Method and system for starting an internal combustion engine
AssigneeBombardier Recreational Products Inc.
InventorMichel Bernier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle has a frame, a front suspension assembly, a pair of skis, an endless drive track, and an internal combustion engine. The engine has: a motor-generator having a rotor and a stator, the motor-generator being operable in motor mode and in generator mode; a recoil starter operable to rotate a crankshaft of the engine via the rotor in a same direction as does the motor-generator in generator mode; at least one sensor adapted for sensing at least one engine parameter; and an engine control unit (ECU) receiving a signal from the at least one sensor, the ECU controlling a rotation of the crankshaft by one of the motor-generator and the recoil starter based on the signal.
Claims17
A vehicle comprising:
- a frame having a tunnel, an engine cradle portion and a front suspension assembly portion;
- a front suspension assembly connected to the front suspension assembly portion;
- a pair of skis connected to the front suspension assembly;
- an endless drive track disposed at least in part under the tunnel;
- and
- an internal combustion engine supported by the engine cradle portion and operatively connected to the endless drive track, the internal combustion engine comprising:
- at least one cylinder;
- at least one cylinder head connected to at least one cylinder;
- at least one piston disposed in the at least one cylinder;
- a crankshaft operatively connected to the at least one piston;
- a crankcase housing at least a portion of the crankshaft;
- a motor-generator comprising a rotor rotationally fixed to the crankshaft and a stator disposed around the crankshaft, the rotor and the stator being co-axial with the crankshaft, the rotor extending radially outward of the stator, the rotor partially housing the stator, the motor-generator being operable in motor mode to rotate the crankshaft about an axis and in generator mode to generate electricity;
- a recoil starter selectively operatively connected to the rotor, the recoil starter operable to rotate the crankshaft via the rotor in a same direction as does the motor-generator in generator mode,
- the motor-generator being disposed between the recoil starter and the crankcase in a direction of the axis,
- at least a portion of the rotor being disposed between the recoil starter and the stator in the direction of the axis;
- a drive pulley of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) operatively connected to the crankshaft,
- the motor-generator, the recoil starter, the crankshaft and the drive pulley being coaxial;
- at least one sensor adapted for sensing at least one engine parameter;
- and
- an engine control unit receiving a signal from the at least one sensor,
- the engine control unit controlling a rotation of the crankshaft by one of the motor-generator and the recoil starter based on the signal received from the at least one sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.