JP2009250038A - Start control device for vehicle and method of controlling start for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power supply control device for a vehicle for avoiding any consequence in which an engine becomes impossible to be started by a progress of battery deterioration because a user postpones battery exchange disregarding battery deterioration notification. <P>SOLUTION: The power supply control device includes a starter control part for supplying electric power to a starter motor by controlling a main connector in response to an engine start request, and a reset detection part for detecting a temporary stop based on a drop of a power-supply voltage at an engine control part for controlling essential control for the engine start by using a battery for the power supply. The starter control part suppresses the electric power supplied to the starter motor when the electric power is supplied to the starter motor in response to a first engine start request after a temporary stop of the engine control part is detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle start control device and a vehicle start control method for controlling start of an engine, and more particularly to a vehicle start control device and a vehicle start control method for controlling electric power supplied to a starter motor. .

  There is a starter device as a device for starting an engine such as a vehicle. The starter device drives the starter motor by supplying battery power to the starter motor via the main contactor, and starts the engine by rotating the output shaft of the engine. Here, the main contactor is also called an electromagnetic switch, and performs a switching function by moving a movable contact by exciting a coil. The main contactor mechanically connects the output shaft of the starter motor and the output shaft of the engine only when the starter motor is driven by using the movement of the movable contact.

In the starter device, there is a technique for performing PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control in order to adjust the power supplied to the starter motor. Patent Document 1 discloses a starter device that performs PWM control. The starter device of Patent Document 1 uses PWM control to adjust the rise of power supplied to the starter motor. Moreover, the starter apparatus of patent document 1 slows the moving speed of a movable contact by adjusting the electric power supplied to the coil of a main contactor using PWM control. As a result, the starter device of Patent Document 1 mitigates the impact that occurs when the output shaft of the starter motor and the output shaft of the engine are mechanically connected.
JP 2003-120381 A

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.

  The starter motor requires a large amount of power to rotate the output shaft of the engine. For this reason, when the power of the battery is supplied to the starter motor to drive the starter motor, a voltage drop of the battery occurs. Here, the electric power of the battery is also supplied to an ECU (hereinafter referred to as an engine control unit) that performs an essential control for starting and operating the engine such as an EFI-ECU (Electronic Fuel Injection-Electronic Control Unit). Therefore, when the battery is deteriorated or the like, a large voltage is supplied to the starter motor and a large voltage drop occurs, so that the voltage supplied to the engine control unit is also greatly reduced and the engine control unit temporarily Stop and restart. As a result, a situation occurs in which the engine cannot be started. The technique of Patent Document 1 cannot cope with the engine control unit being stopped and restarted due to a voltage drop, and the above situation cannot be avoided.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem. When the battery is deteriorated, the supply voltage to the engine control unit is greatly reduced due to the large power supply to the starter motor. Then, the engine control unit temporarily stops and restarts. As a result, even when the engine fails to start, a vehicle start control device and a vehicle start control method are provided that can start the engine. It is to be.

  The present invention is directed to a vehicle start control device that starts an engine by supplying battery power to a starter motor via a main contactor. In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle start control device according to the present invention controls a main contactor to supply power to a starter motor in response to an engine start request, and to start an engine. A reset detection unit that detects a temporary stop based on a drop in the power supply voltage of the engine control unit that performs essential control using a battery as a power source, and the starter control unit first detects a temporary stop of the engine control unit. When power is supplied to the starter motor in response to the engine start request, the power supplied to the starter motor is suppressed.

  Thus, in the vehicle start control device of the present invention, when the battery is deteriorated, the EFI-ECU or the like essential for engine start or the like temporarily stops due to the voltage drop of the battery due to the starter motor drive. The engine can be started avoiding this.

  The reset detection unit and the starter control unit may use a battery as a power source and be driven at a lower voltage than the engine control unit.

  Thus, the vehicle start control device of the present invention can use the power source used by the engine control unit and the starter motor.

  Preferably, the suppressed power supplied to the starter motor is power that increases from the initial power.

  Thus, the vehicle start control device of the present invention can start the engine more reliably when the battery is deteriorated or the like.

  Preferably, the starter control unit detects start of the engine, supplies power suppressed to the starter motor, and reduces power supplied to the starter motor when the start of the engine is detected by a predetermined amount. Update initial power.

  Thus, the vehicle start control device of the present invention can shorten the time required for starting the engine when the battery is deteriorated or the like.

  The present invention is also directed to a vehicle start control method for starting an engine by supplying battery power to a starter motor via a main contactor. In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle start control method of the present invention is essential for starting the engine, and a start step for supplying power to the starter motor by controlling the main contactor in response to the engine start request. A reset detection step for detecting a temporary stop based on a drop in the power supply voltage of the engine control unit that uses a battery as a power source. In the start step, the first engine after detecting a temporary stop of the engine control unit When power is supplied to the starter motor in response to the start request, the power supplied to the starter motor is suppressed.

