External heater operation determination system and vehicle control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10694583-B2
Application number	US-201816175116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

An external heater operation determination system includes, in a vehicle: a first device to be heated by an attached external heater; a second device, separate from the first device, to be cooled by a refrigerant; a circulation device configured to circulate the refrigerant through a circuit; and a temperature detection device that is configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant and disposed such that if the refrigerant is not circulating through the circuit, the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature detection device in the circuit does not rise even if the external heater is operating, whereas if the refrigerant is circulating through the circuit, the detected temperature of the refrigerant changes. The external heater operation determination system includes a determination device able to determine that the external heater is not operating on a basis of a change in the temperature after the circulation of the refrigerant.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An external heater operation determination system comprising, in a vehicle:
a first device to be heated by an attached external heater;
a second device, separate from the first device, to be a target of cooling by a refrigerant;
a circulation device configured to circulate the refrigerant through a circuit, wherein the refrigerant that circulates through the circuit cools the second device and does not cool the first device; and
a temperature detection device configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant wherein
the temperature detection device is disposed such that if the refrigerant is not circulating through the circuit,
the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature detection device in the circuit does not rise even if the external heater is operating, whereas if the refrigerant is circulating through the circuit, the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature detection device changes, and
the external heater operation determination system comprises a determination device able to determine that the external heater is not operating on a basis of a change in the temperature after the circulation of the refrigerant.

2. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 1 , wherein
the determination device determines that the external heater is not operating in a case in which the change in the temperature of the refrigerant does not become equal to or greater than a predetermined value during a period from an activation of the circulation device until a predetermined period elapses.

3. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 2 , wherein
the predetermined value is set to a larger value than a maximum change by which the temperature of the refrigerant may rise during the predetermined period in a state in which the external heater is not made to operate.

4. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 2 , wherein
a predetermined first period is set to a longer amount of time than a maximum amount of time from when the circulation device is activated and the refrigerant inside the circuit starts to circulate until the refrigerant whose temperature has risen because of a heat of the external heater reaches the temperature detection device in a case in which the external heater is operating.

5. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 1 , wherein
the determination device executes a determination process in a case in which a state of both the second device and the circulation device being stopped has continued for a predetermined amount of time or longer until a Ready-ON operation is performed by a user.

6. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature detection device is disposed at a position not directly influenced by a heat of the external heater.

7. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature detection device is a temperature detection device disposed inside the second device.

8. A vehicle control system comprising:
the external heater operation determination system according to claim 1 ; and
a temperature sensor malfunction determination device configured to determine whether a malfunction is occurring in a plurality of temperature sensors attached near an engine acting as the first device, wherein
the temperature sensor malfunction determination device determines that a malfunction is occurring in any of the plurality of temperature sensors in a case in which a difference between temperatures output from the plurality of temperature sensors exceeds a determination value, and
in a case in which the determination device of the external heater operation determination system has determined that the external heater is not operating, the temperature sensor malfunction determination device makes the determination using the determination value that is a smaller value than the determination value used otherwise.

9. An external heater operation determination system comprising, in a vehicle:
a first device to be heated by an attached external heater;
a second device, separate from the first device, to be a target of cooling by a refrigerant;
a circulation device configured to circulate the refrigerant through a circuit, wherein the refrigerant that circulates through the circuit cools the second device and does not cool the first device; and
a temperature detection device configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant, wherein
the temperature detection device is disposed such that if the refrigerant is not circulating through the circuit, the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature detection device in the circuit does not rise even if the external heater is operating, whereas if the refrigerant is circulating through the circuit, the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature detection device changes, and
the external heater operation determination system comprises a determination device able to determine that the external heater is operating on a basis of a change in the temperature after the circulation of the refrigerant.

10. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 9 , wherein
the determination device determines that the external heater is operating in a case in which, after the circulation device is activated, the change in the temperature of the refrigerant rises to become a first value or greater, and afterward falls to less than a second value.

11. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 10 , wherein
the determination device determines that the external heater is operating in a case in which, after the circulation device is activated, the change in the temperature of the refrigerant rises to become the first value or greater, and afterward falls to less than the second value, while in addition, the change becomes equal to or greater than a third value set to a larger value than the first value within a period after the change becomes the first value or greater until the change falls to less than the second value.

12. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 10 , wherein
the first value is preset to a larger value than a maximum change by which the temperature of the refrigerant may rise during a predetermined first period in a state in which the external heater is not made to operate.

13. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 10 , wherein
a third value is set to a value that the change in the temperature of the refrigerant may reach during a predetermined second period in a case in which the external heater is operating, but does not reach within the predetermined second period otherwise.

14. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 9 , wherein
the determination device executes a determination process in a case in which a state of both the second device and the circulation device being stopped has continued for a predetermined amount of time or longer until a Ready-ON operation is performed by a user.

15. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 9 , wherein
the temperature detection device is disposed at a position not directly influenced by a heat of the external heater.

16. The external heater operation determination system according to claim 9 , wherein
the temperature detection device is a temperature detection device disposed inside the second device.

Assignees

• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Sarukawa Tomoo
• Yamamoto Masami
• Shimada Ringo
• Asai Hiroto
• Masuda Yo

Classifications

• F01P11/20

  concerning atmospheric freezing conditions, e.g. automatically draining or heating during frosty weather · CPC title

• F01P11/16

  concerning coolant temperature (F01P11/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05B1/0236 Primary

  for vehicles · CPC title

• F01P2060/18

  Heater · CPC title