Electric cooling fan control based on known vehicle load conditions

• US 20090241865A1
• Filed: 03/25/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Stramecki, Bryan Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/41.120
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/62 Load
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/048 using electrical drives

Abstract

A method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle may entail determining an engine coolant temperature, providing a normal load operation mode for the cooling fan and a high load operation mode for the cooling fan, determining whether a tow-haul operation is selected within the vehicle, determining a vehicle load of the vehicle by detecting whether a towing load sensor is activated or not activated, determining whether a vehicle load threshold is reached based upon activation of the towing load sensor, and operating the cooling fan. Operating the cooling fan may be based on the coolant temperature and one of the normal load operation mode and the high load operation mode. Operating the cooling fan in the normal load operation mode may mean reducing a cooling fan operation frequency and decreasing a cooling fan operation percentage over a predetermined coolant temperature range.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining an engine coolant temperature;

determining whether a tow-haul operation is selected within a vehicle;

providing a high load operation mode for the cooling fan; and

determining an operation percentage of the cooling fan based on the engine coolant temperature and the high load operation mode for the cooling fan.

2. The method of controlling a cooling fan according to claim 1, wherein determining whether a tow-haul operation is selected within a vehicle means determining if a user controlled switch is activated.

3. The method of controlling a cooling fan according to claim 2, wherein determining an operation percentage of the cooling fan based on the engine coolant temperature and the high load operation mode for the cooling fan is performed when the tow-haul operation is selected within a vehicle.

4. The method of controlling a cooling fan according to claim 1, wherein the operation percentage of the cooling fan ranges from 25 percent to 100 percent.

5. A method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining an engine coolant temperature;

providing a normal load operation mode for the cooling fan and a high load operation mode for the cooling fan;

determining whether a tow-haul operation is selected or is not selected within the vehicle;

determining a vehicle load of the vehicle; and

determining whether a vehicle load exceeds a vehicle load threshold.

6. The method of controlling a cooling fan according to claim 5, wherein determining whether a tow-haul operation is selected or is not selected within the vehicle means determining if a user controlled switch is activated or not activated.

7. The method of controlling a cooling fan according to claim 6, wherein determining a vehicle load of the vehicle means determining if a towing load sensor is activated or not activated.

8. The method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein after determining whether a vehicle load exceeds a vehicle load threshold, the method further comprising:

determining an operation percentage of the cooling fan based on the engine coolant temperature and the high load operation mode for the cooling fan.

9. The method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining an operation frequency of the cooling fan based on the engine coolant temperature and the high load operation mode for the cooling fan.

10. The method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein after determining whether a vehicle load exceeds a vehicle load threshold, the method further comprising:

determining an operation percentage of the cooling fan based on the engine coolant temperature and the normal load operation mode for the cooling fan.

11. The method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining an operation frequency of the cooling fan based on the engine coolant temperature and the normal load operation mode for the cooling fan.

12. A method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining an engine coolant temperature;

providing a normal load operation mode for the cooling fan and a high load operation mode for the cooling fan;

determining whether a tow-haul operation is selected or is not selected within the vehicle;

determining a vehicle load of the vehicle by detecting whether a towing load sensor is activated or not activated;

determining whether a vehicle load threshold is reached based upon activation of the towing load sensor; and

operating the cooling fan.

13. The method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein operating the cooling fan further comprises:

operating the cooling fan based on the coolant temperature and one of the normal load operation mode and the high load operation mode.

14. The method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising:

operating the cooling fan based on the coolant temperature and one of the normal load operation mode and the high load operation mode.

15. The method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein operating the cooling fan in the normal load operation mode means reducing a cooling fan operation frequency and decreasing a cooling fan operation percentage over a predetermined coolant temperature range relative to operating the cooling fan in the high load operation mode.

16. A method of controlling a cooling fan for an engine of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining whether a tow-haul switch is activated in the vehicle;

determining a vehicle load; and

controlling a cooling fan in the vehicle based on the tow-haul operation and the vehicle load.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a coolant temperature for the vehicle.

18. The control module of claim 17 further comprising:

comparing the vehicle load to a vehicle load threshold;

operating the cooling fan in a high-load operation mode when the vehicle load exceeds the vehicle load threshold; and

operating the cooling fan in a normal operation mode when the vehicle load is below the vehicle load threshold.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining a cooling fan operation percentage based on the coolant temperature and one of the high load operation mode and the normal operation mode.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining a cooling fan operation percentage at the coolant temperature based on a maximum vehicle load when operating the cooling fan in a high load operation mode.