor 26 so that the drive state of the internal combustion engine 3 is maintained in the idle state only by the internal combustion engine control circuit 64. The fuel injection amount, the injection timing, and the ignition timing are controlled.

  When at least the switch SW2 of the switching circuits 45 to 47 is turned on in such a series of remote start operations, the process proceeds from step a5 to step a6. Steps a6 to a16 are so-called fail-safe operations in the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3. This fail-safe operation detects inconveniences of the remote start operation in advance, such as vehicle running during the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 and abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3, and the internal combustion engine when an inconvenience occurs. This is performed to stop the engine 3. For example, among steps a6 to a16, steps a7 to a10 are determination items for detecting the presence or absence of abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3. Steps a11 to a13 are determination items for detecting the presence or absence of abnormal operation of warm-up operation in an unmanned vehicle. The determination operation for each item will be described in detail below.

  In step a6, it is determined whether the remaining amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank 10 measured by the remaining fuel sensor 54 is less than a predetermined remaining amount. The predetermined remaining amount determined in advance is, for example, the remaining amount of fuel necessary for the vehicle to travel from the stop position of the vehicle to the nearest gas station. Specifically, since the gas stations are installed at intervals of 50 km on the highway, for example, the remaining amount of fuel necessary for the vehicle to travel 50 km is set as the specified remaining amount.

  If the fuel decreases below this specified remaining amount, when the driver tries to run the vehicle after finishing the remote start operation, there is a possibility that the vehicle will run out of fuel and cannot run. The determination in step a6 is performed in advance to prevent the vehicle from becoming impossible due to such fuel shortage. In step a6, it is determined that the remote starting operation should be stopped when the measured remaining amount is less than the specified remaining amount, and the process proceeds to step a7 only when it is equal to or more than the specified remaining amount.

  In step a7, it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the measurement signals from the sensors 51 to 59 installed in the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral components. As described above, the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 estimates the current operating state of the internal combustion engine 3 based on the measurement signals from the sensors 51 to 59, and the fuel injection valve 8 and the spark plug 12 based on the estimated operating state. To control the operation. For example, the fuel injection amount and injection timing from the fuel injection valve 8 and the ignition timing for the air-fuel mixture are controlled. When at least one of these sensors 51 to 59 is out of order, a physical quantity that varies with the operating state of the internal combustion engine 3 cannot be obtained by the amount measured by the faulty sensor. An error occurs in the estimated driving state in the engine control circuit 64. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 to determine the fuel injection amount, the fuel injection timing, and the ignition timing suitable for the current driving state. The determination in step a7 is performed to prevent the internal combustion engine 3 from operating abnormally in advance due to such abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine control circuit 64.

  Further, in the internal combustion engine control circuit 64, when the IGf signal from the igniter 13 cannot be obtained, even if the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 gives the IGt signal to the igniter 13, a misfire has occurred due to the failure of the parts 12-15. Is difficult to estimate. Further, when the Ne signal and the G signal from the distributor 15 are not supplied to the internal combustion engine control circuit 64, it becomes difficult for the circuit 64 to estimate the current rotational speed and rotational angle of the crankshaft 22 of the internal combustion engine 3. . If the rotation speed and rotation angle cannot be estimated, it will be difficult to determine the above-described injection timing and ignition timing and control the internal combustion engine 3 accurately.

  For this reason, the starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 should be stopped even when the signals from the igniter 13 and the distributor 15 cannot be obtained. As a result, it is difficult to estimate the current driving state of the internal combustion engine 3 by the internal combustion engine control circuit 64, and it is possible to prevent the internal combustion engine 3 from operating abnormally due to unstable control.

  Further, the starter control circuit 31 is a physical quantity that is not determined by the determination operation of step a6 and the determination operations of step a8 to step a11 described later, and the physical quantity that varies with the driving state of the internal combustion engine 3 is within a predetermined range. Is also deviated, it is determined that there is a possibility of causing an abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3, and the remote start operation is similarly stopped. The physical quantity includes, for example, the temperature and pressure of the intake air, and the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas measured by an oxygen concentration sensor provided upstream of the catalyst 17 in the exhaust pipe 16 on the gas flow side.

  The aforementioned sensors 51 to 59 are often designed to output a measurement signal representing a physical quantity that deviates from a specified range when the sensor itself fails. Therefore, by determining whether or not the physical quantity represented by the measurement signal is within a predetermined specified range, it is possible to simultaneously determine the abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3 and the failure of the sensors 51 to 59.

  Such an operation can prevent the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 from being unable to control the internal combustion engine 3. Only when it is determined that all the sensors 51 to 59 are operating normally, the process proceeds from step a7 to step a8.

  In step a8, it is determined whether the exhaust temperature of the exhaust gas measured by the exhaust temperature sensor 55 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. When the exhaust gas having a temperature exceeding the upper limit value of the predetermined operating temperature range flows in the catalyst 17 described above, it becomes difficult to remove the above-described substances. Therefore, the exhaust gas remains outside the vehicle without sufficiently removing the substances. To be discharged. Further, if the exhaust temperature of the exhaust gas rises, the catalyst 17 may be destroyed. The determination in step a8 is performed in order to prevent these inconveniences in advance.

  The predetermined specified temperature is set to be equal to or lower than the upper limit value of the operating temperature range in which the catalyst 17 operates normally and can remove carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen compounds. Specifically, the specified temperature is set to 900 °, for example. The starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation should be stopped when the exhaust gas temperature is equal to or higher than the specified temperature, and proceeds to step a9 from step a8 when it is lower than the specified temperature. Thus, by stopping the remote start operation when the exhaust temperature is equal to or higher than the specified temperature, for example, during warm-up operation, exhaust gas whose exhaust temperature is higher than the upper limit temperature passes through the catalyst, and the substance is It is possible to prevent the exhaust gas from being exhausted without being removed and the catalyst from being broken in advance.

