JP2019157658A - Restart control device and restart control method for engine - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce the manufacturing cost of a whole vehicle regardless of the presence/no presence of an idling stop function.SOLUTION: A restart control device for an engine includes an engine control unit (20) for controlling the operation of the engine, and an idling stop control unit (30) for controlling the stop and restart of the engine when predetermined conditions are satisfied, the idling stop control unit having a power control part (32) for controlling power supply to the engine control unit, the power control part serving for interrupting the power supply to the engine control unit when the predetermined conditions are satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an engine restart control device and a restart control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for the purpose of reducing fuel consumption, vehicles having an idling stop function for automatically stopping an engine when a predetermined engine stop condition is satisfied in a state where the vehicle is stopped are widely used. In such an engine restart control device having an idling stop function, an engine control device controls engine stop / restart in response to an engine stop / restart request from the automatic stop / restart control device. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this engine restart control device, the engine control device includes an engine stop / restart control program, and controls engine stop / restart.

JP 2011-106280 A

  In recent years, vehicles having an idling stop function have appeared even in small vehicles such as motorcycles. Some of these small vehicles have grades having an idling stop function and grades not having an idling stop function even in the same vehicle type. In such a vehicle type, if the specification of the engine control device is changed depending on the presence or absence of the idling stop function, parts management becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle increases. On the other hand, if an engine control device corresponding to the idling stop function is commonly used for all grades, an engine control device having an unnecessary function is installed in a grade that does not have the idling stop function. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle increases due to an increase in cost required for the engine control device.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an engine restart control device and a restart control method capable of reducing the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle regardless of the presence or absence of the idling stop function. One of the purposes is to do.

  An aspect of an engine restart control device according to the present invention includes an engine control device that controls engine operation, and an idling stop control device that controls stop and restart of the engine when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The idling stop control device includes a power control unit that controls power supply to the engine control device, and the power control unit supplies power to the engine control device when a stop condition of the engine is satisfied. It is characterized by blocking.

  According to the present invention, the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle can be reduced regardless of the idling stop function.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the restart control apparatus of the engine which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the restart control apparatus of the engine which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the electric power supply state at the time of idling stop conditions satisfaction of the restart control apparatus of the engine which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the drive state of a clutch switch and a starter motor at the time of restart conditions satisfaction of the restart control apparatus of the engine which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the voltage state of the starter motor at the time of restart of the restart control apparatus of the engine which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the voltage control of the headlamp at the time of idling stop of the restart control apparatus of the engine which concerns on this Embodiment.

  Among engine restart control devices having an idling stop function, it is known that an engine control device controls engine stop / restart in response to an engine stop / restart request from an automatic stop / restart control device. Yes. In this case, the engine control device includes an engine stop / restart control program, and controls engine stop / restart.

  On the other hand, some small vehicles having an idling stop function have grades having an idling stop function and grades not having an idling stop function even in the same vehicle type. In such a vehicle type, if the specification of the engine control device is changed depending on the presence or absence of the idling stop function, parts management becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle increases. On the other hand, if an engine control device corresponding to the idling stop function is commonly used for all grades, an engine control device having an unnecessary function is installed in a grade that does not have the idling stop function. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle increases due to an increase in cost required for the engine control device.

  In view of such a situation, the present inventor is that when the idling stop function is provided in a small vehicle, the engine control device taking the idling stop control causes an increase in costs in terms of component management and / or manufacturing. Pay attention. An engine control device and an idling stop control device are provided independently, and engine operation control is executed by the engine control device, while idling stop is performed by controlling power supply to the engine control device by the idling stop control device. As a result, the inventors have found that this contributes to the reduction of the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle through the common specification of the engine control device, and have come to the present invention.

  That is, the essence of the present invention includes an engine control device that controls the operation of the engine, and an idling stop control device that controls stop and restart of the engine when a predetermined condition is satisfied. When it is satisfied, the idling stop control device cuts off the power supply to the engine control device.

