JP2014092114A - Engine starting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an engine starting device which unites suppression of power consumption and early time correspondence upon accidental fire.SOLUTION: First determination means of an engine starting device determines whether an output of motor drive command is stopped or not while maintaining the output of pinion drive command. Further, second determination means determines whether the output of the pinion drive command is stopped or not after stopping the output of the motor drive command based on the determination of the first determination means. Thereby, since a pinion drive part continuously gives forward side thrust to a pinion while maintaining an electric conduction state even after electric conduction stop to an electric motor, the pinion continuously engages with the ring gear even after electric conduction stop to the electric motor. Therefore, when rotation number of engine is lowered due to accidental fire, the electric conduction to the electric motor is reopened and, thereby, the ring gear can be immediately rotated. As the result, the engine starting device can unite suppression of power consumption and early time correspondence upon accidental fire.

Description

  The present invention relates to an engine starter including, for example, a starter and an electronic control unit (ECU), and mainly relates to a configuration capable of achieving both power consumption suppression and early response in the event of a misfire.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an engine starter, a technique for stopping energization of a starter before the start of the engine is completed is known in order to suppress power consumption by the starter (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to Patent Document 1, for example, after the start of energization of the starter, the engine speed increases and the pinion is idle with respect to the electric motor. Various standards have been proposed to stop energization. The completion of engine start can be determined, for example, when the engine speed has increased to a value close to the idling speed.

By the way, there is the following problem when stopping the energization to the starter without waiting for the completion of the start of the engine.
In other words, if the engine misfires after stopping the energization of the starter, if the energization of the starter is resumed immediately, the pinion is driven straight ahead toward the ring gear that has not stopped rotating and jumps in. If the pinion jumps into the rotating ring gear, there is a risk of impact on the starter and poor start of the engine, so if the engine misfires, restart the energization of the starter after the ring gear has completely stopped. Is preferred. For this reason, compared with the case where the energization to the starter is not stopped until the start of the engine is completed, when the engine is misfired, the time required from the generation of the engine start request to the completion of the engine start becomes longer.

JP 2011-163321 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to achieve both power consumption suppression and early response in the event of a misfire in an engine starting device.

According to the present invention, the engine starter includes a pinion, an electromagnetic solenoid, an electric motor, first determination means, and second determination means described below.
First, the pinion is driven straight and hits the ring gear of the engine, and is further rotated and meshed with the ring gear and rotates the ring gear. The electromagnetic solenoid is energized in response to a request to start the engine, and generates a thrust that drives the pinion straight. The electric motor is energized in response to a request to start the engine, and generates a torque that rotationally drives the pinion.

The first determination means determines whether or not to stop the energization to the electric motor while maintaining the energization to the electromagnetic solenoid, and the second determination means determines the energization to the electric motor based on the determination by the first determination means. After stopping, decide whether to stop energizing the electromagnetic solenoid.
As a result, the electromagnetic solenoid maintains the energized state and continues to apply thrust to the pinion even after the energization of the electric motor is stopped, so that the pinion continues to mesh with the ring gear even after the energization of the electric motor is stopped. For this reason, when engine speed falls by misfire, a ring gear can be immediately rotated by restarting electricity supply to an electric motor.

As described above, power consumption can be reduced by stopping the energization of the electric motor before stopping the energization of the electromagnetic solenoid, and misfire can be achieved by maintaining the energization of the electromagnetic solenoid even after the energization of the electric motor is stopped. Sometimes the ring gear can be turned early.
For this reason, in an engine starting device, it is possible to achieve both power consumption suppression and early response in the event of a misfire.

It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the whole starter structure. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the whole structure of an engine starting apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the control method by an engine starting apparatus. (A) is a time chart showing temporal changes in the engine speed and motor speed without misfire, (b) is a time chart showing changes in the output of the pinion drive command without misfire, and (c) It is a time chart which shows the time-dependent change of the output of the motor drive command without misfire. (A) is a time chart showing temporal changes in engine speed and motor speed with misfire, (b) is a time chart showing temporal changes in the output of the pinion drive command with misfire, and (c) is It is a time chart which shows the time-dependent change of the output of the motor drive command with misfire.

  An engine starting device of an embodiment is explained based on an example.

