JP3044512U - Engine start control device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: An engine start control device for automatically starting an engine to perform an idling operation, in a quick and timely manner, and without special wiring for recognition of engine start, Make the engine start recognizable. An engine start control device 1 of the present invention is
Start command signal output means for outputting a start command signal s to the engine, start related device command means 3 for instructing the start related device 11 to perform a predetermined operation based on the start command signal s, and starter 8 based on the start command signal s. Starter drive command means 4 for instructing and driving the battery voltage application to the starter and the starter drive for monitoring the voltage fluctuation of the battery 9 and detecting that a continuous increase of the battery voltage V for a predetermined time is detected, the engine is started from cranking. And a battery voltage monitoring means 5 for stopping the command to apply the battery voltage V to the command means 4.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to an engine start control device that automatically starts an engine to perform idling operation.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Immediately after starting the engine, the interior of the car is hot in the summer, and especially in the mornings of winter, it is frosty. In order to eliminate such driver discomfort, the demand for an engine start control device that automatically starts the engine and performs idling operation without operating the ignition switch of the automobile has increased. There is.

Such an engine start control device supplies electric power to the starter motor drive circuit when a preset time is reached, a set time elapses, or when a radio signal generated by remote control operation is received. When the engine is started after that, the starter motor is driven to perform cranking, and then the engine is kept idling for a certain period of time.

As a means for recognizing whether or not the engine has started, a method of detecting the difference between the battery voltages before and after cranking and a method in which the alternator starts power generation when the engine starts are The main method is to detect the voltage of an alternator L terminal (hereinafter referred to as “L terminal”) at which a signal rises.

Here, the recognizing means will be described. In the method of detecting the difference in battery voltage, the battery voltage after cranking, that is, the voltage when the engine is started is the voltage before cranking, that is, Since the voltage becomes higher than that when the engine is not started, it is recognized that the engine has started if a constant increase difference between them is detected within a fixed time. In addition, the method of detecting the voltage at the L terminal is that the L terminal voltage when the engine is not running is a slight voltage, but when the engine is started and the alternator starts power generation, Since the L terminal voltage rises, it is recognized that the engine has started when it is detected that the L terminal voltage becomes equivalent to the battery voltage within a fixed time.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the former method of the recognition means, the amount of increase in battery voltage and the time of increase in battery voltage vary depending on various factors on the vehicle side, such as the battery capacity, the state of the battery, and the amount of power generated by the alternator. However, because the judgment conditions were set uniformly, there were cases where the engine start could not be recognized even though the engine was starting. In addition, since the rise difference is detected after the elapse of a certain cranking time, the cranking by the starter motor is continuously performed for an unnecessarily long time, which wastes battery power.

Further, in the latter method, the engine start time can be recognized almost certainly if the rise of the L terminal voltage can be detected, but the wiring from the L terminal exists at a place where the L terminal is extremely complicated. However, the wiring was special, and the wiring was time-consuming and difficult.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and provides an engine start control device capable of recognizing engine start quickly and in a timely manner and without special wiring for recognizing engine start. The purpose is to do.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in an engine start control device for automatically starting an engine to perform an idling operation, a start command signal output means for outputting a start command signal to the engine, and the above start Starting-related equipment command means for instructing the starting-related equipment to perform a predetermined operation based on the command signal, starter drive command means for instructing and driving the battery voltage application to the starter based on the starting command signal, and the above-mentioned battery voltage The battery voltage monitoring means for stopping the command to apply the battery voltage to the starter drive command means as the transition from cranking to engine start when a continuous rise in the battery voltage is detected for a predetermined time. It is characterized by having.

[0010]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall construction of an engine start control device of the present invention. In the figure, an engine start control device 1 of the present invention is a start command signal output means for outputting a start command signal s 1 to an engine, and a start related device for instructing a start related device 11 to perform a predetermined operation based on the start command signal s. Commanding means 3, starter drive commanding means 4 for instructing and driving the battery voltage application to the starter 8 based on the start command signal s, monitoring the voltage fluctuation of the battery 9 and continuously increasing the battery voltage V for a predetermined time. The battery voltage monitoring means 5 stops the command to apply the battery voltage V to the starter driving command means 4 when the engine is started from cranking when detected.