  According to the present invention, since the engine is stopped when the idling stop control device cuts off the power supply to the engine control device, it is not necessary to provide the engine control device with a function for controlling the stop / restart of the engine. In other words, even if the vehicle is equipped with an engine control device of a common specification that does not have an idling stop function, the idling stop function can be realized by providing the idling stop control device. As a result, it is possible to employ a common specification engine control device that does not have an idling stop function regardless of the presence or absence of the idling stop function, so that the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, an example in which the engine restart control device according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “restart control device” as appropriate) is applied to a small vehicle such as a motorcycle will be described. It can be changed without being done. For example, the engine restart control device according to the present invention may be applied to other types of vehicles (for example, automobiles).

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an engine restart control apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the restart control device 1 includes an ECU (Engine Control Unit) 20 that constitutes an engine control device, and an idling stop control unit (ISCU) 30 that constitutes an idling stop control device. It is comprised including. The idling stop control unit may be called an idle reduction control unit (IRCU).

  ECU20 controls the driving | operation of the engine (not shown) of the vehicle to which the restart control apparatus 1 is applied by running the control program regarding the driving | operation of an engine. For example, the ECU 20 is based on detection data of various sensors (for example, an engine speed sensor 63 and an engine temperature sensor 64 described later) provided in the vehicle, and includes an ignition mechanism, a fuel injection mechanism, an intake / exhaust mechanism, a dynamic mechanism provided in the engine. The engine operation is controlled by controlling the valve mechanism, the starting mechanism, and the like. Note that the ECU 20 does not execute a control program (idling stop control program) related to engine stop / restart.

  The ISCU 30 controls the engine stop and restart when a predetermined condition is satisfied by executing a control program related to engine stop / restart. Although ISCU30 is comprised including the idling stop (IS) control part 31, the electric power control part 32, and the starting control part 33, it is not limited to this.

  The IS control unit 31 determines various conditions related to the idling stop function and performs various controls related to the idling stop function. For example, the IS control unit 31 determines whether a predetermined engine stop condition or an engine restart condition is satisfied. Further, the IS control unit 31 determines whether or not the rotation of the engine has stopped after the power supply to the ECU 20 is interrupted.

  The power control unit 32 controls the interruption / resumption of power supply to the ECU 20 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, the power control unit 32 cuts off the power supply to the ECU 20 when a predetermined engine stop condition is satisfied. On the other hand, the electric power control unit 32 restarts the electric power supply to the ECU 20 after the electric power supply to the ECU 20 is interrupted and before the engine is restarted (more specifically, when the engine rotation is stopped).

  When a predetermined engine restart condition is satisfied, the start control unit 33 drives a starter (for example, a starter motor 10 described later) mounted on the vehicle to restart the engine. As will be described in detail later, the start control unit 33 restarts the engine after the power control unit 32 resumes the power supply to the ECU 20.

  The ECU 20 and the ISCU 30 operate by receiving power supply from the battery 2 mounted on the vehicle. The ISCU 30 is connected to the battery 2 via an ignition switch 3 and an engine stop switch (kill switch) 4. The ECU 20 is connected to the ISCU 30 via the power line 5. An ISCU 30 is interposed between the ECU 20 and the battery 2. In other words, the ECU 20 is connected to the battery 2 via the ISCU 30. The power line 5 is configured to be able to switch the power supply state to the ECU 20 under the control of the ISCU 30 (more specifically, the power control unit 32).

  Various sensors 6 are connected to the ECU 20 and the ISCU 30. For example, the various sensors 6 include a vehicle speed sensor 61, a gear position sensor 62, an engine speed sensor 63, and an engine temperature sensor 64, but are not limited thereto. The various sensors 6 are connected to the ECU 20 and the ISCU 30, respectively, and are configured to output detection data to each unit. The vehicle speed sensor 61 and the gear position sensor 62 output vehicle speed data and gear position data to each unit, respectively. The engine speed sensor 63 and the engine temperature sensor 64 output engine speed data and engine temperature data to each unit, respectively.

