US20080164989A1 - Cooling system monitoring system - Google Patents
Cooling system monitoring system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080164989A1 US20080164989A1 US11/651,787 US65178707A US2008164989A1 US 20080164989 A1 US20080164989 A1 US 20080164989A1 US 65178707 A US65178707 A US 65178707A US 2008164989 A1 US2008164989 A1 US 2008164989A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- engine
- cooling system
- fan speed
- signal
- control unit
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01P—COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01P11/00—Component parts, details, or accessories not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01P1/00 - F01P9/00
- F01P11/14—Indicating devices; Other safety devices
- F01P11/18—Indicating devices; Other safety devices concerning coolant pressure, coolant flow, or liquid-coolant level
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01P—COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01P11/00—Component parts, details, or accessories not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01P1/00 - F01P9/00
- F01P11/14—Indicating devices; Other safety devices
- F01P11/16—Indicating devices; Other safety devices concerning coolant temperature
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a system for monitoring the cooling system of an internal combustion engine.
- an object of this invention is to provide a system for monitoring the cooling system of an internal combustion engine.
- a further object of the invention is to provide such a monitoring system which does not require a significant increase in operator skill.
- a cooling system monitoring system for an engine system having an internal combustion engine, a fan driven by a variable speed electric motor or by variable speed mechanical drive driven by the engine, and a radiator for cooling coolant circulating through the engine.
- the monitoring system includes a coolant temperature sensor, a fan speed sensor, (an engine speed sensor—in the case of variable speed mechanical drive), a control unit and a display device.
- the control unit generates a cooling system status signal as a function of the sensed signals.
- the display device includes visible indications representing the engine cooling system, and an indicator controlled in response to the status signal to selectively indicate the condition of the cooling system.
- the control unit generates the status signal as a function of a difference between the fan speed signal and a stored or calculated maximum fan speed.
- FIGURE is a simplified schematic diagram of a cooling system monitoring system embodying the invention.
- an engine system 10 includes an internal combustion engine 14 , a fan 16 driven by a variable speed fan drive 18 , and a radiator 20 connected by coolant lines 22 and 24 to the engine 14 so that the radiator 20 cools coolant which circulates through the engine 14 .
- the fan drive 18 may be a mechanical drive mechanically driven by the engine 14 , or it may be an electric motor powered by the vehicle electrical power system (not shown).
- a monitoring system 12 is provided for engine system 10 .
- the monitoring system 12 includes a coolant temperature sensor 30 , a fan speed sensor 34 , a temperature display 36 and an electronic control unit 40 .
- Coolant temperature sensor 30 senses coolant temperature and generates a coolant temperature signal.
- Fan speed sensor 34 senses the speed of fan 16 and generates a fan speed signal.
- the monitoring system 12 includes a coolant temperature sensor 30 , an engine speed sensor 32 , a fan speed sensor 34 , a temperature display 36 and an electronic control unit 40 .
- Coolant temperature sensor 30 senses coolant temperature and generates a coolant temperature signal.
- Engine speed sensor 32 senses the speed of the engine 14 and generates an engine speed signal.
- Fan speed sensor 34 senses the speed of fan 16 and generates a fan speed signal.
- Temperature display 36 includes visual areas or symbols having indications representing engine operating temperature, including a cold indication 42 , a hot indication 44 and a proper temperature range indication 46 .
- Display 36 also includes a pointer or indicator or needle 48 which is controlled in response to an input or cooling system status signal from the electronic control unit 40 to selectively indicate the one of display indications 42 , 44 or 46 .
- the present invention could also be applied to a display (not shown) which includes only the normal coolant temperature operating range 46 and which eliminates the cold and hot regions 42 and 44 . In this case, the cold and hot indications could be shown in a separate display (not shown).
- the control unit 40 For the case of an electric motor fan drive 18 , the control unit 40 generates the input signal as a function of the coolant temperature signal and the fan speed signal. The control unit 40 compares the sensed fan speed to a stored maximum fan speed, and moves the needle 48 toward hot range 44 as the sensed fan speed approaches the maximum. For an electric motor driven fan, the maximum speed will be some constant number.
- the control unit 40 For the case of a mechanical variable speed fan drive 18 , the control unit 40 generates the input signal as a function of the coolant temperature signal, the engine speed signal and the fan speed signal. In this case, the control unit 40 calculates a maximum fan speed value as some ratio times the engine speed. The control unit then compares the sensed fan speed to this maximum fan speed value and moves the needle toward hot region 44 as it approaches the maximum.
