1. An engine starting device for an automatic idle-stop system for performing idle-stop when a predetermined idle-stop condition is satisfied and for restarting an engine when a restart condition is satisfied, comprising:
a crank-angle sensor for detecting a crank angle of the engine;
a ring gear connected to a crankshaft of the engine;
a ring-gear rpm detecting section for detecting an rpm of the ring gear;
a starter motor for starting the engine;
a pinion gear for transmitting rotation of the starter motor to the ring gear;
a pinion-gear push-out section for pushing out the pinion gear to bring the pinion gear into meshing engagement with the ring gear; and
a pinion-gear push-out control section for driving the pinion-gear push-out section to bring the pinion gear and the ring gear into meshing engagement when the ring-gear rpm detected by the ring-gear rpm detecting section becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value,
wherein the predetermined threshold value is determined by at least one of the crank angle, a gear range, and the restart condition.
2. The engine starting device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion-gear push-out control section drives the pinion-gear push-out section to bring the pinion gear and the ring gear into meshing engagement when the ring-gear rpm becomes smaller than a first threshold value after rotation of the engine is reduced by the idle stop as a result of satisfaction of the idle-stop condition and drives the pinion-gear push-out section to bring the pinion gear and the ring gear into meshing engagement for restart in a case where the ring-gear rpm is smaller than a second threshold value higher than the first threshold value when the restart condition is satisfied before the ring gear rpm becomes smaller than the first threshold value.
3. The engine starting device according to claim 2, further comprising a gear-range detecting section for detecting a current set position of a gear range of a transmission of the engine, wherein the first threshold value and the second threshold value of the pinion-gear push-out control section are set for each gear range detected by the gear-range detecting section.
4. The engine starting device according to claim 2, wherein the first threshold value and the second threshold value of the pinion-gear push-out control section are set lower in a predetermined crank-angle range in a vicinity of TDC of each cylinder of the engine.
5. The engine starting device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range in which an angular acceleration of rotation of the engine tends to increase.
6. The engine starting device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range corresponding to a cylinder for which an intake valve and an exhaust valve of a piston of the engine are both closed.
7. The engine starting device according to claim 2, wherein the pinion-gear push-out control section does not drive the pinion-gear push-out section in a predetermined crank-angle range in a vicinity of TDC of each cylinder of the engine.
8. The engine starting device according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range in which an angular acceleration of rotation of the engine tends to increase.
9. The engine starting device according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range corresponding to a cylinder for which an intake valve and an exhaust valve of a piston of the engine are both closed.
10. The engine starting device according to claim 2, wherein, when there is an angle range in which a pulse of the crank-angle sensor is not detected so as to obtain a reference of the crank angle, the first threshold value and the second threshold value in an angle range immediately before the angle range in which the pulse is not detected are set higher.
11. The engine starting device according to claim 2, further comprising a power-supply voltage detecting section for detecting a power-supply voltage, wherein the pinion-gear push-out control section sets the first threshold value and the second threshold value higher when the power-supply voltage detected by the power-supply voltage detecting section is lower than a predetermined voltage.
12. The engine starting device according to claim 2, further comprising a vehicle-speed detecting section for detecting a vehicle speed, wherein the pinion-gear push-out control section changes the first threshold value and the second threshold value according to the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle-speed detecting section.
13. The engine starting device according to claim 1, further comprising a gear-range detecting section for detecting a current set position of a gear range of a transmission of the engine, wherein the predetermined threshold value of the pinion-gear push-out control section is set for each gear range detected by the gear-range detecting section.
14. The engine starting device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold value of the pinion-gear push-out control section is set lower in a predetermined crank-angle range in a vicinity of TDC of each cylinder of the engine.
15. The engine starting device according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range in which an angular acceleration of rotation of the engine tends to increase.
16. The engine starting device according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range corresponding to a cylinder for which an intake valve and an exhaust valve of a piston of the engine are both closed.
17. The engine starting device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion-gear push-out control section does not drive the pinion-gear push-out section in a predetermined crank-angle range in a vicinity of TDC of each cylinder of the engine.
18. The engine starting device according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range in which an angular acceleration of rotation of the engine tends to increase.
19. The engine starting device according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined crank-angle range in the vicinity of TDC is a crank-angle range corresponding to a cylinder for which an intake valve and an exhaust valve of a piston of the engine are both closed.
20. The engine starting device according to claim 1, wherein, when there is an angle range in which a pulse of the crank-angle sensor is not detected so as to obtain a reference of the crank angle, the predetermined threshold value in an angle range immediately before the angle range in which the pulse is not detected is set higher.
21. The engine starting device according to claim 1, further comprising a power-supply voltage detecting section for detecting a power-supply voltage, wherein the pinion-gear push-out control section sets the predetermined threshold value higher when the power-supply voltage detected by the power-supply voltage detecting section is lower than a predetermined voltage.
