Mitigation of vehicle powertrain damage during water fording
AssigneesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsBenjamin M. Geller, Masayuki Baba
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Mitigation of powertrain damage in vehicles due to liquid intrusion during water fording such as, for example, wading or crossing is provided by the disclosed systems and methods. To achieve mitigation, the system begins by first initiating a battery cooling fan or engine piston that generates a positive pressure in the vehicle exhaust, in response to receipt of an activation signal. Air from the battery pack housing or engine is then exhausted in order to prevent water ingress. The system then maintains operation of the fan speed or piston until the vehicle exits the water fording event.
Claims20
A method for mitigating powertrain damage in a vehicle due to liquid intrusion during water fording, the method comprising:
- in response to an activation signal, initiating a battery cooling fan or engine piston to create pressure in an exhaust of the vehicle to prevent water ingress;
- and
- maintaining operation of the battery cooling fan or engine piston until the vehicle exits the water fording event.
A system for mitigating powertrain damage in a vehicle due to liquid intrusion during water fording, the system comprising:
- a battery pack housing configured to enclose a battery pack;
- a battery cooling fan fluidly coupled to the battery pack housing;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the battery cooling fan, the controller configured to:
- in response to an activation signal, initiate an operational speed of the battery cooling fan to generate a positive pressure within the battery pack housing of the vehicle;
- exhaust air from the battery pack housing to prevent water ingress into the battery pack;
- and
- maintain the battery cooling fan speed for a predetermined duration or until the vehicle exits the water fording event.
A vehicle, comprising:
- a battery pack housing configured to enclose a battery pack;
- a battery cooling fan fluidly coupled to the battery pack housing;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the battery cooling fan, the controller configured to:
- in response to an activation signal, initiate an operational speed of a battery cooling fan to generate a positive pressure within a battery pack housing of the vehicle;
- exhaust air from the battery pack housing to prevent water ingress into the battery pack;
- and
- maintain the battery cooling fan speed for a predetermined duration or until the vehicle exits the water fording event.
A system for mitigating powertrain damage in a vehicle due to liquid intrusion during water fording, the system comprising:
- an engine comprising a piston;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the engine, the controller configured to:
- in response to an activation signal, initiate the piston to pump air that creates pressure in an exhaust of the vehicle to prevent water ingress;
- and
- maintain the exhaust pressure until the vehicle exits the water fording event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.