Back to results
US 11,454,159 B2Granted
Methods and system for a coolant circuit valve
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsHans Guenter Quix, David van Bebber, Jan Mehring, Antonio Farina, Herbert Ernst
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for a coolant circuit. In one example, the coolant circuit comprises high and low-temperature radiators, where only one pump is configured to conduct coolant through the entire coolant circuit.
Claims19
A system, comprising:
- a control valve for controlling a flow of a first fluid medium from a high-temperature coolant circuit to a low-temperature coolant circuit, wherein the control valve comprises a housing, a flow channel, an inlet for receiving the first fluid medium and an outlet for expelling the first fluid medium, a closure configured to open or close the flow channel, an access for at least one second fluid medium to flow and contact the closure, and a thermostat fluidly coupled to the flow channel, wherein the thermostat is arranged between the closure and the outlet, wherein the control valve comprises a first spring arranged between the closure and the thermostat and a second spring arranged between the thermostat and the outlet, wherein a pressure of the second spring is transferred to the first spring, wherein the closure is moved to counter the pressure of the second spring via a pressure of the at least one second fluid medium, and the thermostat is configured to control an opening characteristic curve of the closure such that the closure closes the flow channel in a first working state and at least partially opens said flow channel in a second working state.
An engine system, comprising:
- a first radiator arranged upstream of a second radiator relative to a direction of a coolant flow, wherein the first radiator receives coolant from an engine and wherein the second radiator delivers coolant to a charge-air cooler;
- and
- a control valve configured to adjust the coolant flow from the first radiator to the second radiator, wherein a position of the control valve is adjusted in response to one or more of an intake air pressure and a coolant pressure via a first spring pressing against a closure of the control valve, and wherein the position of the control valve is further adjusted in response to a coolant temperature sensed by a thermostat via a second spring pressing against the first spring via a counter holder of the control valve.
A system, comprising:
- a single cooling circuit comprising only one coolant pump to conduct coolant from a high-temperature portion of the single cooling circuit to a low-temperature portion of the single cooling circuit, wherein the high-temperature portion comprises at least an engine and a high-temperature radiator, and wherein the low-temperature portion comprises at least a charge-air cooler and a low-temperature radiator;
- and
- a control valve arranged in a passage fluidly coupling a high-temperature radiator outlet to a low-temperature radiator inlet, wherein the control valve is configured to receive coolant from the high-temperature radiator outlet and intake air from a portion of an intake passage downstream of a compressor, wherein the control valve comprises a closure blocking a control valve inlet from flowing coolant to a control valve outlet when in a closed position, wherein a first spring directly pushes the closure into the closed position, wherein a second spring presses against the first spring via a counter holder, wherein only the first spring compresses and actuates the closure away from the control valve inlet to fluidly couple the control valve inlet to the control valve outlet in response to one or more of a coolant pressure and an intake air pressure exceeding a threshold pressure, and wherein the second spring compresses and actuates the counter holder away from the first spring in response to a coolant temperature, sensed by a thermostat, exceeding a threshold temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.