The above-mentioned start command signal output means is composed of, for example, the time setter 231 of the operation unit 23 arranged at the front of the driver's seat and the timer 7 which operates in accordance with the setting. The command signal s is output from the timer 7 when the time or time set by the driver with the time setting device 213 elapses. The time set by the time setter 231 is displayed on the display unit 13 so that the driver can easily set the time while watching the display. The start command signal output means is composed of, for example, a remote controller (remote controller) 22 and a radio wave detection circuit 21, and the start command signal s in this configuration is generated from the remote controller 22 when the driver operates it indoors. The radio wave detection circuit 21 receives the radio wave signal by the antenna 21a, and in response thereto, is output from the radio wave detection circuit 21.

The start-related equipment command means 3, the starter drive command means 4 and the battery voltage monitoring means 5 constitute an engine start control section 10. The engine start control unit 10 is a microcomputer that operates centering on a CPU, and each of these means 3, 4 and 5 is configured as a function of software executed by the CPU according to a predetermined control program stored in a ROM. ing. Further, the above-mentioned timer 7 and an A / D converter 6 which will be described later are also incorporated in the microcomputer, and exchange signals with the CPU via a bus.

Upon receiving the above-mentioned start command signal s, the start-related device command means 3 causes the start-related device 11 to perform a predetermined operation. For example, in the case of a gasoline-powered vehicle, a command signal is output to the ignition coil to generate a high voltage based on the battery voltage V and supply the high voltage to the spark plug to cause spark discharge in the cylinder.

Upon receiving the start command signal s, the starter drive command means 4 sends a switch-on signal to the starter switch mechanism 14 to bring the starter switch mechanism 14 into a contact state, and applies the battery voltage V to the starter 8. The starter (motor drive circuit and starter motor) 8 drives the motor by its battery voltage V, thereby rotating the crankshaft 12 via a ring gear and a flywheel (not shown) to perform cranking.

The battery voltage monitoring means 5 digitizes the battery voltage V, which fluctuates with cranking, by the A / D converter 6, and obtains an average at the time when a plurality of conversion data are captured, and the battery voltage V The recognition value of That is, the recognition value of the battery voltage V is updated every time the average calculation is performed.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how the battery voltage changes. When the starter 8 starts cranking, as shown in the figure, the battery voltage V is greatly affected by the motor drive by the starter 8 (point A). After that, the battery voltage V increases. At this time, the battery voltage monitoring means 5 detects the increase in the recognized value of the battery voltage V and starts the detection of the continuous increase in the recognized value of the battery voltage V. If the engine does not start even if the cranking continues, the battery voltage V drops again due to the motor drive of the starter 8 (point B), and the recognized value of the battery voltage V in the battery voltage monitoring means 5 also drops. To do. When the recognized value of the battery voltage V falls, the battery voltage monitoring means V discards all data relating to the detection of continuous rise, and again waits for the battery voltage V to rise.

In this way, until the engine is started, the recognition value of the battery voltage V by the battery voltage monitoring means 5 is repeatedly increased and decreased by continuing the motor drive of the starter 8, but when the engine is started (point C ), The battery voltage V does not decrease and continues to increase even while the motor is continuously driven (D). When the battery voltage monitoring means 5 continues to detect the voltage increase for a predetermined time, it is determined that the engine has started, the power supply from the battery 9 to the starter 8 is cut off, and the cranking is stopped (E Point). That is, the command to apply the battery voltage V to the starter drive command means 4 is stopped, whereby the starter switch mechanism 14 is turned off and the motor drive is stopped.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the procedure of engine start control according to the present invention. First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the start command signal s is input. If it is input, the process proceeds to the next step S2, and if not, the process directly returns.

In step S2, a command is given to the starter 8 and the starting-related device 11, and the process proceeds to the next step S3.

In step S3, it is determined whether or not the recognized value of the taken-in battery voltage V has been updated. If it has been updated, the process proceeds to the next step S4, and if it has not been updated, the process directly returns.

In step S4, the updated value of this time and the updated value of the previous time are compared to determine whether or not the updated value of this time is equal to or greater than the updated value of the previous time. The process proceeds to step S5, and if it is not equal to or larger than the last updated value, the process branches to step S11.

