Cooling apparatus for internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11199124-B2
Application number	US-201916660211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2019
Priority date	Nov 19, 2018
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

A cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a pump, a radiator, a flow rate adjustment valve, a bypass passage, and a controller. The flow rate adjustment valve includes a valve member that rotates to change an open degree of the flow rate adjustment valve and a valve member biasing component that biases the valve member in a valve-closing direction in which the open degree decreases. The valve member rotates in a valve-opening direction in which the open degree increases when a pressure difference increases between positions upstream and downstream of the valve member in a flow direction of coolant in the circulation circuit and rotate in the valve-closing direction when the pressure difference decreases. The controller increases the pump discharge amount as a target radiator flow rate that is a target of an amount of coolant passing through the radiator increases.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the cooling apparatus comprising:
a circulation circuit for coolant in the internal combustion engine;
a pump arranged on the circulation circuit, the pump being configured to change a discharge amount of coolant;
a radiator and a flow rate adjustment valve arranged on the circulation circuit in series with the pump;
a bypass passage arranged on the circulation circuit, wherein coolant that has flowed through a cylinder block and a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine flows through the bypass passage so as to bypass the radiator and the flow rate adjustment valve;
a controller configured to control a pump discharge amount that is a discharge amount of coolant in the pump, wherein:
the flow rate adjustment valve includes:
a valve member configured to rotate to change an open degree of the flow rate adjustment valve, and
a valve member biasing component configured to bias the valve member in a valve-closing direction that is a rotation direction in which the open degree decreases,

the valve member is configured to rotate in a valve-opening direction that is a rotation direction in which the open degree increases when a pressure difference increases between a position upstream of the valve member and a position downstream of the valve member in a flow direction of coolant in the circulation circuit and rotate in the valve-closing direction when the pressure difference decreases, and
the controller is configured to increase the pump discharge amount as a target radiator flow rate that is a target of an amount of coolant passing through the radiator increases; and

a memory configured to store, when the open degree changes as the pump discharge amount changes, a map indicating a relationship between a radiator flow rate that is an amount of coolant passing through the radiator and a circulation coolant amount that is an amount of coolant circulating in the internal combustion engine, wherein:
the cooling apparatus is configured to control the circulation coolant amount and the radiator flow rate through control of the pump discharge amount by the controller based on the target radiator flow rate and a target circulation coolant amount that is a target of the circulation coolant amount,
the map indicates the relationship in which the circulation coolant amount is larger when the radiator flow rate is large than when the radiator flow rate is small,
when the target radiator flow rate is input to the map, the circulation coolant amount that is output from the relationship indicated on the map is defined as a reference circulation coolant amount, and
the controller is configured to set the pump discharge amount to a value corresponding to the target circulation coolant amount when the target circulation coolant amount is equal to the reference circulation coolant amount.

2. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to set the pump discharge amount to a value corresponding to the reference circulation coolant amount when the target circulation coolant amount is less than the reference circulation coolant amount.

3. A cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the cooling apparatus comprising:
a circulation circuit for coolant in the internal combustion engine;
a pump arranged on the circulation circuit, the pump being configured to change a discharge amount of coolant;
a radiator and a flow rate adjustment valve arranged on the circulation circuit in series with the pump;
a bypass passage arranged on the circulation circuit, wherein coolant that has flowed through a cylinder block and a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine flows through the bypass passage so as to bypass the radiator and the flow rate adjustment valve; and
a controller configured to control a pump discharge amount that is a discharge amount of coolant in the pump, wherein:
the flow rate adjustment valve includes:
a valve member configured to rotate to change an open degree of the flow rate adjustment valve, and
a valve member biasing component configured to bias the valve member in a valve-closing direction that is a rotation direction in which the open degree decreases,

the valve member is configured to rotate in a valve-opening direction that is a rotation direction in which the open degree increases when a pressure difference increases between a position upstream of the valve member and a position downstream of the valve member in a flow direction of coolant in the circulation circuit and rotate in the valve-closing direction when the pressure difference decreases,
the controller is configured to increase the pump discharge amount as a target radiator flow rate that is a target of an amount of coolant passing through the radiator increases,
the flow rate adjustment valve includes a stopper that moves between a restriction position at which the stopper engages with the valve member to restrict rotation of the valve member and a retraction position at which the stopper does not engage with the valve member and the rotation of the valve member is permitted, and
the controller is configured to execute, when maintaining the open degree, a preparatory process of moving the stopper to the restriction position after arranging the stopper at the retraction position and controlling the pump discharge amount to arrange the valve member further in the valve-closing direction than the stopper.

4. The cooling apparatus according to claim 3 , comprising a memory configured to store, when the open degree changes as the pump discharge amount changes, a map indicating a relationship between a radiator flow rate that is an amount of coolant passing through the radiator and a circulation coolant amount that is an amount of coolant circulating in the internal combustion engine, wherein
the cooling apparatus is configured to control the circulation coolant amount and the radiator flow rate through control of the pump discharge amount by the controller based on the target radiator flow rate and a target circulation coolant amount that is a target of the circulation coolant amount,
the map indicates the relationship in which the circulation coolant amount is larger when the radiator flow rate is large than when the radiator flow rate is small,
when the target radiator flow rate is input to the map, the circulation coolant amount that is output from the relationship indicated on the map is defined as a reference circulation coolant amount, and
the controller is configured to alternately repeat a maintaining period and an open degree adjustment period when the target circulation coolant amount is larger than the reference circulation coolant amount, the maintaining period being a period in which the open degree is maintained by arranging the valve member further in the valve-closing direction than the stopper, arranging the stopper at the restriction position, and then setting the pump discharge amount to a value corresponding to the target circulation coolant amount, and the open degree adjustment period being a period in which the pump discharge amount is set to a value corresponding to the target circulation coolant amount by cancelling engagement of the stopper with the valve member and permitting the rotation of the valve member in the valve-closing direction.

5. The cooling apparatus according to claim 4 , the controller is configured to decrease, when the target circulation coolant amount is larger than the reference circulation coolant amount, a proportion of the open degree adjustment period during a period in which the maintaining period and the open degree adjustment period are alternately repeated as a difference between the target circulation coolant amount and the reference circulatio

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Aisin Seiki

Inventors

• Takagi Noboru
• Kato Hirokazu
• Kaneko Rihito
• Hisaminato Naoto
• Ando Hirokazu
• Yamaguchi Masaaki
• Watanabe Hirotaka
• Yoshida Masahiro
• Nunami Koji
• Yumisashi Naoto
• Yoshida Masafumi
• Aoyagi Takahiko

Classifications

• F01P2025/32

  Engine outcoming fluid temperature · CPC title

• F01P5/10 Primary

  Pumping liquid coolant; Arrangements of coolant pumps · CPC title

• F01P2005/125

  Driving auxiliary pumps electrically · CPC title

• F01P7/14 Primary

  the coolant being liquid · CPC title

• F01P3/18

  Arrangements or mounting of liquid-to-air heat-exchangers (such arrangements on cylinders or cylinder heads F01P3/04; relative to vehicles B60K11/04) · CPC title