Thermostat trouble diagnosis system in an engine cooling system

• US 6,321,696 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Hosokai, Tetsushi, Makimoto, Seiji, Nishioka, Futoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamen, Noah P.
• Application Number:
  US09/620,971
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 123/41.15, 73/118.1
• US Class Current: 123/41.15
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/16 concerning coolant temperature F01P11/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2031/00 Fail safe
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2031/32 Deblocking of damaged thermostat

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for diagnosing thermostat trouble in an engine cooling system comprising a thermostat which works to open a valve to make a cooling water flow through a radiator when the cooling water temperature for an engine becomes more than a predetermined temperature, or to close the valve to make the cooling water bypass a radiator when this temperature becomes less than the predetermined temperature. The apparatus comprises means for calculating a radiation heat amount from a radiator received by the cooling water for the engine and means for determining whether the thermostat trouble has occurred based on the radiation heat amount calculated by the means for calculating the radiation heat amount.

Claims

1. An apparatus for diagnosing a thermostat trouble in an engine cooling system comprising a thermostat which opens a valve to make a cooling water flow through a radiator when the cooling water temperature for an engine becomes more than a predetermined temperature, and closes the valve to make the cooling water bypass the radiator when the temperature becomes less than the predetermined temperature, the apparatus comprising:

calculating means for calculating a radiation heat amount from a radiator based on a predicted cooling water temperature calculated by using operating parameters indicating a condition of the engine operation and an actual cooling water temperature detected by a detecting means for detecting a temperature, and based on an integrating value of deviation between the predicted temperature and the actual temperature and a deviation between a present predicted temperature and the actual temperature; and

determining means for determining whether the thermostat trouble has occurred, based on a result of the comparison between the actual or predicted temperature and a predetermined temperature, and the radiation heat amount calculated by the calculating means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second calculating means for calculating the heat amount from the engine received by the cooling water for the engine, wherein the determining means is configured to determine whether the thermostat trouble has occurred based on a relation between the radiation heat amount and the received heat amount.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the integrating value is a value derived from multiplying the deviation between the predicted temperature and the actual temperature by a vehicle speed, the apparatus further comprising:

a second calculating means for calculating the heat amount from the engine received by the cooling water for the engine,

wherein the determining means for determining whether the thermostat trouble has occurred is configured to determine if the thermostat trouble has occurred by comparing a ratio of the radiation heat amount to the received heat amount with a predetermined threshold for determination.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determining means for determining whether the thermostat trouble has occurred is configured to determine that the thermostat trouble has occurred and left open the valve when the predicted temperature or the actual temperature is less than an opening set temperature of the thermostat and when the ratio of the heat amount is more than the threshold for determination.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determining means for determining whether the thermostat trouble has occurred is configured to determine that the thermostat trouble has occurred and left close the valve when the predicted temperature or the actual temperature is more than the opening set temperature of the thermostat and when the ratio of the heat amount is less than the threshold for determination.

6. The apparatus of claims 1 further comprising a stopping means for stopping the determination of whether the thermostat trouble has occurred by the determining means for determining whether the thermostat trouble has occurred when the cooling water temperature is less than the predetermined value or when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined value.

7. An apparatus for diagnosing a thermostat trouble in an engine cooling system comprising a thermostat which opens a valve to make a cooling water flow through a radiator when the cooling water temperature for an engine becomes more than a predetermined temperature, and closes the valve to make the cooling water bypass a radiator when the temperature becomes less than the predetermined temperature, the apparatus comprising a controller configured to:

calculate a radiation heat amount from a radiator received based on a predicted cooling water temperature calculated by using operating parameters indicating a condition of the engine operation and an actual cooling water temperature detected by means for detecting a temperature, and also based on an integrating value of deviation between the predicted temperatures and the actual temperature, and a deviation between a present predicted temperature and the actual temperature; and

determine whether the thermostat trouble has occurred based on the result of a comparison between the actual or predicted temperature and a predetermined temperature the calculated radiation heat amount.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller is configured to calculate the heat amount from the engine received by the cooling water for the engine and determine whether the thermostat trouble has occurred based on a relation between the radiation heat amount and the received heat amount.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the integrating value is a value derived from multiplying the deviation between the predicted temperature and the actual temperature by a vehicle speed, the apparatus comprising a controller configured to:

calculate the heat amount from the engine received by the cooling water for the engine; and

determine if the thermostat trouble has occurred by comparing a ratio of the radiation heat amount to the received heat amount with a predetermined threshold for determination.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller is configured to determine that the thermostat trouble has occurred and left open the valve when the predicted temperature or the actual temperature is less than an opening set temperature of the thermostat and when the ratio of the heat amount is more than the threshold for determination.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller is configured to determine that the thermostat is not normal and left closed the valve when the predicted temperature or the actual temperature is more than the opening set temperature of the thermostat and when the ratio of the heat amount is less than the threshold for determination.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller configured to stop the determination of whether the thermostat trouble has occurred when the cooling water temperature is less than the predetermined value or when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined value.