[Configuration of Example]
The configuration of the engine starter 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The engine starter 1 is mounted in an engine room of a vehicle (not shown) and starts the engine 2, and includes a starter 3 and an electronic control unit (ECU) 5 shown below.

The starter 3 is engaged with the ring gear 7 of the engine 2, the electric motor 9 that generates torque for rotationally driving the pinion 8, and energization of the electric motor 9 is turned on and off, and the pinion 8 is driven straight toward the ring gear 7. The electromagnetic relay 10 etc. are provided.
Here, the armature 12 included in the electric motor 9, the two coils 13 and 14 included in the electromagnetic relay 10, the switch 15, and the like have a starter circuit 17 for starting the engine 2 by the starter 3 using the power of the battery 16. It is composed.

  The pinion 8 is linearly driven toward the ring gear 7 of the engine 2 and hits the ring gear 7 in the axial direction. The pinion 8 is further rotated and meshed with the ring gear 7 and rotates the ring gear 7. Further, the pinion 8 is provided as an integral part with the inner 20 that is a rotating body on the output side of the one-way clutch 19, and is driven to move straight along with the one-way clutch 19 by the electromagnetic relay 10.

  Here, the one-way clutch 19 prohibits transmission of torque between the pinion 8 and the electric motor 9 after the engine 2 is started, and causes the pinion 8 to idle with respect to the electric motor 9. More specifically, the one-way clutch 19 forms a wedge-shaped space between an outer 21 that is a rotating body on the input side and the inner 20, and a roller 22 is moved to a narrower one of the wedge-shaped space by a clutch spring (not shown). And the inner 20 and the outer 21 are locked via the roller 22.

  Further, a screw spline 23 is provided on the inner periphery of the outer 21 and is fitted to a screw spline 25 provided on the outer periphery of the drive shaft 24. Here, the drive shaft 24 is assembled coaxially with the output shaft (not shown) of the electric motor 9, and the torque transmitted from the electric motor 9 is fitted to the one-way clutch 19 and the pinion by fitting the screw splines 23 and 25. 8 is transmitted. The drive shaft 24 is rotatably supported by a housing 26 or the like via a bearing 27. Further, a bearing 28 is also interposed between the integrated body of the pinion 8 and the inner 20 and the drive shaft 24.

  As a result, the pinion 8 and the one-way clutch 19 advance in the axial direction by the thrust transmitted from the electromagnetic relay 10 via the shift lever 29, and the pinion 8 abuts against the ring gear 7 in the axial direction. Further, the pinion 8 and the one-way clutch 19 are rotationally driven by torque transmitted from the electric motor 9 to the drive shaft 24, and the pinion 8 meshes with the ring gear 7 and rotates the ring gear 7. As a result, the engine 2 is started. At this time, torque transmitted from the electric motor 9 to the outer 21 is transmitted to the inner 20 and the pinion 8 via the roller 22 and used for starting the engine 2.

  Further, after the engine 2 is started, the pinion 8 and the inner 20 rotate at a higher speed than the outer 21 due to the torque transmitted from the engine 2. For this reason, the roller 22 moves to the wider side of the wedge-shaped space while compressing the clutch spring, and does not lock the inner 20 and the outer 21. As a result, the pinion 8 and the inner 20 idle with respect to the outer 21, the pinion 8 and the one-way clutch 19 are retracted in the axial direction by the reverse thrust transmitted from the electromagnetic relay 10, and the pinion 8 is detached from the ring gear 7.

A known planetary gear type reduction gear (not shown) is interposed in the transmission of torque from the output shaft of the electric motor 9 to the drive shaft 24. The drive shaft 24 is assembled with a stopper 30 for restricting the forward movement of the pinion 8 between the bearing 27 and the ring gear 7 in the axial direction.
The electric motor 9 is a DC motor having an armature 12, a field (not shown), a commutator 32, a brush 33, and the like (see FIG. 2), and energization of the armature 12 is turned on / off by the switch 15 of the electromagnetic relay 10. The

  The electromagnetic relay 10 individually forms a pinion drive unit 35 that advances and retracts the pinion 8 in the axial direction and a motor drive unit 36 that turns on and off the electric motor 9. And the pinion drive part 35 and the motor drive part 36 have the individual coils 13 and 14, respectively, and the coils 13 and 14 can carry out energization control independently, and form an individual magnetic circuit.

