Engine starting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10584672-B2
Application number	US-201715686704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Aug 30, 2016
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

An engine starting system is provided which is used with a vehicle equipped with a gear driving starter which is energized to bring a pinion gear into engagement with a ring gear of an engine mounted in the vehicle and also to rotate the pinion gear to crank the engine. The engine starting system works to terminate energization of the starter after the starter is energized to start the engine. The engine starting system executes combustion control to control combustion of fuel in the engine so as to develop a first firing event where the fuel is first fired in the engine after the energization of the starter is terminated. This minimizes the gear noise when the engine is being cranked and ensures the stability in starting the engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An engine starting system for a vehicle equipped with a gear drive type starter which is energized to bring a pinion gear of the starter into engagement with a ring gear of an engine mounted in the vehicle and also to rotate the pinion gear, comprising:
an energization controller that is configured to terminate energization of said starter after said starter is energized to start the engine;
a combustion controller that is configured to control combustion of fuel in the engine so as to develop a first firing event where the fuel is first fired in the engine after the energization of said starter is terminated by the energization controller; and
a processor that is configured to determine, when the starter is rotating the pinion gear to crank the engine, a first firing top dead center where the first firing event is expected to occur;

wherein:
the energization controller is configured to terminate the energization of the starter at or before a top dead center one cycle of a piston of the engine earlier than the first firing top dead center.

2. An engine starting system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the first firing top dead center in a condition where a quantity of air with which a cylinder of the engine has been filled is greater than or equal to a given value, and the combustion controller is configured to initiate the combustion control including controlling spraying of the fuel into the engine using a fuel injector before the first firing top dead center is reached.

3. An engine starting system as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the fuel injector is configured to inject the fuel directly into the cylinder of the engine, and wherein the combustion controller starts to actuate the fuel injector to inject the fuel into the engine after the energization of the starter is terminated.

4. An engine starting system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the energization controller is configured to terminate the energization of the starter just before a top dead center one compression cycle of the piston of the engine earlier than the first firing top dead center, as determined by the processor.

5. An engine starting system as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising an air quantity controller configured to increase a quantity of air sucked into the engine when the starter is rotating the pinon gear to crank the engine.

6. An engine starting system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said energization controller is configured to terminate the energization of the starter when a crankshaft of the engine is between before the first firing top dead center is reached.

7. An engine starting system as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the engine starting system decreases the quantity of air at the commencement of energization of the gear drive type starter and increases the quantity of air after a predetermined time period.

8. An engine starting system as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the gear drive type starter and a belt-driven starter start the engine.

9. An engine starting system for a vehicle equipped with a gear drive type starter which is energized to bring a pinion gear of the starter into engagement with a ring gear of an engine mounted in the vehicle and also to rotate the pinion gear, comprising:
an energization controller that is configured to terminate energization of said starter after said starter is energized to start the engine;
a combustion controller that is configured to control combustion of fuel in the engine so as to develop a first firing event where the fuel is first fired in the engine after the energization of said starter is terminated by the energization controller; and
a processor that is configured to determine, when the starter is rotating the pinion gear to crank the engine, a first firing top dead center where the first firing event is expected to occur; wherein:
the energization controller is configured to terminate the energization of the starter just before a top dead center one compression cycle of a piston of the engine earlier than the first firing top dead center, as determined by the processor.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Fujita Tatsuya
• Murata Mitsuhiro

Classifications

• F02N2200/044

  Starter current · CPC title

• F02N11/0848 Primary

  with means for detecting successful engine start, e.g. to stop starter actuation · CPC title

• F02D43/00

  Conjoint electrical control of two or more functions, e.g. ignition, fuel-air mixture, recirculation, supercharging or exhaust-gas treatment · CPC title

• F02N11/006

  using a plurality of electric motors · CPC title

• F02N11/0851 Primary

  characterised by means for controlling the engagement or disengagement between engine and starter, e.g. meshing of pinion and engine gear · CPC title