WO2012117649A1

WO2012117649A1 - Automatic engine stopping/starting device and automatic engine stopping/starting control method

Info

Publication number: WO2012117649A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/080012
Authority: WO
Inventors: 弘明北野; 水野　大輔; 亀井　光一郎; 小田原　一浩
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2011-02-28
Filing date: 2011-12-26
Publication date: 2012-09-07
Also published as: JP5644935B2; JPWO2012117649A1

Abstract

Useless power consumption and sound noise during automatic engine stopping and starting can be suppressed, and automatic start can be speeded up and engagement property can be improved. An automatic engine stopping/starting device comprises: a starter motor (14); a ring gear (12); a pinion gear moving means (17); and a starter control means (11) for, while an engine inertially rotates upon satisfaction of an automatic stop condition, executing an engagement control on the basis of the number of rotations of the engine and for executing an engine restart control for restarting the engine upon satisfaction of a restart condition. In the engagement control by the starter control means, the application of current to the pinion gear moving means is stopped at least simultaneously when or before the rotation of the engine stops.

Description

Engine automatic stop start device and engine automatic stop start control method

The present invention relates to an engine automatic stop start device and an engine automatic stop start control method for automatically stopping an engine when an automatic stop condition is satisfied and restarting the engine when a restart condition is satisfied.

Conventionally, for the purpose of improving the fuel consumption of automobiles and reducing the environmental load, an automatic idle stop system has been developed that automatically performs an idle stop when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Among them, the automatic idle stop system using a starter is low in cost because there are few vehicle system changes. On the other hand, however, there is a problem that the engine cannot be engaged until the engine is completely stopped.

For this problem, before or after the engine is stopped, the pinion gear is engaged with the ring gear by the electromagnetic drive mechanism, and the engagement is maintained by the helical spline engaging portion even after the energization to the electromagnetic drive mechanism is stopped. There are some (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, there is a type in which the electromagnetic solenoid is energized during inertial rotation of the ring gear by automatic engine stop, the pinion gear and the ring gear are meshed, and the energization to the electromagnetic solenoid is stopped after the engine stops (for example, Patent Documents). 2).

JP 2008-163818 A JP 2010-242555 A

However, the prior art has the following problems.
In Patent Document 1, meshing is performed by an electromagnetic drive mechanism after the engine is stopped or immediately before the engine is stopped. Here, the determination of meshing completion is performed by a meshing sensor. For this reason, there exists a subject that a structure will become complicated and cost will also become high. Further, there is no description in Patent Document 1 until the idea of energizing the electromagnetic drive mechanism again when the engine is restarted when the restart condition is satisfied.

In Patent Document 2, energization of the electromagnetic solenoid is stopped after the engine is stopped. Here, in Patent Document 2, since the meshing sensor is not used, it cannot be said that the meshing is surely performed until the restart condition is satisfied, and the meshing may be released due to vibration of the vehicle body or the like. Therefore, at the time of restart, the electromagnetic drive mechanism must be energized again.

However, since energization is performed again, there is no need to maintain the meshing at that time, and unnecessary power may be consumed by energizing the electromagnetic drive mechanism until the engine stops. Further, there is no particular description in Patent Document 2 regarding the case where the restart condition is satisfied before the engine stops after the gear meshing.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and suppresses unnecessary power consumption and noise during automatic engine stop and automatic start, as well as speeding up the automatic start. It is another object of the present invention to provide an engine automatic stop / start device and an engine automatic stop / start control method that can improve meshing.

An engine automatic stop / start device according to the present invention is a starter motor that rotates a pinion gear by energization in an engine automatic stop / start device that automatically stops the engine when the automatic stop condition is satisfied and restarts the engine when the restart condition is satisfied. A ring gear that meshes with the pinion gear and transmits the driving force to the engine, a pinion gear moving means that moves the pinion gear by energization and meshes with the ring gear, and an engine of the automatic stop condition Starter control means for executing meshing control based on the number of revolutions of the engine during inertial rotation and restarting the engine when the restart condition is satisfied, and the meshing control in the starter control means is At least at the same time or when the engine stops Is intended to stop the energization of the pinion gear moving means previously.

An engine automatic stop start control method according to the present invention is an engine automatic stop start control method in which an engine is automatically stopped when an automatic stop condition is satisfied, and the engine is restarted when a restart condition is satisfied. During the inertial rotation of the engine, by energizing the pinion gear moving means based on the engine speed, the pinion gear meshes with the ring gear, and at the same time or at least before the engine stops, the pinion An engagement control step for stopping energization of the gear moving means, and an engine restart for restarting the engine by energizing the pinion gear moving means and the starter motor when the restart condition is satisfied after completion of the engagement control step Control step, and when performing the meshing control step, When the restart condition before the control step is completed fit is established, it is to shift to the execution of the engine restart control step without waiting for the completion of the engagement control step.

According to the engine automatic stop start device and the engine automatic stop start control method according to the present invention, the engine starts inertial rotation when the automatic stop condition is satisfied, and the meshing is performed by energizing the solenoid when the meshing rotation speed is reached. If the restart condition is satisfied before the engagement control is completed, the engine restart control is executed without waiting for the completion of the engagement control. It is possible to obtain an engine automatic stop / start device and an engine automatic stop / start control method that suppress unnecessary power consumption and noise, and wear of parts, as well as speeding up the automatic start and improving the meshing property.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the engine automatic stop start apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the chamfering part of the pinion gear by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an image figure which shows the engine stop characteristic by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the engine automatic stop and automatic start by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the meshing control at the time of the engine automatic stop by Embodiment 1 of this invention. In the engine automatic stop / start device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a schematic diagram showing from the drive shaft direction a state in which the pinion gear is engaged with the ring gear when the engine is reversely rotated (during reverse rotation of the ring gear). . In the engine automatic stop / start device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, it is a schematic diagram showing a state of meshing between a pinion gear and a ring gear as viewed from the radial direction of the gear when the engine rotates in reverse. It is an image figure which shows the engine stop characteristic change by the meshing control at the time of the engine automatic stop by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the engine restart control at the time of the engine automatic start by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the engine automatic stop start apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the meshing control at the time of the engine automatic stop by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the engine automatic stop start apparatus by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the engine restart control at the time of the engine automatic start by Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Hereinafter, an engine automatic stop / start device and an engine automatic stop / start control method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings according to each embodiment.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an engine automatic stop / start device 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The engine automatic stop / start device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a starter control means 11, a ring gear 12, a crank angle sensor 13, a starter motor 14, a one-way clutch 15, a pinion gear 16, and a pinion gear moving means. 17. Further, the pinion gear moving means 17 includes a solenoid 18 and a plunger 19.

The starter control means 11 controls energization to the starter motor 14 and the solenoid 18. The ring gear 12 meshes with the pinion gear 16 and transmits driving force to the engine. The crank angle sensor 13 detects the crank angle of the engine. The starter motor 14 rotates the pinion gear 16 when energized.

Also, the one-way clutch 15 is connected to the output shaft of the starter motor 14 and rotates idly when torque is input from the ring gear 12. Further, the pinion gear moving means 17 attracts the plunger 19 by energizing the solenoid 18 and moves the pinion gear 16 via a lever (not shown), thereby meshing the pinion gear 16 with the ring gear 12.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the chamfered portion of the pinion gear according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the pinion gear 16 is chamfered at the edge portion between the non-torque transmission surface and the gear end surface of the gear.

The starter control means 11 can calculate the engine speed from the cycle of the crankshaft rotation pulse output from the crank angle sensor 13. Further, a relay may be provided between the starter control means 11 and the solenoid 18 or the starter motor 14, and energization may be controlled by driving the relay according to a command from the starter control means 11.

Next, the engine inertia rotation behavior when the automatic stop condition is satisfied in the engine automatic stop / start apparatus according to the first embodiment having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
When an automatic stop condition (for example, the vehicle speed is 15 km / h or less and the driver is stepping on the brake) is satisfied while the vehicle is running, the fuel supply to the engine is stopped and the inertia is rotated.

