Engine Off Cooling Strategy

• US 20160281584A1
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Published: 09/29/2016
• 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: Chen, Yue-Ming, GONZE, Eugene V., Ramappan, Vijay, Knieper, Christopher Harold
• Granted Patent: US 9,964,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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; and

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

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the coolant management module receives a respective location associated with a highest ECT measurement in response to the coolant management module determining that the engine is off and the heater is on.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the coolant management module instructs the coolant control module to direct engine coolant flow from the respective location to the heater.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the coolant management module determines whether a current engine temperature is above a predetermined threshold in response to the coolant management module determining that the engine is off and the heater is off.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the coolant management module receives a respective location associated with a lowest ECT measurement.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the coolant management module instructs the coolant control module to direct engine coolant flow from the respective location to the engine.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a preset counter, wherein the coolant management module decrements the counter in response to communicating the respective location and the instruction.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the coolant management module compares a current value of the counter with a counter threshold.

9. The system of claim 8 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.

10. The system of claim 9 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.

11. 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.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a respective location associated with a highest ECT measurement in response to a determination that the engine is off and the heater is on.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising selectively directing engine coolant flow from the respective location to the heater.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining whether a current engine temperature is above a predetermined threshold in response to a determination that the engine is off and the heater is off.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving a respective location associated with a lowest ECT measurement.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising selectively directing engine coolant flow from the respective location to the engine.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising decrementing a preset counter in response to communicating the respective location and the instruction.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising comparing a current value of the counter with a counter threshold.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising determining whether the engine is off in response to a determination that the current value of the counter is greater than the counter threshold.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising 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.