  The pinion drive unit 35 and the motor drive unit 36 are assembled coaxially with each other. The axes of the pinion drive unit 35 and the motor drive unit 36 are parallel to the axes of the electric motor 9 and the drive shaft 24, and the pinion drive unit 35. Is assembled on the front end side in the axial direction of the motor drive unit 36. A common fixed iron core 37 that passes both the magnetic fluxes formed by the coils 13 and 14 is disposed between the axial directions of the coils 13 and 14. In addition, the yoke 38 disposed on the outer diameter side of the coils 13 and 14 is an integrated object that covers both the coils 13 and 14 on the outer diameter side.

The pinion drive unit 35 includes a movable iron core 40, a return spring 41, a joint 42, a drive spring 43, and the like in addition to the coil 13, the fixed iron core 37, and the yoke 38.
The movable iron core 40 is disposed on the inner diameter side of the coil 13 and is magnetically attracted toward the fixed iron core 37 when the coil 13 is energized to move toward the rear end side in the axial direction. The magnetic attractive force acting between the fixed iron core 37 and the movable iron core 40 is transmitted to the pinion 8 via the shift lever 29, and the thrust (hereinafter referred to as forward thrust) that advances the pinion 8 toward the ring gear 7. It may be called.)

  The return spring 41 is compressed and set between the fixed iron core 37 and the movable iron core 40, and urges the movable iron core 40 toward the front end side in the axial direction so as to be separated from the fixed iron core 37 in the axial direction. Then, the urging force of the return spring 41 is transmitted to the pinion 8 via the shift lever 29, and becomes a thrust that causes the pinion 8 to separate from the ring gear 7 and retreat (hereinafter, referred to as a retreat-side thrust).

  The joint 42 engages with one end of the shift lever 29 at the tip, is accommodated in a fitting hole 44 provided in the movable iron core 40, and the tip projects from the fitting hole 44. The joint 42 is accommodated in the fitting hole 44 so as to be movable relative to the movable iron core 40 in the axial direction.

The drive spring 43 is compressed and set between a locking portion 45 integrated with the movable iron core 40 and a locking portion 46 provided at the rear end of the joint 42, and the joint 42 is moved to the rear end side in the axial direction. The engaging portion 46 is urged to contact the bottom surface (rear end surface) 46 a of the fitting hole 44.
Then, after the pinion 8 abuts against the ring gear 7, the drive spring 43 urges the rotationally driven pinion 8 further forward in the axial direction and meshes with the ring gear 7.

  That is, even after the pinion 8 hits the ring gear 7, the movable iron core 40 moves further to the rear end side in the axial direction due to the magnetic attractive force acting between the fixed iron core 37 and the movable iron core 40. As a result, the locking portion 46 is separated from the bottom surface 46a in the axial direction, and the drive spring 43 is further compressed in the axial direction, and more strongly biases the pinion 8 toward the distal end side in the axial direction. Therefore, when the pinion 8 is rotationally driven, the pinion 8 further advances in the axial direction by the urging force of the drive spring 43 and meshes with the ring gear 7. At this time, the pinion 8 advances in the axial direction until it comes into contact with the stopper 30.

  In addition to the coil 14, the fixed iron core 37, and the yoke 38, the motor drive unit 36 includes a movable iron core 48, a return spring 49, a movable contact 50 and a fixed contact 51 that form the switch 15, and the like.

  The movable iron core 48 is disposed on the inner diameter side of the coil 14 and is magnetically attracted toward the fixed iron core 37 when the coil 14 is energized to move toward the tip end in the axial direction. The movable iron core 48 is integrated with the movable contact 50 by a resin rod 52. The movable iron core 48 is magnetically attracted and moved toward the fixed iron core 37, whereby the movable contact 50 is fixed. The switch 15 closes in contact with 51.

  The return spring 49 is compressed and set between the fixed iron core 37 and the movable iron core 48 on the inner diameter side of the coil 14, and is attached to the rear end side in the axial direction so as to separate the movable iron core 48 from the fixed iron core 37 in the axial direction. Rush. When the energization of the coil 14 is stopped and the movable iron core 48 is not magnetically attracted toward the fixed iron core 37, the movable contact 50 is separated from the fixed contact 51 by the urging force of the return spring 49, and the switch 15 Opens.

