JP2012072709A - Starter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a starter which is capable of shortening an engine start time period, suppressing an electric power consumption, additionally preventing a plunger stopper from projecting in one direction, and is highly reliable, and to standardize components.SOLUTION: A cam (22) is disposed to a plunger (15) of a magnet switch (8). A stepper motor (24) is connected to a cam shaft (23) of the cam (22). The stepper motor (24) is driven so that the plunger (15) of the magnet switch (8) is retained by the cam (22) while the ring gear (4) of an engine (1) is meshed with the pinion (12) of a starter motor (6).

Description

  The present invention relates to a starter, and more particularly, to a starter that controls starting of an engine idling stop mechanism.

Some vehicles have an engine equipped with an idling stop mechanism that is controlled by a starter.
The starter includes an engine ring gear and a starter motor that transmits rotation to the ring gear in a state where the ring gear and the pinion mesh with each other. The pinion and the plunger of the magnet switch are connected by an arm, and the ring gear is energized by energizing the magnet switch. And the pinion are engaged with each other, and the engagement between the ring gear and the pinion is released by de-energizing the magnet switch.

JP 2000-45920 A JP 2002-89422 A

An engine starter according to Patent Document 1 rotates a ring gear by rotating a pinion by a starter motor in a meshed state of the ring gear and the pinion based on an engine start instruction. And the pinion are released.
The vehicle starter according to Patent Document 2 is intended to reduce the engine start time from the idling stop and reduce power consumption by previously engaging the pinion with the ring gear at the time of idling stop.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 9, in the starter, in order to maintain the state in which the pinion is engaged with the ring gear, the magnet switch remains energized, so that power consumption increases. Therefore, usually, a method of keeping the magnet switch in a non-energized state has been adopted. Then, there is an engine start command, the energization of the magnet switch is started (time t1), and the starter motor is driven after the time until the meshing between the pinion and the ring gear is completed. Until (time t2), there is a disadvantage that a delay T occurs and the engine speed does not increase rapidly.
For this reason, when the engine is restarted by operating the idling stop mechanism by the starter motor, it has been desired to shorten the time from when the restart command is received until the start of the engine is completed as much as possible.
In Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, the time from when the engine restart command is received until the start of the engine is completed is shortened.
Moreover, in said patent document 1, there existed a problem that a plan jar stopper protruded on the structure.
Further, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, since the magnet switch is abolished and the pinion is engaged with the ring gear by the action of the spring, there is an inconvenience that reliability is low and it is difficult to share parts.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a starter that shortens the engine start time, reduces power consumption, does not protrude in one direction, and is reliable and that can share parts. It is in.

The present invention includes an engine ring gear and a starter motor that transmits rotation to the ring gear in a state where the ring gear and the pinion mesh with each other. The pinion and a plunger of the magnet switch are connected by an arm, and the magnet switch is energized. In the starter that meshes the ring gear and the pinion, and releases the meshing of the ring gear and the pinion by deenergizing the magnet switch,
A cam is arranged on the plunger of the magnet switch, a stepper motor is connected to the cam shaft of the cam, and the stepper motor is held by the cam while the ring gear and the pinion are engaged with each other. It is characterized by driving.

  The starter of the present invention shortens the engine start time, reduces power consumption, does not protrude in one direction, is reliable, and can share parts.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of starter control. (Example) FIG. 2 is a time chart of the starter control. (Example) FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the starter. (Example) FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a starter having a cam. (Example) FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operating range of the cam. (Example) FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a connected state of the plunger and the cam. (Example) FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a starter in which only a stepper motor is arranged. (Example) FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the stepper motor of FIG. (Example) FIG. 9 is a time chart for controlling a conventional starter. (Conventional example)

  This invention shortens the engine start time, reduces power consumption, and does not protrude in one direction, and has the purpose of being reliable and making parts common to the plunger of the magnet switch. The stepper motor is connected to the cam shaft of the cam, and the stepper motor is driven so that the plunger of the magnet switch is held by the cam while the ring gear and the pinion are engaged with each other.

1 to 8 show an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 is an engine mounted on a vehicle and provided with an idle stop mechanism, and 2 is a starter for starting the engine 1.
The engine 1 is subjected to idle stop control when a predetermined engine stop condition is satisfied, and includes a ring gear 4 attached to the connecting shaft 3.
The starter 2 includes a starter motor 6 in a starter motor case 5 and a magnet switch 8 in a switch case 7 connected to the starter motor 6. The motor case 6 is attached to the engine 1. The switch case 7 is attached to the motor case 6.

