JP2016205305A - Engine starter device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an engine starter device capable of fasting a starting characteristic at the time of starting an engine, improving salient characteristic at the time of starting operation and starting the engine without giving any discomfort against a driver.SOLUTION: This invention relates to an engine starting device in which the engine is stopped when a prescribed engine automatic stopping condition is established and the engine is restarted when a prescribed restarting condition is established after the engine automatic stopping condition is established. Upon inputting of requirement for starting*restarting operations, a switch 2 is turned on for supplying electrical power of a power supply 1 to a starter 7, a voltage of the power supply 1 is supplied to the starter 7 and a starter motor 4 is driven and the starter 7 starts to rotate the engine, thereafter a changing-over switch 12 is turned on to supply voltage of a high voltage power supply 11 to the starter 7 and continue starting of the engine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an engine starter for an automatic stop / restart system that automatically stops an engine when an engine automatic stop condition is satisfied and then restarts the engine when a restart condition is satisfied.

Conventionally, when a vehicle engine is started by a starter motor, the starter motor is driven by a single power source of an in-vehicle battery. Further, as a starter motor, a low rotation high torque type characteristic has been generally adopted. This is because the engine can be reliably started even when the rotational resistance of the engine increases, for example, at a very low temperature.
However, with the low-rotation high-torque characteristics, the engine speed cannot be increased, and it may take time to restart the engine from the idling stop.

  On the other hand, for example, in an engine starter, a starter motor for starting the engine, detection means for detecting a physical quantity that affects the starting torque of the starter motor, and the torque-rotational speed characteristic of the starter motor are changed based on the physical quantity A control means, and the control means changes the torque-rotational speed characteristic to a low torque side when detecting a physical quantity that is assumed to have a starting torque exceeding a predetermined level, or the starting torque falls below a predetermined level. When a physical quantity assumed to be detected is detected, the torque-rotational speed characteristic is changed to the high torque side (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-328910 A

  Since the conventional engine starter is configured as described above, for example, in Patent Document 1, the torque-rotation of the starter motor based on the detection unit for detecting the physical quantity that affects the starting torque of the starter motor and the physical quantity. A torque control means for changing the number characteristic, and the characteristics of the starter motor are switched based on the detected physical quantity, resulting in a complicated configuration. Also, during normal operation (when the engine has been warmed up), restart from idle stop is judged to be over-torque and shifts to low-torque, so the start-up is less prone to the conventional start-up. There was a problem that it would occur.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems in the conventional apparatus, and accelerates the startability at the start of the engine, improves the quietness at the start, and does not give the driver a sense of incongruity. An object of the present invention is to provide an engine starter that can start the engine.

  The engine starter according to the present invention includes a starter motor for starting the engine, a starter having a transmission unit for transmitting the rotational force of the starter motor to the ring gear, and a control unit for controlling power supply to the starter motor, An engine starter that stops an engine when a stop condition is satisfied, and restarts the engine when the restart condition is satisfied after the engine stop condition is satisfied, and the control unit controls the starter motor during the engine start operation. The voltage supplied to is switched from the low voltage side to the high voltage side.

  According to the engine starting device of the present invention, since the output of the starter motor can be changed to the high output side during the operation of the starter motor, the engine can be started quickly, and quietness (noise level reduction) Can be improved.

It is a block diagram which shows roughly the circuit of the engine starting apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an image figure which shows the characteristic of the output of a starter, torque, and rotation speed in the engine starting apparatus by this invention. It is a characteristic view showing the relationship between the high voltage application delay time and the start time in the engine starter according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a high voltage application delay time and noise per unit time at the start in the engine starter according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the high voltage application delay time and the engagement time of the pinion and ring gear in the engine starter according to the present invention. It is a characteristic view which shows the startability of the engine starter by this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematically the circuit of the engine starting apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the circuit of the engine starting apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of an engine starter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the engine starter according to the first embodiment includes a power source 1, a switch (also referred to as a start switch) 2 that operates in response to start and restart commands, a high-voltage power source 11, and a switch that turns on and off the high-voltage power source 11. A switch 12 and a starter 7 are provided. The starter 7 includes a starter motor 4, a pinion 5 in a pinion portion that transmits the rotational force of the starter motor 4 to a ring gear (also referred to as an engine ring gear) (not shown), and turns on / off the energization of the starter motor 4 and illustrates the pinion 5. The solenoid switch 3 is configured to move in a direction in which the ring gear is engaged and a direction in which the engagement is released.
Further, this type of starter 7 is splined to the output shaft side of the starter motor 4, slides in the axial direction, and has a pinion portion having a one-way clutch that idles with respect to rotation in the direction opposite to engine rotation. The pusher mechanism moves the pinion 5 of the pinion part to a meshing position with a ring gear, which will be described later, and the pinion part 5 of the pinion part pushed out by the pusher mechanism, and the rotational force of the starter motor 4 is transmitted to start the engine. Ring gear.
The engine starter includes an ECU (Engine Control Unit) 15 (also referred to as a control unit) that controls the switch 2 and the changeover switch 12. In the present embodiment, the ECU 15 functions as a control unit.

