Top tooth restarting function and starter

Abstract

The invention discloses a top tooth restarting function and a starter. A control method of the top tooth restarting function comprises the steps that a relay is powered on after a protection module is powered on and initialized, and top tooth judgment is conducted; if tooth top does not occur, normal starting is carried out; if it is judged that the gear is a top gear, protective power failure is executed immediately, then a top gear restarting circulation process is carried out, and the circulation process comprises the step of judging whether the current automatic restarting frequency reaches a preset maximum value or not; if not, adding one to the number N and controlling the driving gear to reset, and after waiting for a first preset delay time, re-electrifying and executing a restarting attempt; then, judging whether the attempt is the top tooth or not again, if yes, turning to normal starting, and if not, returning to the time judgment step to decide whether to continue to circulate or not; and if the number of times reaches the maximum value, stopping trying and locking the starter. According to the invention, multiple restarting attempts can be automatically and noninductively carried out in one starting operation, so that the starting success rate is improved; therefore, troubles brought to drivers due to non-starting of the top teeth of the starter are eliminated, and vehicle using experience is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of starters, in particular to a top tooth restart function and a starter. BACKGROUND

[0002] Most of the existing 24V system diesel engine starters use flexible meshing technology (slow meshing). The slow meshing technology can avoid the risk of starter gear milling (gear tooth) failure, but cannot avoid the risk of top tooth failure. In the laboratory ideal state, slow meshing function can make the starter start the engine 100%. However, in actual use conditions, there are still the following deficiencies: 1. After long-term use or under poor use conditions, the tooth surface of the starter gear or the engine flywheel ring gear may be worn or damaged; 2. foreign matter interference; 3. insufficient lubrication; 4. under the condition of battery power loss, the slow meshing pre-rotation torque of the slow meshing starter may be less than the resistance torque in the top tooth state, so that meshing cannot be achieved, resulting in the top tooth of the drive gear of the starter and the flywheel ring gear of the engine, and the starter cannot start the engine. In most cases, this top tooth non-starting is an occasional situation, and after a few seconds of power failure, multiple attempts to start often work normally, but it has inevitably affected the driver's vehicle experience. When the starter occurs top tooth, if the driver does not power off in time (the single power-on time or the cumulative power-on time in a short period of time reaches about 10 seconds), the electromagnetic switch pull-in coil is easily burned out, causing the starter to be scrapped.

[0003] The applicant's previously granted invention patent CN119195956B realizes the top tooth protection function when the starter occurs top tooth failure, avoiding the occurrence of electromagnetic switch pull-in coil burnout failure. After more than two years of application of this technology, the electromagnetic switch pull-in coil burnout failure has not occurred again. However, this function cannot reduce the probability of top tooth failure. Once the top tooth phenomenon occurs, it will inevitably affect the driver's vehicle experience, and may cause the driver to complain, thereby causing the starter NTF return rate to rise. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the above deficiencies, the present application provides a top tooth restart function and a starter. In the driver's one starting operation, if top tooth failure occurs, multiple starting actions can be performed without the driver's awareness, improving the starting success rate; thereby eliminating the driver's distress caused by the starter top tooth non-starting and improving the vehicle experience.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present application is implemented by the following technical scheme: a top tooth restart function, the control method of the top tooth restart function comprises the following steps:

[0006] Step S1: after the protection module is powered on, delay 30-70ms for initialization, and then power on the relay;

[0007] Step S2: Perform tooth detection within the first preset delay time;

[0008] Step S3: If step S2 determines that no tooth collision has occurred, the starting process is completed and the engine starts normally;

[0009] Step S4: If step S2 determines that a tooth collision has occurred, then the tooth collision protection function is executed, and the relay and electromagnetic switch are immediately disconnected;

[0010] Step S5: Execute the top gear restart cycle process, the cycle process including:

[0011] Step S51: Determine whether the current number of automatic restarts N has reached the preset maximum allowed number. If yes, proceed to step S6; otherwise, proceed to step S52.

