Patent ID: 7500457

Claim:
A control apparatus for controlling supply of electric power to a glow plug and a starter to start a diesel engine, comprising: an engine state detector that detects an operating condition of the diesel engine when the diesel engine is started; a delay time calculator that calculates a delay time as a function of the detected operating condition of the diesel engine, the delay time being an interval by which start of the supply of the electric power to the glow plug is to be delayed after start of the supply of the electric power to the starter to form a time difference between a first moment when a first instantaneous amount of the electric power consumed by the starter reaches maximum and a second moment when a second instantaneous amount of the electric power consumed by the glow plug reaches maximum; and a controller that controls the start of the supply of the electric power to the glow plug after the delay time has elapsed since the electric power has been started to supply to the starter such that the electric power is distributed to the starter and the glow plug to ensure working of the starter and the glow plug against being malfunction due to short of the electric power.