JP2008298048A - Controller for glow plug - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a glow plug controller to control a current feed time to a glow plug optimally so as to make uniform a time required for starting an engine. <P>SOLUTION: The fundamental current feed time to the glow plug is set on the basis of a cooling water temperature and/or an outside air temperature, and whether a cranking time in previous run resulting from the drive of a starter after preheating for the fundamental current feed time is longer than an expected value (S11) or not is determined. If the result shows that the cranking time is longer than the expected value, a minute time t is added to a learning control portion, and the final current feed time of the glow plug is obtained by adding the learning control portion and the fundamental current feed time (S12). In the otherwise case that the cranking time is shorter than an expected value, a minute time t is subtracted from the learning control portion, and the final current feed time of the glow plug is obtained by adding the learning control portion after subtraction and the fundamental current feed time (S13). Thereby the current feed time of the glow plug is put under learning control, and it is possible to enhance starting characteristics, suppress power consumption, and prolong a battery lifetime. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a glow plug control device that sets an energization time of a glow plug based on a cooling water temperature.

  A compression ignition engine such as a diesel engine is equipped with a glow plug for each cylinder to preheat the combustion chamber at start-up. To improve startability and prevent wasteful power consumption, the glow plug must be energized. Appropriate control is required.

  The energization of the glow plug is generally controlled based on the engine coolant temperature. However, since the coolant temperature and the true temperature in the combustion chamber do not always coincide with each other, even if the combustion temperature has already been reached, the glow plug is heated. There is a risk that the temperature rises due to the energization of the plug and wasteful power is consumed.

  For this reason, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for adjusting the energization time of a glow plug according to the combustion chamber temperature, the outside air temperature, and the like, and Patent Literature 2 discloses a glow plug according to the outside air temperature. A technique for adjusting the energization time is disclosed.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for controlling the energization time of the glow plug by monitoring the temperature of the glow plug itself. Patent Document 3 detects the engine temperature and the combustion chamber temperature with a sensor. A technique for controlling the energization time of the glow plug is disclosed. Furthermore, Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for controlling the energization time in accordance with the engine water temperature in consideration of the operation state at the time of ignition off and the elapsed time thereafter.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-55627 JP 59-25084 A JP 59-41673 A JP 59-108875 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-146267

  However, the conventional techniques as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 only adjust the energization time of the glow plug from the cooling water temperature, the outside air temperature, the combustion chamber temperature, etc., and the cranking time at the time of actual engine start-up Is not taken into consideration, there is a possibility that the time required for starting may vary, and this does not necessarily lead to an improvement in engine startability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a glow plug control device capable of optimally controlling the energization time of a glow plug and equalizing the time required for starting the engine.

  In order to achieve the above object, a glow plug control device according to the present invention is a glow plug control device that sets an energization time of a glow plug based on a cooling water temperature when the engine is started. The basic energizing time setting means for correcting the energizing time of the engine based on the time from the engine stop and the outside air temperature, and setting the basic energizing time as the basic energizing time, and the learning correction for the basic energizing time based on the cranking time of the engine, Learning correction means for setting a final energization time.

  According to the present invention, the energization time of the glow plug is optimally controlled, the time required for engine start can be made uniform, and startability can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a glow plug control device, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship among combustion chamber temperature, cooling water temperature, and outside air temperature after the engine is stopped. 3 is a flowchart of basic energization time setting processing, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of learning control processing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the glow plug control device according to the present embodiment has a transmission 1 connected continuously based on a power control device 50 that manages and controls the power supplied to each unit and a signal from the power supply ECU 50. An engine control device 60 that controls a diesel engine (hereinafter simply referred to as “engine”) 2, and a glow control that is provided for each cylinder of the engine 2 and performs energization control of a glow plug 3 for heating air in the combustion chamber The apparatus 70 is mainly configured. Each of the power control device 50, the engine control device 60, and the glow control device 70 is an electronic control unit (ECU) composed of a microcomputer or the like, and includes the power control device 50, the engine control device 60, and the glow control. The devices 70 are referred to as a power supply ECU 50, an engine ECU 60, and a glow ECU 70, respectively.

  Reference numeral 80 denotes an air conditioner control unit that detects the outside air temperature and controls the air conditioner. A signal from the outside air temperature sensor 81 connected to the air conditioner control unit 80 is transmitted from the air conditioner control unit 80 to the engine ECU 60. .

  Further, in the present embodiment, a manual transmission is described as an example of the transmission 1 connected to the engine 2, but it is needless to say that an automatic transmission may be used. Furthermore, the energization control of the glow plug 3 may be performed by the engine ECU 60 without providing the dedicated glow ECU 70.

  The starting system of the engine 2 is composed of a starter 5 connected to the engine 2 and a relay connected to the starter 5 and controlled by the power supply ECU 50 and the engine ECU 60 and switches serving as signal input sources. Yes. The starter 5 has a power terminal (magnet switch fixed contact side terminal) directly connected to the battery 6 and an S terminal (magnet switch coil side terminal) from the starter relay 7 via the starter cut relay 8 to the ignition relay 9. Is connected to the battery 6 through the contact of each relay.

  The starter relay 7 and the ignition relay 9 are normally open contact type relays, and the starter cut relay 8 is a normally closed contact type relay. Among these relays 7, 8, 9, the starter relay 7 and the starter cut relay 8 are connected so as to be driven by the engine ECU 60, and the ignition relay 9 is connected so as to be driven by the power supply ECU 50.

  In other words, the relay coil of the starter relay 7 is connected to the battery 6 via the clutch start switch 10 whose one terminal is turned on by depression of the clutch pedal 4 that engages and disengages the clutch of the manual transmission 1, and the other terminal is the engine ECU 60. Is connected to the output terminal. The relay coil of the starter cut relay 8 has one terminal connected to the battery 6 via the relay contact of the ignition relay 9 and the other terminal connected to the output terminal of the engine ECU 60. The relay coil of the ignition relay 9 has one terminal connected to the output terminal of the power supply ECU 50 and the other terminal grounded.

  Connected to the power supply ECU 50 is a push button type start switch 11 that is pressed by the driver. The start switch 11 is a push switch that turns ON only when it is pressed, and returns to its original position when it is released, and turns OFF. The driver's pressing operation of the start switch 11 is detected by the power supply ECU 50, and this operation state is established. In response, the ignition relay 9 is turned ON / OFF, and a start signal by a pressing operation of the start switch 11 is transmitted to the engine ECU 60.

  That is, when the driver is not stepping on the clutch pedal 4 (the clutch engagement state of the manual transmission 1), the power supply ECU 50 presses the start switch 11 for a short time and turns off the power supply via a relay (not shown). When the accessory power supply is turned on, and the start switch 11 is pressed next, the ignition relay 9 is turned on to turn on the ignition power supply. If the start switch 11 is further pressed while the ignition power is on, the ignition relay 9 is turned off to turn off the ignition power.

  On the other hand, in a state where the driver is depressing the clutch pedal 4 (clutch release state of the manual transmission 1), when the start switch 11 is pressed for a short time, the ignition relay 9 is turned on, and the engine ECU 60 is energized to the starter 5 It will be in a standby state. The output terminal of the power supply ECU 50 that outputs the operation state of the start switch 11 is connected to the input terminal of the engine ECU 60, and the clutch start switch 10, the neutral switch 12, and the S terminal of the starter 5 are connected.

  The clutch start switch 10 is also connected to the input terminal of the power supply ECU 50. Further, the neutral switch 12 is turned on (contact closed) when the gear position of the manual transmission 1 is neutral.

  The engine ECU 60 receives a start signal from the power supply ECU 50 by depressing the start switch 11 while recognizing the depression of the clutch due to the clutch start switch 10 being turned ON. When starting is determined, a control command instructing the glow plug 70 to start energization of the glow plug 3 is transmitted to the glow ECU 70, and the starter relay 7 is held OFF until the preheating of the engine 2 by energization of the glow plug 3 is completed. )

  Upon receiving a glow plug energization start command from the engine ECU 60, the glow ECU 70 starts energizing the glow plug 3 and lights the glow lamp 13 disposed on the instrument panel of the vehicle. Then, when the preheating by the glow plug 3 is completed, the glow ECU 70 turns off the glow lamp 13 and transmits a signal notifying the completion of the preheating to the engine ECU 60, and continues energizing the glow plug 3 until the after glow is completed. To do.

