Control System for Opportunistic Heating of Transmission Fluid

A thermal management system for a hybrid vehicle, the system comprising:

• an engine coolant to cabin air heat exchanger in a first heat exchange loop, the engine coolant to cabin air heat exchanger being operably coupled to an engine coolant circuit and cabin air in the vehicle, respectively;
• a transmission fluid to engine coolant heat exchanger in a second heat exchange loop, the transmission fluid to engine coolant heat exchanger being operably coupled to a transmission fluid circuit and the engine coolant circuit, respectively;
• a control valve operable to control a flow of engine coolant through at least the second heat exchange loop;
• and
• a control module configured to selectively operate the control valve to initiate or restrict the flow through the second heat exchange loop to provide heat to the transmission fluid circuit based on ambient temperature, transmission fluid temperature and engine coolant temperature,
• wherein the control module is further configured to enable control functions associated with transmission operation and hybrid functions based on the transmission fluid temperature.