The power source 1 is composed of a 12V battery and supplies power to the starter 7.
The switch 2 is turned on (ON) in response to a command from the ECU 15 in accordance with a driver's key operation, button operation, or establishment of an engine automatic start condition.

  The solenoid switch 3 is configured as a mechanical relay, and is energized to the coils 3a and 3b in the solenoid switch 3 when the switch 2 is turned on. When the coil is energized, the movable contact 3c in the solenoid switch is moved and connected to the fixed contacts 3d and 3e, the terminals B and M are closed, and the starter motor 4 is energized. The terminal S connected to the connection point of the coils 3a and 3b is connected to one end of the switch 2, the terminal B is connected to the connection point of the switch 2 and the changeover switch 12, and the terminal M is connected to the starter motor 4. Has been.

  Generally, a starter for starting an engine has a high torque starter characteristic so that the engine can be reliably started even in an environment where the engine torque is high due to extremely low temperatures or the like. However, when the engine is restarted from the idling stop, a starter characteristic is required so that the engine can be started at high speed so that the engine can be started quickly so that the driver can get on the traffic flow in accordance with the driver's intention to start.

  In the first embodiment, the high-voltage power supply 11 is configured to be connected to the power supply 1 in parallel, and the starter 7, that is, the starter motor 4 is connected from the high-voltage power supply 11 by the changeover switch 12 that turns on and off the power of the high-voltage power supply 11. The power supply is configured to be turned on and off.

  The ECU 15 is composed of, for example, an engine ECU, an idling stop ECU, and the like, and determines the on / off operation of the switch 2 and the changeover switch 12. Specifically, the excitation of the excitation coil 2a of the switch 2 and the excitation coil 12a of the changeover switch 12 is turned on / off by a command from the ECU 15, whereby the switch 2 and the changeover switch 12 are turned on / off.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing the characteristics of the starter output, torque, and rotation speed with respect to the starter current when the power source 1 or the high-voltage power source 11 is supplied to the starter 7 using a starter taking low temperature startability into consideration.
In FIG. 2, the thick solid line Pn is the output at the normal voltage (power source 1), the thin solid line Tn is the torque at the normal voltage (power source 1), the thick dashed line Nn is the rotation speed at the normal voltage (power source 1), and the thick broken line Ph represents an output at a high voltage, a thin broken line Th represents a torque at a high voltage, and a thin alternate long and short dash line Nh represents a rotational speed at a high voltage.
A two-dot chain line indicates a change path of the rotation speed, and indicates a change state of the rotation speed when the voltage is switched from the normal voltage to the high voltage at the voltage switching point SP. The characteristics of the two-dot chain line change like a thick one-dot chain line Nn at a normal voltage and change like a thin one-dot chain line Nh at a high voltage, but in FIG. It displays along the dashed-dotted line Nh. That is, when switching from the low voltage side to the high voltage side at the voltage switching point SP, the output of the starter 7 (starter rotation speed) becomes high, the engine can be rotated quickly and the engine can be started quickly. In this way, the starter 7 starts to be controlled from the starting point of the two-dot chain line, the voltage is switched from the low pressure side to the high pressure side with a predetermined time delay, and the starter 7 is driven on the high output side to start the engine quickly. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the starter output is increased by supplying power from the high-voltage power supply 11. That is, when a high voltage is used, a larger current can be passed, and the output of the starter 7 increases throughout the current. This output has the same torque characteristic with respect to the current, but the output increases as the starter rotational speed increases. In the figure, when the voltage is switched to the high voltage side at the voltage switching point SP, the rotational speed of the starter 7 becomes the rotational speed on the high voltage side, increasing the rotational speed of the engine, and the engine can be started quickly. Become.