  The movable contact 50 is urged toward the tip end in the axial direction by the contact pressure spring 53 when the switch 15 is in the closed state, and is in contact with the fixed contact 51 with a predetermined contact pressure. The fixed contact 51 is electrically connected to a terminal bolt 54 for conducting to the battery 16 side and the armature 12 side. Furthermore, the space in which the switch 15 is formed is sealed with a resin cover 55 on the rear end side in the axial direction.

  The ECU 5 is configured to receive input of detection signals from various sensors, perform calculation and control processing, and output various command signals. The ECU 5 outputs a command signal for operating the starter 3 when a request for starting the engine 2 (hereinafter, abbreviated as an engine start request) is generated by, for example, an ignition-on operation by an occupant. The sensor that outputs a detection signal to the ECU 5 is, for example, an engine speed sensor 60 that detects the speed of the engine 2 (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as engine speed).

  Further, the starter circuit 17 incorporates switches 62 and 63 for turning on and off the energization of the coils 13 and 14, and the ECU 5 issues a command signal for turning on the switches 62 and 63 when an engine start request is generated. Output. As a result, the pinion 8 is driven linearly toward the ring gear 7 and hits the ring gear 7 in the axial direction. Further, the pinion 8 is further rotated and meshed with the ring gear 7, and the ring gear 7 is rotated to start the engine 2 (hereinafter referred to as the switch 62 from the ECU 5). , 63 may be referred to as a pinion drive command and a motor drive command, respectively).

  Then, for the purpose of coexistence of suppression of power consumption accompanying the start of the engine 2 and early response when the engine 2 misfires, the ECU 5 performs first, second, and third determination means 65, 66, and 67 described below. As a function.

  The first determination means 65 is a function that determines whether or not to stop energization of the armature 12 while maintaining energization of the coil 13. That is, does the first determination means 65 stop generating the torque by the electric motor 9 and stop applying the torque to the pinion 8 while maintaining the application of the forward thrust to the pinion 8 by the pinion drive unit 35? Decide whether or not.

  That is, the first determination means 65 determines whether or not the torque application by the electric motor 9 is unnecessary for the purpose of stopping the energization to the armature 12 earlier and suppressing the power consumption. Is determined to be unnecessary, it is determined to stop energizing the armature 12. That is, when the pinion 8 idles with respect to the electric motor 9, the assist of the electric motor 9 for starting the engine 2 becomes unnecessary. Therefore, the first determination unit 65 determines whether the assist of the electric motor 9 is unnecessary. It is determined whether or not to stop energization of the armature 12.

  The first determination means 65 determines a value detected by the engine speed sensor 60 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a detected value of the engine speed) when determining whether or not the assist of the electric motor 9 is unnecessary. Is used. More specifically, the first determination unit 65 considers that the assist of the electric motor 9 is no longer necessary when the detected value of the engine speed becomes larger than the predetermined threshold value α1, and stops energization of the armature 12. To decide. The threshold value α1 is, for example, a value obtained by adding a slight numerical value width to the rotation speed of the electric motor 9 at the time of idling (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “motor rotation speed”).

  Further, the first determination means 65 maintains energization of the coil 13 even if it decides to stop energization of the armature 12 for the purpose of early response at the time of misfire. That is, when the energization of the coil 13 is stopped, the pinion driving unit 35 does not generate the forward thrust, and the pinion 8 is detached from the ring gear 7 by the backward thrust. For this reason, when it becomes necessary to turn the ring gear 7 due to the occurrence of misfire, it is necessary to move the pinion 8 forward toward the ring gear 7 again to engage with the ring gear 7.

  On the other hand, the pinion 8 keeps meshing with the ring gear 7 by maintaining the energization of the coil 13 even after the energization of the armature 12 is stopped. For this reason, even if a misfire occurs, the ring gear 7 can be turned immediately by resuming energization to the armature 12, so that it is possible to cope with an earlier time when a misfire occurs.

  The second determination means 66 is a function for determining whether or not to stop energization of the coil 13 after stopping energization to the armature 12 based on the determination by the first determination means 65. That is, the second determination means 66 determines whether or not the application of forward thrust to the pinion 8 is no longer necessary after the start of the engine 2 is completed. The energization stop to 13 is determined.

