Exhaust heat recovery control device

• US 9,458,751 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirata, Yuichiro, Ishihata, Takato, Murata, Toshio, Takagaki, Nakaya, Komitsu, Hideyuki, Iriyama, Yojiro, Wakatsuki, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEON JR, JORGE LUIS
• Application Number:
  US14/606,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20150218998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 602/77, 602/87, 602/98, 603/20, 603/24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/02 a heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/36 an exhaust flap
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2260/024 using a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2260/08 for preventing heat loss or temperature drop, using other means than layers of heat-insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/0422 measuring the elapsed time
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/08 said parameters being related to the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/102 Travelling distance
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/005 for draining or otherwise eliminating condensates or moisture accumulating in the apparatus F01N3/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0205 using heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/043 without contact between liquid and exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 5/02 the devices using heat
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/00 Electrical control of exhaust gas treating apparatus monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00; conjoint electrical control of two or more combustion engine functions F02D43/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/13 Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/30 Engine incoming fluid temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/08 Cabin heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/16 Outlet manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/14 the coolant being liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 5/02 Profiting from waste heat of exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 21/0003 the heat being recuperated from exhaust gases F28D21/0014 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems

Abstract

An exhaust heat recovery control device includes a recovered heat adjusting unit configured to adjust an amount of heat recovered of exhaust gas by an exhaust heat recoverer recovering heat of exhaust gas and a control unit configured to control the recovered heat adjusting unit so as to prevent or suppress freezing in an exhaust pipe based on a traveling history of a vehicle on which the exhaust heat recovery control device is mounted when the freezing in the exhaust pipe is predicted.

Claims

1. An exhaust heat recovery control device comprising:

a recovered heat adjusting unit configured to adjust an amount of heat recovered of exhaust gas by an exhaust heat recoverer recovering heat of exhaust gas; and

a control unit configured to determine whether freezing of a liquid in an exhaust pipe occurs based on a past traveling history of a vehicle and to control the recovered heat adjusting unit, on which the exhaust heat recovery control device is mounted, when the freezing in the exhaust pipe is predicted to occur.

2. The exhaust heat recovery control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the recovered heat adjusting unit so as to decrease the amount of heat recovered of exhaust gas by the exhaust heat recoverer when a previous traveling time as the traveling history is equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference time.

3. The exhaust heat recovery control device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust heat recoverer raises a temperature of a coolant for cooling an engine using the recovered heat of exhaust gas,

wherein the recovered heat adjusting unit includes a circulation unit configured to circulate the coolant, and

wherein the control unit adjusts the amount of heat recovered of exhaust gas by adjusting an amount of coolant circulated by the circulation unit.

4. The exhaust heat recovery control device according to claim 1, wherein the recovered heat adjusting unit adjusts the amount of heat recovered by adjusting a flow rate of exhaust gas passing through the exhaust heat recoverer.

5. The exhaust heat recovery control device according to claim 1, wherein the past traveling history is based on a previous traveling state of the vehicle prior to a present traveling state of the vehicle in which the control unit is controlling the recovered heat adjusting unit.

6. An exhaust heat recovery control device comprising:

an actuator that adjusts an amount of heat recovered of exhaust gas by an exhaust heat recoverer that recovers heat of exhaust gas; and

circuitry configured to determine whether freezing of a liquid in an exhaust pipe occurs based on a past traveling history of a vehicle and to control the actuator, on which the exhaust heat recovery control device is mounted, when the freezing in the exhaust pipe is predicted to occur.