Thermostat valve for a coolant circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11846473-B2
Application number	US-202117450958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2021
Priority date	Oct 16, 2020
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a valve. In one example, a system may include a cooling arrangement including the valve, wherein the valve is configured to variably adjust coolant flow rates in response to one or more of a coolant temperature and a charge air pressure. The valve includes a transmission pin which may be acted upon via an expansion element and/or a pressure actuator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermostat valve for controlling the flow of a fluid medium in a coolant circuit of a pressure-chargeable internal combustion engine, the thermostat valve comprising:
an expansion element operatively connected to a transmission pin of the valve, wherein the expansion element moves the transmission pin via phase-changing in response to a temperature of the fluid medium;
an actuator operatively connected to the transmission pin, wherein the actuator is controlled in response to a pressure outside of the valve; and
at least one first connection, at least one second connection, and at least one third connection, wherein an opening of the second connection is controlled via a first valve disk connected to the transmission pin and moved to or away from a first valve seat, and wherein an opening of the third connection is controlled via a second valve disk connected to the transmission pin, the second valve disk moved to and away from a second valve seat; wherein
a third valve seat, configured to contact the second valve disk, is arranged upstream of the second valve seat relative to a direction of coolant flow, and wherein the opening of the third connection is adjusted based on the second valve disk moving between the third valve seat and the second valve seat, and wherein the third connection is sealed via pressing the second valve disk against the second valve seat or the third valve seat.

2. The thermostat valve of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is coupled to a variable-pressure location via a connecting line.

3. The thermostat valve of claim 1 , wherein the second valve disk is in face-sharing contact with the third valve seat when the transmission pin is in a starting position.

4. The thermostat valve of claim 3 , wherein the second valve disk is in face-sharing contact with the second valve seat when the transmission pin is in an end position.

5. The thermostat valve of claim 4 , wherein the at least third connection is blocked in each of the starting position and end position of the transmission pin.

6. The thermostat valve of claim 1 , wherein the transmission pin is actuated to a first working state, a second working state, a third working state, a fourth working state, or a fifth working state, wherein the first working state comprises where the second connection and the third connection are closed, wherein the second working state comprises where the second connection is closed and the third connection is at least partially open to a first amount, wherein the third working state comprises where the second connection is at least partially open to a first opening and the third connection is at least partially open to a second amount greater than the first amount, wherein the fourth working state comprises where the second connection is at least partially open to a second opening greater than the first opening and the third connection is closed, and wherein the fifth working state comprises where the second connection is fully open and the third connection is closed.

7. The thermostat valve of claim 6 , wherein the third connection is closed in the first working state via the second valve disk being in face-sharing contact with the third valve seat, and wherein the third connection is closed in the fourth working state and the fifth working state via the second valve disk being in face-sharing contact with the second valve seat.

8. The thermostat valve of claim 1 , further comprising a connecting line extending from the actuator to a portion of an intake system between a compressor and the internal combustion engine.

9. The thermostat valve of claim 1 , further comprising a first coolant line extending from the internal combustion engine to the at least first connection, further comprising a second coolant line extending from the at least second connection to a heat exchanger, and further comprising a third coolant line extending from the at least third connection to a bypass, wherein the bypass is configured to return coolant to the internal combustion engine without flowing the coolant to the heat exchanger.

10. The thermostat valve of claim 1 , wherein the second valve seat is an outer valve seat and the third valve seat is an inner valve seat relative to a middle of the valve, and wherein the thermostat valve is free of electric couplings.

11. A system, comprising:
an engine;
a compressor arranged in an intake passage coupled to the engine;
a cooling system coupled to a cooling jacket of the engine; and
a valve comprising a first connection fluidly coupled to an outlet of the cooling jacket, the valve further comprising a second connection fluidly coupled to a heat exchanger, and wherein the valve further comprises a third connection fluidly coupled to a bypass configured to direct coolant away from the heat exchanger back to the cooling jacket, the valve further comprising a first valve disk and a second valve disk, wherein the first connection is sealed via pressing the first valve disk against the a first valve seat, and wherein the third connection is sealed via pressing the second valve disk against a second valve seat or a third valve seat; wherein
an expansion element and a pressure actuator are configured to move a transmission pin of the valve to one or more of a first working state, a second working state, a third working state, a fourth working state, a fifth working state, a sixth working state, a seventh working state, and an eighth working state, wherein the pressure actuator is fluidly coupled to a portion of the intake passage between the compressor and the engine via a connecting line, and wherein the transmission pin moves away from the second connection, toward the third connection, as it progresses sequentially through the first through eighth working states.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first working state comprises where a coolant temperature is less than a first threshold and a charge pressure is less than a threshold pressure, wherein the second and third connections are sealed.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second working state comprises where a coolant temperature is greater than the first threshold temperature and less than a second threshold temperature and the charge pressure is less than the threshold pressure, wherein the second connection is sealed and the third connection is at least partially opened to provide a first coolant bypass flow rate to the bypass.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the third working state comprises where the coolant temperature is between the second threshold temperature and a third threshold temperature and the charge pressure is less than the threshold pressure, wherein the second connection is partially opened to provide a first coolant heat exchanger flow rate and the third connection is at least partially opened to provide a second coolant bypass flow rate greater than the first coolant bypass flow rate.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the fourth working state comprises where the coolant temperature greater than the third threshold temperature and the charge pressure is less than a threshold pressure, wherein the second connection is fully opened and the third connection is sealed.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the fifth working state comprises where the coolant temperature is less than a first threshold temperature and where a charge pressure is greater than a threshold pressure, wherein the second connection is sealed and the third connection is partially opened.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the sixth working state comprises where the coo

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Quix Hans Guenter
• Farina Antonio
• Mehring Jan
• Quiring Stefan

Classifications

• F28F27/02 Primary

  for controlling the distribution of heat-exchange media between different channels ({static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026}; arrangements of guide plates or guide vanes F28F9/22, F28F25/12) · CPC title

• F01P7/16

  by thermostatic control · CPC title

• F16K31/002

  actuated by temperature variation (thermo-electric F16K31/025) · CPC title

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• F01P2025/08

  Temperature · CPC title