Starting device, rotating electrical machine, and starting electric motor unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11156196-B2
Application number	US-201916559068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2019
Priority date	Mar 2, 2017
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A starting device is used in a starting system that includes a starting electric motor unit and a rotating electrical machine; the starting electric motor unit including a motor that rotates a pinion gear, and a pushing member that pushes out the pinion gear toward a ring gear, the ring gear rotating together with a crankshaft of an engine; the rotating electrical machine being connected to the crankshaft and rotating the crankshaft; the starting system being configured to push, using the pushing member, the pinion gear toward the ring gear, and drive the motor to rotate, based on driving force of the motor, the ring gear via the pinion gear, thus starting the engine. The starting device includes a drive instruction unit that instructs the rotating electrical machine to rotate the ring gear via the crankshaft during a pre-drive period before drive of the motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A starting system for starting an engine having a crankshaft and a ring gear, the starting system comprising:
a starting electric motor unit; and
a rotating electrical machine,
wherein the starting electric motor unit comprises:
a starter motor configured to receive a first rotation instruction, from a drive instruction unit, to rotate a pinion gear connected to the starter motor; and
a pushing member configured to receive a push instruction from the drive instruction unit, to thereby push the pinion gear toward the ring gear of the engine to contact the pinion gear with the ring gear;

wherein the rotating electrical machine comprises:
a multi-phase AC motor including a field winding and an armature winding,

wherein the rotating electrical machine is configured to:
receive a second rotation instruction from the drive instruction unit; and
cause a current having a predetermined phase to flow in the armature winding of the multi-phase AC motor and energize the field winding to thereby cause the ring gear to be rotated, in response to receiving the second rotation instruction from the drive instruction unit, during a pre-drive period before drive of the starter motor,
wherein, during the pre-drive period before drive of the starter motor, in response to receiving the pushing instruction from the drive instruction unit, the pushing member pushes out the pinion gear toward the ring gear so that the pinion engages with the ring gear and a driving force of the starter motor is transmitted to the pinion gear to cause rotation of the ring gear, which thereby causes the crankshaft of the engine to rotate, to thereby start the engine, and

wherein the rotating electrical machine is configured to receive the second rotation instruction from the drive instruction unit after the pushing member pushes out the pinion gear toward the ring gear.

2. The starting system according to claim 1 , wherein
the starting electric motor unit includes a connecting mechanism that is connected to the pinion gear, and cuts off power from the ring gear to the starter motor when the ring gear rotates in a predetermined direction based on the rotation of the crankshaft.

3. The starting system according to claim 2 , wherein
the predetermined direction is a direction in which the ring gear is rotated by the pinion gear.

4. A starting system for starting an engine having a crankshaft and a ring gear, the starting system comprising:
a starting electric motor unit; and
a rotating electrical machine,
wherein the starting electric motor unit comprises:
a starter motor configured to receive a first rotation instruction, from a drive instruction unit, to rotate a pinion gear connected to the starter motor; and
a pushing member configured to receive a push instruction from the drive instruction unit, to thereby push the pinion gear toward the ring gear of the engine to contact the pinion gear with the ring gear;

wherein the rotating electrical machine comprises:
a multi-phase AC motor including a field winding and an armature winding,

wherein the rotating electrical machine is configured to:
receive a second rotation instruction from the drive instruction unit; and
cause a current having a predetermined phase to flow in an armature winding of the multi-phase AC motor to thereby rotate the ring gear in a first direction, and, after the rotation of the ring gear in the first direction, cause the ring gear to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction, in response to receiving the second rotation instruction from the drive instruction unit, during a pre-drive period before drive of the starter motor,

wherein, in response to receiving the pushing instruction from the drive instruction unit, the pushing member pushes out the pinion gear toward the ring gear so that the pinion engages with the ring gear and a driving force of the starter motor is transmitted to the pinion gear to cause rotation of the ring gear, which thereby causes the crankshaft of the engine to rotate, to thereby start the engine,
wherein the rotating electrical machine is configured to receive the second rotation instruction from the drive instruction unit after the pushing member pushes out the pinion gear toward the ring gear.

5. A starting device used in a starting system including a starting electric motor unit and a rotating electrical machine, the starting device comprising:
a drive instruction unit configured to:
transmit a first rotation instruction to a starter motor, the first rotation instruction instructing the starter motor to rotate a pinion gear connected to the starter motor;
transmit a push instruction to a pushing member, the push instruction instructing the pushing member to push the pinion gear toward a ring gear of an engine to contact the pinion gear with the ring gear;
transmit a second rotation instruction to the rotating electrical machine, the rotating electrical machine having a multi-phase AC motor,
subsequent to the transmitting of the second rotation instruction to the rotating electrical machine, cause a current having a predetermined phase to flow in an armature winding of the multi-phase AC motor and energize a field winding of the multi-phase AC motor to thereby cause the ring gear to be rotated, during a pre-drive period before drive of the starter motor,

wherein the drive instruction unit is configured to transmit the second rotation instruction to the rotating electrical machine after the pushing member pushes out the pinion gear toward the ring gear.

6. The starting device according to claim 5 , wherein
the drive instruction unit is configured to cause the ring gear to be rotated in a first direction, and further configured to cause the ring gear to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction for engagement of the ring gear with the pinion gear after rotation of the ring gear in the first direction, during the pre-drive period.

7. The starting device according to claim 5 , wherein
the drive instruction unit is further configured to cause a current of a phase different from the predetermined phase to flow after causing the current of the predetermined phase to flow during the pre-drive period.

8. The starting device according to claim 5 , wherein
the starting device further comprises a motor driving unit for driving the starter motor,
wherein the motor driving unit is configured to drive the starter motor to rotate the pinion gear in a same direction as the ring gear, as the ring gear starts to be rotated in the predetermined direction by the drive of the rotating electrical machine.

9. A starting device used in a starting system including a starting electric motor unit and a rotating electrical machine, the starting device comprising:
a drive instruction unit configured to:
transmit a first rotation instruction to a starter motor, the first rotation instruction instructing the starter motor to rotate a pinion gear connected to the starter motor;
transmit a push instruction to a pushing member, the push instruction instructing the pushing member to push the pinion gear toward a ring gear of an engine to contact the pinion gear with the ring gear;
transmit a second rotation instruction to the rotating electrical machine, the rotating electrical machine having a multi-phase AC motor,
subsequent to the transmitting of the second rotation instruction to the rotating electrical machine, cause a current having a predetermined phase to flow in an armature winding of the multi-phase AC motor to thereby rotate the ring gear in a first direction, and, after the rotation of the ring gear in the first direction, cause the ring gear to rotate in a second direction opposite to t

Assignees

• Denso Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ishida Minoru
• Okamiya Minoru
• Kogure Takayuki
• Enomoto Hiroshi
• Miura Takahisa

Classifications

• F02N11/04

  the motors being associated with current generators · CPC title

• H02K7/14

  Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans (with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06) · CPC title

• F02N2011/0896

  Inverters for electric machines, e.g. starter-generators · CPC title

• F02N11/0862

  characterised by the electrical power supply means, e.g. battery · CPC title

• F02N11/0851

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