  A start switch 7 and a clutch switch 8 are connected to the ISCU 30 and a signal corresponding to the state of each switch is input. The start switch 7 is switched to an on state when an engine start instruction from the driver is received, and a signal (on signal) corresponding to the on state is input to the ISCU 30. The clutch switch 8 is switched on when a clutch disconnection instruction from the driver is received (for example, when the clutch lever is gripped), and a signal (on signal) corresponding to the on state is input to the ISCU 30. The

  The starter motor 10 is connected to the ISCU 30 via the starter relay 9. The starter motor 10 is driven according to a drive instruction output from the ISCU 30 when the engine restart condition is satisfied. The drive instruction to the starter motor 10 is realized by the ISCU 30 (more specifically, the start control unit 33) supplying power to the excitation coil included in the starter relay 9 to operate it.

  Further, the headlamp 11 is connected to the ISCU 30. As will be described in detail later, the ISCU 30 controls the driving voltage of the headlamp 11 (duty control) during idling stop control (after power supply to the ECU 20 is stopped and before the engine is restarted). A decrease in voltage can be prevented.

  The ECU 20 is connected with an injector 12 and an ignition coil 13 which are part of the fuel injection mechanism. As described above, the ECU 20 can control the amount of fuel gas injected from the injector 12 and the ignition timing by the ignition coil 13 based on the detection data of the various sensors 6.

  Hereinafter, in the restart control device 1 having the above-described configuration, an operation when executing the idling stop control will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  As a premise of the flow shown in FIG. 2, in the vehicle to which the restart control device 1 is applied, the ignition switch 3 and the engine stop switch 4 are turned on and off, respectively. When the ignition switch 3 and the like are turned on (off state), power is supplied from the battery 2 to the ISCU 30. In addition, power is supplied from the battery 2 to the ECU 30 via the ISCU 30 via the power line 5.

  When the vehicle is traveling, the IS control unit 31 of the ISCU 30 determines whether an idling stop condition (engine stop condition) is satisfied (step (hereinafter referred to as “ST”) 201). Here, it is assumed that the idling stop condition is satisfied when the engine temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (the engine is warmed up), the vehicle speed is 0 km, and the gear position is the neutral gear. The IS control unit 31 determines that the idling stop condition is satisfied based on detection data from the engine temperature sensor 64, the vehicle speed sensor 61, and the gear position sensor 62.

  When the idling stop condition is not satisfied (ST201: no), the IS control unit 31 continues the determination of ST201. On the other hand, when the idling stop condition is satisfied (ST201: yes), the IS control unit 31 notifies the power control unit 32 to that effect. Upon receiving this notification, the power control unit 32 cuts off the power supply to the ECU 20 through the power line 5 (ST202). As a result, the ECU 20 is not supplied with electric power necessary for operation control on the engine. As a result, the engine goes to drive stop (rotation stop).

  After power supply to ECU 20 is interrupted by power control unit 32, IS control unit 31 determines whether engine rotation has stopped (ST203). The IS control unit 31 determines whether the rotation of the engine has stopped based on detection data (engine speed) from the engine speed sensor 63.

  When engine rotation is not stopped (ST203: no), the IS control unit 31 continues the determination of ST203. On the other hand, when the rotation of the engine is stopped (ST203: yes), the IS control unit 31 notifies the power control unit 32 accordingly. Upon receiving this notification, power control unit 32 resumes power supply to ECU 20 through power line 5 before the engine is restarted (ST204). Thereby, ECU20 will receive the electric power supply from the battery 2, and will be in the standby state which can restart an engine.

  After power supply to ECU 20 is resumed by power control unit 32, IS control unit 31 determines whether a predetermined engine restart condition is satisfied (ST205). Here, it is assumed that the engine restart condition is satisfied when the clutch switch 8 is turned on. The IS control unit 31 determines whether the engine restart condition is satisfied based on an input signal from the clutch switch 8. As an engine restart condition, the IS control unit 31 may determine that the start switch 7 is established when the start switch 7 is turned on.

  When the engine restart condition is not satisfied (ST205: no), the IS control unit 31 continues the determination of ST205. On the other hand, when the engine restart condition is satisfied (ST205: yes), the IS control unit 31 notifies the start control unit 33 to that effect. Upon receiving this notification, the start control unit 33 restarts the engine by driving the starter motor 10 via the starter relay 9 (ST206).