Next, the operation of the engine starter in the first embodiment will be described.
If the high-voltage power supply 11 is suddenly supplied to the starter 7, as shown in FIG. 2, excessive torque is applied from the beginning to damage the pinion gear and the engine ring gear, so that the engine can be started. There is a possibility that damage will be lost. In addition, the noise generated when the engine is started increases. For this reason, when starting an engine, it is set as the structure which supplies a high voltage power, after starting an engine with the voltage of the power supply 1.

When the ECU 15 receives a start / restart request, the switch 2 is turned on to supply the power from the power source 1 to the starter 7, and the voltage of the power source 1 is supplied to the starter 7. 7 starts turning the engine. Thereafter, the change-over switch 12 is turned on to supply the voltage of the high-voltage power supply 11 to the starter 7 to start the engine quickly.
The switching timing for turning on the changeover switch 12 is determined by the ECU 15 from the delay time from the turning on of the switch 2 and the engine speed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the supply delay time of the high-voltage power supply 11 (delay time after supplying the power supply 1) and the start time. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing noise per unit time at the start. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the meshing time between the pinion and the ring gear. In these figures, the position of the delay time 0 indicates the value when the engine is started with only the high-voltage power supply 11 from the start of the start.
From these figures, when the high voltage power supply is supplied from the beginning of the start, the meshing time and the start time are the earliest, but the noise per unit time at the start becomes the largest. On the other hand, the starting time gradually increases as the supply delay time of the high-voltage power supply is lengthened, but it becomes almost constant from around 40 milliseconds (msec), and the time exceeds 100 milliseconds (msec). become longer. The meshing time is also almost constant from around 40 milliseconds (msec). As for the noise per unit time, the noise decreases as the supply delay time of the high-voltage power supply is lengthened, but the rate of decrease is almost constant from around 40 milliseconds (msec).
This is related to the time when the pinion meshes with the ring gear, and after the pinion meshes with the ring gear, switching to the high-voltage power supply 11 and starting the engine quickly shortened the start-up time and reduced noise. Think of things.
That is, it usually takes about 15 to 25 milliseconds (msec) for the pinion end surface to reach the ring gear end surface, and then it takes several tens of milliseconds (msec) to complete the engagement of the pinion with the ring gear. From this, if it is approximately 40 milliseconds (msec) or more after the starter 7 is turned on, the pinion and the ring gear have been completely engaged. Noise can be reduced while suppressing deterioration in start-up time.

  As described above, by setting the supply delay time of the high-voltage power supply to 40 milliseconds (msec) to 80 milliseconds (msec), it is possible to suppress noise while shortening the starting time. Alternatively, the same effect can be obtained by switching the supply delay of the high-voltage power supply after the pinion and the ring gear are engaged.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the voltage of the high-voltage power supply 11 and the starting time using a starter that takes into account low-temperature starting properties. From this figure, the engine can be started quickly as the voltage is increased. However, although the effect of shortening the starting time is prominent in the vicinity of 16V to 18V, the effect of being able to start quickly is reduced at a voltage of 18V or higher. Recognize.
Accordingly, it is desirable that the power supply voltage of the high voltage power supply be 16V to 18V.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the high-voltage side change-over switch 12 is turned on with a time delay. However, in the engine starter according to the second embodiment, instead of the change-over switch 12 as shown in FIG. Further, the centrifugal switch 22 is arranged on the rotating member of the starter. The centrifugal switch 22 is connected to the high voltage power supply 11. In the present embodiment, the ECU 15 and the centrifugal switch 22 constitute a control unit. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. In such a configuration, the excitation coil 2a of the switch 2 is excited by a command from the ECU 15, and when the switch 2 is turned on, the solenoid switch 3 is turned on, whereby the power source 1 and the starter motor 4 are connected. The starter motor 4 starts to rotate. Thereafter, the centrifugal switch 22 (a switch that is turned on when it reaches a predetermined rotation) is turned on, whereby the electric power of the high-voltage power supply 11 is supplied to the starter motor 4. Even with this configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  By adopting the configuration shown in FIG. 7, it is not necessary to use a configuration in which the ECU 15 controls the changeover switch 12 as in the first embodiment, and there is no difference from normal start control.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 8 shows a circuit diagram of an engine starter according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 8, the engine starter according to Embodiment 3 is configured to supply a high voltage so that the power source 31 can be switched to the power source 1 so that the power source 31 is connected in series by a changeover switch 32. did. That is, when the changeover switch 32 is not operating, the fixed contact 32a side of the changeover switch 32 is connected to the movable contact 32c and is in a conductive state, as shown in the figure. Further, when the exciting coil 32d of the changeover switch 32 is excited and the changeover switch 32 is operated, the movable contact 32c is switched from the fixed contact 32a side to the fixed contact 32b side, and the conduction state is changed to the fixed contact 32b side. It has a configuration. These switching operations are controlled by commands from the ECU 15 which is a control unit. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

