COOLING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

• US 20120160447A1
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinomura, Shigeki, Saito, Tatsuki, Shintani, Osamu
• Application Number:
  US13/265,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20120160447A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/025 from both the cooling liquid and the exhaust gases of the propulsion plant
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/20 concerning atmospheric freezing conditions, e.g. automatically draining or heating during frosty weather
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/32 Engine outcoming fluid temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2037/02 starting
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/08 Cabin heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/16 Outlet manifold

Abstract

The coolant of the first coolant circuit is mixed with the coolant of the second coolant circuit when the temperature detected by the coolant temperature sensor becomes greater than or equal to a semi-warm-up determination value, which is set to a temperature that is lower than a warm-up completion determination value of the engine. Accordingly, when the heat generated by the engine and the heat recovered by the exhaust heat recovery device from the in-vehicle heat source are independently used to increase the temperature of the coolant, control can be executed without any trouble based on the coolant temperature even when mixing the coolant of the engine with the coolant of the exhaust heat recovery device, in which the temperatures have been increased independently.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus for a vehicle including an engine and a heat source, the cooling apparatus comprising:

a first coolant circuit that extends through the engine and circulates coolant;

an exhaust heat recovery device that recovers exhaust heat of the heat source and heats coolant passing therethrough;

a second coolant circuit that extends through the exhaust heat recovery device and circulates coolant; and

a coolant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the coolant in the engine, wherein the coolant of the first coolant circuit is mixed with the coolant of the second coolant circuit when the temperature detected by the coolant temperature sensor becomes greater than or equal to a semi-warm-up determination value, which is set to a temperature that is lower than a warm-up completion determination value of the engine.

3. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a flow amount of the coolant passing through the engine is decreased or set to 0 until the mixing of the coolant is started.

5. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the coolant temperature sensor is a first coolant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the coolant in the first coolant circuit, and the cooling apparatus further comprises a second coolant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the coolant in the second coolant circuit.

6. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the temperature detected by the second coolant temperature sensor is used to determine whether or not to mix the coolant of the first coolant circuit with the coolant of the second coolant circuit.

7. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the coolant of the first coolant circuit is mixed with the coolant of the second coolant circuit when at least one of three conditions is satisfied, which are the temperature detected by the second coolant temperature sensor being greater than or equal to the semi-warm-up determination value, the temperature detected by the second coolant temperature sensor being sufficiently higher than the temperature of the coolant in the engine, and the temperature detected by the second coolant temperature sensor being lower than the temperature required by a heat utilizing device, which utilizes the heat of the coolant.

12. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first coolant circuit is formed to extend from a water pump, through the engine and the heater core, and back to the water pump without passing through the exhaust heat recovery device, and the second coolant circuit is formed to extend from the water pump, through the exhaust heat recovery device and the heater core, and back to the water pump.

2. A cooling apparatus for a vehicle including an engine and a heat source, the cooling apparatus comprising:

a first coolant circuit that extends through the engine and circulates coolant;

an exhaust heat recovery device that recovers exhaust heat of the heat source and heats coolant passing therethrough;

a second coolant circuit that extends through the exhaust heat recovery device and circulates coolant; and

a radiator activated to radiate heat from the coolant that passes through the engine when the temperature of the coolant becomes greater than or equal to a specified value; and

a coolant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the coolant in the engine, wherein the coolant of the first coolant circuit is mixed with the coolant of the second coolant circuit when the temperature detected by the coolant temperature sensor becomes greater than or equal to a semi-warm-up determination value, which is set to a temperature that is lower than the temperature at which the radiator is activated.

4. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 2, the cooling apparatus further comprising:

a bypass passage that circulates coolant bypassing the radiator; and

a valve that decreases a flow amount of the coolant passing through the engine or sets the flow amount to 0 when closed and mixes the coolant of the first coolant circuit with the coolant of the second coolant circuit when open,

wherein the valve opens when the temperature detected by the coolant temperature sensor becomes greater than or equal to a semi-warm-up determination value, which is set to a temperature that is lower than the temperature at which the radiator is activated.

8. A cooling apparatus for a vehicle including an engine and a heat source, the cooling apparatus comprising:

a first coolant circuit that extends through the engine and circulates coolant;

a heater core heating that heats air, which is sent into a passenger compartment, with heat of coolant flowing therethrough;

an exhaust heat recovery device that recovers exhaust heat of the heat source and heats coolant passing therethrough;

a second coolant circuit that extends through the heater core and the exhaust heat recovery device and circulates coolant;

a radiator activated to radiate heat from the coolant that passes through the engine when the temperature of the coolant becomes greater than or equal to a specified value;

a bypass passage that sends the coolant that has passed through the engine to the heater core bypassing the radiator;

a valve arranged in the bypass passage, wherein the valve blocks the flow of the coolant through the bypass passage when closed and allows the flow of the coolant through the bypass passage when open;

a coolant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the coolant in the engine; and

an engine cooling control unit that requests the valve to close when the temperature detected by the coolant temperature sensor is less than a semi-warm-up determination value, which is set to a temperature that is lower than the temperature at which the radiator is activated, and requests the valve to open when the temperature detected by the coolant temperature sensor is greater than or equal to the semi-warm-up determination value.

9. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the coolant temperature sensor is a first coolant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the coolant in the first coolant circuit, and the cooling apparatus further comprises a second coolant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the coolant in the second coolant circuit.

10. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising an air conditioning control unit that controls heating of the air in the heater core and blowing of the heated air into the passenger compartment, wherein the valve is closed only when the air conditioning control unit and the engine cooling control unit both request the valve to close.

11. The cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the air conditioning control unit requests the valve to close when all three conditions are unsatisfied, which are the temperature detected by the second coolant temperature sensor being greater than or equal to the semi-warm-up determination value, the temperature detected by the second coolant temperature sensor being sufficiently higher than the temperature of the coolant in the engine, and the temperature detected by the second coolant temperature sensor being lower than the temperature required by the heater core.