Engine starting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9752546-B2
Application number	US-201514725612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	Jun 4, 2014
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for starting an engine, including an inertia-engagement-type starter. In the apparatus, a starter-characteristic switching mechanism is configured to switch an output characteristic of the starter between a plurality of output characteristics including at least a low-torque high-speed characteristic and a high-torque low-speed characteristic, where the output characteristic of the starter is hereinafter referred to a starter characteristic. A timing controller is configured to control when the starter-characteristic switching mechanism switches the starter characteristic such that the starter characteristic is set to the high-torque low-speed characteristic from initiation of actuation of the starter at least until a pinion successfully meshes with a ring gear, and after the pinion has successfully meshed with the ring gear, the starter characteristic is switched from the high-torque low-speed characteristic to the low-torque high-speed characteristic at which the engine is cranked by the starter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for starting an engine, comprising:
an inertia-engagement-type starter configured to utilize an attractive force of a solenoid to push a pinion into an engaged position with a ring gear of the engine and then transfer a rotational force of the motor from the pinion to the ring gear to start the engine; a starter-characteristic switching mechanism configured to switch an output characteristic of the starter between a plurality of output characteristics including at least a low-torque high-speed characteristic and a high-torque low-speed characteristic, the output characteristic of the starter being referred to a starter characteristic; and
a timing controller configured to control when the starter-characteristic switching mechanism switches the starter characteristic such that the starter characteristic is set to the high-torque low-speed characteristic from initiation of actuation of the starter at least until the pinion successfully meshes with the ring gear, and after the pinion has successfully meshed with the ring gear, the starter characteristic is switched from the high-torque low-speed characteristic to the low-torque high-speed characteristic at which the engine is cranked by the starter,
wherein the high-torque low-speed characteristic to which the starter characteristic is set from the initiation of actuation of the starter at least until the pinion successfully meshes with the ring gear is a starter characteristic that is lowest in rotational speed of the pinion among the plurality of starter characteristics.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the starter-characteristic switching mechanism is configured to switch the starter characteristic between the plurality of starter characteristics in three or more stages or in a continuously variable manner, and the high-torque low-speed characteristic to which the starter characteristic is set from the initiation of actuation of the starter at least until the pinion successfully meshes with the ring gear is a starter characteristic that is lower in torque than a starter characteristic of highest torque among the plurality of starter characteristics.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the low-torque high-speed characteristic at which the engine is cranked by the starter is lower in torque than the high-torque low-speed characteristic to which the starter characteristic is set from the initiation of actuation of the starter at least until the pinion successfully meshes with the ring gear.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the timing controller comprises a timer function for counting an elapsed time from the initiation of actuation of the starter, and
the timing controller is configured to control when the starter-characteristic switching mechanism switches the starter characteristic such that the starter characteristic is switched from the high-torque low-speed characteristic to the low-torque high-speed characteristic after the pinion has successfully meshed with the ring gear based on an elapsed time from the initiation of actuation of the starter counted by the timer function.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein
an elapsed time from the initiation of actuation of the starter to when the pinion successfully meshes with the ring gear counted by the timer function beforehand is pre-set in the timing controller, and
the timing controller is configured to, when determining that an elapsed time from the initiation of actuation of the starter counted by the timer function has reached the pre-set elapsed time, trigger the starter-characteristic switching mechanism to switch the starter characteristic from the high-torque low-speed characteristic to the low-torque high-speed characteristic.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the motor is a brushed direct-current (DC) motor.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Hirabayashi Takashi

Classifications

• F02N11/087

  Details of the switching means in starting circuits, e.g. relays or electronic switches · CPC title

• F02N15/067

  the starter comprising an electro-magnetically actuated lever · CPC title

• F02N2300/2002

  using different starting modes, methods, or actuators depending on circumstances, e.g. engine temperature or component wear · CPC title

• F02N11/0859

  specially adapted to the type of the starter motor or integrated into it · CPC title

• F02N15/046 Primary

  of the planetary type · CPC title