GRILLE SHUTTER DEVICE

• US 20150343894A1
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: YOSHIOKA, Mamoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,701,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/06 with air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/085 with adjustable shutters or blinds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

A grille shutter device includes a grille shutter configured to change its opening degree and placed in a grille opening continuous with an engine room of a vehicle. An ECU controls a motor to control an opening degree of the grille shutter to regulate running air from the grille opening to an engine. The running air passing through the grille shutter flows to a lower part of the cylinder block. The ECU controls the motor to control the opening degree of the grille shutter according to a detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block by a temperature sensor. When judging that warm-up of the lower part of the cylinder block is not yet completed, the ECU controls the motor to close the grille shutter in order to block the running air flow from the grille opening to the lower part of the cylinder block

Claims

1. A grille shutter device for a vehicle,

the vehicle having an engine placed in an engine room provided in a front part of the vehicle,

the engine including a cylinder head and a cylinder block, and

a grille opening being provided at a front side of the vehicle and communicating with the engine room,

wherein the grille shutter device includes:

a grille shutter provided in the grille opening and configured to change an opening degree of the grill shutter;

a drive unit configured to drive the grille shutter; and

a control unit configured to control the drive unit,

the control unit being configured to control the drive unit to control the opening degree of the grille shutter to control the running air flowing to the engine through the grille opening,

wherein the grille shutter device further includes a block lower-part temperature detecting unit configured to detect a temperature of a lower part of the cylinder block, and

the control unit is configured to control the drive unit to control the opening degree of the grille shutter according to a detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block.

2. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, wherein the grille shutter is placed in a position to control the running air flowing to the lower part of the cylinder block.

3. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit judges that warm-up of the lower part of the cylinder block is not yet completed based on the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, the control unit controls the drive unit to control the grille shutter in order to block the running air flowing to the lower part of the cylinder block through the grille opening.

4. The grille shutter device according to claim 2, wherein when the control unit judges that warm-up of the lower part of the cylinder block is not yet completed based on the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, the control unit controls the drive unit to control the grille shutter in order to block the running air flowing to the lower part of the cylinder block through the grille opening.

5. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, further including a vehicle speed detecting unit configured to detect a speed of the vehicle,

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected speed of the vehicle to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

6. The grille shutter device according to claim 2, further including a vehicle speed detecting unit configured to detect a speed of the vehicle,

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected speed of the vehicle to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

7. The grille shutter device according to claim 3, further including a vehicle speed detecting unit configured to detect a speed of the vehicle,

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected speed of the vehicle to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

8. The grille shutter device according to claim 4, further including a vehicle speed detecting unit configured to detect a speed of the vehicle,

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected speed of the vehicle to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

9. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, further including an ambient temperature detecting unit configured to detect an ambient temperature, and

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected ambient temperature to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

10. The grille shutter device according to claim 2, further including an ambient temperature detecting unit configured to detect an ambient temperature, and

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected ambient temperature to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

11. The grille shutter device according to claim 3, further including an ambient temperature detecting unit configured to detect an ambient temperature, and

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected ambient temperature to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

12. The grille shutter device according to claim 4, further including an ambient temperature detecting unit configured to detect an ambient temperature, and

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected ambient temperature to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

13. The grille shutter device according to claim 5, further including an ambient temperature detecting unit configured to detect an ambient temperature, and

wherein the control unit is configured to determine a basic opening degree of the grille shutter according to the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, correct the determined basic opening degree according to the detected ambient temperature to determine a control opening degree, and control the drive unit to adjust the opening degree of the grille shutter to the determined control opening degree.

14. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, wherein the grille opening is provided with a normally open part in which the grille shutter is not provided, and an air restriction plate is provided in the engine room to restrict a flow of the running air to prevent the running air flowing into the engine room through the normally open part from impinging on the lower part of the cylinder block.

15. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, wherein an air guide plate is provided in the engine room to guide a flow of the running air so that the running air passing through the grille shutter and flowing into the engine room impinges on the lower part of the cylinder block.

16. The grille shutter device according to claim 14, wherein an air guide plate is provided in the engine room to guide a flow of the running air so that the running air passing through the grille shutter and flowing into the engine room impinges on the lower part of the cylinder block.

17. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, wherein

the grille shutter includes a first grille shutter configured to control the running air flowing to the upper part of the cylinder block and the cylinder head, and a second grille shutter configured to control the running air flowing to the lower part of the cylinder block,

the drive unit includes a first drive unit configured to drive the first grille shutter and a second drive unit configured to drive the second grille shutter, and

the control unit is configured such that, when the control unit judges that warm-up of the lower part of the cylinder block is not yet completed based on the detected temperature of the lower part of the cylinder block, the control unit controls the first drive unit and the second drive unit to close both the first grille shutter and the second grille shutter, and then controls the first drive unit and the second drive unit to open the first grille shutter and then the second grille shutter at a later timing than the first grille shutter while warm-up of the lower part of the cylinder block is proceeding toward completion.

18. The grille shutter device according to claim 1, wherein

a knocking detecting unit configured to detect knocking of the engine is attached to the lower part of the cylinder block, and

the block lower-part temperature detecting unit is attached integrally with the knocking detecting unit to the lower part of the cylinder block.

19. The grille shutter device according to claim 18, wherein the block lower-part temperature detecting unit is built in the knocking detecting unit.