  And the 2nd determination means 66 utilizes the detected value of an engine speed, when determining whether provision of a forward thrust is unnecessary. More specifically, the second determination means 66 considers that the application of the forward thrust is no longer necessary when the detected value of the engine speed is larger than the predetermined threshold value α2, and stops energizing the coil 13. To decide. The threshold value α2 is, for example, a value obtained by subtracting a slight numerical range from the engine speed during idling.

  The third determination unit 67 stops supplying power to the armature 12 based on the determination by the first determination unit 65 and then stops supplying power to the armature 12 based on the determination by the second determination unit 66. This function determines whether to resume energization. That is, the third determination unit 67 stops the assist of the electric motor 9 for starting the engine 2 and then restarts the generation of torque by the electric motor 9 before the start of the engine 2 is completed. Decide whether to resume assist.

  That is, the third determination means 67 determines whether or not misfiring has occurred for the purpose of early response at the time of misfiring, and determines to resume energization to the armature 12 when it is determined that misfiring has occurred. And the 3rd determination means 67 utilizes the detected value of an engine speed, when determining whether misfire has generate | occur | produced. More specifically, the third determination means 67 considers that a misfire has occurred when the detected value of the engine speed is smaller than a predetermined threshold value α3, and determines to resume energization to the armature 12. The threshold value α3 is, for example, equal to the threshold value α1 of the first determination means 65, and is a value obtained by adding a slight numerical value width to the motor rotation speed during idling.

[Control Method of Example]
A control method by the engine starter 1 of the embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S1, it is determined whether an engine start request has occurred. The engine start request is generated, for example, by an occupant's ignition-on operation. If it is determined in step S1 that an engine start request has been generated (YES), the process proceeds to step S2 to start outputting a pinion drive command, and further proceeds to step S3 to start outputting a motor drive command.

As a result, energization of the coil 13 and the armature 12 starts and the engine 2 starts to start.
If it is determined in step S1 that no engine start request has been generated (NO), the process returns to step S1 to determine again the generation of the engine start request.

  Next, it is determined in step S4 whether or not the assist of the electric motor 9 for starting the engine 2 is no longer necessary. Step S4 is responsible for the function of the first determination means 65, and aims to stop the energization of the armature 12 at an earlier stage to suppress power consumption, and whether or not the assist of the electric motor 9 has become unnecessary. Whether or not to stop energization of the armature 12 is determined based on the above.

Then, when the detected value of the engine speed becomes larger than the threshold value α1, it is considered that the assist of the electric motor 9 is no longer necessary (YES), the energization stop to the armature 12 is decided, and the process proceeds to step S5. Stops motor drive command output.
When the detected value of the engine speed is equal to or less than the threshold value α1, it is considered that the assist of the electric motor 9 is not required (NO), the energization maintenance to the armature 12 is determined, and the process returns to step S4 to It is determined again whether or not the assist of the motor 9 is unnecessary.

  Next, in step S6, it is determined whether or not the assist of the electric motor 9 for starting the engine 2 is required again. Step S6 bears the function of the third determination means 67, and after energizing the armature 12 is stopped based on the determination in step S4, the energization to the armature 12 is stopped before the energization to the coil 13 is stopped. Decide whether or not to resume.

  That is, step S6 is intended for early response at the time of misfire, and it is determined whether or not the assist of the electric motor 9 is necessary again based on whether or not misfire has occurred. Then, when the detected value of the engine speed becomes smaller than the threshold value α3, it is considered that a misfire has occurred and the electric motor 9 needs to be assisted again (YES), and energization of the armature 12 is resumed. In step S5, the output of the motor drive command is resumed. Further, when the detected value of the engine speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value α3, it is considered that no misfire has occurred and the assist of the electric motor 9 is not required (NO), and the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, it is determined whether or not the engine 2 has been started. Step S7 is responsible for the function of the second determination means 66, and determines whether or not to stop the energization of the coil 13 after the energization of the armature 12 is stopped based on the determination in step S4.

  In step S7, when the detected value of the engine speed becomes larger than the threshold value α2, it is considered that the engine 2 has been started (YES), and the process proceeds to step S8 to stop the output of the pinion drive command. This flow is finished. When the detected value of the engine speed is equal to or less than the threshold value α2, it is considered that the engine 2 has not been started (NO), the process returns to step S6, and the electric motor 9 assists the engine 2 again. Determine whether or not is needed.

