Engine system having coolant control valve

• US 10,161,291 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Hyo Jo, Han, Sang Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): Moubry, Grant
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLBROOK, TEUTA BAJRAMOVIC
• Application Number:
  US15/377,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20180051620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 123 4101, 123 4109, 123 412, 123 4108, 137607, 137867, 137554, 137551, 1376302, 1376361
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/028 Deaeration devices
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/16 concerning coolant temperature F01P11/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/006 the liquid being oil
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/028 Cooling cylinders and cylinder heads in series
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2007/146 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/00 Cooling circuits using auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/04 Lubricant cooler
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/08 Cabin heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/16 Outlet manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/18 Heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/02 Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/20 Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine F01P3/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/14 the coolant being liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/165 characterised by systems with two or more loops
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/32 Liquid-cooled heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/00 Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces in combination with sliding valves F16K3/246, F16K3/267 ; diaphragm valves F16K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/163 only turns
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/18 with separate operating movements for separate closure members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/383 the valve comprising fusible, softening or meltable elements, e.g. used as link, blocking element, seal, closure plug F16K17/386 takes precedence

Abstract

An engine system having a coolant control valve device may include valves that distribute coolant that is injected into a coolant inflow chamber to coolant demand elements, respectively; a driver that operates each of the valves; a safety valve that bypasses coolant that is operated by a coolant temperature to be injected into the coolant inflow chamber; and a degassing member that collects coolant including a bubble, wherein a degassing passage that is opened or closed by operation of the safety valve is formed.

Claims

1. An engine cooling system comprising:

a coolant control valve device including;

a valve housing including a coolant inflow chamber therein;

a plurality of valves that distribute coolant flowing into the coolant inflow chamber to coolant demand elements, respectively;

a driver that is engaged with the plurality of valves and operates each of the plurality of valves;

a safety valve disposed in the valve housing and bypassing the coolant toward a degassing passage connected to the coolant inflow chamber, by selectively opening or closing the degassing passage, the safety valve being operated by a coolant temperature of the coolant flowing into the coolant inflow chamber, wherein the degassing passage is formed at a passage formed in the coolant inflow chamber and configured for forwarding the coolant to a radiator so that a part of the coolant forwarded to the radiator is bypassed to the degassing passage; and

a degassing storage that is connected to the degassing passage and collects coolant including a bubble supplied from the coolant control valve device through the degassing passage,

where the valve housing stores the plurality of valves, the driver, and the safety valve.

2. The engine cooling system of claim 1, wherein the safety valve opens or closes an emergency passage, and the degassing passage is connected with the emergency passage.

3. The engine cooling system of claim 2, wherein the safety valve includes:

a body having a wax chamber therein and having an external circumference that opens or closes the emergency passage and the degassing passage;

a piston that penetrates a first side of the body to be inserted into the wax chamber;

a wax that is filled in the wax chamber and that is expanded or contracted by coolant that is injected into the coolant inflow chamber to push the piston to an outside of the wax chamber or to pull the piston to an inside of the wax chamber; and

an elastic member that elastically supports the body, wherein the body selectively closes the emergency passage according to a movement of the piston.

4. The engine cooling system of claim 1, wherein coolant, having passed through a cylinder head and a cylinder block of an engine is supplied to the coolant inflow chamber.

5. The engine cooling system of claim 4, wherein the coolant demand elements comprise a heater core, an exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) cooler, an oil cooler, or the radiator,

wherein the plurality of valves comprise:

a first valve that opens or closes a first passage formed in the coolant inflow chamber, wherein the first passage supplies coolant to the heater core and the EGR cooler;

a second valve that opens or closes a second passage formed in the coolant inflow chamber, wherein the second passage supplies coolant to the oil cooler;

or

a third valve that opens or closes a third passage formed in the coolant inflow chamber, wherein the third passage supplies coolant to the radiator.

6. The engine cooling system of claim 5, wherein the driver includes:

a cam having a cam profile that contacts with front end portions of the first, second, and third valves;

an elastic member that elastically supports rear end portions of the first, second, and third valves, wherein the front end portions of the first, second, and third valves contact with the cam profile; and

a torque source that rotates the cam to enable the cam profile to push the front end portions of the first, second, and third valves to thus enable the first, second, and third valves to open or close the first, second, and third passages, respectively.

7. The engine cooling system of claim 5, wherein the safety valve is configured to be operated by the coolant temperature of the coolant inflow chamber to bypass coolant of the coolant inflow chamber to a radiator side.

8. The engine cooling system of claim 7, wherein the torque source is a motor, and

the engine cooling system further includes a control device that is configured to control rotation of the motor according to a driving condition.

9. The engine cooling system of claim 5, further including:

a pressure cap that is engaged to the degassing storage and maintains an internal pressure of the degassing storage to a predetermined value or more and that discharges the bubble to an outside of the degassing storage; and

a coolant pump that recirculates coolant that is circulated from the degassing storage and the coolant demand elements to the coolant control valve device.

10. An engine cooling system comprising:

a coolant control valve device including;

a valve housing including a coolant inflow chamber therein;

a plurality of valves that are disposed at the valve housing to distribute coolant flowing into the coolant inflow chamber to coolant demand elements, respectively;

a driver that is engaged with the plurality of valves and lifts each of the plurality of valves to enable each valve to open or close passages formed in the coolant inflow chamber;

a safety valve that is disposed in the valve housing and disposed at an emergency passage that forwards the coolant flowing into the coolant inflow chamber toward a radiator, the safety valve being operated by a coolant temperature of the coolant flowing into the coolant inflow chamber; and

a degassing storage that collects coolant including a bubble supplied from the safety valve through a degassing passage connected to the coolant inflow chamber,

wherein the degassing passage is formed at an internal side surface of the emergency passage and is connected with the degassing storage, such that a bubble included in the coolant is forwarded to the degassing storage when the coolant flows to the radiator through the emergency passage by an operation of the safety valve.

11. The engine cooling system of claim 10, wherein the safety valve includes:

a body having a wax chamber therein and having an external circumference that opens or closes the emergency passage and the degassing passage;

a piston that penetrates a first side of the body to be inserted into the wax chamber;

a wax that is filled in the wax chamber and that is expanded or contracted by the coolant that is injected into the coolant inflow chamber to push the piston to an outside of the wax chamber or to pull the piston to an inside of the wax chamber; and

an elastic member that elastically supports the body, wherein the body selectively closes the emergency passage according to a movement of the piston.

12. The engine cooling system of claim 10, wherein the driver includes:

a cam having a cam profile that contacts with front end portions of each of the plurality of valves;

an elastic member that elastically supports each of rear end portions of the plurality of valves, wherein the front end portions of each of the plurality of valves contact with the cam profile; and

a torque source that rotates the cam to enable the cam profile to push the front end portions of the plurality of valves to thus enable the plurality of valves to open or close the passages formed in the coolant inflow chamber, respectively.

13. The engine cooling system of claim 10, wherein the coolant demand elements comprise a heater core, an exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) cooler, an oil cooler, or the radiator,

wherein the plurality of valves comprise:

a first valve that opens or closes a first passage among the passages formed in the coolant inflow chamber, wherein the first passage supplies coolant to the heater core and the EGR cooler;

a second valve that opens or closes a second passage among the passages formed in the coolant inflow chamber, wherein the second passage supplies coolant to the oil cooler;

or

a third valve that opens or closes a third passage among the passages formed in the coolant inflow chamber, wherein the third passage supplies coolant to the radiator.