Starter and starting method of compression self-ignition engine

A starter of a compression self-ignition engine which burns fuel injected into a cylinder by self-ignition, the starter automatically stopping the engine when a given automatic stop condition that is determined in advance for the engine is satisfied, and restarting the engine when a given restart condition is subsequently satisfied by using a starter motor to apply a rotating force to the engine and executing fuel injection to a Compression-Stop Cylinder that is a cylinder in a compression stroke during engine stop, the starter comprising:

• a controller that controls various devices including an intake throttle that adjusts a flow rate of air passing through an intake passage of the engine, a fuel injection valve that injects fuel into respective cylinders of the engine, and an accessory that applies a load to the engine,
• wherein the controller:
• executes fuel cut in which fuel injection from the fuel injection valve is stopped, sets an operating position of the intake throttle to fully closed, and maintains the fully-closed state at least until final TDC that is the final top dead center immediately before stop of all cylinders, after the automatic stop condition is satisfied;
• and further
• stops a piston of the Compression-Stop Cylinder at a position that is on a bottom dead center-side of an intermediate position between top dead center and the bottom dead center by controlling an operation of the accessory performed after the fuel cut and adjusting an engine load so that an engine rotation speed when passing the final TDC falls within a specific speed range that is set to a range on a low rotation-side of an intermediate value between an upper limit and a lower limit of a speed range which may become an engine rotation speed at the final TDC.

A starting method of a compression self-ignition engine which burns fuel injected into a cylinder by self-ignition, the starting method automatically stopping the engine when a given automatic stop condition that is determined in advance for the engine is satisfied, and restarting the engine when a given restart condition is subsequently satisfied by using a starter motor to apply a rotating force to the engine and executing fuel injection to a Compression-Stop Cylinder that is a cylinder in a compression stroke during engine stop, the starting method comprising:

• a step of, after the automatic stop condition is satisfied, executing fuel cut in which fuel injection from a fuel injection valve provided at each cylinder of the engine is stopped, setting an operating position of an intake throttle that adjusts a flow rate of air flowing through an intake passage of the engine to fully closed, and maintaining the fully-closed state at least until final TDC that is the final top dead center immediately before stop of all cylinders;
• and
• a step of stopping a piston of the Compression-Stop Cylinder on a bottom dead center-side of an intermediate position between top dead center and the bottom dead center by controlling an operation after the fuel cut of an accessory that applies a load to the engine and adjusting an engine load so that an engine rotation speed when passing the final TDC falls within a specific speed range that is set to a range on a low rotation-side of an intermediate value between an upper limit and a lower limit of a speed range which may become an engine rotation speed at the final TDC.