# US 2014/0196681 A1 · Engine control apparatus

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- Number: US 2014/0196681 A1
- Document ID: US20140196681A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/239,280
- Filed: 2012-08-06
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2011-08-23
- Assignees: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Inventors: Yoshihisa Fujii; Osamu Mukaihara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196681A1

## CPC

- F02N 11/0851: {characterised by means for controlling the engagement or disengagement between engine and starter, e.g. meshing of pinion and engine gear}
- F02D 29/02: peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
- F02N 11/0855: {during engine shutdown or after engine stop before start command, e.g. pre-engagement of pinion}
- F02N 15/06: the toothed gears being moved by axial displacement
- F02N 11/0814: {comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop}
- F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)

## Abstract

Upon gear disengagement, a pinion gear drive means actuates a pinion gear to disengage from a ring gear while the starter motor of a starting device is rotated or while injectors of an engine are caused to inject fuel into cylinders of the engine to ignite an air-fuel mixture therein, thereby releasing the gear disengagement. Applied to an idling stop-capable vehicle that engages the starter pinion gear with the engine ring gear beforehand to shorten the time to restart, the inventive control apparatus with the above feature releases unfailingly the engagement against metal-to-metal frictional force that causes the gears to be stuck with each other upon engine stop.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An engine control apparatus comprising a ring gear for transmitting torque to an engine, a starting device for starting said engine, a pinion gear supported on an output rotation shaft of a starter motor of said starting device, and a pinion gear drive means for sliding said pinion gear on said output rotation shaft, said engine control apparatus being equipped with an idling stop function to stop said engine during engine idling, said engine control apparatus further performing control to engage said ring gear and said pinion gear with each other in an idling stop state; wherein,
when said ring gear and said pinion gear are to be disengaged from each other, said pinion gear drive means actuates said pinion gear to disengage from said ring gear while the starter motor of said starting device is rotated simultaneously, thereby releasing the engagement.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
when the starter motor of said starting device is to be rotated to release said engagement, said starter motor is rotated with an amount of power less than that for rotating said starter motor normally at engine start time.

### Claim 3

An engine control apparatus comprising a ring gear for transmitting torque to an engine, a starting device for starting said engine, a pinion gear supported on an output rotation shaft of a starter motor of said starting device, and a pinion gear drive means for sliding said pinion gear on said output rotation shaft, said engine control apparatus being equipped with an idling stop function to stop said engine during engine idling, said engine control apparatus further performing control to engage said ring gear and said pinion gear with each other in an idling stop state; wherein,
when said ring gear and said pinion gear are to be disengaged from each other, said pinion gear drive means actuates said pinion gear to disengage from said ring gear while injectors of said engine are caused simultaneously to inject fuel into cylinders of said engine to ignite an air-fuel mixture therein, thereby releasing the engagement.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

An engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
when said ring gear and said pinion gear are to be disengaged from each other, a command is issued to maintain at a predetermined level or higher the brake pressure of a vehicle incorporating said engine control apparatus.