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US 2021/0270223 A1Published application
Methods and system for a stop/start vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAdam Nathan Banker, Alexander Gibson, David Andrew Ord, Imtiaz Ali, Jeffrey Allen Doering
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for operating a vehicle that may be automatically stopped and started is described. In one example, the method includes supply electrical current to a starter motor independently from supplying electrical current to a starter solenoid. In addition, the method includes adjusting and amount of electrical current that is delivered to the starter motor in response to a level of urgency of an automatic engine start.
Claims20
A method for starting an engine, comprising:
- adjusting a position of a starter solenoid to engage a pinion gear to a flywheel of an engine while the engine is not rotating in response to a request to start the engine and an urgency level of an engine start;
- initiating expansion stroke combustion in the engine while the engine is not rotating in response to the request to start the engine and the urgency level of the engine start;
- and
- supplying electrical current to a starter motor after initiating expansion stroke combustion in the engine while the pinion gear is engaged with the flywheel.
1 more element
A vehicle system, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine including a flywheel;
- a starter motor including a pinion gear;
- a starter solenoid mechanically coupled to the starter motor;
- a battery;
- a first switch configured to selectively supply electrical current from the battery to the starter motor without supplying electrical current to the starter solenoid;
- a second switch configured to selectively supply electrical current from the battery to the starter solenoid without supplying electrical current to the starter motor;
- and
- a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that cause the controller to adjust the first switch to supply a first electrical current to the starter motor during a low urgency engine start, and executable instructions that cause the controller to supply a second electrical current to the starter motor during a high urgency automatic engine start.
5 more elements
A method for starting an engine, comprising:
- adjusting an amount of electrical current delivered to a starter motor in response to a level of urgency of an automatic engine start request.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.