  In step a9, it is determined whether or not the oil pressure of the lubricating oil measured by the oil pressure sensor 57 is less than a predetermined specified oil pressure. For example, in the lubrication apparatus 20, the predetermined specified hydraulic pressure is set to be equal to or higher than the lower limit value of the hydraulic pressure at which the lubricating oil can be sufficiently supplied to the internal combustion engine 3 and its components. In the pressure feed type lubricating device 20, a predetermined pressure is applied to the lubricating oil, and the lubricating oil is lubricated in the lubricating device 20 and the internal combustion engine 3. Therefore, when the oil pressure of the lubricating oil is lowered, the circulation of the lubricating oil becomes poor, and the supply of the lubricating oil to the internal combustion engine 3 and its components becomes insufficient. At this time, the cause of the abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3 is generated such that the frictional force of the components increases. The determination in step a9 is performed in order to prevent an abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3 due to such a shortage of lubricating oil in advance.

  The starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation should be stopped when the measured hydraulic pressure is less than the specified pressure, and proceeds from step a9 to step a10 only when the measured pressure is equal to or higher than the specified pressure. In this way, by stopping the internal combustion engine when the hydraulic pressure of the lubricating oil is lower than the specified pressure, for example, an abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine due to insufficient supply of the lubricating oil occurs automatically in advance during warm-up operation. Can be prevented.

  In step a10, it is determined whether or not the coolant temperature measured by the coolant temperature sensor 56 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. Since the internal combustion engine 3 is heated by the combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder 4, its components are always cooled by the water-cooled cooling device 19. When these components are not sufficiently cooled, expansion of components and deterioration of strength, and poor lubrication between components occur, causing abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3. The determination in step a10 is performed to prevent abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3 due to insufficient cooling of the internal combustion engine 3.

  The predetermined specified temperature is set to be lower than the upper limit value of the cooling water temperature at which the cooling device 19 can sufficiently cool the components of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral components. The specified temperature is specifically set to 105 °, for example. The starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation should be stopped when the measured coolant temperature is equal to or higher than the specified water temperature, and proceeds to step a11 only when the measured temperature is lower than the specified temperature. In this way, by stopping the internal combustion engine when the coolant temperature is equal to or higher than the specified water temperature, for example, an abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine due to overheating of the internal combustion engine occurs in advance during, for example, warm-up operation. Can be prevented automatically.

  In step a11, it is determined whether or not the accelerator pedal 9 has been operated. In the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3, the internal combustion engine 3 after the start is controlled by the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 so as to maintain an idle state. For example, when the accelerator pedal 9 is depressed while an object at the foot of the driver's seat is pushing the accelerator pedal 9 in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the valve opening of the throttle valve 7 is in an idle state. Since it becomes larger than the corresponding minimum valve opening, the number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine 3 may increase and exceed the idle state. The determination of step a11 is thus performed to prevent the internal combustion engine 3 from operating beyond the idle state.

  The determination of whether or not the accelerator pedal 9 is operated is performed, for example, by determining whether or not the valve opening of the throttle valve 7 measured by the valve opening sensor 52 exceeds the minimum valve opening corresponding to the idle state. Is done. In this case, when the measured minimum valve opening is exceeded, it is determined that the accelerator pedal 9 is being operated. Moreover, it implements by measuring the present rotation speed of the internal combustion engine 3, and determining whether the measured rotation speed exceeds the minimum rotation speed corresponding to an idle state. In this case, when the measured rotation speed exceeds the idle rotation speed, it is determined that the accelerator pedal 9 is being operated.

  The rotational speed of the internal combustion engine 3 may be directly measured from the rotation of the crankshaft 22 by the crank angle sensor 58. Further, a control signal given from the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 to the peripheral parts of the internal combustion engine 3 and a signal that varies in accordance with the cycle of the internal combustion engine 3 among the signals given from the peripheral parts to the internal combustion engine control circuit 64. The rotational speed may be estimated. Examples of this signal include the aforementioned injection signal, IGt signal, IGf signal, Ne signal, and G signal. Details of these signals and a method for estimating the number of rotations from the signals will be described later. The rotational speed can be estimated by using at least one of these signals. Further, the number of revolutions is estimated from each of a plurality of signals among the above-mentioned signals, the average value of the number of revolutions estimated from each signal is obtained, and the average value is used to determine whether or not the accelerator pedal 9 is operated. Is preferred.

  Whether or not the accelerator pedal 9 is operated can be determined by such a plurality of methods. In the determination of step a11, the determination is performed using at least one of the above-described methods. In addition, when a plurality of methods among these methods are used to determine whether or not the accelerator pedal 9 is operated by each method, and only when it is determined that the accelerator pedal 9 is not operated by all the methods, in step a11 It may be determined that there is no operation of the accelerator pedal 9. When it is determined that the accelerator pedal 9 is operated by such a determination method, the starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 should be stopped, and the accelerator pedal 9 is not operated. Only when it is determined that, step a11 proceeds to step a12. Thus, by stopping the warm-up operation when the accelerator pedal 9 is being operated, for example, during the warm-up operation, it is predicted that the actual rotational speed of the internal combustion engine 3 will exceed the minimum rotational speed. can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the internal combustion engine 3 from overheating due to an increase in the rotational speed.

  In step a12, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling. The warm-up operation of the internal combustion engine 3 is a precondition that the vehicle is stopped. However, for example, when the brake is released by mistake, the vehicle travels by starting the internal combustion engine 3 by a remote start operation. May start. The determination in step a12 is performed to prevent this vehicle travel. Whether or not the vehicle is traveling is determined, for example, by determining whether or not the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor 59 exceeds 0 km / h. The starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 should be stopped when the vehicle starts traveling, and proceeds from step a12 to step a13 only when the vehicle is stopped. As a result, when the vehicle erroneously starts running during the warm-up operation, the internal combustion engine 3 can be automatically stopped quickly and the vehicle can be stopped.