The starter motor 6 includes a motor main body 9 and a starter motor shaft 10 that can be retracted and pushed out in the axial direction with respect to the motor main body 9. The starter motor shaft 10 has a tip portion held by a part of the starter motor case 5 and includes a motor-side arm engagement groove 11 on the motor body 9 side and a pinion 12 on the tip side.
The magnet switch 8 includes a switch body 13 and a switch shaft 14 that can be retracted and pushed in the axial direction with respect to the switch body 13. The switch shaft 14 includes a plunger 15 at the tip, and a switch-side arm engagement groove 16 closer to the switch body 13 than the plunger 15.
The motor side arm engagement groove 11 of the starter motor 6 and the switch side arm engagement groove 16 of the magnet switch 8 are provided on the motor side of the arm 18 swinging around the support shaft 17 supported by the starter motor case 5. The combination piece 19 and the switch side engagement piece 20 are engaged. Therefore, the pinion 12 of the starter motor shaft 10 of the starter motor 6 and the plunger 15 of the switch shaft 14 of the magnet switch 8 are connected by the arm 18. The starter motor 6 transmits rotation to the ring gear 4 in a state where the ring gear 4 of the engine 1 and the pinion 12 of the starter motor shaft 10 are engaged with each other.

Control means 21 for outputting a magnet switch signal as a signal for controlling energization or non-energization of the switch body 13 communicates with the magnet switch 8. The control means 21 communicates with the starter motor 6 and outputs a starter motor signal to drive the starter motor 6.
The control means 21 also communicates with the engine 1 to drive the engine 1 such as idle stop control, and communicates with various sensors such as a crank angle sensor, a water temperature sensor, and an intake air temperature sensor.
When the magnet switch 8 is energized, the switch shaft 14 is drawn into the switch body 13, and the switch side engagement piece 20 of the arm 18 swings around the support shaft 17 toward the switch body 13. Thereafter, the motor-side engagement piece 19 of the arm 18 swings to the tip side with the support shaft 17 as the center, and in the starter motor 6, the starter motor shaft 10 moves to the tip side so as to be pulled out from the starter motor body 9. The pinion 12 of the starter motor shaft 10 is engaged with the ring gear 4 of the engine 1, and the rotation is transmitted to the ring gear 4.
In the starter 2, when the magnet switch 8 is energized, the ring gear 4 and the pinion 12 are engaged, and when the magnet switch 8 is deenergized, the engagement of the ring gear 4 and the pinion 12 is released.

In the starter 2, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the cam 22 is disposed on the plunger 15 of the magnet switch 8, and the stepper motor shaft 25 of the stepper motor 24 is connected to the cam shaft 23 of the cam 22. The stepper motor 24 is driven by the control means 21.
In this case, the stepper motor 24 is arranged so that the starter motor shaft 10 of the starter motor 6, the switch shaft 14 of the magnet switch 8, and the stepper motor 24 form a triangle. The stepper motor shaft 25 extends in a direction orthogonal to the switch shaft 14 on which the plunger 15 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the cam 22 is attached to the stepper motor shaft 25 of the stepper motor 24, and rotates within a cam operating range α of 90 degrees with the magnet switch 8 turned on (energized) and the plunger 15 retracted. Thus, the plunger 15 of the magnet switch 8 is held in the axial direction.
Then, the stepper motor 24 is driven so that the plunger 15 of the magnet switch 8 is held by the cam 22 in a state where the ring gear 4 and the pinion 12 are engaged with each other.

With such a structure, when the engine 1 that satisfies the engine stop condition of idle stop is stopped, the pinion 12 of the starter motor 6 waits in a state of being engaged with the ring gear 4 of the engine 1, thereby shortening the start time of the engine 1. In addition, power consumption can be reduced.
That is, after the engine 1 is stopped, the state in which the pinion 12 and the ring gear 4 are engaged with each other is maintained, and the time required for restarting the engine 1 can be shortened. Although the same operation is performed in terms of control, the hardware operation can shorten the time for moving the plunger 15. Further, since the plunger 15 (the meshed state between the pinion 12 and the ring gear 4) can be held by the small electric power of the stepper motor 24, the fuel consumption is hardly deteriorated.
Further, since the stepper motor 24 is arranged so that the starter motor shaft 10 of the starter motor 6, the switch shaft 14 of the magnet switch 8, and the stepper motor 24 form a triangle, the starter 2 does not protrude in one direction. This makes it possible to eliminate the protruding portion as described in Patent Document 1 described above.
Furthermore, since the use of the magnet switch 8 is the same as the conventional one, unlike the above-described Patent Document 2 in which the magnet switch is abolished, there is reliability and the common use of parts can be achieved.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cam is omitted and only the stepper motor 24 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 8, the stepper motor 24 is wound around a rotor (magnet) 26 attached to a stepper motor shaft 25, a stator (electromagnet) 27 fixed to the outer periphery of the rotor 26, and the stator 27. When a pulse current is passed through the coil 28, a magnetic force is generated and the rotor 26 is attracted to move the stepper motor shaft 25 in the axial direction.
The stepper motor shaft 25 is pushed forward while the magnet switch 8 is turned on (energized) and the plunger 15 is retracted, so that the plunger 15 of the magnet switch 8 is held while the ring gear 4 and the pinion 12 are engaged. To do.
In this case, on the assumption that the length of the magnet switch 8 is shorter than the total length of the starter motor 6 and the pinion 12, the stepper motor 24 is disposed on the extension line of the switch shaft 14 of the magnet switch 8.
Thereby, when the engine 1 in which the engine stop condition of the idle stop is satisfied, the engine 1 waits in a state where the pinion 12 of the starter motor 6 is engaged with the ring gear 4, so that the start time of the engine 1 can be shortened. Power consumption can be reduced.
In general, the length of the magnet switch 8 is shorter than the combined length of the starter motor 6 and the pinion 12, and the stepper motor 24 is disposed on the extension line of the switch shaft 14 of the magnet switch 8. A structure that does not protrude in one direction can be obtained.
Furthermore, since the use of the magnet switch 8 is the same as in the prior art, there is reliability and common parts can be achieved.