  After the engine is restarted by the start controller 33, the IS controller 31 determines whether the engine has been started (ST207). For example, the IS control unit 31 determines completion of engine start based on detection data from the engine speed sensor 63 (change in engine speed). Note that the IS control unit 31 may recognize that a certain time has elapsed since the engine restart control and estimate the completion of the engine start.

  If the engine start is not completed, the IS control unit 31 continues the determination of ST207. On the other hand, when the start of the engine is completed, the IS control unit 31 ends the series of idling stop control operations in the restart control device 1. When the series of idling stop control operations is completed, the ISCU 30 repeatedly executes the flow shown in FIG. 2 until the ignition switch 3 is switched to the off state (or until the idling stop function is instructed to stop).

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a power supply state when the idling stop condition is satisfied in the engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of driving states of the clutch switch 8 and the starter motor 10 when the restart condition is satisfied in the engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  When the vehicle to which the restart control device 1 is applied decelerates from normal travel and the vehicle speed reaches 0 km and the gear position is switched from low gear to neutral gear as shown in FIG. Is established. The IS control unit 31 of the ISCU 30 determines whether the idling stop condition is satisfied from the detection data of the vehicle speed sensor 61 and the gear position sensor 62. When the idling stop condition is satisfied, the power control unit 32 of the ISCU 30 cuts off the power supply to the ECU 20 by turning off the power supply through the power line 5.

  In a state where the power supply to the ECU 20 is cut off, when the engine speed becomes zero (that is, when the engine rotation stops), the power control unit 32 of the ISCU 30 turns on the power supply through the power line 5. By doing so, the electric power supply with respect to ECU20 is restarted. By restarting the power supply to the ECU 20 via the ISCU 30, the ECU 20 shifts to a standby state where the engine can be restarted.

  After the transition to the standby state where the engine can be restarted, as shown in FIG. 4, when the clutch switch 8 shifts from the off state to the on state, the start control unit 33 of the ISCU 30 turns off the drive signal of the starter motor 10. Switch from on to off. Specifically, the drive signal for the exciting coil of the starter relay 9 is turned on. By switching the drive signal for the excitation coil of the starter relay 9 to the on state, the starter motor 10 is driven and the engine is restarted.

  As described above, according to the engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment, the engine is stopped when the ISCU 30 cuts off the power supply to the ECU 20, and thus the ECU 20 controls the engine stop / restart. It is not necessary to provide (idling stop function). In other words, the idling stop function can be realized by providing the ISCU 30 even when the ECU 20 having the common specification not having the idling stop function is mounted. As a result, it is possible to employ the ECU 20 having a common specification that does not have the idling stop function regardless of the presence or absence of the idling stop function, so that the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle can be reduced.

  In particular, since the engine is stopped by shutting off the power supply to the ECU 20, the engine can be stopped with simple control compared to the case where the engine is stopped by internal control of the ECU 20.

  Further, in engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment, power control unit 32 performs power to ECU 20 during engine idling stop control (after stopping power supply to ECU 20 and before restarting the engine). The supply is resumed to return to a standby state in which the engine can be operated. When the engine restart condition is satisfied, the start control unit 33 drives the starter motor 10 to restart the engine. As a result, the engine is returned to a standby state in which the engine can be operated during idling stop control of the engine, and the engine is restarted when the engine restart condition is satisfied. For this reason, even if it is a case where an engine is stopped by interrupting | blocking the electric power supply with respect to ECU20, an engine restart can be performed immediately.

  If the restart timing of power supply to the ECU 20 is set to a timing at which the engine restart condition is satisfied, there may occur a situation where the ECU 20 cannot properly determine the stroke of the engine. As in the present embodiment, prior to the establishment of the engine restart condition, the ECU 20 is returned to a standby state in which the engine can be operated, thereby avoiding engine stroke determination problems and restarting the engine. It becomes possible to execute appropriately.

  Furthermore, in engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment, power control unit 32 resumes power supply to ECU 20 on the condition that engine rotation has stopped. Thereby, when the rotation of the engine is stopped, the power supply to the ECU 20 is resumed, so that it is possible to reliably return to the standby state in which the engine can be operated.