[0012] Step S52: Increment the number of automatic restarts N by one, and control the drive gear of the starter motor to reset;

[0013] Step S53: After waiting for the first preset delay time, reconnect the relay and electromagnetic switch to perform a restart attempt;

[0014] Step S54: Determine again whether the tooth-jamming phenomenon occurred during this restart attempt; if not, proceed to step S3; if yes, return to step S51.

[0015] Step 6: Stop restarting attempts, lock the starter motor in the power-off state, and output a start failure signal.

[0016] Furthermore, the first preset delay time in step S53 is 200-400ms.

[0017] Furthermore, the first preset delay time in step S53 is 300ms.

[0018] Furthermore, the maximum allowed number of times in step S51 is preset to be 2 to 5 times.

[0019] Furthermore, the maximum allowed number of times in step S51 is preset to be 3.

[0020] Furthermore, in step S2, the determination of whether tooth ripping occurs through the tooth ripping protection function specifically includes: after the relay is turned on, monitoring the voltage at the electromagnetic switch 50C terminal; sampling the voltage every 10ms within 300-800ms; if the voltage of 6 consecutive samples is 0.12V higher than the previous sample, it is determined that tooth ripping has not occurred; otherwise, it is determined that tooth ripping has occurred.

[0021] On the other hand, a starter motor, wherein the control method of the starter motor includes the aforementioned tooth restart function.

[0022] This invention, by incorporating a top-tooth restart function in the starter motor, has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0023] 1. Improve user experience and starting success rate: If a starter tooth failure occurs during a driver's starting operation, the engine can automatically and imperceptibly perform multiple starting attempts without the driver noticing. This significantly improves the engine starting success rate in cases of occasional starter tooth failure, thereby eliminating the driver's frustration caused by the starter tooth failure and improving the user experience. Furthermore, it reduces starter NTF returns and lowers the company's quality costs.

[0024] 2. Active protection and fault isolation: By setting the maximum number of attempts (N), the starter motor can be actively locked and stopped when multiple attempts fail, effectively preventing the electromagnetic switch pull coil from overheating and burning out due to continuous tooth pressing, thus realizing intelligent hardware protection.

[0025] 3. Functional integration and automation: The complete logic of "top tooth detection - protection power failure - automatic retry - final protection" is integrated into a single control flow, realizing full automation from fault identification to handling, and improving the intelligence level and reliability of the starter system. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the starter motor of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of the protection circuit, relay, electromagnetic switch, and motor of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the judgment process of the control method for the multifunctional starter of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a data acquisition diagram when the top tooth protection of this invention is triggered.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a data acquisition diagram when the over-protection of this invention is triggered.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the judgment process for the top tooth restart function of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 7 This is a data acquisition diagram of the present invention simulating continuous tooth jacking to verify the tooth jacking restart function.

[0034] Figure 8This is a waveform collected in a real-world application. The appearance of the spike tooth triggered the restart function, successfully restarting the data acquisition process.

[0035] Reference numerals: starter 100, relay 1, electromagnetic switch 2, holding coil 21, pull coil 22, stop 23, moving iron core 24, shift fork 3, motor 4, moving shaft 41, drive gear 42, battery 5, electric lock door 6. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0037] Please see Figures 1-8 As shown, the starter 100 of the present invention includes a relay 1, an electromagnetic switch 2, a shift fork 3, a motor 4, and a storage battery 5; the output end of the motor 4 includes a movable shaft 41, and the output end of the movable shaft 41 is equipped with a drive gear 42 for meshing with the flywheel ring gear of the engine.

