Shuttered radiator system with control

• US 5,566,745 A
• Filed: 01/23/1995
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hill, James A., Marsh, Gregory A., Smith, Myron L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US08/376,633
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 165/41, 165/99, 165/51, 165/39, 165/98, 105/62.2, 123/41.04, 123/41.05, 123/41.06, 123/41.12, 123/41.49, 417/423.8
• US Class Current: 165/299
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 5/02 Arrangement or disposition of intakes and apparatus for supplying, circulating, and filtering air for combustion and engine-cooling purposes
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/185 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/13 Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/32 Engine outcoming fluid temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/40 Oil temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/026 Thermostatic control
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/04 by varying pump speed, e.g. by changing pump-drive gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/12 by thermostatic control

Abstract

A radiator assembly for a locomotive is provided. The locomotive has an engine for driving the locomotive and a cooling water system for circulating cooling water through the engine to operatively control the temperature of the engine, the assembly including a radiator in fluid communication with the cooling system and a fan which selectively draws air through the radiator and into the inlet of the fan. The radiator assembly also includes a shutter for selectively controlling the drawn air flow through the radiator and a control system operatively attached to the shutter for actuating the shutter to control the drawn air flow in dependence on a determined control temperature. The control assembly is also operatively attached to the fan to select and set the speed of the fan in dependence on the determined control temperature.

Claims

1. A radiator assembly for an engine having a cooling water system for circulating cooling water through the engine to operatively control the temperature of the engine, the assembly including:

a radiator in fluid communication with the cooling system;

a fan means, including a motor for driving said fan means, for selectively drawing air through the radiator and into the inlet of the fan means;

a shutter means for selectively controlling the drawn air flow through the radiator;

a motor shield for shielding the motor from relatively hot air exiting from the shutter means;

air ducts situated about the motor for supplying relatively cool air to cool the motor; and

control means comprising an engine control computer responsive to a water temperature sensor, an ambient air temperature sensor and an oil temperature sensor, the control means being operatively attached to the shutter means for actuating the shutter means to control the drawn air flow in dependence on a determined control temperature, the control means including means operatively attached to the fan means for selecting and setting the speed of the fan means in dependence on the determined control temperature.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the shutter means is disposed between the radiator means and fan means.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the control means includes means for selecting a first control temperature level for comparison to the determined control temperature level in dependence on whether the determined control temperature is increasing or decreasing.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the radiator is horizontally extending, and said motor shield is disposed between the fan means and the radiator means.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the radiator assembly includes an air shield vertically extending about the sides of the radiator, and said air ducts extend generally horizontally from the base of the motor through the air shield for providing air to the motor.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the radiator is generally flat and has two pairs of opposing sides, and the radiator includes at least one inlet and at least one outlet, the inlet being disposed diagonally across from the outlet.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the pairs of sides of the radiator form a four sided parallelogram, one of the pair of opposing sides being offset to the other pair of opposing sides.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the control means includes means for cycling the shutter means in dependence on the temperature of the ambient air.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the control means includes means for cycling the shutter means in dependence on the determined control temperature.