22. The engine starting device according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle-speed detecting section for detecting a vehicle speed, wherein the pinion-gear push-out control section changes the predetermined threshold value according to the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle-speed detecting section.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of simulating communications links using a link simulation tool implemented on computing equipment, wherein each communications link includes respective link subsystems and wherein the link subsystems in each of the communications links are represented by subsystem models in the link simulation tool, the method comprising:
performing two-dimensional convolution operations on the subsystem models to determine link performance for the communications links using the link simulation tool.
2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the link subsystems of each communications link comprise a transmitter subsystem that is represented by a transmitter subsystem model in the link simulation tool and wherein performing the two-dimensional convolution operations comprises performing two-dimensional convolution operations with the transmitter subsystem model.
3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the link subsystems of each communications link comprise a receiver subsystem that is represented by a receiver subsystem model in the link simulation tool and wherein performing the two-dimensional convolution operations comprises performing two-dimensional convolution operations with the receiver subsystem model.
4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the link subsystems of each communications link comprise a channel subsystem that is represented by a channel subsystem model in the link simulation tool and wherein performing the two-dimensional convolution operations comprises performing two-dimensional convolution operations with the channel subsystem model.
5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the link subsystems of each communications link comprise transmitter and receiver subsystems that are respectively represented by transmitter and receiver subsystem models in the link simulation tool and wherein performing the two-dimensional convolution operations comprises performing the two-dimensional convolution operations with the transmitter and receiver subsystem models.
6. The method defined in claim 5, wherein the transmitter and receiver subsystems of each communications link comprise transmitter and receiver subsystem components each of which is represented by a respective one of a plurality of characteristic functions, the method further comprising:
performing two-dimensional convolution operations on the characteristic functions.
7. The method defined in claim 6, wherein the transmitter subsystem components of each communications link comprise components selected from a first group consisting of: a first equalizer, a first phase-locked loop, a first oscillator, and a driver and wherein the receiver subsystem components comprise components selected from a second group consisting of: a buffer, a second equalizer, a second phase-locked loop, and a second oscillator.
8. The method defined in claim 7, wherein performing the two-dimensional convolution operations on the characteristic functions comprises:
convolving the characteristic functions of the first equalizer, the first phase-locked loop, the first oscillator, and the driver to produce the transmitter subsystem model; and
convolving the characteristic functions of the buffer, the second equalizer, the second phase-locked loop, and the second oscillator to produce the receiver subsystem model.
9. A method of simulating communications links using a link simulation tool that is implemented on computing equipment, comprising:
with the link simulation tool, displaying a timing diagram for transmitted signals having varying signal amplitudes at a given point in each of the communications links; and
with the link simulation tool, displaying a probability density function plot that represents a distribution of signal amplitude variations in the transmitted signals for each of the communications links.
10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein displaying the timing diagram comprises displaying an eye diagram of the transmitted signals for each of the communications links.
11. The method defined in claim 9, wherein displaying the probability density function plot comprises displaying a noise histogram plot for the transmitted signals for each of the communications links.
12. The method defined in claim 11 further comprising:
with the link simulation tool, displaying a jitter histogram plot for the transmitted signals for each of the communications links.
13. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising:
with the link simulation tool, displaying a three-dimensional bit error rate plot for the transmitted signals at the given point in each communications link.
14. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:
with the link simulation tool, displaying cumulative density function plots associated with the bit error rate plot for each of the communications links, wherein the cumulative density function plots include a first cumulative density function plot that is a function of voltage and a second cumulative density function plot that is a function of time.
15. A method of simulating communications links using a link simulation tool implemented on computing equipment, comprising:
with the link simulation tool, providing a user with an opportunity to specify random jitter requirements for each of the communications links;
with the link simulation tool, providing the user with an opportunity to specify random noise requirements for each of the communications links; and
with the link simulation tool, producing simulation results for each of the communications links based on the random jitter and noise requirements specified by the user.
16. The method defined in claim 15 further comprising:
with the link simulation tool, providing the user with an opportunity to specify a data rate for each of the communications links.
17. The method defined in claim 15 further comprising:
with the link simulation tool, providing the user with an opportunity to specify a target bit error rate for each of the communications links.
18. The method defined in claim 17, wherein producing the simulation results comprises displaying jitter and noise cumulative density function plots that are based on the random jitter and noise requirements and the target bit error rate specified by the user for each of the communications links.
19. The method defined in claim 15, wherein producing the simulation results comprises displaying jitter and noise probability density function plots that are based on the random jitter and noise requirements specified by the user for each of the communications links.
20. Software on a computer-readable storage media for simulating performance in communications links, comprising:
code for providing a user with an opportunity to specify link simulation settings for the communications links;
code for performing two-dimension convolution operations to simulate performance in the communications links; and
code for displaying simulation results for each of the communications links produced by performing the two-dimensional convolution operations.