[0038] As attached Figure 2 As shown, the protection circuit is installed on relay 1; terminal 50C is connected to battery 5 via electric lock door 6 and is also connected to relay 1; electromagnetic switch 2 has terminals 30 and 50, with terminal 30 connected to battery 5; the positive terminal of relay 1 is connected to terminal 50C, and the negative terminal is grounded via a protector; the positive terminal of the relay contact is connected to terminal 30, and the negative terminal is connected to terminal 50; electromagnetic switch 2 also includes a holding coil 21 and a pull coil 22, with terminal 50 connected to the positive terminals of pull coil 22 and holding coil 21, respectively. The protection circuit consists of the following parts: an electronic chip with a program package, a tooth status detection module, an overvoltage detection module, a delayed power-off control module, and a tooth restart management module. The tooth status detection module is used to implement tooth protection function. The overvoltage detection module is used to implement overvoltage protection function. The delayed power-off control module is used to implement delayed protection function. The restart management module is used to manage the automatic restart cycle after the problem is identified as a tooth tip, including controlling power off and reset, timing delay, and counting the number of restarts N.

[0039] When drive gear 42 smoothly meshes with flywheel ring gear: After battery 5 energizes the solenoid switch 50C terminal, the protection circuit collects the voltage U1 at the solenoid switch 50C terminal. Then relay 1 is energized, and the solenoid switch 50C terminal receives voltage. The pull coil 22 and holding coil 21 of solenoid switch 2 will generate a current of approximately 300A-400A. Due to the internal resistance of battery 5, the battery voltage will drop slightly. At this time, the voltage at terminal 50C will also drop slightly, and the protection circuit records the drop. The voltage U2 after the circuit is applied, and U2 < U1; the protection circuit will determine that the electromagnetic switch 2 is energized. The holding coil 21 and the pull coil 22 of the electromagnetic switch 2 are energized and generate an electromagnetic attraction on the stop 23. The moving iron core 24 inside the electromagnetic switch 2 is moved towards the stop 23 by the electromagnetic force, thereby pulling the shift fork 3 to rotate. Then the shift fork 3 drives the moving shaft 41 and the drive gear 42 set on the moving shaft 41 to extend and smoothly mesh with the flywheel ring gear. The starter 100 pryes the flywheel ring gear to rotate quickly.

[0040] When the drive gear 42 and the flywheel ring gear experience tooth misalignment: the drive gear 42 and the flywheel ring gear are not aligned. At this time, the motor 4 and the pull coil 22 are connected in series, generating a small slow torque that drives the drive gear 42 to rotate. Under normal circumstances, the drive gear 42 will mesh with the flywheel ring gear by misaligning the tooth surfaces. Then, the starter 100 starts operating at high torque. At this time, the instantaneous current of the starter 100 is nearly 5-8 times that of the electromagnetic switch 2, typically reaching 1200-2000A. Therefore, the voltage of the entire system will drop sharply. After the starter pries the flywheel ring gear to rotate, the current gradually decreases, and the voltage begins to rise. During this rise process, a sample is taken every 10ms within 300±15ms from the start of timing. If the voltage of each sample is greater than the previous one by 0.12V, this condition must be met 6 times (totaling greater than 0.72V). This rise process and the voltage change when tooth misalignment occurs (see attached figure) are related. Figure 4 If the situation is completely different (as shown), it means that no tooth-clipping phenomenon has occurred.

[0041] The starter control methods include top tooth protection function, overrun protection function, time delay protection function, and top tooth restart function.

[0042] The tooth-off protection function is used to determine whether the drive gear 42 successfully meshes with the flywheel ring gear after a tooth-off occurs. The determination logic of the tooth-off protection function includes the following steps:

[0043] Step 1: Set the maximum delay time for the relay 1 of starter motor 100 to 30 seconds, and determine whether the delay time of relay 1 exceeds 30 seconds; if it exceeds 30 seconds, disconnect relay 1 and solenoid switch 2 and stop starter motor 100; if it does not exceed 30 seconds, proceed to the next step.

[0044] Step 2: The protection circuit collects the voltage at the 50C terminal of the electromagnetic switch and records it as voltage U1. The recording time of voltage U1 is 20-70ms. After 20-70ms, relay 1 is turned on and the voltage U2 at the 50C terminal of the electromagnetic switch is collected. If U2 < U1, the protection circuit determines that electromagnetic switch 2 has been energized.