  In step a13, it is determined whether or not exhaust gas is filled in a vehicle interior and a predetermined space including the vehicle. In the warm-up operation using the remote start operation, when it is predicted that the internal combustion engine 3 has been sufficiently warmed up after instructing the remote start operation, the vehicle driver approaches the vehicle in the warm-up operation from the outside of the vehicle. However, if exhaust gas is filled around the vehicle at this time, it becomes difficult to approach the vehicle. The determination in step a13 is performed in advance to prevent the driver from getting close to the vehicle due to the exhaust gas discharged from the internal combustion engine 3 during the warm-up operation using such a remote start operation.

  Specifically, the above-described determination is performed by determining whether the concentration of the exhaust gas in the predetermined space measured by the above-described exhaust gas concentration sensor 60 is less than the predetermined concentration. In this case, it is determined that the exhaust gas is not full only when the concentration is lower than a predetermined concentration. The predetermined space is the passenger compartment or the garage as described above, but since the driver approaches the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle, it is preferable to determine whether or not the exhaust gas in the space outside the vehicle is full. The starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 should be stopped when the space is filled with exhaust gas, and only when it is determined that the space is not full, the steps a13 to a14 are performed. Proceed to Thus, by stopping the warm-up operation in the situation as described above, it is possible to prevent the exhaust gas from affecting other people and the driver in the vicinity of the vehicle during the warm-up operation. .

  In step a14, it is determined whether or not the object intrusion sensor 61 detects the object intrusion into the vehicle interior. It is a precondition that the remote start operation described above is performed in an unmanned vehicle. For example, when another person other than the driver of the vehicle enters the passenger compartment without holding the ignition key during the remote starting operation, the brake is released even if the ignition switch 33 is not turned on using the ignition key. There is a possibility that the vehicle can be driven simply by doing. The determination in step a14 is thus performed to prevent others from driving the vehicle without the driver's permission. The starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 should be stopped when there is an intruding object, and proceeds from step a14 to step a15 only when it is determined that there is no intruding object.

  In step a15, it is determined whether or not abnormal vibration has been applied to the vehicle. When a person tries to enter the vehicle compartment, vibration is applied to the vehicle itself, for example, by opening and closing the door of the vehicle. By considering such vibrations as abnormal vibrations of the vehicle and measuring them with the vibration sensor 62, it is possible to detect the intrusion of a person into the vehicle compartment as with the intrusion sensor 61 described above. The determination at step a15 is performed to prevent others from driving the vehicle without the permission of the driver for the same reason as the determination at step a14.

  Such object intrusion detection using the presence or absence of vibration is performed after the start-up operation of the internal combustion engine 3 is completed and when the rotation of the internal combustion engine 3 is stabilized, for example, to maintain an idle state. This is because during the start-up operation of the internal combustion engine 3, vibrations different from those in maintaining the idle state are applied, so whether the applied vibrations are caused by the intrusion of an object or the start-up operation of the internal combustion engine 3? This is because it becomes difficult to discriminate. Therefore, when the rotation of the internal combustion engine 3 is stabilized, the vibration sensor 60 measures abnormal vibration other than vibration applied to the vehicle by maintaining the idle state of the internal combustion engine 3. The starter control circuit 31 determines that the remote starting operation of the internal combustion engine 3 should be stopped when the abnormal vibration of the vehicle is measured, and proceeds from step a15 to step a16 only when it is determined that there is no abnormal vibration. In this way, by stopping the warm-up operation in the above-described situation determined by the two types of parameters of object detection and presence / absence of vibration, the vehicle has been started to travel by another person because the warm-up operation has been performed. Can be prevented in advance.

  In step a16, it is determined whether or not the ignition key of the vehicle has been inserted into the key cylinder associated with the ignition switch 33. In order to detect whether or not the ignition key has been inserted, for example, a detection switch that is turned on when an ignition key is inserted into the key cylinder is installed in the key cylinder. Specifically, the above-described determination is performed by measuring whether or not the detection switch is turned on.

  Although the remote starting operation of the internal combustion engine 3 is used for so-called warm-up operation, when the vehicle driver tries to run the vehicle, the bypass circuit including the switching circuits 45 to 47 and the ignition switch 33 are prevented from overlapping. In order to do this, the internal combustion engine 3 is once stopped. The determination in step a16 is performed to determine whether or not the internal combustion engine is stopped. Further, when the driver enters the passenger compartment, it is determined that there is an object intrusion based on the determinations in step a14 and step a15 described above, so the internal combustion engine 3 may be stopped at this point. When it is determined in step a16 that the ignition key is not inserted, the process returns to step a6 again, and the determination for the fail-safe operation in steps a6 to a16 is repeated.

  The determination operation in steps a6 to a16 is repeated until it is determined that the determination condition is satisfied in any step and the remote start operation should be stopped. When it is determined in any one of step a6 to step a16 that the remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 should be stopped, the process proceeds from step a6 to step a16 to step a17. In steps a17 to a19, the remote start operation is stopped.

  In step a17, the starter control circuit 31 cuts off the control relay circuit 72 of the switching circuits 45 to 47 via the transistor T2. As a result, the starter motor 26 and the internal combustion engine control device 64 are deactivated. Since the fuel injection operation of the fuel injection valve 8 of the internal combustion engine 3 and the ignition operation of the spark plug 12 are performed only while the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 is in operation, the internal combustion engine 3 is also stopped when the circuit 64 is stopped. The Further, by stopping the starter motor 26 at the same time, for example, when the determination condition of the determination item is satisfied during the start operation of the internal combustion engine 3, the start operation can be stopped halfway. When the control relay circuit 72 is cut off, the process proceeds to step a17 to step a18.

  In step a18, the starter control circuit 31 determines whether or not the control relay circuit 72 has failed. The failure determination of the control relay circuit 72 is performed, for example, by determining whether or not electric power is supplied to the conductive wire 74 after the circuit 31 is controlled to cut off the control relay circuit 72 in step a17. In this case, it is determined that a failure has occurred when power is supplied to the conductive wire 74. As a cause of failure of the control relay circuit 72, for example, welding of the switch SW2 can be considered.