  When the glow standby engine ECU 60 receives a preheat completion signal from the glow ECU 70, the starter relay 7 is turned on and the relay contact is turned on when the clutch start switch 10 is ON (the clutch pedal 4 is depressed). The engine 2 is started and the starter 5 is rotated to start the engine 2.

  In the present embodiment, the energization control of the glow plug 3 is performed by the glow ECU 70, and the glow ECU 70 realizes each function means (basic energization time setting means, learning correction means) described below.

  That is, the glow ECU 70 determines the energization time set based on the cooling water temperature of the engine 2 detected by the water temperature sensor 14 and the elapsed time from the engine stop (time until restart) and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 81. Based on the above, the energization time after the correction is set as the basic energization time that is regarded as the completion of preheating. Further, the glow ECU 70 adjusts the time until energization of the glow plug 3 is completed by learning based on the drive time of the starter 5 with respect to the basic energization time in consideration of the cooling water temperature, the elapsed time after the engine stop, and the outside air temperature. And set the final energization time.

  That is, in general, the relationship between the temperature in the combustion chamber after the engine is stopped and the cooling water temperature of the engine is, as shown in FIG. 2, the temperature in the combustion chamber quickly decreases with time and eventually becomes the same as the cooling water temperature. . Also, since the difference between the cooling water temperature and the combustion chamber temperature differs depending on the outside air temperature, the uniform energization time setting from the cooling water temperature is not always optimal, especially when restarting after a short time after the engine is stopped. It's not time.

  Therefore, the glow ECU 70 corrects the energization time based on the cooling water temperature based on the elapsed time from the engine stop and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 81, thereby improving the temperature estimation accuracy in the combustion chamber, and By adjusting the energization time by learning control, wasteful power consumption due to excessive energization is prevented.

  The learning control for the energization time of the glow plug 3 measures the cranking time when the starter 5 is rotated, and controls the energization time of the glow plug 3 based on this measured value. When starting the engine ECU 60 after the temperature is raised by the glow plug 3, the engine ECU 60 rotates the starter 5 to measure the time when the engine is cranked, and transmits the cranking time to the glow ECU 70.

  The glow ECU 70 compares the previous cranking time with an expected value (for example, 1.0 sec). If the cranking time is longer than the expected value, the glow ECU 3 gradually sets the energization time of the glow plug 3 to increase the cranking time. Is shorter than the expected value, learning is performed by gradually setting the energization time of the glow plug 3 to facilitate the temperature increase when the temperature in the combustion chamber is insufficient and the temperature increase is completed. To prevent wasteful power consumption.

  The energization time of the glow plug 3 may be set by the engine ECU 60. In that case, the engine ECU 60 corrects the energization time based on the coolant temperature based on the elapsed time from the engine stop and the outside air temperature, and further transmits the final energization time adjusted by the learning control to the glow ECU 70. To do. The glow ECU 70 controls the energization of the glow plug 3 by receiving the energization time transmitted from the engine ECU 60 and setting it in a timer.

  Specifically, the energization control process of the glow plug 3 is executed according to the procedure shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4. The flowchart in FIG. 3 shows a process for setting the basic energization time of the glow plug 3, and the flowchart in FIG. 4 shows a learning control process.

  First, the basic energization time setting process shown in FIG. 3 will be described. In this process, in the first step S1, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from engine stop to restart is longer than a determination value. This determination value is a time parameter that is set depending on the outside air temperature from the relationship between the combustion chamber temperature and the cooling water temperature after the engine is stopped (see FIG. 2). When the outside air temperature is high, the time is relatively short. When the outside air temperature is low, it is set to a long time.

  Specifically, for example, considering the characteristics of the glow plug 3 and the engine 2, the time until the combustion chamber temperature becomes substantially equal to the cooling water temperature after the engine is stopped is obtained as a parameter by an experiment or simulation in advance. The obtained time is tabulated as a determination value (see FIG. 2). Then, the determination value is set by searching the table using the outside air temperature as a parameter.

  In step S1, when the elapsed time after the engine stop is longer than the determination value, the process proceeds from step S1 to step S2, and the energization time obtained by the table search using the cooling water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 14 is determined. Set as basic energizing time and exit this process. In this case, after the engine is stopped, a sufficient time has passed to become equal to the combustion chamber temperature and the cooling water temperature. Therefore, the energization time set based on the normal cooling water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 14 is used. In particular, it does not require correction by outside temperature.

