A system and method includes a secondary energy storage system (SESS) and a control system. The SESS is configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle and conductively connected via switch devices to a primary battery and a cranking device of the vehicle. The control system is configured to control the switch devices to close a conductive path to discharge electric current from the SESS for powering the cranking device to rotate an engine shaft during a cranking operation. The control system is configured to control the switch devices to open the conductive path and prevent discharge of electric current from the SESS after the cranking operation is complete.

A method of starting an integrated starter generator drives a starter generator without using a rotor position sensor to start an engine. The method includes the following steps of: (a) applying a first drive current with a first frequency and a first amplitude to drive the starter generator to reversely rotate in a speed open-loop control mode, and acquiring a first load information according to a drive voltage and the first drive current of the starter generator, (b) confirming whether the first load information meets a heavy load condition, (c) stopping reversely rotating the starter generator when the first load information meets the heavy load condition, and (d) forwardly rotating the starter generator to drive the engine to start.

A mild-hybrid energy storage system architecture is provided, comprising: a battery; an ultracapacitor connected in parallel with the battery; a passive battery pre-charge circuit connected between a terminal of the battery and a DC bus; a battery main contactor connected in parallel with the battery pre-charge circuit between the terminal of the battery and the DC bus; a passive ultracapacitor pre-charge circuit connected between a terminal of the ultracapacitor and the DC bus; an ultracapacitor main contactor connected in parallel with the ultracapacitor pre-charge circuit between the terminal of the ultracapacitor and the DC bus; and a control module configured to independently control operation of the battery pre-charge circuit, the battery main contactor, the ultracapacitor pre-charge circuit and the ultracapacitor main contactor.

A vehicle, system, and method provide determining whether a thermal risk exists for an occupant of a passenger compartment of a vehicle based on: identifying, via the temperature sensor, that the temperature within the passenger compartment is outside of a safe temperature range, identifying, via an electronic control module, that an engine of the vehicle is not running, and identifying, via the occupant sensor, that an occupant is in the passenger compartment. In response to determining that the thermal risk exists, a controller starts starting the engine via an ignition locking system, closes power-actuated windows of the passenger compartment, locks power-locked doors of the passenger compartment, and activates a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the vehicle via a climate control unit. The HVAC maintains the temperature of the passenger compartment within the safe temperature range to safeguard the occupant until return of a responsible party.

A flexible intelligent electrical switching device with multi-function capability, and methods of use are presented herein which provide an autonomous, reconfigurable switching device. The present disclosure is specifically designed to reduce space, cost of manufacture, efficiency, installation reduction time and ease of implementation.

A control device for a vehicle includes a semiconductor switch, and opens and closes a connection between a capacitor connected to one end of the semiconductor switch and an on-board battery connected to another end of the semiconductor switch by turning ON/OFF the semiconductor switch. The control device includes: a wiring for applying a drive voltage for turning ON the semiconductor switch; a drive switch for short-circuiting the wiring to turn OFF the semiconductor switch; a Zener diode having an anode connected to the one end of the switching circuit, and a cathode connected to the wiring; a voltage detection unit detects a voltage at the one end of the switching circuit; and a control unit that controls the drive switch from OFF to ON, and determines whether or not the semiconductor switch is defective by comparing the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit with a threshold value.

The invention relates to a method for cranking an internal combustion engine, including the steps of: (a) receiving a start signal; (b) determining an initial position of the rotor with respect to a stator phase winding; (c) applying a pulse-width-modulated signal to the stator winding corresponding to determined initial position of the rotor; (d) determining a threshold value of the stator current variation; (e) measuring current of the stator winding in response to applied pulse-width-modulated signal to determine current variation; (f) if current variation is more than the threshold value, determining updated rotor position, applying a pulse-width-modulated signal to the stator winding corresponding to the updated rotor position; and repeating steps (d)-(f); and (g) if current variation is less than the threshold value, applying a pulse-width-modulated signal to the stator winding corresponding to the last updated rotor position and repeating steps (d)-(g).

There is provided a starter system including: a starter motor configured to start an engine rotationally; an electronic control unit configured to control the engine; a battery that supplies a current to the starter motor; a starter switch capable of supplying the current of the battery to the starter motor in response to an operation by a user; a first circuit that supplies a starter signal indicating that the starter switch is operated to the electronic control unit; and a second circuit that supplies a current necessary for driving to the electronic control unit. The electronic control unit starts a control operation of the engine when there are both of the starter signal input from the first circuit and the current input from the second circuit.

A coil carrier for an electromagnetic switch of a starting device including a cavity enclosed by a carrier wall for winding of a coil wire. The carrier wall may extend in an axial direction from a first end wall to a second end wall. The coil carrier may include at least one separating body protruding radially, and extending in a circumferential direction, on a side of the carrier wall facing away from the cavity. The at least one separating body may have a recess which separates a first separating body end of the at least one separating body from a second separating body end of the at least one separating body in the circumferential direction. The at least one separating body may have an axially extending body width that decreases along the circumferential direction.

The disclosure is directed to a system and method for providing supplemental power to start one or more cranking motors. The supplemental starting system includes a starting-signal isolator configured to connect to one or more electrical starting-signal wires providing starting signal to one or more cranking motors, a resetting relay electrically connecting to the starting-signal isolator, a programmable logic controller (PLC) electrically connecting to the resetting relay, a supplemental battery relay electrically connecting to the starting-signal isolator and the PLC, a supplemental battery electrically connecting to the supplemental battery relay, and a positive output-terminal electrically connecting to the supplemental battery relay. When an output of the starting-signal isolator is higher than a threshold voltage, the resetting relay and the supplemental battery relay are configured to be in a close state, so that the supplemental starting system is configured to provide electricity to one of the one or more cranking motors.