  Thus, in the vehicle start control method according to the present invention, when the battery is deteriorated, the EFI-ECU or the like essential for starting the engine temporarily stops due to the voltage drop of the battery due to the starter motor drive. The engine can be started avoiding this.

  Preferably, the suppressed power supplied to the starter motor in the starting step is power that increases from the initial power.

  Thereby, the vehicle start control method of the present invention can start the engine more reliably when the battery is deteriorated or the like.

  Preferably, in the starting step, the start of the engine is further detected, the suppressed power is supplied to the starter motor, and the power supplied to the starter motor at the time when the start of the engine is detected is reduced to a predetermined amount of power. Update initial power.

  As a result, the vehicle start control method of the present invention can reduce the time required for starting the engine when the battery is deteriorated or the like.

  According to the vehicle start control device and the vehicle start control method of the present invention, when engine start fails due to a temporary stop of the engine control unit, power supply to the starter motor is suppressed to start the engine. Thus, the vehicle start control device and the vehicle start control method according to the present invention can prevent the engine start from failing due to a temporary stop of the engine control unit due to a voltage drop accompanying a large power supply to the starter motor. Can start the engine.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a vehicle start control device 100 according to a first embodiment provided in an engine control device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the engine control device 10 includes a vehicle start control device 100 according to the present invention, a battery 1, a main contactor 2, a starter motor 3, and an engine control unit 4. One end of the battery 1 is grounded, and the other end is connected to the input terminal of the main contactor 2 and the power supply terminal of the engine control unit 4. The output terminal of the main contactor 2 is connected to one end of the starter motor 3. The other end of the starter motor 3 is grounded. The engine control unit 4 is connected to an input terminal of an engine (not shown) and the vehicle start control device 100. The output terminal of the vehicle start control device 100 is connected to the control terminal of the main contactor 2.

  The vehicle start control device 100 includes a reset detection unit 5 and a starter control unit 6. One end of the reset detection unit 5 is connected to the input terminal of the vehicle start control device 100, and the other end is connected to one end of the starter control unit 6. The other end of the starter control unit 6 is connected to the output terminal of the vehicle start control device 100.

  The starter motor 3 is supplied with electric power from the battery 1 via the main contactor 2 and starts the engine. The engine control unit 4 receives power supply from the battery 1 and controls the operation of the engine. The engine control unit 4 is, for example, an EFI-ECU, and the engine stops when the operation of the engine control unit 4 becomes incomplete or stops. The main contactor 2 is also called an electromagnetic switch, and performs a switching function by moving a movable contact (not shown) by exciting a coil. The main contactor 2 mechanically connects the output shaft of the starter motor 3 and the output shaft of the engine only when the starter motor 3 is driven by using the movement of the movable contact. The vehicle start control device 100 controls the main contactor 2 to supply electric power from the battery 1 to the starter motor 3 to start the engine.

  The reset detection unit 5 and the starter control unit 6 included in the vehicle start control device 100 use the battery 1 as a power source, and the minimum operation voltage of the reset detection unit 5 and the starter control unit 6 is the minimum operation voltage of the engine control unit 4. Lower than.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle start control device 100 according to the first embodiment. Below, with reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2, operation | movement of the starting control apparatus 100 for vehicles is demonstrated.

  First, in step S101, the starter control unit 6 stands by until there is an engine start request, and when there is an engine start request, the process proceeds to step S102. The engine start request is made, for example, when the user presses an engine start button.

  In step S102, the starter control unit 6 performs an operation of starting the engine. Specifically, the starter control unit 6 controls the main contactor 2 to supply the power of the battery 1 to the starter motor 3 to drive the starter motor 3. The power supplied to the starter motor 3 in step S102 is the power supplied at the normal start. That is, the starter control unit 6 performs a normal engine start operation.

