Engine control coordination with grille shutter adjustment and ambient conditions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650942-B2
Application number	US-201213656542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2012
Priority date	Oct 19, 2012
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for reducing corrosion of a charge air cooler and preventing engine misfire due to condensate formation. In response to an engine controller determining a condensate forming location within a charge air cooler, a grille shutter system is adjusted, moving the condensate region to a different location in the charge air cooler. Grille shutter orientation may also be controlled in response to vehicle operating conditions and condensate-forming weather conditions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling vehicle grille shutters of a vehicle having an engine controlled by an engine controller based on sensor signals, the engine having a charge air cooler, the method comprising:
determining a dew point location of condensate formation within the charge air cooler via the engine controller, where the engine controller and a plurality of sensors track the dew point location within the charge air cooler, the determined condensate formation location being determined relative to a center position along a horizontal axis of the charge air cooler along an intake air flow direction; and
adjusting one or more actuators via the engine controller in response to the determined location,
wherein the adjusting one or more actuators includes adjusting the actuators to adjust an opening of one or more grille shutters located at a vehicle front end in response to engine cooling parameters, the determined condensate formation location, and non-driven vehicle conditions.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising increasing the opening of the one or more grille shutters in response to an increase in engine temperature above a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the dew point location of condensate formation within the charge air cooler via the engine controller, and further adjusting the one or more actuators via the engine controller wherein the one or more grille shutters are adjusted in response to the determined condensate formation location within the charge air cooler remaining within a positional range of the determined condensate formation location for a threshold duration and wherein the condensate formation location determined by the engine controller is a location along the horizontal axis, between an inlet and outlet of the charge air cooler.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining the dew point location of condensate formation within the charge air cooler via the engine controller, further adjusting one or more actuators operating on the grille shutters in response to the determined condensate formation location, and further comprising increasing the opening of the one or more grille shutters to move the condensate formation location determined via the engine controller toward the inlet of the charge air cooler responsive to the positional range being closer to the outlet of the charge air cooler than the inlet for the threshold duration, and closing the opening of the one or more grille shutters to move the condensate formation location toward the outlet responsive to the positional range being closer to the inlet than the outlet for the threshold duration.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the grille shutters are closed in response to weather conditions indicating humidity greater than a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the grille shutters are closed in response to weather conditions indicating temperature less than a defined threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the grille shutters are closed in response to weather conditions indicating precipitation above a defined threshold.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the dew point location of condensate formation within the charge air cooler via the engine controller, further adjusting one or more actuators operating on the grille shutters, and further comprising adjusting the opening of the one or more grille shutters in response to the condensate formation location within the charge air cooler, wherein the grille shutters are closed in response to deceleration conditions, and maintained closed during the deceleration unless condensate formation is above a threshold, and wherein the grille shutters are opened in response to acceleration conditions, the acceleration immediately following the deceleration.

9. A method of controlling grille shutter orientation for a vehicle, comprising:
determining a dew point location of condensate formation within a charge air cooler via an engine controller and sensors, where the engine controller and a plurality of sensors track the dew point location within the charge air cooler, the determined condensate formation location being determined relative to a center position along a horizontal axis of the charge air cooler along an intake air flow direction,
adjusting one or more actuators operating on one or more grille shutters in response to the determined dew point location, the adjusting including closing the grille shutters from an open position responsive to the engine controller determining the condensate formation location within the charge air cooler remaining within a positional range of the determined dew point location for a duration greater than a defined time limit and condensate-forming weather conditions being reached, even if the vehicle is decelerating or engine coolant temperatures have not fallen below their respective lower thresholds,
the adjusting further including increasing an opening of the one or more grille shutters to move the condensate formation location determined via the engine controller toward an inlet of the charge air cooler responsive to the positional range being closer to an outlet of the charge air cooler than the inlet for a threshold duration, and closing the opening of the one or more grille shutters to move the condensate formation location toward the outlet responsive to the positional range being closer to the inlet than the outlet for the threshold duration.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining the dew point location of condensate formation within the charge air cooler via the engine controller, adjusting the one or more actuators operating on the grille shutters, and wherein the condensate formation location determined via the engine controller is based on conditions of the charge air cooler including two or more of inlet pressure of the charge air cooler, inlet temperature of the charge air cooler, outlet pressure of the charge air cooler, and outlet temperature of the charge air cooler.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein condensate-forming weather conditions include precipitation, ambient air temperature, and humidity outside respective thresholds, and wherein the condensate formation location within the charge air cooler determined via the engine controller is a location along the horizontal axis of the charge air cooler, between the inlet and outlet of the charge air cooler.

12. A method of controlling grille shutter orientation for a vehicle, comprising:
determining a dew point location of condensate formation within a charge air cooler via an engine controller and sensors, the engine controller operatively communicating with actuators operating on one or more grille shutters of the vehicle;
determining whether the dew point location stagnates at a specific location within the charge air cooler, where the specific location is a location along a horizontal axis of the charge air cooler between an inlet and outlet of the charge air cooler; and
adjusting one or more actuators operating on the one or more grille shutters,
wherein the adjusting includes opening the grille shutters with the actuators responsive to the determined dew point location of condensate formation within the charge air cooler stagnating at the specific location within the charge air cooler for a duration greater than a defined time limit, and if an original base shutter position was closed, even if an engine or engine coolant temperatures are not above their respective upper thresholds, and
wherein the adjusting further includes opening the grille shutters with the actuators responsive to deceleration, even if the engine or eng

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Surnilla Gopichandra
• Styles Daniel Joseph
• Norman Kristofor Robert
• Glugla Chris Paul
• Smith Craig Alan
• Whitehead Joseph Patrick

Classifications

• F01P7/10 Primary

  by throttling amount of air flowing through liquid-to-air heat exchangers · CPC title

• F02B29/04

  Cooling of air intake supply · CPC title

• Y02T10/146

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F01P2025/42

  Intake manifold temperature · CPC title

• F24F7/00 Primary

  Ventilation · CPC title