[Operation of Example]
The operation of the engine starting device 1 of the embodiment will be described based on the time charts of FIGS. 4 and 5.
Here, FIG. 4 is a time chart when the start of the engine 2 is completed without misfire, and FIG. 5 is a time chart when the start of the engine 2 is completed with misfire.

  First, according to the time chart of FIG. 4, at time t0, an engine start request is generated and output of a pinion drive command and a motor drive command starts. Accordingly, at time t1, the ring gear 7 starts to be rotated by the torque of the electric motor 9, and the engine speed starts to increase in synchronization with the motor speed.

  Eventually, the engine speed increase rate becomes larger than the motor speed increase rate, and at time t2, the detected engine speed value exceeds the threshold value α1, and the output of the motor drive command is stopped. The motor 9 does not assist in starting the engine 2. Thereafter, the engine speed increases while fluctuating up and down without falling below the threshold value α3. Then, at time t3, the detected value of the engine speed exceeds the threshold value α2, it is considered that the engine 2 has been started, and the output of the pinion drive command is stopped.

  Next, according to the time chart of FIG. 5, a misfire occurs after the output of the motor drive command at time t2 is stopped, and at time t4, the detected value of the engine speed falls below the threshold value α3 and the output of the motor drive command is output. Resumed.

  Thereafter, the engine speed increase rate again becomes greater than the motor speed increase rate, and at time t5, the detected engine speed value again exceeds the threshold value α1, and the output of the motor drive command is output. The electric motor 9 is stopped and does not assist the start of the engine 2. Thereafter, the engine speed increases while fluctuating up and down without falling below the threshold value α3. Then, at time t6, the detected value of the engine speed exceeds the threshold value α2, it is considered that the engine 2 has been started, and the output of the pinion drive command is stopped.

[Effects of Examples]
According to the engine starter 1 of the embodiment, the first determination unit 65 energizes the electric motor 9 (energization of the armature 12) while maintaining energization of the pinion drive unit 35 (energization of the coil 13). Decide whether to stop or not. The second determination unit 66 determines whether or not to stop energization to the pinion drive unit 35 after stopping energization to the electric motor 9 based on the determination by the first determination unit 65. Further, the third determination unit 67 stops energization to the electric motor 9 based on the determination by the first determination unit 65 and then stops the energization to the pinion drive unit 35 based on the determination by the second determination unit 66. Then, it is determined whether or not energization to the electric motor 9 is resumed.

  As a result, the pinion drive unit 35 maintains the energized state even after the energization of the electric motor 9 is stopped, and continues to apply the forward thrust to the pinion 8. Continue to engage. For this reason, when engine speed falls by misfire, the ring gear 7 can be immediately rotated by restarting electricity supply to the electric motor 9.

  As described above, power consumption can be suppressed by stopping the energization of the electric motor 9 before the energization stop of the pinion drive unit 35, and energization of the pinion drive unit 35 even after the energization of the electric motor 9 is stopped. By maintaining this, the ring gear 7 can be rotated early in the event of a misfire. For this reason, in the engine starter 1, it is possible to achieve both power consumption suppression and early response in the event of a misfire.

The first to third determination means 65 to 67 have threshold values α1 to α3 set for the detected value of the engine speed, respectively, and compare the detected value of the engine speed and the threshold values α1 to α3. To execute the judgment function.
Thereby, the function of the 1st-3rd determination means 65-67 can be performed by utilizing the detected value by the engine speed sensor 60. FIG. For this reason, the function of the 1st-3rd determination means 65-67 can be performed, without adding a sensor etc. newly.
Furthermore, since the threshold value α3 is equal to the threshold value α1, the free space in the storage device of the ECU 5 can be increased.

[Modification]
The aspect of the engine starting device 1 is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be considered.
For example, according to the engine starter 1 of the embodiment, the first determination unit 65 sets the threshold value α1 for the detected value of the engine speed, and if the detected value of the engine speed exceeds the threshold value α1, Although the output has been stopped, the mode of the first determination means 65 is not limited to this. For example, a threshold value α4 with respect to a temporal change rate of the detected value of the engine speed may be set, and when the temporal change rate of the engine speed exceeds the threshold value α4, the output of the motor drive command may be stopped.