[0045] Step 3: The timer starts counting and samples every 10ms within 300-800ms. The voltage of each sample is greater than the previous one by 0.12V. This condition must be met 6 times consecutively. If the condition is met, it is determined that no tooth-pinch phenomenon has occurred, the tooth-pinch protection function is terminated, relay 1 is continuously energized, and other protection function judgments are continued. If the condition is not met, it is determined that a tooth-pinch phenomenon has occurred, and relay 1 and electromagnetic switch 2 are disconnected, and starter 100 is stopped.

[0046] Based on the above judgment logic, as shown in the appendix Figure 4 As shown, if the voltage U2 does not rise within the time interval of 300-800ms and the rise amplitude does not reach the set 0.72V, it is judged as a top tooth, and at this time the relay 1 is turned off.

[0047] Based on the above judgment logic, within the time interval of 300-800ms, the voltage U2 has an upward process. The voltage of each of the 6 sampling voltages has an increase of 0.12V, and the increase reaches the set 0.72V. It is judged that no tooth-pinch phenomenon has occurred, the tooth-pinch protection function is terminated, and the relay 1 is continuously energized.

[0048] In step two, the preferred recording time for voltage U1 in the top tooth protection function is 70ms, which is determined based on the initialization and hardware response time.

[0049] In step three, the sampling duration for the top tooth protection function is preferably 300±15ms. This sampling duration depends on the tolerance of the starter solenoid switch coil of different specifications and the application conditions. Based on statistical analysis of a large amount of actual collected data, the closing time of the main contacts of solenoid switch 2 is usually between 10-80ms. Considering that mechanical action slows down at extreme low temperatures, the longest time generally will not exceed 200ms. Therefore, considering a safety margin, the judgment time is appropriately extended and set to 300±15ms. If the judgment time is too long, it will cause the pull coil 22 to overheat and affect the second starting engagement.

[0050] The present invention incorporates a tooth-cutting protection function in the protection circuit. When a tooth-cutting fault occurs, the power to the starter 100 can be cut off in time, protecting the electromagnetic switch pull coil 22 of the starter 100 from burning out.

[0051] If no tooth collision occurs, the overrun protection function is activated. The overrun protection function determines when the starter 100 has started the engine and promptly disconnects the power to the starter 100, shortening the overrun time and preventing the starter 100 from failing due to engine back-dragging, thus improving the lifespan of the starter 100 and the battery 5. The determination logic of the overrun protection function includes the following steps:

[0052] Step 1: The protection circuit collects the voltage U3 at the 50C terminal of the electromagnetic switch at this time and determines whether U3 is greater than 24V;

[0053] Step 2: If U3 > 24V, perform 30 consecutive sampling cycles;

[0054] Step 3: If the voltage U3 sampled each time is greater than the previous sampled voltage, and U3 > 24V for each sample, then disconnect relay 1, close electromagnetic switch 2, and stop starter 100; if the above conditions are not met, i.e., there is a time when U3 < 24V, then restart the judgment logic of the overrun protection function.

[0055] The time-delay protection function is used to disconnect the starter 100 from power when the continuous working time of the starter 100 reaches the rated working time, preventing the electromagnetic switch 2 or the motor from burning out, and also preventing the battery 5 from being over-discharged and damaged prematurely. In the judgment of the overrun protection function, if the judgment logic of the overrun protection function is not met within 30 seconds, that is, the U3 counter does not accumulate to 30 times, then the time-delay protection function is entered, and the electromagnetic switch 50C terminal is forcibly de-energized.

[0056] The control method for the top tooth restart function includes the following steps:

[0057] Step S1: After the protection module is powered on, it initializes after a delay of 30-70ms, and then powers on the relay;

[0058] Step S2: Perform tooth detection within the first preset delay time;

[0059] Step S3: If step S2 determines that no tooth collision has occurred, the starting process is completed and the engine starts normally;

[0060] Step S4: If step S2 determines that a tooth collision has occurred, then the tooth collision protection function is executed, and the relay and electromagnetic switch are immediately disconnected;

[0061] Step S5: Execute the top tooth restart loop process. This restart loop process, as the core of this invention, constructs a closed-loop process including count management (S51), state reset (S52), delayed restart (S53), and result judgment (S54). This achieves a limited-number, protected automatic retry mechanism and is the core execution link for achieving seamless recovery and improving success rate. The loop process includes:

[0062] Step S51: Determine whether the current number of automatic restarts N has reached the preset maximum allowed number. If yes, proceed to step S6; otherwise, proceed to step S52.

