# US 11,078,825 B2 · Method and apparatus for control of propulsion system warmup based on engine wall temperature > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,078,825 B2 - Document ID: US11078825B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/589,579 - Filed: 2019-10-01 - Published: 2021-04-01 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-01 - Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC - Applicants: GM Global Technology Operations LLC - Inventors: Yiran Hu; David E. Edwards; Min Sun; Michael J. Paratore, Jr.; Jun Chen; Eugene V. Gonze; Sergio Quelhas - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078825B2 ## CPC - F01P 7/167: {by adjusting the pre-set temperature according to engine parameters, e.g. engine load, engine speed} - F01P 7/16: by thermostatic control - F02N 19/10: by heating of engine coolants - F01P 2025/46: Engine parts temperature - F01P 2025/64: Number of revolutions - F02N 19/04: by heating of fluids used in engines - F01P: COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with cooling of propulsion units in vehicles B60K11/00; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials C09K5/00; {cooling of gas-turbine engines F02C7/12}; heat exchange in general, radiators F28) - F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A method includes: (a) determining an engine speed of an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine has an engine wall, and the engine wall has a wall temperature; (b) determining an engine load of the internal combustion engine; (c) determining a wall-reference temperature as a function of the engine load and the engine speed of the internal combustion engine; and (d) adjusting, using a cooling system, a volumetric flow rate of a coolant flowing through the internal combustion engine to maintain the wall temperature at the wall-reference temperature. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: determining an engine speed of an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine has an engine wall, and the engine wall has a wall temperature; determining an engine load of the internal combustion engine; determining a wall-reference temperature as a function of the engine load and the engine speed of the internal combustion engine; adjusting, using a cooling system, a volumetric flow rate of a coolant flowing through the internal combustion engine to maintain the wall temperature at the wall-reference temperature; determining that oil warming is needed; and in response to determining that oil warming is needed, applying an oil warming offset to the wall-reference temperature, wherein applying the oil warming offset to the wall-reference temperature includes subtracting an oil-warming-predetermined value from the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining that oil warming is needed includes: determining an oil temperature of an engine oil flowing through the internal combustion engine; comparing the oil temperature of the engine oil flowing through the internal combustion engine with a predetermined oil-temperature threshold; and determining that the oil temperature of the engine oil is less than the predetermined oil-temperature threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the coolant is boiling. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein, in response to determining that the coolant is boiling, applying a boiling mitigation offset to the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein applying the boiling mitigation offset to the wall-reference temperature includes subtracting a boiling-mitigation value from the wall-reference temperature after subtracting the subtracting the oil-warming-predetermined value from the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising outputting, by a controller, a final arbitrated wall-reference temperature after subtracting the boiling-mitigation value from the wall-reference temperature and subtracting the oil-warming-predetermined value from the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising performing an adaptation of the wall-reference temperature to prevent future boiling in response to determining that the coolant is boiling. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein performing the adaptation of the wall-reference temperature includes: determining engine operating conditions of the internal combustion engine when the coolant is boiling, wherein the engine operating conditions include a boiling-engine load and a boiling-engine speed of the internal combustion engine; and learning a wall-boiling offset table as a function of the boiling-engine load and the boiling-engine speed of the internal combustion engine, wherein the wall-boiling offset table includes a plurality of wall-boiling offset values that are each based on the boiling-engine load and the boiling-engine speed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising applying a respective wall-boiling offset value of the plurality of wall-boiling points values to the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein applying the respective wall-boiling offset value of the plurality of wall-boiling offset values includes subtracting the respective wall-boiling offset value from the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the cooling system includes a pump and a valve in fluid communication with the pump, wherein adjusting, using the cooling system, the volumetric flow rate of the coolant flowing through the internal combustion engine to maintain the wall temperature at the wall-reference temperature includes adjusting a power of the pump. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting, using the cooling system, the volumetric flow rate of the coolant flowing through the internal combustion engine to maintain the wall temperature at the wall-reference temperature includes adjusting a position of the valve. ### Claim 13 A vehicle system, comprising: an internal combustion engine including an engine wall, wherein the engine wall has a wall temperature; a cooling system in thermal communication with the internal combustion engine; a controller in electronic communication with the cooling system, wherein the controller is programmed to: determine an engine speed of an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine has an engine wall, and the engine wall has a wall temperature; determine an engine load of the internal combustion engine; determine a wall-reference temperature as a function of the engine load and the engine speed of the internal combustion engine; command the cooling system to adjust a volumetric flow rate of a coolant flowing through the internal combustion engine to maintain the wall temperature at the wall-reference temperature; determine that oil warming is needed; and in response to determining that oil warming is needed, apply an oil warming offset to the wall-reference temperature by subtracting an oil-warming-predetermined value from the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vehicle system of claim 13, wherein the controller is programmed to: determine that oil warming is needed by: determining an oil temperature of an engine oil flowing through the internal combustion engine; comparing the oil temperature of the oil engine flowing through the internal combustion engine with a predetermined oil-temperature threshold; and determining that the oil temperature of the engine oil is less than the predetermined oil-temperature threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the controller is programmed to: determine that the coolant is boiling; and in response to determining that the coolant is boiling, the controller is programmed to apply a boiling mitigation offset to the wall-reference temperature by subtracting a boiling-mitigation value from the wall-reference temperature after subtracting the subtracting the oil-warming-predetermined value from the wall-reference temperature. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The vehicle system of claim 15, wherein the controller is programmed to output a final arbitrated wall-reference temperature after subtracting the boiling-mitigation value from the wall-reference temperature and subtracting the oil-warming-predetermined value from the wall-reference temperature.