SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING REGENERATION OF AN AIR DRYER

• US 20130192464A1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Asmis, Nicholas A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,828,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/148
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4566 for use in transportation means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/26 Drying gases or vapours
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/004 Draining and drying devices

Abstract

A regeneration controller for an air dryer on a vehicle includes a location identifier that determines a current location, a regeneration profile identifier that selects a regeneration profile based on the current location, and a regeneration initiator that initiates regenerations of the air dryer based on the regeneration profile.

Claims

1. A regeneration controller for an air dryer on a vehicle, comprising:

a location identifier that determines a current location;

a regeneration profile identifier that selects a regeneration profile based on the current location; and

a regeneration initiator that initiates regenerations of the air dryer based on the regeneration profile.

2. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the location identifier determines one of a plurality of location zones based on the current location.

3. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

the zones are defined based on at least one of historical, average, and future estimated weather patterns.

4. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the regeneration profile identifier selects the regeneration profile based on the determined location zone.

5. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 4, wherein the regeneration profile identifier determines the regeneration profile to be one of at least three profiles, including:

a dry profile;

a moderate profile; and

a humid profile.

6. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

the regeneration initiator initiates the regenerations of the air dryer relatively more frequently when the current location causes the regeneration profile identifier to select a profile associated with a relatively more humid location zone.

7. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

when the selected profile is associated with a relatively more humid location zone, the regeneration initiator initiates the regenerations of the air dryer relatively more frequently by initiating regenerations after relatively less air is dried by the air dryer.

8. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

the location identifier accesses a look-up table to select the location zone based on the current location.

9. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the regeneration profile identifier selects the regeneration profile based on the current location zone and at least one of an ambient temperature and an ambient humidity.

10. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the regeneration profile identifier selects the regeneration profile based on the current location zone and a season of the year.

11. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the regeneration profile identifier selects the regeneration profile based on the current location zone and an altitude.

12. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the location identifier determines the current location based on a location signal received from a positioning device on the vehicle.

13. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

the location identifier receives the location signal from the positioning device via a vehicle communication bus.

14. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

the positioning device on the vehicle determines a latitude and a longitude, and optionally an altitude, of the vehicle from at least one of satellite-based signals and land-based signals.

15. A regeneration controller for an air dryer on a vehicle, comprising:

means for determining a current location of the vehicle;

a regeneration profile identifier that selects a regeneration profile based on the current location; and

a regeneration initiator that initiates regenerations of the air dryer based on the regeneration profile.

16. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 15, wherein the means for determining a current location of the vehicle includes:

a positioning device on the vehicle that transmits a position signal to the regeneration profile identifier.

17. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

the positioning device transmits the position signal to the regeneration profile identifier via a communication bus.

18. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

the positioning device communicates with the regeneration profile identifier via a direct electronic connection; and

the positioning device transmits the position signal to the regeneration profile identifier via the direct electronic connection.

19. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 15, wherein

the location identifier determines the current location to be in one of a plurality of location zones;

and

the regeneration profile identifier selects the regeneration profile from a plurality of regeneration profiles based on the determined location zone.

20. The regeneration controller as set forth in claim 19, wherein a frequency at which the regeneration initiator initiates the regenerations is based on the selected regeneration profile.

21. An air dryer system on a vehicle, the system including:

an air dryer; and

a regeneration controller for controlling regeneration cycles of the air dryer, the regeneration controller comprising;

a location identifier that determines a current location;

a regeneration profile identifier that selects a regeneration profile based on the current location; and

a regeneration initiator that initiates regenerations of the air dryer based on the regeneration profile.

22. The air dryer system as set forth in claim 21, further including:

a purge volume storing air used to regenerate the air dryer during the regenerations.

23. The air dryer system as set forth in claim 22, wherein:

the location identifier determines one of a plurality of location zones based on the current location.

24. The air dryer system as set forth in claim 23, wherein:

the regeneration profile identifier selects the regeneration profile based on the determined location zone.

25. The air dryer system as set forth in claim 24, wherein:

a frequency at which the regeneration initiator initiates the regenerations is based on the location zone.

26. A method for controlling regeneration of an air dryer on a vehicle, the method comprising:

identifying a current location of the vehicle;

selecting a regeneration profile based on the current location; and

initiating regenerations based on the regeneration profile.

27. The method for controlling regeneration of an air dryer as set forth in claim 26, further including:

identifying a location zone based on the current location.

28. The method for controlling regeneration of an air dryer as set forth in claim 27, wherein the selecting step includes:

selecting the regeneration profile based on the location zone.

29. The method for controlling regeneration of an air dryer as set forth in claim 28, wherein the initiating step includes:

initiating the regenerations relatively more frequently if the location zone is identified as relatively more humid.

30. The method for controlling regeneration of an air dryer as set forth in claim 26, wherein:

the identifying step includes determining the current location based on a position signal from a positioning device.

31. The method for controlling regeneration of an air dryer as set forth in claim 30, further including:

transmitting the position signal from the positioning device to a position identifier via a vehicle communication bus; and

identifying the current location in the position identifier based on the position signal received from the positioning device via the vehicle communication bus.