Patent ID: 7395794

Claim:
An engine starting apparatus comprising, an engine, a power generator which is directly connected with the engine, and an ignition device which is controlled by a microcomputer using electricity output from the power generator as a power supply, wherein the engine starting apparatus further comprises: a sensor for outputting a reference signal of an engine rotation position; and a humanly operative starting device which rotates a flywheel connected to the output shaft of the engine, the microcomputer comprises: a processing function for calculating an engine revolution number based on a period of the reference signal and determining ignition timing based on the engine revolution number thus calculated; and an initial igniting function for generating ignition instructions when a preset time has been elapsed after the reference signal of the engine rotation position is first input to the microcomputer after the microcomputer has been started up by the electricity output from the power generator operated by the humanly operative starting device and before a voltage of the power supply reaches a voltage high enough to operate the processing function, and the microcomputer generates the ignition instructions according to the ignition timing determined by the processing function instead of the ignition instructions generated by the initial igniting function after the ignition instructions are first given by the initial igniting function.