FIG. 3 is an image diagram showing engine stop characteristics according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the automatic stop condition is satisfied, the starter control unit 11 stops the fuel supply to the engine and rotates the inertia. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, torque fluctuation occurs due to the compression / expansion cycle of the piston of the engine, and the engine speed decreases while causing pulsation.

And when the rotation speed becomes 0, the engine starts to rotate in reverse due to the reaction force from the piston in the compression stroke. After that, the engine rotates for a while, and this time, the engine starts to rotate forward by the reaction force from the piston in the expansion stroke. As described above, the forward rotation and the reverse rotation are repeated, and finally the engine is stopped when the rotational friction of the engine becomes larger than the reaction force from the piston.

Next, a specific operation of the engine automatic stop / start apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of engine automatic stop and automatic start according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. First, in step S110, the starter control means 11 determines whether or not an automatic stop condition is satisfied. If it is determined in step S110 that the automatic stop condition is not satisfied, the starter control unit 11 ends the series of processes and proceeds to the next control cycle.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S110 that the automatic stop condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S120, and the starter control means 11 performs engine stop control. Specifically, the starter control means 11 stops the fuel supply to the engine and reduces the rotational speed by inertial rotation. Note that the starter control means 11 may perform intake air control in order to suppress vibration during inertial rotation.

Next, in step S130, the starter control means 11 determines whether or not the engine speed has become a predetermined value or less. Specifically, if the starter control means 11 determines that the engine speed has decreased due to inertial rotation and the ring gear 12 and the pinion gear 16 have reached a meshing speed difference, the next step S140 is performed. Proceed to

In step S140, the starter control means 11 starts the meshing control and meshes the ring gear 12 and the pinion gear 16. Details of the operation in step S140 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Thereafter, in step S150, the starter control means 11 determines whether or not a restart condition is satisfied. If it is determined in step S150 that the restart condition is satisfied, the starter control unit 11 performs engine restart control in step S160 to restart the engine. Details of the operation in step S160 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Next, details of the meshing control operation in step S140 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of meshing control when the engine is automatically stopped according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

When the starter control means 11 determines in step S130 in FIG. 4 that the engine speed has become a meshing speed (for example, 100 rpm or less), the process proceeds from step S141 to step S143 shown in FIG. The meshing control is performed by a series of processes.

First, in step S141, the starter control means 11 starts energizing the solenoid 18 to move the pinion gear 16 and mesh with the ring gear 12.

Here, since the energization of the solenoid 18 is started and the pinion gear 16 moves and comes into contact with the ring gear 12, a movement time of several tens of mS occurs, and the engine speed decreases during that time. It will be. Therefore, the operation in the case where the engine is reversely rotated when the pinion gear 16 contacts the ring gear 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 shows a state where the pinion gear 16 is engaged with the ring gear 12 when the engine is reversely rotated (during reverse rotation of the ring gear) in the engine automatic stop / start device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the meshing state of the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 as viewed from the radial direction of the gear when the engine rotates in the reverse direction in the engine automatic stop / start device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The upper stage (a) indicates when the gear is in contact, the middle stage (b) is in the middle of meshing, and the lower stage (c) indicates when the meshing is completed.

When the pinion gear 16 meshes with the ring gear 12, the starter control means 11 moves the pinion gear 16 to the ring gear 12 by energizing the solenoid 18 as described above. At this time, when the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 mesh with each other without colliding at the gear end face, the meshing is completed smoothly.

However, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), when the gear end faces collide with each other, the ring gear 12 moves while rubbing on the gear end faces or bounces smallly, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 (b). After a state in the middle of meshing as shown, the state shifts to a meshing complete state as shown in FIG.

Even when the state shown in FIG. 7A occurs, as shown in FIG. 2, the pinion gear 16 is chamfered so that the pinion gear 16 starts to mesh with the ring gear 12. However, it is faster than when there is no chamfering. As a result, when the meshing completion state as shown in FIG. 7 (c) is reached, the pinion gear 16 meshes deeper into the ring gear 12 and the meshing can be made more reliable.

