VEHICLE HEATING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150330351A1
• Filed: 05/19/2014
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ragazzi, Franco, Leone, Thomas G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,822,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00314 Arrangements permitting a rapid heating of the heating liquid B60H1/00492, B60H1/03 take precedence; aiding engine start by heating of engine coolants F02N19/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00921 where the flow direction of the refrigerant does not change and there is an extra subcondenser, e.g. in an air duct
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00928 comprising a secondary circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 5/021 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/20 concerning atmospheric freezing conditions, e.g. automatically draining or heating during frosty weather
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/16 Other apparatus for heating fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 19/04 by heating of fluids used in engines
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 19/10 by heating of engine coolants
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/023 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/122 Atmospheric temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/902 Prime movers comprising electrical and internal combustion motors

Abstract

Methods and system for providing heat to a vehicle are presented. In one example, a heat pump supplies thermal energy to an engine to reduce engine emissions during engine starting. Further, heating the engine via the heat pump may also reduce engine friction at colder ambient temperatures where oil viscosity may be increased.

Claims

1. A method for heating a vehicle, comprising:

selectively operating a vehicle heat pump when the vehicle is electrically coupled to a stationary electrical power grid; and

providing heat to an engine via the vehicle heat pump.

2. The method of claim 1, where providing the heat is in response to an engine temperature less than a first threshold temperature.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising not providing heat to the engine in response to engine temperature being greater than a second threshold temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, where selectively operating the vehicle heat pump includes not operating the vehicle heat pump until a predetermined time before a predetermined trip time.

5. The method of claim 4, where the predetermined time is based on ambient temperature and engine temperature.

6. The method of claim 4, where providing heat to the engine includes adjusting engine temperature to a desired temperature.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing heat to a passenger cabin of the vehicle based on the predetermined trip time.

8. A method for heating a vehicle, comprising:

selectively operating a vehicle heat pump when an engine of the vehicle is stopped; and

providing heat to an engine via the vehicle heat pump in response to anticipated starting of the engine.

9. The method of claim 8, where the anticipated starting of the engine is based on a state of battery charge.

10. The method of claim 8, where an electric machine propels the vehicle when the engine is stopped.

11. The method of claim 8, where providing heat to the engine includes increasing engine temperature to a threshold temperature and holding the engine at the threshold temperature.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising not providing heat to the engine via the vehicle heat pump in response to a temperature of a passenger cabin not being within a threshold temperature of a desired passenger cabin temperature.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing heat to a passenger cabin via the vehicle heat pump.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising not providing heat to the engine via the heat pump when engine temperature is greater than a threshold temperature.

15. A vehicle system, comprising:

an engine;

a heat pump including a heat exchanger providing thermal communication between the engine and the heat pump; and

a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory for activating the heat pump and supplying thermal energy from the heat pump to the engine in response to a vehicle being in a regenerative braking mode.

16. The vehicle system of claim 15, further comprising an electric motor and additional instructions for supplying current from the electric motor to the heat pump in response to regenerative current being greater than a threshold current.

17. The vehicle system of claim 16, further comprising additional instructions for supplying current from the electric motor to the heat pump in response to battery state of charge being greater than a threshold.

18. The vehicle system of claim 17, further comprising additional instructions for supplying heat to a passenger cabin via the heat pump.

19. The vehicle system of claim 16, further comprising a battery and instructions for activating the heat pump in response to current in excess of a battery charge current provided by the electric motor.

20. The vehicle system of claim 19, further comprising additional instructions for supplying electric current to the heat pump in response to a battery state of charge being less than a threshold and in response to the vehicle not being in the regenerative braking mode.