Method and apparatus for protecting an engine from overheating

• US 5,555,871 A
• Filed: 05/08/1995
• Issued: 09/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Buonocore, Richard L., Gopp, Alexander Y., Sbaschnig, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLFE JR, WILLIS RAY
• Application Number:
  US08/436,896
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 123/41.15, 123/198 D, 123/198 DB, 123/198 F, 123/481
• US Class Current: 123/481
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/33 Cylinder head temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/1832 eight
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/22 with cylinders in V, fan, or star arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 77/08 Safety, indicating, or supervising devices thermal insulation F02B77/11; monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/04 rendering engines inoperative or idling, e.g. caused by abnormal conditions dependent on lubricating conditions F01M1/22; dependent on cooling F01P5/14

Abstract

A method and apparatus for protecting an engine from overheating. The apparatus comprises a cylinder head temperature sensor operably coupled to sense the temperature of the cylinder head and a control system operably coupled to the cylinders and the cylinder head temperature sensor such that when the temperature of the cylinder head exceeds a maximum level the control system deactivates one or more of the cylinders and rotates the deactivation of one or more engine cylinders such that no one cylinder is constantly fired thus providing engine cooling by drawing fresh air through the deactivated one or more cylinders.

Claims

1. An overheat protection system for an internal combustion engine having cylinders and a cylinder head, the cylinders being independently deactivatable, the overheat protection system comprising:

a cylinder head temperature sensor operably coupled to sense the temperature of the cylinder head; and

a control system operably coupled to the cylinders and the cylinder head temperature sensor such that when the temperature of the cylinder head exceeds a maximum level, the control system deactivates at least one of the cylinders and rotates the deactivation of at least one of the engine cylinders such that no one cylinder is constantly fired thus providing engine cooling by drawing fresh air through the at least one deactivated cylinders.

2. The overheat protection system of claim 1 wherein the number of cylinders deactivated is an even number.

3. The overheat protection system of claim 1 wherein the deactivation of at least one of the cylinders is rotated approximately every one hundred engine cycles.

4. The overheat protection system of claim 1 wherein the cylinder head temperature sensor is a thermistor assembly.

5. The overheat protection system of claim 4 wherein the thermistor assembly is mounted within the cylinder head.

6. The overheat protection system of claim 1 wherein the control system comprises a microcomputer.

7. An overheat protection system for an internal combustion engine having an equal number of cylinders, cylinder heads, fuel injectors which provide fuel to the cylinders, and fuel injector drivers, each fuel injector being operably connected to a fuel injector driver, the overheat protection system comprising:

a cylinder head temperature sensor operably coupled to sense the temperature of the cylinder head; and

a control system coupled to the fuel injector drivers and to the cylinder head temperature sensor such that when the control system receives signals from the cylinder head temperature sensor that the temperature of the cylinder head has exceeded a maximum level the control system will de-energize at least one of the fuel injectors via the corresponding fuel injector driver and rotate the at least one of the de-energized fuel injectors in such a way that no one fuel injector is constantly energized thus providing engine cooling by drawing fresh air through the at least one cylinders not being provided with fuel.

8. The overheat protection system of claim 7 wherein the number of fuel injectors de-energized is an even number.

9. The overheat protection system of claim 7 wherein the de-energization of at least one of the fuel injectors is rotated approximately every one hundred engine cycles.

10. The overheat protection system of claim 7 wherein the cylinder head temperature sensor is a thermistor assembly.

11. The overheat protection system of claim 10 wherein the thermistor assembly is mounted within the cylinder head.

12. The overheat protection system of claim 7 wherein the control system comprises a microcomputer.

13. A method for protecting an internal combustion engine from overheating, the internal combustion engine having cylinders and cylinder heads, the cylinders being independently deactivatable, the method comprising:

sensing the temperature of the cylinder head;

deactivating at least one of the engine cylinders when the temperature of the cylinder head exceeds a maximum level; and

rotating the deactivation of at least one of the engine cylinders such that no one cylinder is constantly fired thus providing engine cooling by drawing fresh air through the at least one deactivated cylinders.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein an even number of cylinders are deactivated when the temperature of the cylinder head exceeds a maximum level.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the deactivation of at least one of the engine cylinders is rotated approximately every one hundred engine cycles.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of sensing the temperature of the cylinder head is accomplished by using a thermistor assembly.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the thermistor assembly is mounted within the cylinder head.

18. An overheat protection system for an internal combustion engine having cylinders, cylinder heads, and drivers, each cylinder being operably coupled to a corresponding independent driver, the overheat protection system comprising:

a cylinder head temperature sensor operably coupled to sense the temperature of the cylinder head; and

a control system operably coupled to the drivers and the cylinder head temperature sensor such that when the temperature of the cylinder head exceeds a maximum level, the control system deactivates at least one of the cylinders via the drivers and rotates the deactivation of at least one of the engine cylinders such that no one cylinder is constantly fired thus providing engine cooling by drawing fresh air through the at least one deactivated cylinders.

19. The overheat protection system of claim 18 wherein the number of cylinders deactivated is an even number.

20. The overheat protection system of claim 18 wherein the deactivation of at least one of the cylinders is rotated approximately every one hundred engine cycles.

21. The overheat protection system of claim 18 wherein the cylinder head temperature sensor is a thermistor assembly.

22. The overheat protection system of claim 18 wherein the thermistor assembly is mounted within the cylinder head.

23. The overheat protection system of claim 18 wherein the control system comprises a microcomputer.