As described above, after the pinion gear 16 is engaged with the ring gear 12, the inertia and friction of the starter are applied to the rotating system. FIG. 8 is an image diagram showing a change in engine stop characteristic by the meshing control at the time of automatic engine stop according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, the solid line in FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. 3 above, and shows a normal engine rotation behavior in which the meshing control is not performed when the engine is automatically stopped.

On the other hand, the broken line in FIG. 8 indicates the engine rotation behavior when the meshing control at the time of automatic engine stop is performed by performing a series of processing from step S141 to step S143 as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, when meshing control is performed, the time required for the engine to stop is shortened and the number of revolutions during reverse rotation is also small compared to when meshing control is not performed. I understand that

Specifically, the starter control means 11 sufficiently sets the rotational speed at the time of reverse rotation indicated by the broken line in FIG. 8 after the energization of the solenoid 18 and the pinion gear 16 meshes with the ring gear 12 in step S142 in FIG. It is determined whether or not a first predetermined time (for example, 100 mS) that can be reduced to a minimum has elapsed. If it is determined in step S142 that the first predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S143, where the starter control means 11 stops energization of the solenoid 18 and ends the series of meshing control.

By controlling in this way, energization to the solenoid 18 can be stopped at least at the same time as or before the engine stops. As a result, energization of the solenoid 18 can be stopped at an early stage, power consumption can be suppressed, and the life and fuel consumption of the parts can be improved.

In addition, once engaged, the number of rotations during reverse rotation is made sufficiently small. For this reason, even when the restart condition is satisfied before the engine is stopped, since the rotational speed is small, it is possible to smoothly engage the gears and restart the engine.

As a result, the engine can be restarted without waiting for a complete stop of the engine, and an engine automatic stop / start device that can perform the engine restart quietly and quickly can be obtained.

Next, details of the engine restart control operation in step S160 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of engine restart control during automatic engine start according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

If it is determined in step S150 in FIG. 4 that the restart condition is satisfied, the starter control means 11 performs engine restart control by a series of processes in steps S161 to S163 shown in FIG. It becomes.

First, in step S161, the starter control means 11 starts energizing the solenoid 18 to move the pinion gear 16 and mesh with the ring gear 12.

Next, in step S162, the starter control means 11 determines whether or not a second predetermined time (for example, 30 mS) until the pinion gear 16 comes into contact with the ring gear 12 after the energization of the solenoid 18 has elapsed. to decide. If it is determined in step S162 that the second predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S163, where the starter control means 11 starts energizing the starter motor 14 and restarts the engine by cranking.

As described above, the engine automatic stop / start device according to Embodiment 1 is engaged with the pinion gear, the ring gear that transmits the driving force to the engine, the crank angle sensor that detects the crank angle of the engine, and the pinion gear that is energized. The starter motor that rotates and the plunger is attracted by energizing the solenoid, the pinion gear is moved through the lever, and the pinion gear moving means for meshing with the ring gear is connected to the output shaft of the starter motor. A one-way clutch that rotates idly when torque is input from the gear, and a starter control means that controls energization to the starter motor and the solenoid.

When the engine starts inertial rotation due to the establishment of the automatic stop condition, the solenoid is energized when the meshing rotational speed is reached, and after the pinion gear and the ring gear are meshed, the rotational speed of the reverse rotation is sufficiently small. At that point, stop energizing the solenoid.

After that, when the restart condition is satisfied, the solenoid is energized again. After the time until the pinion gear comes into contact with the ring gear, the starter motor is energized, the engine is restarted by cranking, and the solenoid is restarted after the engine is restarted. Also stop energizing the starter motor.

By performing such a series of operations, the energization to the solenoid can be stopped early, the power consumption can be reduced, the life of the parts and the fuel consumption can be improved, and the temperature rise suppression of the solenoid can be achieved. it can. In addition, since the reverse rotation speed is sufficiently small, the engine can be smoothly meshed and restarted even when the restart condition is satisfied before stopping the engine after stopping energization of the solenoid. it can.

Furthermore, after energizing the solenoid when the restart condition is established, energizing the starter motor after a predetermined time until the pinion gear comes into contact with the ring gear makes it possible to realize more reliable meshing.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an engine automatic stop / start device 10a according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The configuration of FIG. 10 in the second embodiment is different from the configuration of FIG. 1 in the first embodiment only in that a reverse rotation detection crank angle sensor 13a is provided instead of the crank angle sensor 13. ing. Therefore, the following description will be made focusing on the reverse rotation detection crank angle sensor 13a which is a difference.