  Further, the above determination may be made by measuring or estimating the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine 3 after the cutoff control of the control relay circuit 72 and determining whether or not the rotation of the internal combustion engine 3 continues after the cutoff control. . In this case, when the rotation continues, it is determined that the power is still supplied to the starter motor 26 and the internal combustion engine control circuit 64, and it is determined that the control relay circuit 72 has failed. Thus, only when the control relay circuit 72 is out of order, the process proceeds from step a18 to step a19.

  In step a19, the auxiliary relay circuit 71 of the switching circuits 45 to 47 is cut off via the transistor T1, and the power supply to the starter motor 26 and the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 is forcibly prohibited. Thereby, even when the control relay circuit 72 is out of order, the remote start operation can be reliably stopped by the auxiliary relay circuit 71. When it is determined in step a18 that the control relay circuit 72 is operating normally, and after the auxiliary relay circuit 71 is shut off in step a19, the process proceeds to step a20 and the processing operation of the flowchart ends.

  By such a series of processing operations, a remote start operation including a fail-safe operation can be performed. Further, only a part of the above-described items may be performed as the fail-safe operation determination items in steps a6 to a16, and other items may be added. In order to reliably perform the fail-safe operation, it is preferable to perform the determination operation over many items.

  In addition, the determinations in steps a6 to a10 described above are performed by the starter control circuit 31, but the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 also determines whether or not the warning lights 66 to 70 are turned on. Has been implemented. Therefore, these determinations may be performed separately in the starter control circuit 31 and the internal combustion engine control circuit 64, or may be performed by only one of the circuits, and the other circuit may introduce only the determination result. It may be. For example, when the determination result of whether or not the warning lights 66 to 70 are turned on in the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 is introduced into the starter control circuit 31 and it is determined that the warning light is turned on, the warning light is handled. It may be determined that the item that has been selected is abnormal.

  Further, the determination operation in steps a6 to a16 may be performed not only in the above-described steps but also before the starter motor 26 starting operation in step a5. By performing the determination on the above-described fail-safe operation determination items before starting the starter motor 26, when any one of the above-described items is abnormal before the internal combustion engine 3 is started, the remote start operation is performed. Can be stopped in advance to prevent the abnormal operation of the internal combustion engine 3 more reliably.

  Another example electronic device including the remote starter of the present invention is described below. This electronic device is different only in that the switching circuits 45 to 47 of the electronic device 1 in FIG. 1 described above are replaced with a switching circuit 78 described below, and the other structures are the same. A description of the same structure is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a specific electrical configuration of the switching circuit 78. The switching circuit 78 is different only in that a fuse 79 is attached instead of the auxiliary relay circuit 71 of the switching circuit 46, and the other structure is the same as that of the switching circuit 46. In the switching circuit 78, components having the same structure as the switching circuit 46 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The fuse 79 is interposed between the conductor 73 and the switch SW2 instead of the switch SW1. The collector terminal of the transistor T1 is connected to the lead wire between the fuse 79 and the control relay circuit 72. The gate terminal of the transistor T1 is connected to the starter control circuit 31, and the emitter terminal is grounded. The starter control circuit 31 switches the transistor T1 to the on state when it is determined that the control relay circuit 72 is out of order at step a18 in the flowchart described above. As a result, an abnormal current exceeding the capacity of the fuse flows from the power source 32 to the fuse 79, so that the fuse is blown. Thereby, even when the control relay circuit 72 fails, the power supply using the switching circuit 78 can be stopped.

  Once the fuse 79 is blown, the power supply to the bypass circuit cannot be restored until the fuse itself is replaced. Therefore, the failure determination of the switching circuit in step a3 of the flowchart cannot be performed. Therefore, in the remote starting operation of the internal combustion engine 3 using the electronic apparatus of this example, if it is determined that only the determination operation of step a3 is skipped in the flowchart of FIG. Proceeding to step a5, the starter motor is started. Subsequent processing operations are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG.

  Thus, by making the control relay circuit 72 and the fail-safe means have different structures, it is possible to prevent the fail-safe means and the control relay circuit 72 from failing simultaneously. In addition, the fuse 79 that irreversibly cuts off the power supply is simpler in structure than the reversible components described above, as compared to a relay circuit and a field effect transistor that can reversibly cut off the power supply. Therefore, the structure of the apparatus can be simplified.

  Hereinafter, a method for estimating the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine 3 in the starter control circuit 31 will be described. The aforementioned internal combustion engine control circuit 64 gives control signals to the fuel injection valve 8 and the igniter 13 in order to control the operating state of the internal combustion engine 3. Further, for the control of the internal combustion engine 3, signals from the igniter 13 and the distributor 15 are given to the circuit 64. The starter control circuit 31 divides and introduces these signals from a conducting wire that is a transmission path between the internal combustion engine 3 and the internal combustion engine control circuit 64, and estimates the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine 3 from the signals. As a result, signals can be introduced at least before and after the input / output terminals of the circuit 64, so that it is not necessary to provide new measuring means in the vicinity of the internal combustion engine 3 and its peripheral parts in order to estimate the rotational speed.

  Hereinafter, a method for generating the above-described signal and a method for estimating the number of rotations from each signal will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the internal combustion engine 3 is a 4-cylinder 4-cycle gasoline engine.

  FIG. 6 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing specific electrical configurations of the fuel injection valve 8 and the fuel injection control unit 81 in the internal combustion engine control circuit 64.

  The above-described fuel injection valve 8 is provided, for example, in the intake pipe 6 at the front stage of each cylinder of the internal combustion engine 3. Each fuel injection valve 8 is injected with fuel by being opened only while electric power is supplied to the internal solenoid coil L3 and excited.

  The fuel injection control unit 81 includes a processing circuit 83, an operation circuit 84, a resistor R1, and transistors T3 and T4.