  Next, in step S103, the starter control unit 6 detects whether or not the engine has started. The starter control unit 6 detects the start of the engine, for example, by measuring the combustion state in the engine. When the starter control unit 6 detects the start of the engine, the operation of the vehicle start control device 100 ends. If the starter control unit 6 does not detect the start of the engine, the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S <b> 104, the reset detection unit 5 detects whether or not the cause of the engine not starting is a temporary stop of the engine control unit 4. Here, the temporary stop of the engine control unit 4 during the engine start operation is highly likely due to a voltage drop of the battery 1 caused by the power supply to the starter motor 3 as described above. The reset detection unit 5 may receive the notification from the engine control unit 4 and perform the detection in step S104, or monitor the engine control unit 4 and perform the detection in step S104. When the cause of the engine not starting is not the temporary stop of the engine control unit 4, the operation of the vehicle start control device 100 ends. If the cause of the engine not starting is the temporary stop of the engine control unit 4, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, the starter control unit 6 stands by until there is an engine start request, and when there is an engine start request, the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S <b> 106, the starter control unit 6 controls the main contactor 2 to supply the power of the battery 1 to the starter motor 3. The power that the starter control unit 6 supplies to the starter motor 3 in step S105 is a power that is lower than the power supplied in step S102. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of electric power that the starter control unit 6 supplies to the starter motor 3 in step S106 of FIG. In FIG. 3, as an example, the power supplied to the starter motor 3 in step S <b> 102 of FIG. 2 (power supplied during normal start) is 100%. In FIG. 3, as an example, the minimum power required for starting the engine is 20%, and the minimum power 20% is set as the initial power. Hereinafter, the operation of step S106 will be described in detail.

  In step S <b> 106, the starter control unit 6 controls the main contactor 2 to supply the starter motor 3 with electric power that gradually increases starting from the initial electric power of 20%. FIG. 3 shows a case where the engine is started when the power supplied to the tarter motor 3 is increased to 60% as an example. When the engine is started in step S106, the operation of the vehicle start control device 100 ends. The operation of the vehicle start control device 100 is also terminated when the engine does not start because the battery 1 is significantly deteriorated. The control performed by the starter control unit 6 in step S106 is, for example, PWM control. The starter control unit 6 may realize PWM control by moving an operating contact (not shown) of the main contactor 2. The main contactor 2 may include a PWM control switch (not shown), and the starter control unit 6 may implement PWM control using the switch.

  As described above, when the engine start failure is a temporary stop of the engine control unit 4, the vehicle start control device 100 according to the first embodiment responds to the next engine start request, An engine starting operation is performed by supplying the starter motor 3 with the suppression power that gradually increases. As a result, the vehicle start control device 100 can start the engine even if the start of the engine fails due to a temporary stop of the engine control unit due to a voltage drop accompanying the power supply to the starter motor 3. As a result, the vehicle start control device 100 can reduce the situation where the engine cannot be started due to the deterioration of the battery 1.

(Second Embodiment)
The vehicle start control device 200 according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which the starter control unit 6 is replaced with a starter control unit 26 with respect to the vehicle start control device 100 according to the first embodiment. It is characterized in that the initial power in step S106 described in 2 is updated. Hereinafter, the vehicle start control device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in the second embodiment, as a general rule, the description of the contents superimposed on the first embodiment is omitted.

  The vehicle start control device 200 controls the main contactor 2 to supply the power of the battery 1 to the starter motor 3 and start the engine. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the reset detection unit 5 and the starter control unit 26 use the battery 1 as a power source, and the minimum operation voltage of the reset detection unit 5 and the starter control unit 26 is the minimum operation voltage of the engine control unit 4. Lower than.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle start control device 200 according to the second embodiment. The flowchart of FIG. 4 is obtained by adding steps S107 and S108 after step S106 to the flowchart of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment. Accordingly, the description of the contents described using the flowchart of FIG. 2 is omitted in principle. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the initial power of the power supplied to the starter motor 3 by the starter control unit 26 in step S106 of FIG. In FIG. 5, as an example, the power supplied to the starter motor 3 in step S102 of FIG. Below, with reference to FIG.1, FIG4 and FIG.5, operation | movement of the starting control apparatus 200 for vehicles is demonstrated.

  In step S106, the starter control unit 26 controls the main contactor 2 to supply the starter motor 3 with electric power that gradually increases starting from the initial electric power of 30% (see FIG. 5). The initial power 30% used by the starter control unit 26 in step S106 is the initial power determined and updated by the operation in step S108 described later when the user desires to start the engine last time and the series of operations in FIG. 4 is performed. It is. The control performed by the starter control unit 26 in step S106 is, for example, PWM control. The starter control unit 26 may realize PWM control by moving the operating contact of the main contactor 2. Further, the main contactor 2 may be provided with a switch for PWM control, and the starter control unit 26 may realize PWM control using the switch.

  Next, in step S107, the starter control unit 26 detects whether or not the engine has started. When the engine does not start, the operation of the vehicle start control device 100 ends. When the engine is started, the process proceeds to step S108. FIG. 5 shows, as an example, a case where the engine is started when 60% of electric power is supplied to the starter motor 3.

  In step S108, the starter control unit 26 determines and updates the initial power of the power supplied to the starter motor 3 used in step S106 according to the power supplied to the starter motor 3 when the engine is started. Thereafter, the operation of the vehicle start control device 200 ends. The initial power determined and updated in step S108 is used as the initial power in step S106 when the user desires to start the engine next time and the series of operations in FIG. 4 is performed.

