Cooling Control Systems

• US 20180086292A1
• Filed: 09/26/2016
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Petrak, Edward Thomas, Strode, Jason, Young, Henry Todd, Brown, Timothy Warren, Kuttenkuler, Jason Daniel, Zill, JR., Robert John, Nedley, Kenneth Paul, Wolff, Jeffrey John, Gangwal, Pritamkumar, Gadiyaram, Janaki, Abdollahi, Maryam, Ishaku, Joseph Audu, Tollefson, Christian Roland, Dodis, Lindsey, Katukam, Shivakumar
• Granted Patent: US 11,260,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/06 with air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/085 with adjustable shutters or blinds
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/038 Limiting the input power, torque or speed
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/16 concerning coolant temperature F01P11/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/18 concerning coolant pressure, coolant flow, or liquid-coolant level
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2031/34 Limping home
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

Cooling control systems described herein detect decreased operation of a cooling system of a vehicle, restrict movement of the vehicle without stopping movement responsive to decreased operation of the cooling system, and restrict movement of the vehicle by preventing the vehicle from traveling at a speed and/or power output for a non-zero designated period of time. This can allow for the vehicle to continue moving for a temporary period of time to avoid blocking traffic. Other control systems determine predicted distances and/or times that the vehicle can continue moving before coolant in the cooling system decreases below a designated threshold. Movement of the vehicle can be changed responsive to an upcoming distance and/or time that the vehicle is to travel exceeding the predicted distance and/or time. Other control systems modify a coolant flow rate based on differences between designated and ambient conditions.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to detect decreased operation of a cooling system of a vehicle while a propulsion system of the vehicle moves the vehicle, the one or more processors also configured to restrict movement of the vehicle without stopping the movement of the vehicle responsive to detecting the decreased operation of the cooling system,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to restrict the movement of the vehicle by preventing the vehicle from traveling at one or more of a speed or a power output for a non-zero designated period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, following expiration of the designated period of time, determine whether the movement of the vehicle has stopped and, responsive to determining that the movement of the vehicle has stopped, the one or more processors are configured to determine whether one or more operational temperatures of the vehicle exceed one or more corresponding designated thresholds,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to prevent the vehicle from moving after the movement of the vehicle has stopped responsive to determining that the one or more operational temperatures exceed the one or more corresponding designated thresholds.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more operational temperatures include a temperature of one or more of an alternator, a transformer, or an inverter of a power supply circuit of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are configured to permit the vehicle to begin moving again responsive to determining that the one or more operational temperatures are at or below the one or more corresponding designated thresholds and responsive to detection of an operator actuation of an input device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are configured to restrict the movement of the vehicle subsequent to determining that the one or more operational temperatures are at or below the one or more corresponding designated thresholds by preventing the vehicle from traveling at less than one or more of a designated speed or a designated motor torque.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are configured to permit the vehicle to begin moving again until a temperature of one or more of an alternator, a transformer, or an inverter of a power supply circuit of the vehicle exceeds a designated threshold.

7. A system comprising:

a first sensor configured to measure an amount of coolant in a cooling system of a vehicle; and

one or more processors configured to determine one or more of a predicted distance or a predicted time that the vehicle can continue moving before the amount of coolant in the cooling system decreases below a designated threshold,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to compare the one or more of the distance or the time with one or more of an upcoming distance or an upcoming time that the vehicle is to continue moving, the one or more processors also configured to restrict movement of the vehicle responsive to the one or more of the upcoming distance or the upcoming time exceeding the one or more of the predicted distance or the predicted time.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are configured to restrict the movement of the vehicle to increase the one or more of the predicted distance or the predicted time to greater than the one or more of the upcoming distance or the upcoming time.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a consumption rate at which the coolant in the cooling system is consumed by the vehicle and to determine the one or more of the predicted distance or the predicted time based on the consumption rate.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of the coolant in the cooling system, wherein the one or more processors are configured to restrict the movement of the vehicle responsive to the pressure of the coolant that is measured decreasing below a designated pressure threshold.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to automatically increase an operating speed of an engine of the vehicle during measurement of the pressure of the coolant.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the coolant in the cooling system, wherein the one or more processors are configured to restrict the movement of the vehicle responsive to the temperature of the coolant that is measured exceeding a designated temperature threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate a warning of a leak in the cooling system responsive to the temperature of the coolant exceeding the designated temperature threshold and the amount of the coolant being less than a designated threshold amount of the coolant.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate a warning of degradation of one or more components of the cooling system responsive to the temperature of the coolant exceeding the designated temperature threshold and the amount of the coolant being at least as large as a designated threshold amount of the coolant.

15. A system comprising:

one or more sensors configured to determine one or more ambient conditions outside of a powered system having a cooling system that moves coolant at a rate to cool one or more components of the powered system; and

one or more processors configured to determine a designated flow rate at which the coolant is to be moved to cool the one or more components, the one or more processors configured to convert the designated flow rate to an ambient condition-based flow rate based on the one or more ambient conditions and to direct one or more actuators of the cooling system to move the coolant through the cooling system at the ambient condition-based flow rate.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the rate at which the cooling system moves the coolant is an air flow rate, the designated flow rate is a designated air flow rate, and the ambient condition-based flow rate is an ambient condition-based air flow rate.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the ambient condition-based air flow rate to reduce how quickly the coolant is moved through the cooling system due to density of air outside of the powered system being greater than a designated air density on which the designated flow rate is based.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to measure a temperature and a pressure of air outside of the powered system as the one or more ambient conditions.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more actuators of the cooling system include one or more blowers, and the one or more processors are configured to direct a speed at which at least one of the blowers is to operate based on the ambient condition-based flow rate.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more actuators of the cooling system include a blower and a shutter system configured to control an opening through which air can be pulled through the blower and into the cooling system, and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to direct the shutter system to change a size of the opening based on the ambient condition-based flow rate.