[0063] Step S52: Increment the number of automatic restarts N by one, and control the drive gear of the starter motor to reset;

[0064] Step S53: After waiting for the first preset delay time, reconnect the relay and electromagnetic switch to perform a restart attempt;

[0065] Step S54: Determine again whether the tooth-jamming phenomenon occurred during this restart attempt; if not, proceed to step S3; if yes, return to step S51.

[0066] Step 6: Stop restarting attempts, lock the starter motor in the power-off state, and output a start failure signal.

[0067] The first preset delay time in step S53 is 200-400ms. This duration ensures that the drive gear has sufficient time to reliably reset from the top tooth position, avoiding continuous tooth ejection, while also preventing excessive waiting time from significantly delaying the start-up process and affecting the continuity of the user experience. Preferably, the first preset delay time is 300ms. This value is an optimal value obtained from numerous experiments, ensuring the reliability of gear reset under most operating conditions (including low-temperature environments) while minimizing additional waiting time, achieving the best balance between efficiency and reliability.

[0068] The tooth-restart function allows the driver to attempt multiple starts during a single ignition operation. The maximum allowed number of attempts in step S51 is preset to be 2 to 5. This range provides sufficient retry opportunities to handle occasional tooth-restarting (usually succeeding in 1-2 retries) while strictly limiting the maximum number of attempts to prevent unnecessary and potentially overheating attempts in cases of genuine malfunction (such as mechanical jamming), thus balancing success rate and safety. Preferably, the maximum allowed number of attempts is 3; this is an optimal solution based on user experience and success probability statistics. Three attempts can largely cover the needs for resolving occasional tooth-restarting without significantly extending the driver's perceived starting time. If tooth-restarting occurs in all three attempts, the starter motor is immediately de-energized, and the relay is no longer powered, ending the current operation and protecting the starter motor solenoid switch pull coil from burning out.

[0069] Appendix Figure 7The data acquisition diagram for simulating continuous tooth jacking to verify the tooth jack restart function is as follows: the red waveform is the voltage at terminal 30 (connected to the battery); the yellow waveform is the voltage at terminal 30B; the blue waveform is the voltage at terminal 50 of the electromagnetic switch; the green waveform is the voltage at terminal 50C (connected to the power switch wire); and the magenta waveform is the current at terminal 30. The protector uses a green waveform for judgment, which is explained as follows: The first time the voltage reaches 24V, it indicates the driver has started the engine and the 50C terminal is powered on. The first drop in voltage indicates the initialization is complete. When the voltage drops to near the end of the 20V range, it indicates a top-tooth waveform has been detected, triggering the top-tooth protection and disconnecting the relay. Then, the voltage rises back to 24V, indicating the ignition switch remains closed and is continuously powered; the end of this range represents the second start attempt. The second drop in voltage to near the end of the 20V range indicates a top-tooth waveform has been detected, triggering the top-tooth protection and disconnecting the relay. The voltage rises again to 24V, indicating the ignition switch remains closed and is continuously powered; the end of this range represents the third start attempt. The third drop in voltage to near 20V indicates a top-tooth signal. Finally, the voltage will reach 0, indicating the driver has turned off the ignition switch, ending the start operation.

