Control apparatus and method for cooling fan of vehicle
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
InventorsYeong Jun Kim, Taewan Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for a vehicle includes a cooling fan installed in an engine compartment of the vehicle. A fan motor is connected with the cooling fan to drive the cooling fan. A state detector is configured to detect state data, and a controller is configured to control the cooling fan based on the state data when an intake temperature is within a predetermined range, to determine whether the state data satisfies a decision reference condition, and to lock the fan motor according to a change rate of air conditioner refrigerant pressure during a measurement time when the state data satisfies the decision reference condition.
Claims12
An apparatus for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a cooling fan installed in an engine compartment of the vehicle;
- a fan motor connected with the cooling fan to drive the cooling fan;
- a state detector configured to detect state data;
- and
- a controller configured to control the cooling fan based on the state data when an intake temperature is within a predetermined range, to determine whether the state data satisfies a decision reference condition, and to lock the fan motor according to a plurality of change rates of air conditioner refrigerant pressure during measurement times when the state data satisfies the decision reference condition;
- wherein the plurality of change rates includes a first change rate and a second change rate and the measurement times include a first measurement time and a second measurement time;
- wherein the controller is configured to confirm the first change rate of the air conditioner refrigerant pressure for the first measurement time when the state data satisfies the decision reference condition, to confirm the second change rate of the air conditioner refrigerant pressure by operating the cooling fan for the second measurement time, and to lock the fan motor according to the first change rate and the second change rate;
- and
- wherein the controller is configured to calculate a comparison value based on the first change rate and the second change rate, to determine whether or not the comparison value is less than or equal to the decision reference condition, and to lock operation of the fan motor when the comparison value is not maintained for a duration in a state in which the comparison value is less than or equal to the decision reference condition.
A method for controlling a cooling fan of a vehicle, the method comprising:
- confirming an intake air temperature when an air conditioner switch is on;
- determining whether or not the intake air temperature is within a predetermined range;
- operating the cooling fan on based on state data when the intake air temperature is within the predetermined range;
- determining whether or not the state data satisfies a decision reference condition;
- and
- locking a fan motor of the cooling fan during measurement times according to a plurality of change rates of an air conditioner refrigerant pressure when the state data satisfies the decision reference condition, wherein the plurality of change rates includes a first change rate and a second change rate and the measurement times include a first measurement time and a second measurement time and wherein locking the fan motor comprises:
- confirming the first change rate of the air conditioner refrigerant pressure for the first measurement time;
- operating the cooling fan for the second measurement time;
- confirming the second change rate of the air conditioner refrigerant pressure for the second measuring time;
- and
- locking the fan motor according to the first change rate and the second change rate;
- and
- wherein locking the fan motor comprises:
- calculating a comparison value based on the first change rate and the second change rate;
- deciding whether or not the comparison value is less than or equal to the decision reference condition;
- deciding whether or not the comparison value is maintained for a duration in a state in which the comparison value is less than or equal to the decision reference condition;
- and
- locking the fan motor when the comparison value is not maintained for the duration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.