- the indication is no longer merely one of temperature, but one of cooling system adequacy.
- the portion of region 46 just above the cold indication 42 indicates that the temperature is correct, and there is plenty of additional cooling capacity available through increased fan speed.
- the portion of region 46 just below the hot indication 44 indicates that the temperature is correct, but that the cooling system is very nearly at its maximum cooling capability (maximum fan speed) for the present conditions.
- the position of indicator 48 is preferably proportional to a difference between a stored or calculated maximum or threshold value and the sensed fan speed. As the sensed fan speed approaches the maximum value, this is an indication that the cooling system is approaching the limit of its capability or cooling capacity.
- the display includes indicia corresponding to when the engine coolant temperature is above or below a proper operating temperature.
- This can be as is done conventionally with a gauge or display with a blue region for cold coolant and a red region for excessively hot coolant, for example.
- information about the degree of utilization of the cooling system is conveyed by the position of an indicator in a region of the gauge during which the coolant is at a desired operating temperature.
- the new system displays information relating to cooling system adequacy. No special skill or knowledge is required of the operator.
- the system could also include an ambient air temperature sensor 50 .
- the control unit 40 would be programmed to vary the maximum anticipated speed value for different sensed ambient temperatures.
- the system may also include an ambient air temperature sensor 50 and a fuel flow sensor 52 .
- the control unit 40 can be programmed with the anticipated fan speed required to cool the engine under the present fuel consumption and air temperature conditions. If the required cooling capacity is not attained with the anticipated fan speed, the operator may be notified of an incipient problem, such as plugged heat exchanger or air inlet screens. For example, if the engine is running at its rated speed with high fuel consumption, the anticipated fan speed will be slow if the air into the cooling system is cold, but much faster on a hot day. But if the fan must run at a high speed on a cool day in order to maintain proper coolant temperature, this would be an indication that air flow is being constricted or some other problem is beginning. The operator can be notified of a concern even though operating temperature limits are not yet approached.
- the display 36 could be a mechanical, electronic or digital display, embodied in hardware or emulated in a computer controlled graphics screen. It could be a needle/dial type display as shown in the FIGURE, or any other suitable type of display, such as a text or bar graph display.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Combined Controls Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a system for monitoring the cooling system of an internal combustion engine.
- It is well known to use a coolant temperature indicator or temperature gauge with an internal combustion engine so that the operator can conveniently assess the engine operating temperature and estimate the likelihood that the engine may leave the range of acceptable conditions. However, with newer methods of controlling the coolant temperature, such as electronic thermostats and actively controlled fan speed, the coolant is maintained at such a precise temperature that the temperature gauge no longer provides information about the adequacy of the cooling system under current engine operating conditions. The operator cannot determine from the coolant temperature whether the cooling system is running at 10% or 98% of capability. Although displaying other parameters such as fan speed or thermostat position might allow an engine operator to make a more knowledgeable assessment, it would also increase the skill requirement of the operator. This is especially true for engines that are routinely operated over a range of speeds.
- Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a system for monitoring the cooling system of an internal combustion engine.
- A further object of the invention is to provide such a monitoring system which does not require a significant increase in operator skill.
- These and other objects are achieved by the present invention, wherein a cooling system monitoring system is provided for an engine system having an internal combustion engine, a fan driven by a variable speed electric motor or by variable speed mechanical drive driven by the engine, and a radiator for cooling coolant circulating through the engine. The monitoring system includes a coolant temperature sensor, a fan speed sensor, (an engine speed sensor—in the case of variable speed mechanical drive), a control unit and a display device. The control unit generates a cooling system status signal as a function of the sensed signals. The display device includes visible indications representing the engine cooling system, and an indicator controlled in response to the status signal to selectively indicate the condition of the cooling system. The control unit generates the status signal as a function of a difference between the fan speed signal and a stored or calculated maximum fan speed.
- The sole FIGURE is a simplified schematic diagram of a cooling system monitoring system embodying the invention.
