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US 9,636,973 B2Granted
Exhaust throttling for cabin heating
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorRoss Dykstra Pursifull
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments for heating a vehicle cabin are disclosed. In one example, a method for heating a vehicle cabin comprises closing an exhaust throttle while diverting at least a portion of throttled exhaust gas through an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler coupled upstream of the throttle, and transferring heat from the EGR cooler to a heater core configured to provide heat to the vehicle cabin. In this way, exhaust heat may be directly routed to the cabin heating system.
Claims20
A method for heating a vehicle cabin comprising:
- closing an exhaust throttle while diverting at least a portion of throttled exhaust gas through an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler coupled upstream of the throttle, the throttle coupled downstream of an exhaust catalyst;
- transferring heat from the EGR cooler to a heater core to provide heat to the vehicle cabin;
- while a temperature of the exhaust catalyst is below a threshold temperature and while the exhaust throttle is closed, retarding spark ignition timing;
- and
- while diverting exhaust gas through the EGR cooler, generating vacuum by flowing gas through an ejector.
2 more elements
A vehicle system, comprising:
- an engine including an intake and an exhaust;
- an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) passage coupling the exhaust to the intake, the EGR passage including an EGR cooler and an EGR valve;
- an EGR bypass coupled across the EGR cooler;
- a cabin heating system including a heater core and a circulation pump configured to pump coolant from the EGR cooler to the heater core;
- an exhaust throttle positioned in the exhaust downstream of an inlet of the EGR passage and upstream of an outlet of the EGR bypass,
- an ejector coupled from the EGR passage downstream of the EGR cooler to the exhaust downstream of the exhaust throttle;
- and
- a controller including instructions to, while a temperature of an exhaust catalyst is below a threshold temperature and while the exhaust throttle is closed, retard spark ignition timing, an amount of spark retard adjusted based on the temperature of the exhaust catalyst,
- wherein the exhaust throttle is coupled downstream of the exhaust catalyst.
6 more elements
A method, comprising:
- adjusting a flow rate of coolant pumped from an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler to a cabin heating system heater core based on an inlet temperature of the heater core;
- during select conditions, throttling exhaust gas to increase exhaust pressure and to route the exhaust gas through the EGR cooler, heat from the exhaust gas transferred to the heater core via the EGR cooler, wherein the flow rate is further adjusted based on a determined change in temperature across the cooler after unthrottling the exhaust gas responsive to a temperature of the heater core reaching a threshold;
- and
- flowing throttled exhaust gas through an ejector.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.