Cooling apparatus for internal combustion engine

• US 10,054,033 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor, Jr., Anthony
• Application Number:
  US15/188,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20160376977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 123 4108
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2007/146 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2037/02 starting
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/04 Lubricant cooler
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/045 for transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/16 Outlet manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 5/12 Pump-driving arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/16 by thermostatic control
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/167 by adjusting the pre-set temperature according to engine parameters, e.g. engine load, engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0829 related to special engine control, e.g. giving priority to engine warming-up or learning

Abstract

A cooling apparatus includes a coolant circulation channel for returning a coolant that passes through an engine main body, after causing the coolant to exchange heat with a radiator, device(s) and a heater, respectively. A multifunction valve as a rotary valve that is capable of adjusting an amount of coolant that is circulated to the radiator, device(s) and heater, respectively, is disposed in the coolant circulation channel. When automatic stopping of the engine is performed by idle stop-start control, during the automatic stopping the control apparatus continues to execute valve control of the multifunction valve that is being executed during the operation before the start of the automatic stopping.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine configured to be capable of executing an automatic stop/start control that automatically stops the internal combustion engine when a predetermined stopping condition is established, and automatically restarts the engine when a predetermined restarting condition is established during automatic stopping, the cooling apparatus comprising:

a first coolant circulation channel for returning a coolant that passed through a main body of the internal combustion engine to the main body of the internal combustion engine after allowing the coolant to exchange heat with a first heat exchanger;

an electric-motor-driven valve that is provided partway along the first coolant circulation channel; and

a control apparatus including at least one input/output interface, memory, and a CPU configured to execute a first control and a second control stored in the memory, the first control actuates the valve in accordance with a temperature of the coolant during operation of the internal combustion engine, and the second control actuates the valve to a reference position when the internal combustion engine has completely stopped;

wherein the control apparatus is configured so that when automatic stopping is performed by the automatic stop/start control during execution of the first control, the control apparatus continues to execute the first control during the automatic stopping.

2. The cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the first control includes a temperature control that actuates the valve so as to bring the temperature of the coolant near to a target temperature.

3. The cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electric water pump that circulates the coolant in the first coolant circulation channel,

wherein the control apparatus is configured to drive the electric water pump during execution of the first control.

4. The cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the first control includes a warm-up control that, when the temperature of the coolant is lower than a predetermined warm-up temperature, actuates the valve so that circulation of the coolant in the first coolant circulation channel is stopped.

5. The cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second coolant circulation channel for returning coolant that passed through the main body of the internal combustion engine to the main body of the internal combustion engine after allowing the coolant to exchange heat with a second heat exchanger;

wherein;

the valve is provided partway along the second coolant circulation channel, such that the valve has a first coolant circulation channel side and a second coolant circulation channel side;

the valve is configured as a rotary valve that comprises therein a rotatable rotor, and is configured so that a first opening degree on the first coolant circulation channel side and a second opening degree on the second coolant circulation channel side change in accordance with a rotational position of the rotor; and

the first control includes an auxiliary equipment control that adjusts the second opening degree in response to a request to circulate coolant in the second heat exchanger.

6. The cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 5,

wherein the rotary valve is configured to change each of the first opening degree and the second opening degree from a fully-open opening degree to a fully-closed opening degree by rotating the rotor from the reference position at which both of the first opening degree and the second opening degree are the fully-open opening degree, and to change each of the first opening degree and the second opening degree from the fully-closed opening degree to the fully-open opening degree by further rotating the rotor;

the control apparatus further configured to, when automatic stopping by the automatic stop/start control is performed during execution of the first control, if the rotational position of the rotor is a water stoppage position at which both of the first opening degree and the second opening degree become the fully-closed opening degree, retain the rotational position of the rotor at the water stoppage position during the automatic stopping.

7. The cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the automatic stop/start control includes an idling stop-and-start control.