  One terminal of the coil L3 of the fuel injection valve 8 is connected to the above-described power source 32 via the IG contact of the ignition switch 33, the line 42, the control relay circuit 85, and the auxiliary relay circuit 86. The other terminal of the coil L3 is connected to the collector terminal of the transistor T3 of the fuel injection control unit 81, and is grounded via the transistor T3 and the resistor R1. Further, one terminal of the coil L3 is connected to the collector terminal of the counter electromotive force cutoff transistor T4. The collector terminal of the transistor T3 and the emitter terminal of the transistor T4 are connected via the diode D1 so that the forward output side terminal of the diode D1 is connected to the emitter terminal. Further, the base terminals of the transistors T3 and T4 are connected to the fuel injection valve drive circuit 84, respectively.

  The relay circuits 85 and 86 are controlled by the operation circuit 84 and are turned on in conjunction with each other when the IG contact of the ignition switch 33 is turned on. The processing circuit 83 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, determines the fuel injection amount and the injection timing based on the measurement signals from the above-described sensors 51 to 59, and uses the above-described injection signal representing the fuel injection amount and the injection timing. This is given to the drive circuit 84.

  Based on the supplied injection signal and the progress of the cycle of the internal combustion engine 3, the drive circuit 84 turns on the transistor T3 so that the current can pass when the cycle reaches the injection start timing. Thereby, since electric power is supplied to the coil L3, fuel injection is started. After starting fuel injection, the drive circuit 84 detects the potential at the connection point P1 between the emitter terminal of the transistor T3 and the resistor R1, and when the potential rises above a predetermined value, switches the transistor T3 to an off state that cuts off the current. . This operation is repeated a plurality of times until the fuel has been injected by the fuel injection amount determined by the processing circuit 83. At this time, the transistor T4 absorbs the counter electromotive force of the coil L3 generated when the transistor T1 is switched between the on state and the off state, and suppresses a rapid decrease in the current flowing through the coil L3. As described above, the fuel injection control unit 81 controls the fuel injection amount and the injection timing by controlling the power supply timing and the supply time to the solenoid coil L3.

  The injection signal described in FIG. 1 corresponds to the injection signal given from the processing circuit 83 to the drive circuit 84, but since the injection signal is a signal inside the internal combustion engine control circuit 64, it is difficult to branch out from the middle and take it out. is there. Therefore, in the electronic device 1 having the fuel injection valve 8 in the circuit of FIG. 6, the starter control circuit 31 includes a current flowing in one terminal on the power supply side of the coil L3 only during fuel injection, out of signals outside the fuel injection control unit 81. The number of revolutions of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine 3 is estimated from the presence or absence of.

  In a four-cycle gasoline engine, the fuel injection is performed once every two rotations of the crankshaft 22. Therefore, two consecutive inflow timings of the inflow timing at which current starts to flow through one terminal of the coil L3 described above. The elapsed time between the timings coincides with the time required for the crankshaft 22 to rotate twice. Therefore, the starter control circuit 31 measures the elapsed time and obtains the reciprocal of the value twice the elapsed time as the value of the number of revolutions per unit time.

  FIG. 7 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a specific electrical configuration of the above-described igniter 13, ignition coil 14, and ignition control unit 91 of the internal combustion engine control circuit 64.

  The ignition control unit 91 includes an input circuit 93, a processing circuit 94, a constant voltage power supply circuit 95, and a transistor T5. The ignition control unit 91 determines the ignition timing for the air-fuel mixture in the spark plug 12 based on the Ne signal and the G signal from the distributor 15 described above.

  The Ne signal and the G signal are first rectified and level-converted by the input circuit 93 and then given to the processing circuit 94. The processing circuit 94 is realized by a microcomputer, and estimates the angle of the crankshaft 22 and the top dead center position of the piston with reference to the Ne signal and the G signal. Next, the ignition timing of the next cycle is determined from the estimated current angle and top dead center position.

  The processing circuit 94 switches between the on state and the off state of the transistor T5 based on the determined ignition timing. A constant voltage power supply circuit 95 is connected to the emitter terminal of the transistor T5 via a resistor, and a conducting wire 96 is connected to the collector terminal. The conducting wire 96 is a conducting wire for transmitting the IGt signal given from the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 to the igniter 13. The processing circuit 94 supplies or cuts off power from the circuit 95 to the conducting wire 96 by switching the state of the transistor T5, and generates an IGt signal. Specifically, the processing circuit 95 switches the transistor T5 to the on state at a timing earlier than the ignition timing by a predetermined time, and further switches the transistor T5 from the on state to the off state when the ignition timing is reached. Therefore, the IGt signal of the conductor 96 is a square wave signal that rises before the ignition timing, maintains a high level for a predetermined time, and falls simultaneously with the ignition timing.

  The igniter 13 described above includes a drive circuit 101, a closed angle control circuit 102, an overcurrent prevention circuit 103, a constant current control circuit 104, a lock prevention circuit 105, an IGf signal generation circuit 106, and a transistor T6. The control terminal of the ignition coil 14 is connected to the collector terminal of the transistor T6 and grounded through the transistor T6 and a resistor. The connection terminal of the ignition coil 14 is connected to any one of the plurality of cylinders of the internal combustion engine 3 via the distributor 15. The drive circuit 101 is a circuit that generates a signal to be applied to the base terminal in order to switch the on state and the off state of the transistor T6, and operates based on the signals from the circuits 102 to 105. The emitter terminal of the transistor T6 is connected to the IGf signal generation circuit 102.

  The aforementioned IGt signal is given to the closed angle control circuit 102. Since the duration of the high level of the IGt signal is always constant, the closed circuit control circuit 102, based on the IGt signal, when the square pulse of the signal rises, Based on the ignition timing, the energization start timing at which the primary current starts to flow through the ignition coil 14 is determined. The energization interruption timing coincides with the fall timing of the IGt signal.

