Fluid system for a vehicle and a diagnostic method for the system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11164401-B2
Application number	US-201916360388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Mar 21, 2019
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a vehicle component with a component temperature sensor, and a fluid circuit in fluid communication with the component and with a fluid temperature sensor. A controller is in communication with the component sensor and the fluid sensor. The controller is configured to, in response to a temperature difference between the component sensor and the fluid sensor being greater than a predetermined threshold value, output a flag or a diagnostic code indicative of a fluid level in the fluid circuit. A vehicle diagnostic method and a vehicle are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
an electric machine positioned within a housing having a sump;
a component temperature sensor connected to the electric machine to measure a temperature of the electric machine;
a fluid system in fluid communication with the housing and containing a lubricant, the fluid system receiving fluid from the sump and delivering fluid to the electric machine, the fluid system having a fluid temperature sensor to measure a temperature of the lubricant; and
a controller in communication with the component temperature sensor and the fluid temperature sensor, the controller configured to, in response to a temperature difference between the component temperature sensor and the fluid temperature sensor being greater than a predetermined threshold value, output a diagnostic code indicative of the lubricant in the fluid system being less than a predetermined fluid level.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to select the predetermined threshold value from a set of predetermined threshold values.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 wherein the set of predetermined threshold values is dependent on vehicle driving conditions.

4. The vehicle of claim 2 further comprising a torque sensor associated with the electric machine; and
a vehicle speed sensor;
wherein the controller is in communication with the torque sensor and the vehicle speed sensor and is configured to input a first value indicative of an electric machine torque and a second value indicative of a vehicle speed to select the predetermined threshold value from the set of predetermined threshold values.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the controller is further configured to calculate the first value as a rolling average of the electric machine torque, and calculate the second value as a rolling average of the vehicle speed.

6. The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the controller is further configured to input the first value and the second value into at least one look-up table containing the set of predetermined threshold values.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the fluid temperature sensor is positioned in the sump of the housing.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a transmission gearset, the transmission gearset positioned within the housing.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the fluid system is without a fluid level sensor.

10. A vehicle system comprising:
a vehicle component with a component temperature sensor;
a fluid circuit in fluid communication with the component, and with a fluid temperature sensor; and
a controller in communication with the component sensor and the fluid sensor and configured to, in response to a temperature difference between the component sensor and the fluid sensor being greater than a predetermined threshold value, output a flag indicative of a fluid level in the fluid circuit.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10 wherein the controller is further configured to select the predetermined threshold value from a set of predetermined threshold values, the set of predetermined threshold values dependent on vehicle driving conditions.

12. The vehicle system of claim 11 wherein the controller is further configured to receive at least one signal indicative of a vehicle state to determine the vehicle driving condition.

13. The vehicle system of claim 10 wherein the fluid circuit contains one of a coolant and a lubricant;
wherein the fluid circuit is without a fluid level sensor; and
wherein the flag is indicative of the fluid level in the fluid circuit being less than a predetermined fluid level.

14. The vehicle system of claim 13 wherein the vehicle component contains a first member rotating relative to a second member.

15. A diagnostic method for a vehicle fluid system, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of a vehicle component temperature;
receiving a signal indicative of a fluid system temperature from a fluid system in fluid communication with a vehicle component; and
outputting a diagnostic code indicative of a fluid level in response to a temperature difference between the vehicle component temperature and the fluid system temperature being greater than a predetermined threshold value.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising selecting the predetermined threshold value from a set of predetermined threshold values, the set of predetermined threshold values dependent on a vehicle drive cycle.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
receiving at least one signal indicative of a vehicle state; and
selecting the predetermined threshold value from a set of predetermined threshold values, the set of predetermined threshold values dependent on the vehicle state.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the vehicle state is at least one of a torque value and a speed value.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising calculating the vehicle state using a rolling average of data from the at least one signal.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising inputting the vehicle state into a lookup table to select the predetermined threshold value, the lookup table compiled using temperature difference data compiled from prior vehicle drive cycles and dependent on the vehicle state, with each predetermined threshold value set using the temperature difference data from the associated vehicle drive cycle and at least one of an average deviation and standard deviation for temperature difference data for the associated vehicle drive cycle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Campanaro Justin Carmen
• O'Brien Nathaniel Patrick
• Butcher Jonathan Andrew
• Szwejkowski Brian
• Okubo Carol Louise

Classifications

• B60W20/50

  Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode · CPC title

• G07C5/0841

  Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B) · CPC title

• B60W50/0205 Primary

  Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models · CPC title

• F16H57/0447

  Control of lubricant levels, e.g. lubricant level control dependent on temperature · CPC title

• B60W50/14

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title