[0070] Appendix Figure 8 These are waveforms collected from actual applications. The appearance of the top tooth triggered the restart function, and the data acquisition diagram was successfully started: The red waveform is the voltage at terminal 30 (connected to the battery); the yellow waveform is the voltage at terminal 30B; the blue waveform is the voltage at terminal 50 of the electromagnetic switch; the green waveform is the voltage at terminal 50C (connected to the power switch wire); and the magenta waveform is the current at terminal 30. The protector uses a green waveform for judgment, which is explained as follows: The first voltage rise indicates the driver is starting the engine and the 50C terminal is energized; the first voltage reaching approximately 27V at the end of this range indicates the end of initialization and the first start; the voltage dropping to the end of the 25V range indicates the detection of the top-tooth waveform, triggering the top-tooth protection and disconnecting the relay; then rising back to the 27V range indicates the ignition lock remains closed and is continuously energized, the end of this range indicates the second attempt to start; then, within the 1.6-3.6 second period, the voltage fluctuates significantly, representing the starting process (the magenta waveform within the same time period is more intuitive, representing the current change state when starting is successful); finally, when the voltage returns to zero, it indicates the driver has turned the key to disconnect the ignition lock, and the starter motor stops working.

[0071] This invention, by incorporating a top-tooth restart function in the starter motor, has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0072] 1. Improve user experience and starting success rate: If a starter tooth failure occurs during a driver's starting operation, the engine can automatically and imperceptibly perform multiple starting attempts without the driver noticing. This significantly improves the engine starting success rate in cases of occasional starter tooth failure, thereby eliminating the driver's frustration caused by the starter tooth failure and improving the user experience. Furthermore, it reduces starter NTF returns and lowers the company's quality costs.

[0073] 2. Active protection and fault isolation: By setting the maximum number of attempts (N), the starter motor can be actively locked and stopped when multiple attempts fail, effectively preventing the electromagnetic switch pull coil from overheating and burning out due to continuous tooth pressing, thus realizing intelligent hardware protection.

[0074] 3. Functional integration and automation: The complete logic of "top tooth detection - protection power failure - automatic retry - final protection" is integrated into a single control flow, realizing full automation from fault identification to handling, and improving the intelligence level and reliability of the starter system.

[0075] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A top tooth restart function characterized by: The control method of the top tooth restart function comprises the following steps: Step S1: after the protection module is powered on, delay 30-70 ms for initialization, and then power on the relay; Step S2: top tooth judgment is performed within a first preset delay time; Step S3: if it is judged in step S2 that no top tooth occurs, the starting process is completed, and the engine is normally started; Step S4: if it is judged in step S2 that top tooth occurs, the top tooth protection function is executed, and the relay and the electromagnetic switch are immediately disconnected; Step S5: a top tooth restart cycle process is executed, and the cycle process comprises: Step S51: it is judged whether the current automatic restart number N has reached a preset maximum allowed number, if yes, step S6 is executed, and if no, step S52 is executed; Step S52: the automatic restart number N is increased by one, and the drive gear of the starter is controlled to reset; Step S53: after waiting for a first preset delay time, the relay and the electromagnetic switch are turned on again, and a restart attempt is executed; Step S54: it is judged again whether top tooth phenomenon occurs in the restart attempt; if no, step S3 is jumped to; if yes, step S51 is returned to; Step 6: the restart attempt is stopped, the starter is locked in a power-off state, and a starting failure signal is output.

2. The top tooth restart control method according to claim 1, characterized by: The first preset delay time in step S53 is 200-400 ms.

3. The top tooth restart function of claim 2, wherein: The first preset delay time in step S53 is 300 ms.

4. The top tooth restart function of claim 1, wherein: The preset maximum allowed number in step S51 is 2-5 times.

5. The top tooth restart function of claim 1, wherein: The preset maximum allowed number in step S51 is 3 times.

6. The top tooth restart function of claim 1, wherein: In step S2, whether top tooth phenomenon occurs is judged through the top tooth protection function, specifically comprising: after the relay is turned on, the voltage at the 50C end of the electromagnetic switch is monitored; within 300-800 ms, the voltage is sampled once every 10 ms; if the voltage sampled for 6 times in succession is all higher than the previous sampling by 0.12 V or more, it is judged that no top tooth occurs; otherwise, it is judged that top tooth occurs.

7. A starter characterized by: The control method of the starter comprises the top tooth restart function according to any one of claims 1-6.

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