  The drive circuit 101 switches the transistor T6 on from the energization start timing determined by the closed angle control circuit 102, causes the primary current to flow through the ignition coil, and switches the transistor T6 to the off state at the cutoff timing. Cut off current. By applying a high voltage generated in the secondary coil of the ignition coil 14 to the ignition plug connected through the distributor 15 by this operation, the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder 4 is ignited.

  The overcurrent prevention circuit 103, the constant current control circuit 104, and the lock prevention circuit 105 are circuits provided for protecting the ignition coil 14 and the transistor T6, and the current is longer than the predetermined time in the coil 14 and the transistor T6. When the flow continues, the drive circuit 101 is forced to switch the transistor T6 to the off state.

  The IGf signal generation circuit 106 detects the back electromotive force generated in the ignition coil 14 when the primary current is cut off by switching the transistor T6 to the OFF state, and generates the above-described IGf signal. The IGf signal is a pulse signal in which a pulse rises almost in synchronization with the ignition timing. The IGf signal is given to the processing circuit 94 of the ignition control unit 91.

  The above-described processing circuit 94 determines that there is a misfire when the rising edge of the pulse of the IGf signal is not continuously detected while the internal combustion engine should rotate 1-2 times, and fails to stop the fuel injection of the misfired cylinder. Perform safe operation. Further, after the misfire of a certain cylinder is determined, when the rising of the pulse of the IGf signal is not detected during one further rotation of the internal combustion engine, it is determined that misfire has continuously occurred in all the cylinders.

  In the 4-cycle internal combustion engine 3 having a plurality of cylinders, while the crankshaft 22 rotates twice, the ignition plugs 12 of the respective cylinders are ignited once at substantially equal intervals. Therefore, in the four-cylinder four-cycle gasoline engine, the square pulse of the IGt signal and the pulse of the IGf signal rise four times while the crankshaft 22 of the internal combustion engine 3 rotates twice. The starter control circuit 31 measures, for example, an interval time between two successive pulses of each signal, and from the measured time and the relationship described above, the starter control circuit 31 performs a cranking by a method similar to the calculation method for the injection signal described above. The number of rotations of the shaft 22 is calculated backward.

  FIG. 8 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing specific electrical configurations of the Ne signal generation circuit 111, the G signal generation circuit 112, and the internal combustion engine control circuit 64 provided in the distributor 15. In this equivalent circuit diagram, among the circuit components of the fuel injection control unit 81 and the ignition control unit 91 described in FIGS. 6 and 7, only the processing circuits 83 and 94 and the input circuit 93 are shown, and the other circuits are output circuits. This is omitted as 108. Further, the input circuit 93 is divided into circuits 111 and 112, which are input circuits 93a and 93b, respectively.

  The Ne signal generating circuit 111 and the G signal generating circuit 112 include timing rotors 114 and 115 and pickup coils L4 and L5, respectively. One terminal of the pickup coil L4 is connected to the input circuits 93a and 93b, and the other terminal is grounded via the capacitor C1. The ground terminals of the input circuits 93a and 93b are grounded through the diode D2.

  For example, the distributor 15 sequentially connects the connection terminal of the ignition plug 12 of each cylinder arranged in a circle and the connection terminal of the ignition coil 14 to control the ignition timing for each cylinder. The distributor 15 is provided with a rotating shaft that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the contact point described above. The timing rotors 114 and 115 are fixed to the rotation shaft and rotate in synchronization with the rotation of the rotation shaft.

  The timing rotors 114 and 115 are fixed at different height positions along the central axis of the rotation axis. On the outer periphery of the timing rotors 114 and 115, one or a plurality of protrusions are arranged at equal intervals. The pickup coils L4 and L5 are disposed close to the outer periphery of the timing rotors 114 and 115 and are located at the same height as the corresponding timing rotors 114 and 115.

  The Ne signal and the G signal generated by the Ne signal and G signal generation circuits 111 and 112 are rectified by the input circuits 93a and 93b, subjected to level conversion, and then supplied to the processing circuits 83 and 94 via the auxiliary circuit 117. And used in the above-described processing. The auxiliary circuit 117 is a backup circuit for auxiliaryly generating the IGt signal when the processing circuits 83 and 94 fail and the IGt signal cannot be generated.

  When the rotating shaft of the distributor 15 rotates, the interval between the protrusions of the timing rotors 114 and 115 and the pickup coils L4 and L5 changes in conjunction with the rotation, so that the Ne signal and G signal of the AC signal are applied to the coils L4 and L5. Each occurs. The Ne signal and the G signal correspond to the rotation of the crankshaft 22 in the following relationship depending on the number of pickup coils L4 and L5 and the structure of the timing rotors 114 and 115.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the distributor 15 for showing the timing rotor 114 and the pickup coil L4 of the Ne signal generation circuit 111. On the outer periphery of the timing rotor 114, 24 protrusions are formed at equal intervals, and only one pickup coil L4 is installed. The Ne signal output from the Ne signal generation circuit 111 having such a structure vibrates 24 times during one rotation of the rotating shaft 119 as shown in FIG. That is, the time W1 for one cycle of the Ne signal is equal to the time required for the rotation shaft 119 of the distributor 15 to rotate 15 °. In a 4-cycle gasoline engine, the crankshaft 22 rotates twice while the rotating shaft 119 rotates once, so the time W1 is equal to the time required for the crankshaft 22 to rotate 30 °. The aforementioned starter control circuit 31 estimates the rotational speed of the crankshaft 22 using the Ne signal from the relationship between the time W1 and the rotational speed or rotational angle of the crankshaft.

  FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the distributor 15 for explaining a specific structure of the G signal generation circuit 112. The timing rotor 115 of the circuit 112 has two protrusions arranged at positions facing each other across the circle center of the rotor, and only one pickup coil L5 is installed. The timing rotor 115 is attached to the rotating shaft 119 so that the timing at which each protrusion approaches the pickup coil L5 coincides with the timing at which the piston of the internal combustion engine 3 reaches the top dead center position.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the G signal output from the G signal generating circuit 112 is a signal in which an AC waveform is generated twice during the time W2 in which the rotating shaft 119 of the distributor 15 rotates once, and the signal level is When the maximum level is reached, the piston reaches the top dead center position in the cylinder 4. When the internal combustion engine 3 is a four-cycle gasoline engine, one rotation of the rotating shaft 119 of the distributor 15 corresponds to two rotations of the crankshaft 22, so the interval between the maximum levels of two consecutive AC waveforms is This corresponds to the time required for one rotation of 22. The above-described starter control circuit 31 detects the timing at which the G signal reaches the maximum level, and back-calculates the rotational speed of the crankshaft 22 based on the relationship between this timing and the above-described rotational speed.

  The G signal generation circuit 112 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the timing rotor 115 has four protrusions at equal intervals and one pickup coil L5. As shown in FIG. 14, the G signal generating circuit 112a having this structure obtains a G signal in which an AC waveform is generated four times while the time W2 elapses. The interval time of the waveform of this signal corresponds to the time for which the crankshaft 22 makes a half rotation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a configuration in which the timing rotor 115 has only one protrusion and two pickup coils L5a and L5b are provided at positions facing each other with the rotating shaft 119 interposed therebetween is conceivable. From each pickup coil L5a, L5b of the G signal generation circuit 112b of this structure, as shown in FIG. 16, an AC waveform is generated once during time W2, and the generation timing of the AC waveform is half a cycle of each other. A G signal composed of two signals that are shifted is obtained. This G signal coincides with the G signal shown in FIG. 12 when the signals are superimposed. In the electronic apparatus having the G signal generating circuits 112a and 112b having such a structure, the interval between the pulses of each G signal is measured and the measured time is measured, as in the method of estimating the rotation speed from the G signal shown in FIG. And the rotation speed of the crankshaft 22 are calculated in reverse.

  As described above, the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine 3 can be estimated from various signals input to and output from the internal combustion engine control circuit 64. In addition, since the rotational speed estimation method using these signals can be performed in parallel, the rotational speed is estimated from a plurality of signals, and the average value of the rotational speeds estimated by the respective methods is obtained. The average value may be the value of the number of rotations used for the subsequent processing. This rotational speed estimation method is not limited to the starter control circuit 31 and may be implemented in the internal combustion engine control circuit 64. Further, the present invention may be implemented in various control circuits that use the rotation speed as a control parameter.

1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an electronic device 1 including a remote starter for an internal combustion engine 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a specific electrical configuration of a switching circuit 46 of the electronic device 1. FIG. 7 is an equivalent circuit diagram for explaining a specific electrical configuration of a switching circuit 76 which is another example of the switching circuit 46. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a remote start operation of the internal combustion engine 3 in the starter control circuit 31 of the electronic device 1 of FIG. 1. It is an equivalent circuit diagram for demonstrating the concrete electric constitution of the switching circuit 78 contained in the electronic device of another example of this invention. FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram illustrating specific electrical configurations of a fuel injection control unit 81 in an internal combustion engine control circuit 64 of the electronic device 1 of FIG. 1 and a fuel injection valve 8 of the internal combustion engine 3. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing specific electrical configurations of an ignition control unit 91 and an igniter 13 of an internal combustion engine control circuit 64 of the electronic device 1. FIG. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing specific electrical configurations of a Ne signal generation circuit 111, a G signal generation circuit 112, and an internal combustion engine control circuit 64 in the distributor 15 of the electronic device 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a distributor 15 showing a specific structure of an Ne signal generation circuit 111. FIG. FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram of an Ne signal output from the Ne signal generation circuit 111 in FIG. 9. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a distributor 15 for illustrating a specific structure of a G signal generation circuit 112. FIG. FIG. 11 is a waveform diagram of a G signal output from the G signal generation circuit 112 in FIG. 10. It is sectional drawing of the distributor 15 for demonstrating the G signal generation circuit 112a of another structure. FIG. 14 is a waveform diagram of a G signal output from the G signal generation circuit 112a of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the distributor 15 for demonstrating another structure of the G signal generation circuit 112b of another structure. It is a wave form diagram which shows G signal output from the G signal generation circuit 112b of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic device 3 Internal combustion engine 7 Throttle valve 8 Fuel injection valve 9 Accelerator pedal 10 Fuel tank 12 Spark plug 13 Igniter 15 Distributor 19 Cooling device 20 Lubrication device 26 Starter motor 31 Starter control circuit 34 Transmitter 38 Transmission circuit 39 Reception circuit 45, 46, 47; 76, 78 Switching circuit 52 Valve opening sensor 54 Fuel level sensor 55 Exhaust temperature sensor 56 Cooling water temperature sensor 57 Hydraulic pressure sensor 59 Vehicle speed sensor 60 Exhaust gas concentration sensor 61 Object intrusion sensor 62 Vibration sensor 64 Internal combustion engine control circuit 71 Auxiliary Relay Circuit 72 Control Relay Circuit 77 Field Effect Transistor 79 Fuse 111 Ne Signal Generation Circuit 112 G Signal Generation Circuit

Claims (17)

