Control means for controlling the coolant flows of a split cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337389-B2
Application number	US-201615004421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2015
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a split cooling system for an engine. In one example, a system may include a valve with a plurality of positions for diverting coolant or mixing coolant based on engine conditions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
rotating a rotating body of a control valve of a split cooling system to a position based on conditions to selectively direct coolant flow from an upper side of a cylinder head and from a crankcase to each of a main coolant circuit, a secondary coolant circuit, and an external bypass, and where coolant from the upper side of the cylinder head mixes with coolant from the crankcase and flows to a cooler arrangement without flowing to a heating arrangement for heating a vehicle interior in response to an engine temperature being greater than or equal to a desired engine operating temperature in one of a plurality of control positions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the position is selected from the plurality of control positions that comprises:
a first control position where coolant from the upper side of the cylinder head and from the crankcase is stagnated;
a second control position including coolant from the upper side of the cylinder head flowing through an upper passageway fluidly coupling the upper side of the cylinder head to an upper through bore of the rotating body to the secondary coolant circuit comprising the heating arrangement, and wherein coolant from the crankcase is stagnated;
a third control position including flowing coolant from the upper side of the cylinder head into the secondary coolant circuit and flowing coolant from the crankcase and a lower side of the cylinder head to the external bypass via a central through bore of the rotating body;
a fourth control position including flowing coolant from the upper side of the cylinder head into the secondary coolant circuit and flowing coolant from the crankcase and the lower side of the cylinder head into the external bypass and the main coolant circuit via the central through bore and a lower through bore, respectively, of the rotating body, wherein the main coolant circuit comprises the cooler arrangement;
a fifth control position including mixing coolant from the upper side of the cylinder head with coolant from the lower side of the cylinder head and the crankcase in the control valve via a first internal bypass of the control valve and flowing all of the mixture to the main coolant circuit via the lower through bore of the rotating body; and
a sixth control position including mixing coolant from the upper side of the cylinder head with coolant from the lower side of the cylinder head and the crankcase in the control valve via a second internal bypass of the control valve and flowing all of the mixture to the secondary coolant circuit via the upper through bore of the rotating body.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein flowing coolant through the main coolant circuit decreases an engine temperature, flowing coolant through the secondary coolant circuit increases a cabin temperature, and flowing coolant through the external bypass maintains the engine and cabin temperatures.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein mixing coolant provides an increased engine cooling or an increased cabin heating.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the split cooling system further comprises two inlets and three outlets, wherein a first outlet is arranged at a first angle relative to a transverse axis, wherein a second outlet is arranged at a second angle greater than the first angle relative to the transverse axis, and wherein a third outlet is arranged at a third angle greater than the second angle relative to the transverse axis.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first control position includes where none of the inlets are aligned with any of the outlets.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first control position comprises rotating a first inlet and a second inlet 0 degrees relative to the transverse axis.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second control position is rotated 20 degrees relative to the first control position, wherein the first inlet is at least partially aligned and fluidly coupled to the first outlet, and wherein coolant does not flow through the second inlet, the second outlet, and the third outlet.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the third control position is rotated 35 degrees relative to the first control position in response to a maximum heat request, wherein the first inlet is fully open and the second inlet is at least partially open, each of the first and second inlets being fluidly coupled to the first outlet, and wherein coolant does not flow through the second and third outlets.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fourth control position is rotated 70 degrees relative to the first control position, wherein the first inlet and the second inlet are fluidly coupled to the first outlet and the third outlet respectively, and wherein coolant does not flow through the second outlet.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the fourth control position is further rotated 15 degrees, wherein the first inlet and the second inlet are fluidly coupled to the first outlet and the second outlet, respectively, and wherein the third outlet is at least partially closed.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fifth control position is rotated 105 degrees relative to the first control position, and wherein the first inlet is fluidly coupled to the first outlet and the second inlet is fluidly coupled to each of the second and third outlets.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sixth control position is rotated 120 degrees relative to the first control position in response to a desire for maximum cooling of an engine, wherein the first inlet is partially fluidly coupled to the first outlet and the second inlet is fully fluidly coupled to the second outlet, and wherein coolant does not flow through the third outlet.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the sixth control position is further rotated 20 degrees to a seventh control position, and wherein the seventh control position comprises flowing coolant from each of the first and second inlets to only the second outlet.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a leak channel is closed.

16. The method of claim 7 , wherein the rotating body of the control valve of the split cooling system is hollow, and wherein the rotating body of the control valve of the split cooling system is shaped to fluidly couple the first and second inlets during some control positions.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upper side of the cylinder head is an outlet-side.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein outlets of the split cooling system are arranged in a star-shape along a common plane.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the split cooling system is at least partly spherical.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the split cooling system comprises a front chamber and a rear chamber, and wherein the front chamber corresponds to an inlet-side of the split cooling system and the rear chamber corresponds to an outlet-side of the split cooling system.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Quix Hans Guenter

Classifications

• F01P3/02 Primary

  Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads · CPC title

• F16K11/076

  with sealing faces shaped as surfaces of solids of revolution · CPC title

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• F01P2003/028

  Cooling cylinders and cylinder heads in series · CPC title

• F01P2060/08

  Cabin heater · CPC title