The present invention relates to a method for determining the state of charge of a vehicle battery (150) of a vehicle, a starter relay of a starting device (100) for an internal combustion engine of the vehicle for engaging a starter pinion in a ring gear of the internal combustion engine having a first winding (121) and a second winding (122) which can be controlled independently of one another, the first winding (121) being controlled in predetermined control states and voltage values that are established in the course of these control states being determined and the state of charge of the vehicle battery (150) being determined depending on the determined voltage values.

A work machine determines, when a request to restart an engine is made, whether or not a reason indicated by stop information stored in a memory is a reason related to locking of the work portion. The machine sets an operation mode of the engine and a work portion to a safe mode if it determines that the reason indicated by the stop information is a reason related to locking of the work portion. The safe mode is an operation mode for lessening damage resulting from causing the engine and the work portion to work during the work portion locked or damage resulting from an object coming into contact with the work portion during the engine and the work portion working.

A vehicle determines a first resistance of a starter motor and a starter cable connected thereto based at least in part on the first voltage of a power source. The vehicle determines a predicted minimum battery voltage based at least in part on the first resistance of the starter motor and the starter cable. The vehicle, in response to the predicted minimum battery voltage satisfying a threshold, enables a vehicle stop-start function, and, in response to the predicted minimum battery voltage failing to satisfy the threshold, disables the vehicle stop-start function.

A control apparatus controls rotating electrical machine which is applied to a vehicle in which an engine is automatically stopped in the case where predetermined automatic stop conditions are satisfied, and, the engine is automatically restarted in the case where predetermined restarting conditions are satisfied, the rotating electrical machine receiving supply of an exciting current from a transistor-chopper type exciting circuit in which a first pair of facing arms of a bridge circuit is configured with power transistors, and a second pair of arms is configured with diodes, and the rotating electrical machine having a power generation function based on rotational force of the engine. The control apparatus executes first grounding control in which, during automatic stop of the engine, among the first pair of arms, the power transistor connected on an earth side of the rotating electrical machine is put into an ON state.

A starter system including a motor, a solenoid assembly having a solenoid switch, a pinion rotated by the motor and moveable into an engaging position in which an engine may be cranked and the solenoid switch is closed to energize the motor from an electric power source, and relay switch regulated by a controller and closed to apply electrical power to the solenoid assembly for actuating the solenoid switch. The controller repeatedly opens and closes relay switch during a starting operation if sensed motor energization voltage monitored by the controller falls below a predetermined threshold level within a predetermined time period after electrical power is applied to the solenoid assembly, whereby electrical power applications to the solenoid assembly are automatically repeated during a starting operation to correct click-no-crank events and prevent prolonged power application to the solenoid assembly. A related method is also disclosed.

An electric starter system is usable with an engine and a power inverter module (PIM), e.g., of a powertrain. The starter system includes a poly phase/AC brushless starter motor connected to the PIM via an AC voltage bus and selectively connected to the engine during a requested engine start event. A sensor on the DC voltage bus outputs a signal indicative of a voltage level of the DC voltage bus. The controller executes a method using voltage stabilization logic having a proportional-integral (PI) torque control loop. Logic execution in response to the requested engine starting event causes the controller to control the starter motor, when the bus voltage exceeds a calibrated minimum voltage, using a starting torque determined via the control loop. The commanded starting torque limits inrush current to the starter motor such that the DC voltage bus remains above the minimum voltage.

A vehicle power supply apparatus includes first and second power supply systems, first and second switches, first and second switch controllers, a generator motor controller, an engine controller, and an idling stop determination unit. The idling stop determination unit determines whether or not to inhibit an idling stop control on the basis of a current of an first electrical energy accumulator of the first power supply system, a current of a second electrical energy accumulator of the second power supply system, or a voltage of a generator motor of the second power supply system, or any combination thereof, while recognizing a third control signal to be transmitted to the generator motor, a first control signal to be transmitted to the first switch, and a second control signal to be transmitted to the second switch.

A starting power generation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a starter generator including a field portion having a permanent magnet, and an armature unit including a first multi-phase winding and a second multi-phase winding which are arranged in parallel; a first power conversion unit including a first positive-side DC terminal connected to a battery and a plurality of first AC terminals connected to the first multi-phase winding, the first power conversion unit being configured to convert a power bidirectionally between DC and AC; a second power conversion unit including a plurality of second AC terminals connected to the second multi-phase winding, the second power conversion unit being configured to control a current to be input and output via the second AC terminals; and a control unit configured to detect a positional relationship between the field portion and the armature unit based on an output voltage of the second multi-phase winding, and control the first power conversion unit and the second power conversion unit in accordance with the positional relationship detected. The control unit is configured to detect the positional relationship when the starter generator is stopped, based on time widths of two or more predetermined voltages generated in two or more windings constituting the second multi-phase winding in a case that an output voltage of the battery is applied to the first multi-phase winding for a predetermined time in a state where current input and output via the second AC terminals is off.

A multi-phase switched reluctance motor including a rotor and a stator, an electronic commutator subassembly, and a controller. The electronic commutator subassembly includes an electronic motor control unit, a power inverter, and a rotational position sensor, with the power inverter being electrically connected to the stator of the switched reluctance motor. The controller is in communication with the electronic motor control unit, the power inverter, and the rotational position sensor. The controller includes an instruction set that is executable to characterize operation of the switched reluctance motor, dynamically determine inductance of the switched reluctance motor based upon the characterized operation, and execute a closed-loop torque control routine to control the switched reluctance motor based upon the dynamically determined inductance of the switched reluctance motor. The closed-loop torque control routine dynamically determines torque output from the switched reluctance motor based upon the dynamically determined inductance.

Methods and apparatuses for voltage dip stabilization in a motor vehicle are described herein. The apparatus of one embodiment includes a first connection for connecting the apparatus to an energy source, in particular to a vehicle battery and a second connection for connecting the apparatus to a starting apparatus of a motor vehicle. The apparatus also includes a current-limiting module for limiting a starter current, a control unit for driving the current-limiting module, and at least one starting process detector, which is connected to the control unit, for identifying a starting process. The control unit, on the basis of a starting process signal from the starting process detector, prompts the current-limiting module to carry out a starter current-limiting measure.