  On the other hand, when the elapsed time after the engine stop is shorter than the determination value, the process proceeds from step S1 to step S3, and it is determined whether or not the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 81 is higher than the threshold value. This threshold value is a threshold value for determining whether or not the difference between the combustion chamber temperature and the cooling water temperature can be ignored even when the time until restart is short, and is a fixed value (for example, 20 ° C.). Alternatively, it is a table value set in the relationship between the cooling water temperature and the outside air temperature.

  When it is determined that the outside air temperature is higher than the threshold value and the difference between the combustion chamber temperature and the cooling water temperature can be ignored, the process branches from step S3 to step S2 described above, and the energization time is set according to the normal cooling water temperature. I do.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the outside air temperature is lower than the threshold value and the difference between the combustion chamber temperature and the cooling water temperature needs to be corrected, the process proceeds from step S3 to step S4, and the detected value of the cooling water temperature by the water temperature sensor 14 is detected. Correct. That is, when the outside air temperature is low, it is presumed that the combustion chamber temperature rapidly decreases below the cooling water temperature after the engine is stopped and the difference between the two is increased. The glow plug 3 has insufficient energization time and cannot perform sufficient preheating.

  For this reason, the detected value of the cooling water temperature by the water temperature sensor 14 is corrected with a correction value based on the outside air temperature, so that the water temperature is lower than the sensor value. In step S5, the table is searched using the corrected water temperature to set the energization time, and this process is set as the basic energization time of the glow plug 3 and the process is exited.

  With respect to the basic energization time of the glow plug 3 set as described above, the time is further adjusted by the learning control process shown in FIG. 4, and the time until the energization is finally ended is determined. Next, this learning control process will be described.

  In the learning control process of FIG. 4, whether or not the cranking time by driving the starter 5 after the temperature is raised by the glow plug 3 (after completion of preheating by the basic energizing time) in the first step S11 is longer than the expected value. Determine whether. This expected value is a target value (for example, 1.0 sec) of a typical cranking time determined from the characteristics of the glow plug 3 and the engine 2.

  As a result, if the cranking time in the previous engine start is longer than the expected value, it is determined that the temperature of the combustion chamber is insufficient, and the routine proceeds from step S11 to step S12, where the minute time t is included in the learning control. And the learning control and the basic energization time are combined to obtain the final energization time of the glow plug 3.

  On the other hand, if the cranking time is shorter than the expected value, it is determined that the temperature of the combustion chamber is sufficiently high, the process proceeds from step S11 to step S13, and the minute time t is subtracted from the learning control amount, and learning after this subtraction is performed. The control portion and the basic energization time are combined to obtain the final energization time of the glow plug 3.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the temperature in the combustion chamber is estimated from the elapsed time from engine stop to restart and the outside air temperature, and the glow plug 3 is energized based on the estimation result, and the time required for cranking is determined. By performing learning control of the energization time of the glow plug 3, it is possible to equalize the time required for starting the engine, improving startability, suppressing power consumption, and extending the battery life.

Configuration diagram of glow plug control device Explanatory drawing showing the relationship between combustion chamber temperature, cooling water temperature and outside air temperature after engine stop Flow chart of basic energization time setting process Flow chart of learning control processing

Explanation of symbols

2 Engine 3 Glow plug 5 Starter 14 Water temperature sensor 60 Engine control device 70 Glow control device 81 Outside air temperature sensor

Claims (2)

In the glow plug control device that sets the energization time of the glow plug based on the cooling water temperature when starting the engine,
Basic energization time setting means for correcting the energization time of the glow plug set from the cooling water temperature based on the time from the engine stop and the outside air temperature, and setting as a basic energization time;
A glow plug control device comprising: learning correction means for learning and correcting the basic energization time based on an engine cranking time and setting a final energization time. The learning correction means is
When the cranking time at the previous start is shorter than the target value, the basic energization time at the current start is extended. When the cranking time at the previous start is longer than the target value, the basic energization time at the current start is shortened. The glow plug control device according to claim 1, wherein learning correction is performed.

Images