- Referring to the sole FIGURE, an
engine system 10 includes aninternal combustion engine 14, afan 16 driven by a variablespeed fan drive 18, and aradiator 20 connected bycoolant lines engine 14 so that theradiator 20 cools coolant which circulates through theengine 14. Thefan drive 18 may be a mechanical drive mechanically driven by theengine 14, or it may be an electric motor powered by the vehicle electrical power system (not shown). - According to the present invention, a
monitoring system 12 is provided forengine system 10. For the case of an electricmotor fan drive 18, themonitoring system 12 includes acoolant temperature sensor 30, afan speed sensor 34, a temperature display 36 and anelectronic control unit 40.Coolant temperature sensor 30 senses coolant temperature and generates a coolant temperature signal.Fan speed sensor 34 senses the speed offan 16 and generates a fan speed signal. - For the case of a mechanical variable
speed fan drive 18, themonitoring system 12 includes acoolant temperature sensor 30, anengine speed sensor 32, afan speed sensor 34, a temperature display 36 and anelectronic control unit 40.Coolant temperature sensor 30 senses coolant temperature and generates a coolant temperature signal.Engine speed sensor 32 senses the speed of theengine 14 and generates an engine speed signal.Fan speed sensor 34 senses the speed offan 16 and generates a fan speed signal. - Temperature display 36 includes visual areas or symbols having indications representing engine operating temperature, including a
cold indication 42, ahot indication 44 and a propertemperature range indication 46. Display 36 also includes a pointer or indicator orneedle 48 which is controlled in response to an input or cooling system status signal from theelectronic control unit 40 to selectively indicate the one ofdisplay indications temperature operating range 46 and which eliminates the cold andhot regions - For the case of an electric
motor fan drive 18, thecontrol unit 40 generates the input signal as a function of the coolant temperature signal and the fan speed signal. Thecontrol unit 40 compares the sensed fan speed to a stored maximum fan speed, and moves theneedle 48 towardhot range 44 as the sensed fan speed approaches the maximum. For an electric motor driven fan, the maximum speed will be some constant number. - For the case of a mechanical variable
speed fan drive 18, thecontrol unit 40 generates the input signal as a function of the coolant temperature signal, the engine speed signal and the fan speed signal. In this case, thecontrol unit 40 calculates a maximum fan speed value as some ratio times the engine speed. The control unit then compares the sensed fan speed to this maximum fan speed value and moves the needle towardhot region 44 as it approaches the maximum. - As a result, when the coolant temperature is within the
proper operating range 46, the indication is no longer merely one of temperature, but one of cooling system adequacy. The portion ofregion 46 just above thecold indication 42 indicates that the temperature is correct, and there is plenty of additional cooling capacity available through increased fan speed. The portion ofregion 46 just below thehot indication 44 indicates that the temperature is correct, but that the cooling system is very nearly at its maximum cooling capability (maximum fan speed) for the present conditions. - Thus, within
range 46, the position ofindicator 48 is preferably proportional to a difference between a stored or calculated maximum or threshold value and the sensed fan speed. As the sensed fan speed approaches the maximum value, this is an indication that the cooling system is approaching the limit of its capability or cooling capacity. - Preferably, the display includes indicia corresponding to when the engine coolant temperature is above or below a proper operating temperature. This can be as is done conventionally with a gauge or display with a blue region for cold coolant and a red region for excessively hot coolant, for example. However, with the present invention, information about the degree of utilization of the cooling system is conveyed by the position of an indicator in a region of the gauge during which the coolant is at a desired operating temperature. The new system displays information relating to cooling system adequacy. No special skill or knowledge is required of the operator.
- In an alternative embodiment, the system could also include an ambient
air temperature sensor 50. In this embodiment, thecontrol unit 40 would be programmed to vary the maximum anticipated speed value for different sensed ambient temperatures. - In a further alternative embodiment, the system may also include an ambient
air temperature sensor 50 and afuel flow sensor 52. In this embodiment, thecontrol unit 40 can be programmed with the anticipated fan speed required to cool the engine under the present fuel consumption and air temperature conditions. If the required cooling capacity is not attained with the anticipated fan speed, the operator may be notified of an incipient problem, such as plugged heat exchanger or air inlet screens. For example, if the engine is running at its rated speed with high fuel consumption, the anticipated fan speed will be slow if the air into the cooling system is cold, but much faster on a hot day. But if the fan must run at a high speed on a cool day in order to maintain proper coolant temperature, this would be an indication that air flow is being constricted or some other problem is beginning. The operator can be notified of a concern even though operating temperature limits are not yet approached. - The display 36 could be a mechanical, electronic or digital display, embodied in hardware or emulated in a computer controlled graphics screen. It could be a needle/dial type display as shown in the FIGURE, or any other suitable type of display, such as a text or bar graph display.