The reverse rotation detection crank angle sensor 13a is a sensor that can detect the reverse rotation of the engine. Therefore, the starter control means 11 does not determine the elapse of the first predetermined time in step S142 of FIG. 5, but based on the output of the reverse rotation detection crank angle sensor 13a, The energization may be stopped.

In addition, as long as the reverse rotation of the engine can be detected, not only the reverse rotation detection crank angle sensor 13a but also other means may be used.

Thus, by using engine reverse rotation detection means such as the reverse rotation detection crank angle sensor 13a, it is possible to detect whether the engine is currently rotating forward or reverse. As a result, for example, when the engine speed decreases due to inertial rotation and meshes during forward rotation and then reverse rotation is started, the starter control means 11 can stop energization of the solenoid 18.

Generally, the pinion gear 16 and the one-way clutch 15 are integrally formed and are splined to the output shaft of the starter motor 14. The spline fitting is configured so that the forward movement is generated when the rotation speed of the pinion gear 16 is lower than the rotation speed of the output shaft of the starter motor 14 and the backward movement is performed when the rotation speed is high because the one-way clutch 15 is provided.

Therefore, in order to release the meshing between the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 in a state where the starter motor is not rotated, the pinion gear 16 rotates in the normal rotation direction of the engine, that is, the ring gear 12 is normal. It is necessary to roll. Therefore, during reverse rotation, even if the energization to the solenoid 18 is stopped, the pinion gear 16 is not pulled back and remains in a meshed state.

Then, the next time the engine rotates forward, the meshing is released. At that time, the engine speed is within the meshing speed range. Therefore, the starter control means 11 can engage the pinion gear 16 with the ring gear 12 when the restart condition is satisfied, energize the starter motor 14, and restart the engine.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, by using the engine reverse rotation detection means, it is possible to detect the forward rotation and reverse rotation states of the engine more precisely than the reverse rotation determination after the first predetermined time has elapsed. Can do. As a result, improvement in control accuracy can be realized.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when the meshing control is performed in step S140, and then the restart condition is satisfied in step S150, the engine restart control is performed in step S160. explained. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, a case will be described in which establishment of the engine restart condition is considered even during the meshing control in step S140.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of meshing control at the time of engine automatic stop according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the starter control means 11 performs control in consideration of the case where the restart condition is satisfied after the solenoid 18 is energized and before the solenoid 18 is deenergized.

Note that steps S141 to S143 in FIG. 11 are the same as steps S141 to S143 in FIG. 5 described in the first embodiment. Steps S144 to S146 in FIG. 11 are newly added steps in the third embodiment, and the following description will be focused on the processing of these additional steps.

As in the first embodiment, when the engine speed decreases due to the inertial rotation due to the automatic stop of the engine and becomes a meshing speed (that is, YES is determined in step S130 in FIG. 4). In this case, the meshing control is performed by a series of processes in steps S141 to S146 shown in FIG.

First, in step S141, the starter control means 11 moves the pinion gear 16 by energizing the solenoid 18 and meshes with the ring gear 12.

And it progresses to step S144 and the starter control means 11 judges whether restart conditions are satisfied. That is, in the flowchart of FIG. 11 in the third embodiment, the starter control means 11 determines whether or not the restart condition is satisfied after the solenoid 18 is energized and before the solenoid 18 is energized. Yes.

In step S144, if the restart condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S142. As described in the first embodiment, the starter control unit 11 determines that the restart condition is not satisfied until the energization of the solenoid 18 is stopped (first predetermined time elapses) in step S142. Proceeding to step S143, the energization of the solenoid 18 is stopped, and the series of processes is terminated.

As described above, when the meshing control is completed without the restart condition being satisfied, the series described in steps S150 and S160 in FIG. 4 and steps S161 to S163 in FIG. 9 in the first embodiment. Will be controlled. Specifically, after the meshing control is completed, when the restart condition is satisfied (step S150), the solenoid 18 is energized again (step S161), and the starter motor 14 is energized after a predetermined time (step S161). S162, S163).

