Chiller system for an engine with a forced induction system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10006339-B2
Application number	US-201615006526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2016
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A chiller system includes an intercooler configured to cool compressed charge air received from a turbocharger or a supercharger; a low temperature cooling circuit fluidly coupled to the intercooler, the low temperature cooling circuit circulating a coolant to provide cooling to the intercooler and including a low temperature radiator configured to cool the first coolant; and an air conditioner circuit circulating a refrigerant and having a primary circuit and an evaporator bypass circuit. A chiller is thermally coupled to the low temperature cooling circuit and the bypass circuit. A chiller shut off valve is configured to be controlled to be selectively opened to provide refrigerant to the chiller to further cool the coolant in the low temperature cooling circuit after the coolant is cooled by the low temperature radiator, thereby providing increased cooling to the intercooler and the compressed charge air to increase engine performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chiller system for a vehicle having an engine with a forced induction arrangement, the chiller system comprising:
an intercooler configured to cool compressed charge air received from a turbocharger or a supercharger;
a low temperature cooling circuit fluidly coupled to the intercooler the low temperature cooling circuit circulating a coolant to provide cooling to the intercooler and including a low temperature radiator configured to cool the coolant;
an air conditioner circuit circulating a refrigerant and having a primary circuit and a bypass circuit, the primary circuit being separate from the low temperature cooling circuit and including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, the bypass circuit including a conduit that bypasses the evaporator, and a chiller shut off valve configured to selectively prevent refrigerant from flowing through the bypass circuit;
a chiller thermally coupled to the low temperature cooling circuit and the bypass circuit; and
a controller in signal communication with the chiller shut off valve, the controller programmed to, upon receiving a signal indicating a driver has manually selected the vehicle to operate in a racing mode, open the chiller shut off valve to provide refrigerant to the chiller to further cool the coolant in the low temperature cooling circuit after the coolant is cooled by the low temperature radiator, thereby providing increased cooling to the intercooler and the compressed charge air to increase engine performance,
wherein upon receiving the signal, the controller is further programmed to:
transition a transmission of the vehicle from a transmission normal mode to a transmission racing mode;
activate vehicle paddle shifters;
transition a vehicle fraction control from a traction control normal mode to a traction control racing mode;
transition a vehicle suspension from a suspension normal mode to a suspension racing mode; and
transition a vehicle steering system from a steering system normal mode to a steering system racing mode.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein racing mode is selected by selecting an icon on a vehicle user interface display.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the racing mode is selected, the controller is programmed to disable vehicle air conditioning system controls and air conditioning of, a vehicle cabin interior.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning circuit further includes an evaporator shut off valve in communication with the controller and disposed upstream of the evaporator, the evaporator shut off valve configured to selectively prevent refrigerant from flowing to the evaporator; and
wherein upon the controller receiving the signal indicative of the vehicle being commanded to operate in the racing mode, the controller controls the evaporator shut off valve to close and the chiller bypass valve of the bypass circuit to open thereby providing flow of refrigerant from the primary circuit to the chiller.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the air conditioning circuit further includes a first expansion valve disposed upstream of the evaporator, and a second expansion valve disposed in the bypass circuit upstream of the chiller.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the low temperature radiator is disposed in the low temperature cooling circuit downstream of the intercooler and upstream of the chiller.

7. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to, in an absence of receiving the signal indicative of the vehicle being commended to operate in the racing mode:
operate the vehicle in a default or normal driving mode where the chiller shut off valve is closed to prevent refrigerant from flowing through the bypass circuit to the chiller;
cool the intercooler with only the coolant in the low temperature cooling circuit that has been cooled by the low temperature radiator; and
enable the vehicle air conditioning system controls and air conditioning of the vehicle cabin interior.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a high temperature cooling circuit separate from the low temperature cooling circuit and the air conditioning circuit, the high temperature cooling circuit fluidly coupled to the engine and including a high temperature radiator and a thermostat, the high temperature cooling circuit configured to provide cooling to the engine independent of the low temperature radiator circuit and the intercooler.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to maintain the chiller shut off valve in the open position while the vehicle is commanded to operate in the racing mode.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further programmed to close the shutoff valve when the driver manually commands the vehicle to operate in a default mode.

11. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is programmed to maintain the vehicle air conditioning system controls and air conditioning of the vehicle cabin interior in the disabled condition while the racing mode is selected.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein when the racing mode is selected, the controller is programmed to display a notification on a vehicle user interface display that the racing mode is active and cabin cooling is disabled.

13. A method of controlling a vehicle having an engine and a controller in communication with an engine chiller system, the engine chiller system including:
(a) a low temperature cooling circuit thermally coupled to an intercooler that receives compressed charge air from a turbocharger or a supercharger, the low temperature cooling circuit circulating a coolant and including a radiator configured to cool the coolant;
(b) an air conditioner circuit circulating a refrigerant and having a primary circuit and a bypass circuit that bypasses an evaporator of the primary circuit, and includes a chiller shut off valve; and
(c) a chiller thermally coupled to the low temperature cooling circuit and the bypass circuit, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of the vehicle being manually selected by a driver of the vehicle to operate in a racing mode;
opening the chiller shut off valve based on receiving the signal such that refrigerant flows to the bypass circuit and the chiller; and
cooling the intercooler with the coolant in the low temperature cooling circuit that has been cooled by (i) air flowing through the low temperature radiator and (ii) the refrigerant flowing through the chiller, thereby providing increased cooling to the intercooler and compressed charge air for increased engine performance when the vehicle is in the racing mode,
wherein upon receiving the signal, further comprising:
transitioning a transmission of the vehicle from a transmission normal mode to a transmission racing mode;
activating vehicle paddle shifters;
transitioning a vehicle fraction control from a traction control normal mode to a traction control racing mode;
transitioning a vehicle suspension from a suspension normal mode to a suspension racing mode; and
transitioning a vehicle steering system from a steering system normal mode to a steering system racing mode.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising disabling vehicle air conditioning system controls and air conditioning of a vehicle cabin interior when the signal is received.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the chiller system further comprises an evaporator shutoff valve in the primary circuit upstream of the evaporator, the method further comprising, upon receipt of the signal, commanding the evaporator shutoff valve to close thereby providing flow of refrigerant to the bypa

Assignees

• Chen Huaguo
• Wagner Cody R
• England Terry L
• Anker Jeremy J
• Kiester Gregory
• Bartlett Matthew T
• Fca Us Llc

Inventors

• Chen Huaguo
• Wagner Cody R
• England Terry L
• Anker Jeremy J
• Kiester Gregory
• Bartlett Matthew T

Classifications

• F02M26/32

  Liquid-cooled heat exchangers · CPC title

• F02B29/0493

  Controlling the air charge temperature · CPC title

• F01P9/06

  by use of refrigerating apparatus, e.g. of compressor or absorber type · CPC title

• F02B29/0443 Primary

  Layout of the coolant or refrigerant circuit · CPC title

• F01P2060/02

  Intercooler · CPC title