Charge air cooling control for boosted engines to actively maintain targeted intake manifold air temperature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9394858-B2
Application number	US-201313794192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2013
Priority date	Mar 11, 2013
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a charge air cooler fan or charge air cooler coolant pump and an engine cooling fan and/or vehicle grille shutters based on a target manifold charge air temperature. In one example, the grille shutter position and/or engine cooling fan speed may be adjusted based on a difference between a target manifold charge air temperature and a temperature of the charge air cooler cooling medium. Further, the charge air cooler fan speed or charge air cooler coolant pump speed may be adjusted based on a difference between a charge air cooler inlet charge air temperature and the target manifold charge air temperature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An engine method, comprising:
determining a first difference between a target manifold charge air temperature and a temperature of a charge air cooler (CAC) cooling medium and a second difference between a CAC inlet charge air temperature and the target manifold charge air temperature;
adjusting one or more of a grille shutter position and a speed of an engine cooling fan based on the determined first difference between the target manifold charge air temperature and the temperature of the CAC cooling medium; and
adjusting a local CAC cooling element including one of a CAC fan and coolant pump based on the determined second difference between the CAC inlet charge air temperature and the target manifold charge air temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting both the grille shutter position and the speed of the engine cooling fan based on the first difference between the target manifold charge air temperature and the temperature of the CAC cooling medium, wherein the engine cooling fan is different than the CAC fan, and wherein the grille shutter position is a position of grille shutters positioned at a vehicle front end, forward of the engine cooling fan, a radiator, and a CAC to which the local CAC cooling element is coupled to.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the CAC to which the local CAC cooling element is coupled to is a water-to-air CAC, the CAC cooling medium is a coolant, and adjusting the local CAC cooling element includes adjusting a coolant pump speed of the CAC coolant pump.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the coolant pump speed is further based on a mass air flow rate of charge air flowing from a compressor and through the CAC, a difference between a target coolant temperature and a CAC inlet coolant temperature, and a difference between a measured manifold charge air temperature and the target manifold charge air temperature, and wherein the target coolant temperature is based on the target manifold charge air temperature with the target coolant temperature decreasing for decreasing target manifold charge air temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting one or more of the grille shutter position and the speed of the engine cooling fan and adjusting the local CAC cooling element includes adjusting one or more of the grille shutter position and the speed of the engine cooling fan at the same time as adjusting the local CAC cooling element and wherein the engine cooling fan is different than the CAC fan.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting one or more of the grille shutter position and the speed of the engine cooling fan is further based on an ambient temperature.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a CAC to which the local CAC cooling element is coupled to is an air-to-air CAC, the CAC cooling medium is under-hood air, and adjusting the local CAC cooling element includes adjusting the CAC fan, different than the engine cooling fan, wherein the engine cooling fan is coupled to a radiator.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein adjusting the CAC fan is further based on a mass air flow rate of charge air flowing in an intake passage from a compressor and through the CAC, a difference between the target manifold charge air temperature and a temperature of the ambient air, and a difference between a measured manifold charge air temperature and the target manifold charge air temperature.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the grille shutter position is a position of grille shutters positioned at a vehicle front end, forward of the engine cooling fan, a radiator, and a CAC to which the local CAC cooling element is coupled, wherein adjusting one or more of the grille shutter position and the speed of the engine cooling fan is further based on vehicle speed, engine temperatures, and outside weather conditions, and wherein the target manifold charge air temperature is a desired temperature based on knock and CAC condensate formation and the CAC inlet charge air temperature and temperature of the CAC cooling medium are measured temperatures.

10. An engine method, comprising:
setting a target manifold charge air temperature based on condensate formation and combustion stability;
determining a difference between a charge air cooler inlet air temperature and the set target manifold charge air temperature;
determining a difference between the set target manifold charge air temperature and a temperature of a charge air cooler cooling medium, where the temperature of the charge air cooler cooling medium is one of an under-hood air temperature and a charge air cooler inlet coolant temperature;
adjusting one of a coolant pump speed of a charge air cooler coolant pump or a charge air cooler fan speed of a charge air cooler fan based on a local cooling percentage, the local cooling percentage determined based on the determined difference between the charge air cooler inlet air temperature and the set target manifold charge air temperature and a cooling capacity of a charge air cooler; and
adjusting a grille shutter position by a first amount and an engine cooling fan speed of an engine cooling fan by a second amount, the first and second amounts based on an external cooling percentage and vehicle operating conditions, the external cooling percentage determined based on the determined difference between the set target manifold charge air temperature and the temperature of the charge air cooler cooling medium.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the local cooling percentage is further determined based on a mass air flow of charge air flowing from a compressor and through the charge air cooler and a determined difference between a measured manifold charge air temperature and the set target manifold charge air temperature and wherein the determined local cooling percentage increases with increasing mass air flow and increasing difference between the measured manifold charge air temperature and the set target manifold charge air temperature.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the external cooling percentage is further determined based on ambient temperature, the external cooling percentage decreasing with increasing ambient temperature.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the charge air cooler is a water-to-air charge air cooler and the cooling capacity is based on a difference between a target coolant temperature and the charge air cooler inlet coolant temperature.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining the coolant pump speed based on the determined local cooling percentage and wherein the coolant pump speed increases for increasing local cooling percentage.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the temperature of the charge air cooler cooling medium is the charge air cooler inlet coolant temperature and wherein the determined external cooling percentage increases as the difference between the set target manifold charge air temperature and the charge air cooler inlet coolant temperature decreases.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the charge air cooler is an air-to-air charge air cooler and the cooling capacity is based on a difference between the set target manifold charge air temperature and ambient temperature and wherein the charge air cooler fan is different than the engine cooling fan.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising determining the charge air cooler fan speed based on the determined local cooling percentage and wherein the charge air cooler fan speed increases for increasing local cooling percentage.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the tempera

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Richards Adam J
• Rollinger John Eric

Classifications

• F02B29/0468 Primary

  Water separation or drainage means · CPC title

• F02B29/0493

  Controlling the air charge temperature · CPC title

• F02M31/205 Primary

  Control · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• Y02T10/146

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic