Control Unit Heat Management
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsBruce Bryant, Suresh Sureshbabu, Michiel J. van Nieuwstadt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of cooling an engine control unit (ECU) coupled to an engine in a vehicle having a cabin climate control system, comprising of operating the vehicle cabin climate control system according to a customer-based climate control setting during a first operating condition, and overriding said customer-based setting during a second operating condition including an ECU over-temperature condition.
Claims17
A method of cooling an engine control unit (ECU) coupled to an engine in a vehicle having a cabin climate control system, comprising:
- operating the vehicle cabin climate control system according to a customer-based climate control setting during a first operating condition;
- and
- overriding said customer-based setting during a second operating condition including an ECU over-temperature condition.
A system for a vehicle, comprising:
- a vehicle cabin configured to hold passengers traveling in the vehicle;
- an air passage leading airflow from an exterior of said vehicle cabin to an interior of said vehicle cabin;
- a vent fluidly coupled to said air passage;
- a fan fluidly coupled to said air passage;
- a control unit located in proximity to said airflow so that said airflow affects heat transfer from said control unit;
- a driver interface having at least one setting that affects operation of at least one of the fan and the vent;
- and
- a control system that operates said at least one of the fan and the vent in response to said setting during a first operating condition including an ECU temperature in a first range, and overrides said setting and adjusts operation of said at least one of the fan and the vent during a second operating condition including said ECU temperature in a second range.
A method of cooling an engine control unit (ECU) coupled to an engine in a vehicle having a cabin climate control system, comprising:
- operating the vehicle cabin climate control system according to a customer-based climate control setting during a first operating condition including an ECU temperature below an override threshold;
- overriding said customer-based setting during at least a portion of operation at an engine speed above a speed threshold;
- overriding said customer-based setting during at least a portion of operation at an engine load above a load threshold;
- overriding said customer-based setting during at least a portion of operation at an ambient temperature above an ambient temperature threshold;
- and
- overriding said customer-based setting during at least a portion of operation at a measured or estimated temperature in or near the ECU above an ECU temperature threshold and when the climate control system is selected “off” and a recirculation mode is selected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.