Engine off cooling strategy

• US 9,964,022 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Gonze, Eugene V., Chen, Yue-Ming, Ramappan, Vijay, Knieper, Christopher Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Solis, Erick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bacon, Anthony L
• Application Number:
  US14/669,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20160281584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/16 concerning coolant temperature F01P11/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2031/30 Cooling after the engine is stopped
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2050/24 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/18 Heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/20 Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine F01P3/22 takes precedence

Abstract

A system includes a coolant management module that, determines whether an engine of a vehicle is off, determines, in response to a determination that the engine is off, whether a heater associated with the engine is on, receives one of a plurality of engine coolant temperature (ECT) measurements and a respective location associated with the received ECT measurement, and communicates the respective location and an instruction to direct engine coolant flow from the respective location to one of the heater and engine. The system also includes a coolant control module that selectively actuates one or more coolant control valves based on the respective location and the instruction.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a coolant management module that;

determines whether an engine of a vehicle is off;

determines, in response to a determination that the engine is off, whether a heater associated with the engine is on;

receives a plurality of engine coolant temperature (ECT) measurements from a plurality of ECT sensors and respective locations associated with the received ECT measurements; and

communicates the respective location and an instruction to direct engine coolant flow from the respective location to one of the heater and engine; and

a coolant control module that selectively actuates one or more coolant control valves based on the respective location and the instruction,

wherein the coolant management module, in response to determining that the engine is off and the heater is on, instructs the coolant control module to direct, using a pump configured to operate when the engine is off, engine coolant flow from a location associated with a highest one of the received ECT measurements to the heater, and

wherein the coolant management module, in response to determining that the engine is off, the heater is off, and a current engine temperature is above a predetermined threshold, instructs the coolant control module to direct, using the pump, engine coolant flow from a location associated with a lowest one of the received ECT measurements to the engine.

2. A system comprising:

a coolant management module that;

determines whether an engine of a vehicle is off;

determines, in response to a determination that the engine is off, whether a heater associated with the engine is on;

receives a plurality of engine coolant temperature (ECT) measurements from a plurality of ECT sensors and respective locations associated with the received ECT measurements; and

communicates the respective location and an instruction to direct engine coolant flow, using a pump configured to operate when the engine is off, from the respective location to one of the heater and engine;

a coolant control module that selectively actuates one or more coolant control valves based on the respective location and the instruction; and

a preset counter, wherein the coolant management module decrements the counter in response to communicating the respective location and the instruction,

wherein the coolant management module compares a current value of the counter with a counter threshold,

wherein the coolant management module determines whether the engine is off in response to a determination that the current value of the counter is greater than the counter threshold, and

wherein the coolant management module does not determine whether the engine is off in response to a determination that the current value of the counter is less than the counter threshold.

3. A method comprising:

determining whether an engine of a vehicle is off;

determining, in response to a determination that the engine is off, whether a heater associated with the engine is on;

receiving one of a plurality of engine coolant temperature (ECT) measurements and a respective location associated with the received ECT measurement;

communicating the respective location and an instruction to direct engine coolant flow from the respective location to one of the heater and engine; and

selectively actuating one or more coolant control valves based on the respective location and the instruction,

wherein in response to determining that the engine is off and the heater is on, selectively directing, using a pump configured to operate when the engine is off, engine coolant flow from a location associated with a highest one of the received ECT measurements to the heater, and

wherein in response to determining that the engine is off, the heater is off, and a current engine temperature is above a predetermined threshold, selectively directing, using the pump, engine coolant flow from a location associated with a lowest one of the received ECT measurements to the engine.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

decrementing a preset counter in response to communicating the respective location and the instruction;

comparing a current value of the counter with a counter threshold;

determining whether the engine is off in response to a determination that the current value of the counter is greater than the counter threshold; and

not determining whether the engine is off in response to a determination that the current value of the counter is less than the counter threshold.