Vehicle-cooling-fan control system and control method therefor

• US 9,421,847 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Automotive Thermal Systems Co., Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Koji, Kamitani, Hiroyuki, Suzuki, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US14/760,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20150360540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00828 Ventilators, e.g. speed control B60H1/00864 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00978 Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/12 using an air blower
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/14 Indicating devices; Other safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2031/36 Failure of coolant pump
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 5/04 Pump-driving arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/04 by varying pump speed, e.g. by changing pump-drive gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/08 the working fluid being air, e.g. for ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/008 Stop safety or alarm devices, e.g. stop-and-go control; Disposition of check-valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

A fault in a fan motor is detected on the vehicle side with simple wiring. Provided is a vehicle-cooling-fan control system including a fan control unit having a motor control unit that controls a three-phase motor for driving a cooling fan, a vehicle-side ECU that is provided superordinate to the fan control unit and that controls a vehicle, and an air-conditioning-system ECU that controls an air-conditioning apparatus of the vehicle, wherein the fan control unit, the vehicle-side ECU, and the air-conditioning-system ECU are connected so that information can be transferred therebetween via a vehicle network CAN, the fan control unit outputs fault information via a CAN driver in the case where a fault has been detected at a switching device, and the vehicle-side ECU exercises control via the vehicle network CAN to protect the fan control unit and the air-conditioning-system ECU in the case where the importance of the fault information is high.

Claims

1. A vehicle-cooling-fan control system comprising a fan control unit having a motor control unit that controls a three-phase motor for driving a cooling fan to supply air to an on-board heat exchanger, a first control unit that is provided superordinate to the fan control unit and that controls a vehicle, and a second control unit that controls an air-conditioning apparatus of the vehicle,

wherein the fan control unit, the first control unit, and the second control unit are connected to each other via a vehicle network so as to allow transfer of information therebetween,

wherein the fan control unit outputs fault information via the vehicle network in a case where a fault has been detected at a switching device provided in the motor control unit, and

wherein the first control unit exercises control via the vehicle network to protect the fan control unit and the second control unit in a case where the obtained fault information indicates a fault having a high importance.

2. A vehicle-cooling-fan control system according to claim 1, wherein the fan control unit is controlled via the vehicle network in a case where the second control unit is in a normal state, in which no serious fault has been detected.

3. A vehicle-cooling-fan control system according to claim 1,

wherein the fan control unit and the second control unit are connected to each other via a communication network for transferring PWM (pulse width modulation) signals for controlling the switching device in the fan control unit in response to a duty, and

wherein the fan control unit includes a PWM controller for controlling the switching device of the motor control unit via the communication network based on PWM control and a communication controller for sending and receiving information via the vehicle network, and the fan control unit obtains a rotation-speed instruction for the three-phase motor via at least one of the PWM controller and the communication controller.

5. A vehicle-cooling-fan control system according to claim 2,

wherein the fan control unit and the second control unit are connected to each other via a communication network for transferring PWM (pulse width modulation) signals for controlling the switching device in the fan control unit in response to a duty, and

wherein the fan control unit includes a PWM controller for controlling the switching device of the motor control unit via the communication network based on PWM control and a communication controller for sending and receiving information via the vehicle network, and the fan control unit obtains a rotation-speed instruction for the three-phase motor via at least one of the PWM controller and the communication controller.

4. A control method for a vehicle-cooling-fan control system, the control system including a fan control unit having a motor control unit that controls a three-phase motor for driving a cooling fan to supply air to an on-board heat exchanger, a first control unit that is provided superordinate to the fan control unit and that controls a vehicle, and a second control unit that controls an air-conditioning apparatus of the vehicle,

wherein, in a case where the fan control unit, the first control unit, and the second control unit are connected to each other via a vehicle network so as to allow transfer of information therebetween,

outputting, from the motor control unit, fault information via the vehicle network in a case where a fault has been detected at a switching device provided in the motor control unit, and

controlling, by the first control unit, via the vehicle network to protect the fan control unit and the second control unit in a case where the fault information indicates a fault having a high importance.