- While the present invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is understood that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims (15)
Priority Applications (1)
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US11/651,787 US7397354B1 (en) | 2007-01-09 | 2007-01-09 | Cooling system monitoring system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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US11/651,787 US7397354B1 (en) | 2007-01-09 | 2007-01-09 | Cooling system monitoring system |
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US7397354B1 US7397354B1 (en) | 2008-07-08 |
US20080164989A1 true US20080164989A1 (en) | 2008-07-10 |
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Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20090164048A1 (en) * | 2007-12-20 | 2009-06-25 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Fan operation control method and apparatus |
WO2012142195A2 (en) * | 2011-04-14 | 2012-10-18 | Caterpillar Inc. | Control system having variable-speed engine-driven fan |
CN107084039A (en) * | 2016-02-15 | 2017-08-22 | 马自达汽车株式会社 | The temperature indicating device of vehicle |
Families Citing this family (5)
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EP2530273B1 (en) | 2011-06-01 | 2020-04-08 | Joseph Vögele AG | Construction machine with automatic ventilator rotation speed regulator |
EP2578888B1 (en) * | 2011-10-07 | 2018-12-05 | Joseph Vögele AG | Construction machine with automatic ventilator rotation speed regulator |
CN105298619A (en) * | 2015-11-24 | 2016-02-03 | 怀宁县群力汽车配件有限公司 | Heat dissipater with alarming function for automobile water tank |
US10119455B2 (en) | 2016-09-13 | 2018-11-06 | Caterpillar Inc. | Method and system for detecting thermostat failure in an engine cooling system |
CN109219321A (en) * | 2018-11-06 | 2019-01-15 | 苏州凌云视界智能设备有限责任公司 | A kind of power control cabinet temperature monitoring system |
Citations (7)
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US4526481A (en) * | 1980-09-03 | 1985-07-02 | Elmwood Sensors Limited | Engine temperature sensor |
US5612672A (en) * | 1994-09-22 | 1997-03-18 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Engine cooling fan diagnosis device |
US6321695B1 (en) * | 1999-11-30 | 2001-11-27 | Delphi Technologies, Inc. | Model-based diagnostic method for an engine cooling system |
US20020066422A1 (en) * | 2000-12-04 | 2002-06-06 | Detroit Diesel Corporation | Method of controlling a variable speed fan |
US6481388B1 (en) * | 1999-04-22 | 2002-11-19 | Komatsu Ltd. | Cooling fan drive control device |
US20060062678A1 (en) * | 2003-09-11 | 2006-03-23 | Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi | Fan rpm control method |
US20060254540A1 (en) * | 2005-05-13 | 2006-11-16 | Tuttle Michael D | Fluid actuated fan control method for a vehicle |
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2007
- 2007-01-09 US US11/651,787 patent/US7397354B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US4526481A (en) * | 1980-09-03 | 1985-07-02 | Elmwood Sensors Limited | Engine temperature sensor |
US5612672A (en) * | 1994-09-22 | 1997-03-18 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Engine cooling fan diagnosis device |
US6481388B1 (en) * | 1999-04-22 | 2002-11-19 | Komatsu Ltd. | Cooling fan drive control device |
US6321695B1 (en) * | 1999-11-30 | 2001-11-27 | Delphi Technologies, Inc. | Model-based diagnostic method for an engine cooling system |
US20020066422A1 (en) * | 2000-12-04 | 2002-06-06 | Detroit Diesel Corporation | Method of controlling a variable speed fan |
US20060062678A1 (en) * | 2003-09-11 | 2006-03-23 | Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi | Fan rpm control method |
US20060254540A1 (en) * | 2005-05-13 | 2006-11-16 | Tuttle Michael D | Fluid actuated fan control method for a vehicle |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20090164048A1 (en) * | 2007-12-20 | 2009-06-25 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Fan operation control method and apparatus |
US8041470B2 (en) * | 2007-12-20 | 2011-10-18 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Fan operation control method and apparatus |
WO2012142195A2 (en) * | 2011-04-14 | 2012-10-18 | Caterpillar Inc. | Control system having variable-speed engine-driven fan |
WO2012142195A3 (en) * | 2011-04-14 | 2012-12-27 | Caterpillar Inc. | Control system having variable-speed engine-driven fan |
US8869523B2 (en) | 2011-04-14 | 2014-10-28 | Caterpillar Inc. | Control system having variable-speed engine-drive fan |
CN107084039A (en) * | 2016-02-15 | 2017-08-22 | 马自达汽车株式会社 | The temperature indicating device of vehicle |
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US7397354B1 (en) | 2008-07-08 |
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