  Hereinafter, a method of determining and updating the initial power supplied to the starter motor 3 used in step S106 by the starter control unit 26 in step S108 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, in step S106, the engine is started when the power supplied to the starter motor 3 is 60%. The starter control unit 26 determines and updates the supply power that is lower than the supply power 60% at the start of the engine by a predetermined power as the initial power. In FIG. 5, as an example, the starter control unit 26 determines and updates the supplied power 40%, which is smaller by the predetermined power 20% than the supplied power 60% when starting the engine, as the initial power.

  With the configuration and operation described above, the vehicle start control device 200 according to the second embodiment can obtain the same effects as the vehicle start control device 100 according to the first embodiment. In addition, the vehicle start control device 200 according to the second embodiment uses the starter motor used in step S106 in FIG. 4 according to the power supplied to the starter motor 3 at the time when the engine is started in step S108 in FIG. The initial power supplied to 3 is determined and updated. Thus, the vehicle start control device 200 according to the second embodiment can start the engine quickly when the user wants to start the engine next time and performs a series of engine start operations.

  In the first and second embodiments, the reset detection unit 5 is connected to the engine control unit 4 (see FIG. 1), and detects the step S104 by receiving a notification from the engine control unit 4 or the like. . However, the reset detection unit 5 may detect the step S104 by monitoring the voltage of the battery 1 without being connected to the engine control unit 4. In this case, the reset detection unit 5 stores the minimum operating voltage of the engine control unit 4, and performs the determination in step S104 based on the minimum operating voltage.

  In the first and second embodiments, the starter control unit 6 or 26 performs the engine start operation using the electric power that increases stepwise in step S106 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). However, the starter control unit 6 or 26 may perform the engine start operation using continuously increasing electric power.

  In the first and second embodiments, the reset detection unit 5 and the starter control unit 6 or 26 have been described assuming that the battery 1 is used as a power source and the minimum operating voltage is lower than that of the engine control unit 4. However, the reset detection unit 5 and the starter control unit 6 or 26 do not need to have a minimum operating voltage lower than that of the engine control unit 4 when a power source different from the battery 1 is used.

  The present invention can be used for a vehicle start control device, a vehicle start control method, and the like, and is particularly useful when starting an engine when the battery is deteriorated.

The figure for demonstrating the vehicle starting control apparatus 100 which concerns on 1st Embodiment with which the engine control apparatus 10 is equipped. A flow chart for explaining operation of starting control device 100 for vehicles concerning a 1st embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of electric power that the starter control unit 6 supplies to the starter motor 3 in step S106 of FIG. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the vehicle starting control apparatus 200 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the initial electric power of the electric power which the starter control part 26 supplies to the starter motor 3 in FIG.4 S106.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery 2 Main contactor 3 Starter motor 4 Engine control part 5 Reset detection part 6, 26 Starter control part 10 Engine control apparatus 100, 200 Start control apparatus for vehicles

Claims (7)

A start control device for a vehicle that starts an engine by supplying battery power to a starter motor via a main contactor,
In response to an engine start request, a starter controller that controls the main contactor to supply power to the starter motor;
A reset detection unit that detects a temporary stop based on a drop in power supply voltage of an engine control unit that performs control essential for starting the engine using the battery as a power source;
The starter control unit suppresses power supplied to the starter motor when supplying power to the starter motor in response to the first engine start request after detecting a temporary stop of the engine control unit. A start control device for a vehicle characterized by the above.   2. The vehicle start control device according to claim 1, wherein the reset detection unit and the starter control unit use the battery as a power source and can be driven at a lower voltage than the engine control unit.   2. The vehicle start control device according to claim 1, wherein the suppressed power supplied to the starter motor is power that increases from initial power.   The starter control unit detects the start of the engine, supplies the starter motor with suppressed power, and reduces the power to a predetermined amount less than the power supplied to the starter motor when the start of the engine is detected. The start control device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the initial power is updated. A vehicle start control method for starting an engine by supplying battery power to a starter motor via a main contactor,
In response to an engine start request, a start step for controlling the main contactor to supply power to the starter motor;
A reset detection step of detecting a temporary stop based on a drop in power supply voltage of an engine control unit that performs control essential for starting the engine using the battery as a power source,
In the starting step, when power is supplied to the starter motor in response to the first engine start request after detecting the temporary stop of the engine control unit, the power supplied to the starter motor is suppressed. A start control method for a vehicle characterized by the above.   6. The vehicle start control method according to claim 5, wherein the suppressed power supplied to the starter motor in the start step is power that increases from initial power.   In the starting step, the engine start is detected, the suppressed power is supplied to the starter motor, and the initial power is reduced to a predetermined amount less than the power supplied to the starter motor when the start of the engine is detected. The vehicle start control method according to claim 6, wherein the electric power is updated.

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