  Further, the engine starter 1 is provided with motor load estimating means for estimating the load of the electric motor 9, and a threshold value α5 for the estimated load value is set. When the estimated load value becomes smaller than the threshold value α5, the motor is driven. The command output may be stopped. In this case, the motor load estimating means can be provided as, for example, a current measuring device that measures the amount of current supplied to the electric motor 9 or a voltage measuring device that measures a voltage drop in the electric motor 9.

Further, when the engine 2 is a gasoline engine, the output of the motor drive command may be stopped when the voltage application of the spark plug is performed.
The threshold value α3 is equal to the threshold value α1, but the threshold value α3 may be smaller than the threshold value α1. In this case, the accuracy with respect to the determination of misfire occurrence can be increased.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine starter 2 Engine 7 Ring gear 8 Pinion 9 Electric motor 35 Pinion drive part (electromagnetic solenoid) 65 1st determination means 66 2nd determination means

Claims (9)

A pinion (8) that is driven linearly to abut against the ring gear (7) of the engine (2), is further rotated and meshes with the ring gear (7), and rotates the ring gear (7);
An electromagnetic solenoid (35) that is energized in response to a request to start the engine (2) and generates a thrust force to drive the pinion (8) straight;
An electric motor (9) that is energized in response to a request to start the engine (2) and generates a torque that rotationally drives the pinion (8);
First determination means (65) for determining whether or not to stop energization of the electric motor (9) while maintaining energization of the electromagnetic solenoid (35);
Based on the determination by the first determination means (65), after stopping energization of the electric motor (9), second determination means (66) for determining whether or not to stop energization of the electromagnetic solenoid (35). An engine starter (1). The engine starter (1) according to claim 1,
After stopping the energization to the electric motor (9) based on the determination by the first determination means (65), the energization to the electromagnetic solenoid (35) is stopped based on the determination by the second determination means (66). An engine starter (1) characterized by comprising third determination means (67) for determining whether to resume energization of the electric motor (9) before. In the engine starting device (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
An engine speed detecting means (60) for detecting the speed of the engine (2);
The first determination means (65) determines to stop energization of the electric motor (9) when a value detected by the engine speed detection means (60) becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value (α1). An engine starter (1) characterized by the above. Engine starter (1) according to claim 3,
After stopping the energization to the electric motor (9) based on the determination by the first determination means (65), the energization to the electromagnetic solenoid (35) is stopped based on the determination by the second determination means (66). Before, it comprises a third determination means (67) for determining whether or not to resume energization of the electric motor (9),
The third determination means (67) determines the resumption of energization to the electric motor (9) when the value detected by the engine speed detection means (60) becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value (α3). ,
The engine starter (1), wherein the threshold value (α3) of the third determination means (67) is equal to the threshold value (α1) of the first determination means (65). Engine starter (1) according to claim 3,
After stopping the energization to the electric motor (9) based on the determination by the first determination means (65), the energization to the electromagnetic solenoid (35) is stopped based on the determination by the second determination means (66). Before, it comprises a third determination means (67) for determining whether or not to resume energization of the electric motor (9),
The third determination means (67) determines the resumption of energization to the electric motor (9) when the value detected by the engine speed detection means (60) becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value (α3). ,
The engine starter (1), wherein the threshold value (α3) of the third determination means (67) is smaller than the threshold value (α1) of the first determination means (65). In the engine starting device (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
Motor load estimating means for estimating the load of the electric motor (9);
The first determination means (65) determines to stop energization of the electric motor (9) when the estimated value by the motor load estimation means becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value (α5). An engine starter (1) for performing. In the engine starting device (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
An engine speed detecting means (60) for detecting the speed of the engine (2);
The first determination means (65) applies the electric motor (9) to the electric motor (9) when the temporal change rate of the detection value by the engine speed detection means (60) becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value (α4). An engine starter (1) characterized in that energization stop is determined. In the engine starting device (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
The engine starter (1), wherein the first determination means (65) determines to stop energization of the electric motor (9) when a voltage is applied to the spark plug. Engine starter (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
An engine speed detecting means (60) for detecting the speed of the engine (2);
The second determination means (66) determines to stop energization of the electromagnetic solenoid (35) when the value detected by the engine speed detection means (60) becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value (α2). An engine starter (1) characterized by the above.

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