System and method for heating a vehicle cabin

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9956848-B2
Application number	US-201113280384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2011
Priority date	Oct 25, 2011
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A method of heating a cabin of a motor vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine operatively connected to an exhaust system having a catalyst, and a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The method includes detecting a request to increase temperature inside the cabin, supplying fuel and air to the engine, and motoring the engine to pump the fuel and air into the exhaust system. The method also includes heating the catalyst to combust the fuel and air inside the catalyst such that a stream of post-combustion exhaust gas is generated. The method additionally includes channeling the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas to the HVAC system such that a temperature of a coolant circulated through the HVAC system is increased to heat the cabin. A system configured to perform the above method is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of heating a cabin of a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine operatively connected to an exhaust system having a catalyst, a controller, and a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the method comprising:
detecting a request to increase temperature inside the cabin;
supplying fuel and air to the engine;
motoring the engine to pump the fuel and air into the exhaust system;
heating, via the controller, the catalyst to combust the fuel and air inside the catalyst such that a stream of post-combustion exhaust gas is generated; and
channeling, via the controller, the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas to the HVAC system such that a temperature of a coolant circulated through the HVAC system is increased to heat the cabin.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the HVAC system includes a liquid-to-air heat exchanger and said channeling the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas is accomplished to the heat exchanger.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle additionally includes a motor-generator, the method further comprising powering the vehicle via the motor-generator.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said motoring the engine is accomplished via the motor-generator.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle additionally includes an electric heating element, and wherein said heating the catalyst is accomplished via the heating element.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coolant circulated through the HVAC system is engine coolant.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the engine includes an automatic start-stop capability, the method further comprising starting the engine to combust the fuel and air inside the engine for powering the vehicle after said heating the catalyst and combusting the fuel and air inside the catalyst.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein each of said detecting the request to increase temperature inside the cabin, supplying the fuel and air to the engine, motoring the engine, and starting the engine is accomplished via the controller.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the vehicle additionally includes an energy-storage device, the method further comprising:
determining a state of charge (SOC) of the energy-storage device via the controller; and
accomplishing each of said supplying the fuel and air to the engine, motoring the engine, heating the catalyst, and channeling the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas to the HVAC system when the SOC is below a predetermined value.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the vehicle additionally includes an electric heater configured to supply heat to the cabin, the method further comprising:
supplying heat to the cabin via the electric heater when the SOC of the energy-storage device is above the predetermined value; and
ceasing to supply heat to the cabin via the electric heater when the SOC of the energy-storage device is below the predetermined value.

11. A system for heating a cabin of a motor vehicle, the system comprising:
an internal combustion engine operatively connected to an exhaust system having a catalyst;
a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system; and
a controller configured to:
detect a request to increase temperature inside the cabin;
supply fuel and air to the engine;
motor the engine to pump the fuel and air into the exhaust system;
heat the catalyst to combust the fuel and air inside the catalyst such that a stream of post-combustion exhaust gas is generated; and
channel the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas to the HVAC system such that a temperature of a coolant circulated through the HVAC system is increased to heat the cabin.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the HVAC system includes a liquid-to-air heat exchanger and the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas is channeled to the heat exchanger.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a motor-generator regulated by the controller to motor the engine and configured to power the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 11 , further comprising an electric heating element regulated by the controller to heat the catalyst.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the coolant circulated through the HVAC system is engine coolant.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the engine includes an automatic start-stop capability and the controller is additionally configured to start the engine to combust the fuel and air inside the engine for powering the vehicle after the catalyst is heated and the fuel and air are combusted inside the catalyst.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein:
the vehicle additionally includes an energy-storage device; and
the controller is additionally configured to:
determine a state of charge (SOC) of the energy-storage device, regulate supply of the fuel and air to the engine, motor the engine, heat the catalyst, and channel the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas to the HVAC system when the SOC is below a predetermined value.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the vehicle additionally includes an electric heater configured to supply heat to the cabin when the SOC of the energy-storage device is above the predetermined value and cease supplying heat to the cabin when the SOC of the energy-storage device is below the predetermined value.

19. A method of heating a cabin of a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine operatively connected to an exhaust system having a catalyst, a motor-generator configured to power the vehicle, and a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the method comprising:
detecting via a controller a request to increase temperature inside the cabin;
supplying via the controller fuel and air to the engine;
motoring via the controller the engine via the motor-generator to pump the fuel and air into the exhaust system;
heating the catalyst via an electric heating element regulated by the controller to combust the fuel and air inside the catalyst such that a stream of post-combustion exhaust gas is generated; and
channeling via the controller the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas to the HVAC system such that a temperature of a coolant circulated through the HVAC system is increased to heat the cabin.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the vehicle additionally includes an energy-storage device and an electric heater configured to supply heat to the cabin, the method further comprising:
determining a state of charge (SOC) of the energy-storage device via the controller;
supplying heat to the cabin via the electric heater when the SOC of the energy-storage device is above a predetermined value; and
ceasing to supply heat to the cabin via the electric heater when the SOC of the energy-storage device is below the predetermined value;
wherein each of said supplying the fuel and air to the engine, motoring the engine, heating the catalyst, channeling the generated stream of post-combustion exhaust gas to the HVAC system is accomplished when the SOC is below the predetermined value.

Assignees

• Roos Bryan Nathaniel
• Gonze Eugene V
• Santoso Halim G
• Spohn Brian L
• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Roos Bryan Nathaniel
• Gonze Eugene V
• Santoso Halim G
• Spohn Brian L

Classifications

• B60L50/10

  using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines · CPC title

• B60L2240/36

  Temperature of vehicle components or parts · CPC title

• B60L1/02

  to electric heating circuits · CPC title

• B60L2240/34

  Cabin temperature · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title