However, when the restart condition is satisfied before the energization of the solenoid 18 is stopped or before the engagement of the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 is released, as shown in FIG. There is no need to wait for progress. Accordingly, if the restart condition is satisfied in the previous step S144, the process proceeds to step S145, where the starter control means 11 energizes the solenoid 18 and the starter motor 14 simultaneously, or energizes the starter motor 14. Later, the solenoid 18 is energized.

Furthermore, it progresses to step S146 and the starter control means 11 restarts an engine by cranking. Although not shown, after step S145 and step S146 are executed, the series of processing ends without performing steps S150 and S160 in FIG.

Thus, when the restart condition is satisfied immediately after the pinion gear 16 meshes with the ring gear 12, the starter motor 14 can be energized without stopping the energization of the solenoid 18. For this reason, the engine can be restarted more quickly.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, when the engine restart condition is satisfied during the engagement control, the energization to the solenoid is stopped without stopping the energization to the solenoid as in the first embodiment. It can be energized. As a result, compared to the first embodiment, the engine can be restarted more quickly when the engine restart condition is satisfied during the meshing control.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
The fourth embodiment further includes a mesh determination unit that can determine whether or not the mesh between the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 is established, and performs engine restart control based on the output of the mesh determination unit. A description will be given of a case where the engine restart is speeded up.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an engine automatic stop / start device 10b according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The configuration of FIG. 12 in the fourth embodiment is different from the configuration of FIG. 1 in the first embodiment in that it further includes a meshing determination means 20. Therefore, the following description will be made focusing on the meshing discrimination means 20 which is a difference.

In the fourth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the engine is inertially rotated by the establishment of the automatic stop condition. When the engine speed decreases, the solenoid 18 is energized, and the pinion gear 16 is connected to the ring gear 12. Engage (corresponding to steps S110 to S140 in FIG. 1).

Thereafter, the engine restart control process in step S160 after the restart condition is satisfied (corresponding to step S150 in the previous FIG. 1) is different from that in the first embodiment, and will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Explained. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of engine restart control during automatic engine start according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

If it is determined in step S150 in FIG. 4 that the restart condition is satisfied, the starter control means 11 performs engine restart control by a series of processes in steps S161 to S164 shown in FIG. It becomes.

Note that steps S161 to S163 in FIG. 13 are the same as steps S161 to S163 in FIG. 9 described in the first embodiment. Step S164 in FIG. 13 is a step newly added in the fourth embodiment, and the following description will be focused on the processing of this addition step.

First, in step S164, the starter control unit 11 determines whether or not the engagement of the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 is continued based on the output of the engagement determination unit 20.

If it is determined that the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 are engaged, the process proceeds to step S163 where the starter control means 11 energizes the solenoid 18 and the starter motor 14 simultaneously or energizes the starter motor 14. Later, the solenoid 18 is energized.

On the other hand, when the restart condition is satisfied, if it is determined in step S164 that the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 are not engaged, the process proceeds to step S161. Then, similarly to the flow of FIG. 9 in the first embodiment, the starter control means 11 energizes the solenoid 18 (step S161), and after the second predetermined time has elapsed (step S162), the starter motor 14 Is energized (step S163).

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the engagement between the pinion gear 16 and the ring gear 12 is continued when the restart condition is satisfied by further including the engagement determining unit 20. . For this reason, when the meshing continues, the starter motor 14 can be energized without waiting for the elapse of a predetermined time after energizing the solenoid 18. As a result, the engine can be restarted more quickly.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the engagement between the pinion gear and the ring gear is continued when the restart condition is satisfied by further including the engagement determining unit. . As a result, the engine can be restarted more quickly when the meshing between the pinion gear and the ring gear is continued as compared with the first embodiment.

In the third and fourth embodiments described above, the case where the engine restart is accelerated based on the configuration of the first embodiment has been described. However, the invention according to the third and fourth embodiments is not limited to this, and can be similarly applied to the configuration of the second embodiment, and the same effects can be obtained.

Claims

In the engine automatic stop start device that automatically stops the engine when the automatic stop condition is satisfied and restarts the engine when the restart condition is satisfied,
A starter motor that rotates the pinion gear by energization;
A ring gear meshing with the pinion gear and transmitting a driving force to the engine;
A pinion gear moving means for moving the pinion gear by energization to engage with the ring gear;
Starter control means for executing meshing control based on the number of revolutions of the engine during inertial rotation of the engine due to establishment of the automatic stop condition, and executing engine restart control for restarting the engine when the restart condition is satisfied; With
The engine automatic stop and start device characterized in that the meshing control in the starter control means stops energization to the pinion gear moving means at least at the same time as or before the rotation of the engine stops.
The engine automatic stop and start device according to claim 1,
The meshing control in the starter control means is characterized in that the energization to the pinion gear moving means is stopped after a first predetermined time has elapsed since the energization to the pinion gear moving means is performed. apparatus.
The engine automatic stop and start device according to claim 1 or 2,
Further comprising reverse rotation detection means for detecting reverse rotation of the crankshaft of the engine,
In the meshing control in the starter control means, after the energization to the pinion gear moving means, the energization to the pinion gear moving means is performed by detecting the reverse rotation of the crankshaft by the reverse rotation detecting means. An engine automatic stop and start device characterized by stopping.
The engine automatic stop and start device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The starter control means can independently control the energization of the starter motor and the pinion gear moving means, and the engine restart control performs a second predetermined operation after energizing the pinion gear moving means. An engine automatic stop and start device characterized by energizing the starter motor after a lapse of time.
The engine automatic stop / start device according to claim 4,
A mesh determining means for determining whether or not the mesh between the pinion gear and the ring gear is established;
When starting the execution of the engine restart control, if it is determined by the engagement determining means that engagement is established, the starter motor is energized and simultaneously with the energization of the starter motor. Alternatively, after the energization is performed, the pinion gear moving unit is energized, and when the meshing determination unit determines that the meshing is not established, the pinion gear moving unit is energized, and then the second pinion gear moving unit is energized. The starter motor is energized after the elapse of a predetermined time. An automatic engine stop / start device.
The engine automatic stop and start device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A chamfering is provided at an edge between the non-torque transmission surface and the gear end surface of the pinion gear.
In the engine automatic stop start device that automatically stops the engine when the automatic stop condition is satisfied and restarts the engine when the restart condition is satisfied,
A starter motor that rotates the pinion gear by energization;
A ring gear meshing with the pinion gear and transmitting a driving force to the engine;
A pinion gear moving means for moving the pinion gear by energization to engage with the ring gear;
During the inertial rotation of the engine due to the establishment of the automatic stop condition, the pinion gear moving means is energized based on the engine speed, and the pinion gear and the ring gear are meshed, and at least the engine rotation is stopped. Starter control means for executing meshing control for stopping energization of the pinion gear moving means at the same time or before stopping, and executing engine restart control for restarting the engine when a restart condition is satisfied, and
When the restart condition is satisfied after the execution and completion of the meshing control, the starter control means energizes the pinion gear moving means and then the starter motor after the second predetermined time has elapsed. When the restart condition is satisfied during energization of the pinion gear moving means after performing energization to the pinion gear moving means, the energization to the pinion gear moving means is not stopped, An engine automatic stop and start device characterized by energizing a starter motor.
An engine automatic stop start control method for automatically stopping the engine when the automatic stop condition is satisfied and restarting the engine when the restart condition is satisfied,
During the inertial rotation of the engine due to the establishment of the automatic stop condition, the pinion gear meshes with the ring gear by energizing the pinion gear moving means based on the engine speed, and at least the engine rotation is stopped. A meshing control step for stopping energization of the pinion gear moving means simultaneously or before stopping;
An engine restart control step for restarting the engine by energizing the pinion gear moving means and the starter motor when the restart condition is satisfied after the meshing control step is completed;
When the meshing control step is executed, if the restart condition is satisfied before the meshing control step is completed, the process proceeds to the engine restart control step without waiting for the meshing control step to be completed. An engine automatic stop / start control method.