Integrated pump, coolant flow control and heat exchange device

Abstract

A coolant flow control system includes an integrated pump for delivering an engine coolant to an engine, coolant flow control and heat exchange device. According to the system, coolant flow from the engine is delivered back to the engine after passing through the valve body part and then the heat exchange part in which it passes over the heat exchange part. Systems of the invention are particularly useful with all-electric and hybrid vehicles.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001](a) Technical Field[0002]The present invention generally relates to systems and devices for delivering a coolant to an engine of a vehicle, such as electric-powered vehicles and hybrid vehicles (e.g., vehicles powered by an electric motor(s) and / or an internal combustion engine). More particularly, the present invention relates to an integrated pump, coolant flow control and heat exchange device and systems embodying same and yet more particularly, to such an integrated pump, flow control and heat exchange device having the ability to simultaneously control flow paths and flow volume.[0003](b) Background Art[0004]Generally, a vehicle includes an engine, a transmission, a unit heater, a radiator, a pump for delivering a coolant to the engine, and an engine control module. A typical cooling system used in a vehicle includes three main flow circuits: an engine bypass circuit, a circuit including a unit heater, and a circuit including a radiator.[0005]Coolant flow may be...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]In its broadest aspects, the present invention features an integrated coolant delivery, flow control and heat exchange device which pumps or delivers coolant to an engine while controlling multiple flow modes and coolant paths to branch out (or converge) from (or to) a coolant flow valve which in turn controls all paths of coolant flow through a heat exchange mixing box. Such an integrated coolant delivery, flow control and heat exchange device should improve both fuel economy and management of heat exchange between components of a vehicle using such a device. More particularly, such improvement is expected when using the device of the present invention for a number of reasons including, for example, (a) optimizing flow control speed to actual needs rather than engine speed; (b) keeping the pump off on cold start; (c) allowing interior heating with engine coolant rather than electric auxiliary heat on shutdown (start-stop for hybrids); (d) allowing faster oil warm-up (both engine & transmission); (e) allowing faster cold engine warm-up (optimize coolant flow); (f) reducing water pump load (minimize high flow pressure drop); (g) improving temperature control (minimize coolant and engine oil temperature variation within engine and increase cold weather transmission oil operating temperatures (“Oil heating mode in cold weather conditions”); and / or (h) allowing for engine coolant operating temperature calibration for optimum efficiency at any operating condition through engine control module.

[0025]The valve body part includes a first inlet for receiving coolant coming from the engine, a second inlet for receiving a coolant coming from the radiator, and a third inlet for receiving a coolant coming from the unit heater. The valve body part further includes an outlet and the heat exchange part further includes an inlet. The outlet of the valve body part is connected (e.g., fluidly coupled) to the inlet of the heat exchange part so that all of the coolant inside the valve body part can be delivered to the heat exchange part to warm up and cool down the vehicle fluid inside the heat exchanger by heat exchange there between.

Problems solved by technology

The coolant control valve, however, does not provide a more rapid increase in the temperature of the transmission oil circuit because of positional limitation of a transmission oil cooler.

Accordingly, as the coolant flows through multiple coolant circuits, the transmission oil cooler is not fully utilizing the maximum cooling potential available for transmission oil cooling.

In case of the air to oil transmission oil cooler, if there is not a temperature bypass valve in the flow circuit, the oil in the cooler can get so cold and thick that the oil cooler may freeze and may not ever allow oil to pass through the cooler and, in some cases, may cause the transmission to be overheated and be damaged due to no oil flow through the transmission oil cooler.

An additional parasitic loss to the engine fuel economy performance is the engine driven mechanical water pump.

Some vehicles have recently introduced an electric water pump on an internal combustion engine but this design traditionally has been avoided due to vehicle electrical power limitations due to the high current draw required to support a stand alone water pump capable of flowing enough coolant to properly cool the vehicle.

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