In step S11, since the recognized value of the battery voltage V has not risen, the recognized value data is initialized, and the process directly returns.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not the recognized value of the battery voltage V continuously rises for a predetermined time, and if it continuously rises for a predetermined time, the process proceeds to the next step S6. Otherwise, it returns as it is.

In step S6, since the recognized value of the battery voltage V continuously rises for a predetermined time, it is recognized that the engine has started, and the process proceeds to next step S7.

In step S7, the cranking is stopped, that is, the power supply to the starter 8 is stopped, and the process directly returns.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the battery voltage V is monitored and it is detected that the battery voltage V continuously rises for a predetermined time (point E in FIG. 2), the engine operates. Since it is recognized that the engine has started, cranking can be stopped with a slight time difference from the actual engine startup (point C in Fig. 2), and unnecessary cranking after engine startup can be minimized. The cranking time can be almost the same as when the driver starts the engine by manually operating the ignition switch. On the other hand, in the past, the cranking time was set sufficiently long, so that the engine was cranked for a long time even after the engine was started. As described above, according to the present invention, compared to the conventional method, the cranking can be stopped more quickly and timely, and wasteful consumption of the battery power can be suppressed accordingly.

Further, no special wiring for recognizing the start of the engine is required, so that the start of the engine can be recognized more easily.

In the above description, the engine start control of the present invention is configured to always function, but the operation unit 23 is provided with the selection switch 232 and is connected to the engine start unit 10, and the setting by the selection switch 232. Thus, it is possible to select whether to operate the engine start control of the present invention or the conventional start control. In this case, the display unit 13 displays which is set by the selection switch 232.

In a vehicle-side condition such as a battery or in a surrounding environment mainly based on the outside air temperature, for example, an environment in an extremely cold region, the engine start is likely to be unstable. In this embodiment, however, the selection switch 232 is not used. Therefore, in such an extreme situation, the conventional engine start control can be selected and the cranking time can be set longer to stabilize the engine start. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent malfunction of engine start recognition.

It should be noted that the engine start control device of the present invention can be widely applied to a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, and other types of engines started by a starter regardless of engine modes.

[0031]

[Effect of the invention]

 As described above, according to the engine start control device of the present invention, the battery voltage is monitored, and when it is detected that the battery voltage continuously rises for a predetermined time, it is recognized that the engine has started. Since the cranking can be stopped with a slight time lag from the actual engine startup, unnecessary cranking after engine startup can be minimized, and the driver can start the engine by manually operating the ignition switch. And, the cranking time can be almost equal. Therefore, as compared with the conventional method of detecting and recognizing the difference in battery voltage, the cranking can be stopped faster and timely, and wasteful consumption of battery power can be suppressed accordingly.

Further, no special wiring for recognizing the start of the engine is required, so that the start of the engine can be recognized more easily.

Further, since it is possible to select whether to permit or prohibit the operation of the battery voltage monitoring means, it is possible to appropriately cope with the diversification of the vehicle and the influence of the environment mainly on the outside air temperature. It is possible to reliably prevent the malfunction of the engine start recognition that occurs as a result.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an engine start control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a change state of a battery voltage.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a flowchart showing a procedure of engine start control according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 engine start control device 3 start related device command means 4 starter drive command means 5 battery voltage monitoring means 6 A / D converter 7 timer 8 starter 9 battery 10 engine start control unit 11 start related device 12 crankshaft 13 display unit 14 starter Switch mechanism 21 Radio wave detection circuit 22 Remote control 23 Operation unit 231 Time setting device 232 Selection switch

Claims (3)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. An engine start control device for automatically starting an engine to perform an idling operation, a start command signal output means for outputting a start command signal to an engine, and start-related equipment based on the start command signal. Start-related equipment command means for instructing a predetermined operation, starter drive command means for instructing and driving a battery voltage application to the starter based on the start command signal, and monitoring the fluctuation of the battery voltage for a predetermined time of the battery voltage. An engine start control device comprising: a battery voltage monitoring means for stopping the command for applying the battery voltage to the starter drive command means when the engine is started from cranking when a continuous rise is detected. 2. The start command signal is a signal output when a set time is reached or a set time has elapsed, and a signal output when a radio wave detection circuit receives a radio wave signal emitted by remote control operation. The engine start control device according to claim 1. 3. The engine start control device according to claim 1, wherein permission / prohibition of operation of the battery voltage monitoring means can be selected.