  When restarting the engine when the restart condition is satisfied, if the voltage of the starter motor 10 becomes equal to or lower than a certain value, the ISCU 30 determines whether to stop idling after the next time regardless of whether the idling stop condition is satisfied. It is preferable to avoid control.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the voltage state of the starter motor 10 when the engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment is restarted. In the starter motor 10 shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the drive voltage is set to 14V. As shown in FIG. 5, when the drive signal for the starter relay 9 is switched to the on state, the engine restarts when the idling stop control is continued when the voltage of the starter motor 10 becomes a certain value (9 V) or less. There is a possibility that troubles such as it takes time to occur.

  For this reason, when the voltage of the starter motor 10 becomes a predetermined value or less when the engine is restarted, the ISCU 30 (IS control unit 31) performs idling stop control for the next and subsequent times regardless of whether or not the idling stop condition is satisfied. It is configured to be avoidable. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as the time required for restarting the engine depending on the state of the starter motor 10.

  Further, during the idling stop control, the ISCU 30 preferably lowers the driving voltage of the headlamp 11 and the like that consumes a large amount of power. If the driving voltage of the headlamp 11 or the like is maintained equal to that during engine operation during the idling stop control, there is a possibility that problems such as a heavy load on the battery 2 and a long time before restarting the engine may occur. is there. In the following, the headlamp 11 is shown as an example, but the voltage controlled object is not limited to this.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the voltage control of the headlamp 11 at the time of idling stop of the engine restart control device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the ISCU 30 is configured such that the drive voltage of the headlamp 11 can be duty-controlled during the idling stop control. Thereby, since the average voltage required for driving the headlamp 11 during the idling stop control can be reduced, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as the time required for restarting the engine.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change and implement variously. In the above-described embodiment, the size, shape, and the like illustrated in the accompanying drawings are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within a range in which the effect of the present invention is exhibited. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the ISCU 30 includes the start control unit 33 is shown. However, the configuration of the ISCU 30 is not limited to this, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, when the ECU 20 has a configuration corresponding to the start control unit 33, the ISCU 30 may not include the start control unit 33. That is, when the engine restart condition is satisfied, the engine may be restarted in the same manner as in the above embodiment in cooperation with the start control unit of the ECU 20.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that the manufacturing cost of the entire vehicle can be reduced regardless of the presence or absence of the idling stop function. In particular, the presence or absence of the idling stop function is changed according to the grade. This is useful for restart control of small vehicles.

1: Restart control device 2: Battery 3: Ignition switch 5: Power line 7: Start switch 8: Clutch switch 9: Starter relay 10: Starter motor 11: Head lamp 12: Injector 20: ECU (engine control device)
30: ISCU (idling stop control device)
31: Idling stop (IS) control unit 32: Power control unit 33: Start control unit 61: Vehicle speed sensor 62: Gear position sensor 63: Engine speed sensor 64: Engine temperature sensor

Claims (4)

An engine control device that controls the operation of the engine, and an idling stop control device that controls stop and restart of the engine when a predetermined condition is satisfied,
The idling stop control device has a power control unit that controls power supply to the engine control device,
The engine restart control device characterized in that the power control unit cuts off power to the engine control device when a stop condition of the engine is satisfied. The power control unit resumes power supply to the engine control device before restarting the engine and returns to a standby state in which the engine can be operated.
2. The engine restart control device according to claim 1, wherein the idling stop control device restarts the engine by driving a start device when a restart condition of the engine is satisfied. 3.   The engine restart control device according to claim 2, wherein the power control unit resumes power supply to the engine control device on condition that rotation of the engine has stopped. An engine restart control method comprising: an engine control device that controls operation of an engine; and an idling stop control device that controls stop and restart of the engine when a predetermined condition is satisfied,
The idling stop control device is
Shutting off the power to the engine control device when the engine stop condition is satisfied, and stopping the engine;
Resuming power supply to the engine control device before restarting the engine and returning to a standby state in which the engine can be operated;
And a step of driving a starter to restart the engine when a restart condition of the engine is satisfied.

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