Next, the control of the starter 2 according to this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the program of the control means 21 is started (step A01), it is first determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped (step A02). If this step A02 is NO, this determination is continued. To do.
If this step A02 is YES, it is determined whether or not the engine stop condition is satisfied and the engine is in idling stop (step A03).
When this step A03 is YES, the magnet switch 8 is turned on (energized) (step A04), the stepper motor 24 is operated (step A05), and then the magnet switch 8 is turned off (non-energized). (Step A06).
And it is judged whether the restart conditions of the engine 1 were satisfied (step A07).
If this step A07 is NO, the stepper motor 24 is maintained as it is (step A08), and it is determined again whether the restart condition of the engine 1 is satisfied (step A07).
On the other hand, if this step A07 is YES, the magnet switch 8 is turned on (energized) (step A09), the stepper motor 24 is released (step A10), and the starter motor 6 is turned on to start the engine 1. (Step A11).
After the process of step A11 or when the step A03 is NO, the program is ended (step A12).
By this. The arm 18 pushes out the pinion 12 and meshes with the ring gear 4 to rotate the engine 1. When the engine 1 is restarted, this operation is repeated.

Next, the control of the starter 2 according to this embodiment will be described based on the time chart of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the engine 1 is in an idle stop state, the magnet switch 8 is turned on (energized) (time t1), and the stepper motor 24 holds the plunger 15 of the magnet switch 8, the magnet switch 8 is turned off. When the engine 1 is restarted (time t2) and a start command is issued upon restarting the engine 1 (time t3), the magnet switch 8 and the starter motor 24 are turned on (energized). The starter motor 6 is turned off (de-energized) (time t4), and immediately thereafter, the magnet switch 8 is turned off (de-energized) (time t5). That is, since the ring gear 4 and the pinion 12 are engaged with each other, it is not necessary to provide a waiting time from turning on (energizing) the magnet switch 8 to turning on (energizing) the stepper motor 24.
Thereby, compared with the conventional case of FIG. 9, the start-up time of the engine speed can be increased, the start time of the engine 1 can be shortened, and power consumption can be suppressed.

  The starter of the present invention is applicable to various vehicle engines.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine 2 Starter 4 Ring gear 6 Starter motor 8 Magnet switch 10 Starter motor shaft 12 Pinion 14 Switch shaft 15 Plunger 18 Arm 21 Control means 22 Cam 23 Cam shaft 24 Stepper motor 25 Stepper motor shaft

Claims (2)

  An engine ring gear, and a starter motor that transmits rotation to the ring gear in a state in which the ring gear and the pinion mesh with each other. The pinion and a plunger of the magnet switch are connected by an arm, and the magnet switch is energized to energize the magnet switch. In a starter in which the ring gear meshes with the pinion and the magnet switch is de-energized to release the meshing between the ring gear and the pinion, a cam is disposed on the plunger of the magnet switch, and a stepper is disposed on the cam shaft of the cam. A starter characterized in that a motor is connected to drive the stepper motor to hold the plunger of the magnet switch by the cam in a state where the ring gear and the pinion are engaged with each other.   An engine ring gear, and a starter motor that transmits rotation to the ring gear in a state in which the ring gear and the pinion mesh with each other. The pinion and a plunger of the magnet switch are connected by an arm, and the magnet switch is energized to energize the magnet switch. In a starter in which a ring gear meshes with the pinion and the magnet switch is de-energized to release the meshing between the ring gear and the pinion, a stepper motor is provided, and the stepper motor shaft of the stepper motor moves to move the A starter that holds a plunger of the magnet switch in a state in which a ring gear and the pinion are engaged with each other.

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