After the starter motor 4 starts to rotate by the power supply from the power source 1, a high voltage obtained by adding the voltage of the power source 1 and the voltage of the power source 31 is obtained by connecting the power source 31 in series with the power source 1 by the changeover switch 32. Supplied.
Even in the configuration of the third embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Even if the switching timing is time, starter speed, or engine speed, the same effect is obtained. Further, with the configuration of FIG. 8, the power source 31 may not be a high voltage power source as in the first embodiment, and the voltage obtained by adding the voltage of the power source 1 and the voltage of the power source 31 is the high voltage side voltage. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the power supply on the high voltage side.

  Further, it goes without saying that the high-voltage power supply has the same effect as long as it is a power supply having a higher voltage than the power supply 1, such as a lead battery or a capacitor.

  As a means for switching the output of the engine starter during operation of the engine starter, only the supply voltage has been switched in the above description. However, by switching the field of the starter (for example, switching to a high output winding) Even if the starter characteristic is switched to the rotation side, the same effect is obtained.

  Within the scope of the present invention, the embodiments can be freely combined, or the embodiments can be appropriately modified or omitted.

  1 power supply, 2 switch, 4 starter motor, 7 starter, 11 high voltage power supply, 12 changeover switch, 15 ECU, 22 centrifugal switch, 31 power supply, 32 changeover switch

The engine starter according to the present invention includes a starter motor for starting the engine, a starter having a transmission unit for transmitting the rotational force of the starter motor to the ring gear, and a control unit for controlling power supply to the starter motor, An engine starter that stops an engine when a stop condition is satisfied and restarts the engine when the restart condition is satisfied after the engine stop condition is satisfied. The starter is splined to the output shaft side of the starter motor. A pinion portion having a one-way clutch that is coupled and slides in the axial direction and idles with respect to rotation in the direction opposite to the engine rotation, an extrusion mechanism that moves the pinion portion, and a pinion portion that is pushed out by the extrusion mechanism The engine is started when the torque of the starter motor is transmitted. In an engine starting device that includes a ring gear which, control unit is for switching the voltage supplied to the starter motor during the engine starting operation from a low voltage side to the high voltage side.

Claims (5)

  A starter motor for starting the engine, a starter having a transmission unit for transmitting the rotational force of the starter motor to a ring gear, and a control unit for controlling power supply to the starter motor, and the engine when an engine stop condition is satisfied The engine starting device restarts the engine when the restart condition is satisfied after the engine stop condition is satisfied, and the control unit supplies a voltage supplied to the starter motor during the engine start operation. An engine starter characterized by switching from a low voltage side to a high voltage side.   2. The engine starter according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches the voltage supplied to the starter motor with a predetermined time delay from the start of operation of the starter motor.   3. The engine starter according to claim 2, wherein the control unit switches to high voltage supply after 40 milliseconds (msec) to 80 milliseconds (msec) from low voltage supply to the starter motor.   2. The engine starter according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches the voltage supplied to the starter motor when the rotation speed of the starter motor reaches a predetermined rotation speed.   The starter is splined to the output shaft side of the starter motor, slides in the axial direction, and has a one-way clutch that idles with respect to rotation in the opposite direction to engine rotation, and the pinion portion An extrusion mechanism that moves, and a ring gear that meshes with a pinion of the pinion portion pushed out by the extrusion mechanism and starts the engine by transmitting the rotational force of the starter motor, and the control unit includes the starter motor The engine starter according to claim 1, wherein the voltage supplied to the engine is switched after the pinion meshes with the ring gear.

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