A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a fuel remaining amount measuring means for measuring the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the fuel remaining amount measured by the fuel remaining amount measuring means is less than a predetermined amount;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, it is determined whether or not there is a failure in the measurement means that measures at least a physical quantity that varies in accordance with the operating state of the internal combustion engine. Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the maintaining means;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote indicating means, at least an exhaust temperature measuring means for measuring an exhaust temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the exhaust gas temperature measured by the exhaust gas temperature measuring means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. Starting means for starting an internal combustion engine installed inside the vehicle and capable of being remotely started;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote indicating means, at least a hydraulic pressure measuring means for measuring the hydraulic pressure of the lubricating oil in the lubricating device of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the oil pressure measured by the oil pressure measuring means is less than a predetermined pressure;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a cooling water temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the cooling water in the cooling device of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the water temperature measured by the cooling water temperature measuring means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a valve opening degree measuring means for measuring a valve opening degree of a throttle valve that adjusts an intake amount of air sucked into the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the valve opening measured by the valve opening measuring means exceeds the minimum valve opening corresponding to the idle state of the internal combustion engine;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least a rotation speed estimation means for estimating the rotation speed of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine from a signal generated accompanying rotation of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the rotational speed estimated by the rotational speed estimation means exceeds the minimum rotational speed corresponding to the idle state of the internal combustion engine;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. The signal generated accompanying the rotation of the internal combustion engine is:
An injection signal given from the maintenance means to the internal combustion engine in order to control the injection timing of a fuel injection valve for supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine;
An ignition signal given from the maintenance means to the internal combustion engine in order to control the ignition timing of a spark plug for burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine;
A confirmation signal provided from the internal combustion engine to the maintenance means immediately after ignition of the air-fuel mixture by the spark plug in order to confirm combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine;
A crank angle signal given from the internal combustion engine to the maintaining means for detecting the rotation angle of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine from the rotation of the rotary shaft of the ignition timing control means for controlling the ignition timing of the spark plug; and the internal combustion engine In order to detect the top dead center position of the piston in the cylinder from the rotation of the rotating shaft rotating in synchronization with the crankshaft in the ignition timing control means for controlling the ignition timing of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder 8. The remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the remote starter is an at least one of crank angle reference position signals given from the engine to the maintaining means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
Vehicle speed measuring means for measuring at least the traveling speed of the vehicle in response to an instruction from the remote instruction means;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the traveling speed measured by the vehicle speed measuring means exceeds the stop state of the vehicle;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, at least an exhaust gas concentration measuring means for measuring the concentration in the space of exhaust gas discharged from the internal combustion engine and stored in a predetermined space;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when the concentration measured by the exhaust gas concentration measuring means is equal to or higher than a predetermined concentration;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, an object detection means for detecting an object that has entered the vehicle interior of the vehicle;
Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means when an intruding object is detected by the object detecting means;
A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising stop means for stopping at least one of the start means and the maintenance means in response to a stop signal from the control means.   The object detection means is any one of a radar and an ultrasonic sensor for detecting an object in a vehicle interior, and a vibration sensor for detecting vibration applied to the vehicle. 11. A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle according to 11. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, a physical quantity that varies in accordance with the operating state of the internal combustion engine is measured, and when the measured physical quantity indicates a state incompatible with the continuation of the operation of the internal combustion engine, starting means and maintenance are performed. Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the means;
In response to a stop signal from the control means, a power supply cutoff means for cutting off the supply of power to the at least one of the starting means and the maintaining means;
Supply detection means for detecting the presence or absence of power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means;
When the power detection means detects that power is supplied to the starting means and the maintaining means when power is cut off by the power supply cutoff means, or when power is supplied by the power supply cutoff means and A remote starter for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising: a failure determination unit that determines that the power supply cutoff unit has failed when it is detected that power to the maintenance unit is cut off. The power supply cutoff means is
Switching means for reversibly allowing or prohibiting power supply to the starting means and maintaining means, and forcibly prohibiting power supply when the failure determination means determines that the power supply cutoff means has failed;
Inspection means for determining whether or not the power supply interruption means and the switching means are faulty when the starting means and the maintenance means are stopped,
The power supply is permitted by the switching means, the power to the starting means and the maintaining means is interrupted by the power supply cutoff means, and the presence or absence of power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means is detected by the supply detecting means, and the power supply When it is detected that the power supply is interrupted, it is determined that the power supply interruption means is malfunctioning,
The power supply is prohibited by the switching means, the power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means is supplied by the power supply cutoff means, and the presence or absence of the power supply to the starting means and the maintaining means is detected by the supply detecting means. Inspection means for determining that the switching means is faulty when it is detected,
14. The internal combustion engine for a vehicle according to claim 13, wherein when the inspection means determines that at least one of the switching means and the power supply cutoff means is out of order, the operation of the starting means and the maintaining means is stopped. Remote starter. A starting means for starting an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle body and remotely startable;
Maintenance means for maintaining an idle state of the internal combustion engine started by the starting means;
Remote instruction means for instructing start of the internal combustion engine from outside the vehicle in order to operate the starting means and the maintaining means;
In response to an instruction from the remote instruction means, a physical quantity that varies in accordance with the operating state of the internal combustion engine is measured, and when the measured physical quantity indicates a state incompatible with the continuation of the operation of the internal combustion engine, starting means and maintenance are performed. Control means for generating a stop signal for stopping at least one of the means;
In response to a stop signal from the control means, power supply shut-off means for shutting off the power supply to either one of the starting means and the maintaining means;
Rotation detecting means for detecting presence or absence of rotation of the internal combustion engine;
And a failure determination unit that determines that the power supply cutoff unit is out of order when rotation of the internal combustion engine is detected by the rotation detection unit when the power is cut off by the power supply cutoff unit. Remote starter for internal combustion engine. The power supply cutoff means is
16. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a prohibiting unit for forcibly prohibiting power supply to the starting unit and the maintaining unit when the failure determination unit determines that the power supply cutoff unit has failed. Remote starter for an internal combustion engine for vehicles. A rotation speed detection device that detects a pulse signal generated accompanying rotation of an internal combustion engine and estimates the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine from a pulse interval of the pulse signal,
The pulse signal is
An injection signal for controlling the injection timing of a fuel injection valve for supplying fuel into the internal combustion engine;
An ignition signal for controlling the ignition timing of a spark plug for burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine,
A confirmation signal output immediately after ignition of the mixture by the spark plug to confirm combustion of the mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine;
The crank angle signal for detecting the rotation angle of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine from the rotation of the rotation shaft of the ignition timing control means for controlling the ignition timing of the spark plug, and the ignition timing for the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine Any one of the crank angle reference position signals for detecting the top dead center position of the piston in the cylinder from the rotation of the rotating shaft rotating in synchronization with the crankshaft in the ignition timing control means for controlling the engine An engine speed detector for an internal combustion engine.

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