Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-16
2003-04-29
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C123S041020, C165S201000, C165S202000, C165S236000, C165S271000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06556906
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for controlling/regulating heat flows produced by heat generators and heat consumers in a motor vehicle, at least on the basis of a present load condition of the motor vehicle engine and present vehicle operating and ambient conditions.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Such a method is known from a set of lecture notes of the Technical Academy at Esslingen, “Automatic Climatic System, Electronics and Ergonomics”, Course No. 21751/67.059 of Dec. 12 and 13, 1996, read at an event at Ostfildern (near Nellingen).
In general, the thermal management of a motor vehicle contains the control and activation of all heat flows occurring in the motor vehicle. In order to be able to set the optimal operating conditions as fast as possible, all heat generators and heat consumers have to be controlled or activated and their heat flows have to be conducted and controlled corresponding to need and priority. One aim here is a reduction in the use of motor fuel, for instance by higher cooling medium temperature in partial load operation, a minimization of exhaust emissions and an improvement of the luxury features, e.g. by the quickest possible reaction of interior heating. Because of the thermal inertia of the internal combustion engine and the engine cooling system, a prediction of imminent load conditions of the engine would be desirable.
In the method known from the above lecture notes, an automatic climate control system relies on a computational model generated from actual disturbance variables. With the use of this model, the quantities of heat brought into and out of a vehicle's interior space, and the quantities of heat brought to and from an evaporator and/or radiator are checked and controlled in consideration of the aforementioned computational model of the control unit, on the basis of sensorily recorded, actual measuring values by the generation or correction of disturbance variables for climate control.
At this time no solutions are known which would use load-relevant conditions lying ahead, as, for example, road condition, gradient, length of gradient or number of curves in the stretch of road lying ahead of the vehicle in its direction of travel, for an anticipatory thermal management, i.e. the checking and controlling of all the heat flows in the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of that, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method, and a device to carry out this method, for controlling/regulating heat flows produced in a motor vehicle by heat generators and heat consumers, in such a way that a foresighted thermal management, especially of the engine cooling system, can lead to a manner of operation that is optimized with regard to consumption and/or emission and or luxury features.
According to one important aspect, a method according to the present invention is provided in that, additionally, a prediction is made of the engine cooling system's load condition, on the basis of the model taking into account variables relevant to the travel conditions and the thermal inertia of the engine cooling system and of recorded load-relevant ambient conditions lying ahead in the travel direction, and control/regulation of the heat flows in the motor vehicle, and particularly of the engine cooling system, is performed, taking into account these operating states and ambient conditions.
A plurality of individual possibilities or even a combination of these are available for recording the engine-load relevant ambient conditions lying ahead.
For one thing, ambient conditions lying ahead can be recorded from the signals delivered by a GPS system.
For another thing, the ambient conditions lying ahead can be acquired from signals which are recorded by a stored cartographical ambient model.
Thirdly, ambient conditions lying ahead can also be transmitted to the vehicle by radio from a fixed or mobile earthbound station.
From navigational technology for earthbound vehicles a method is already known for updating stored cartographical data, e.g. the course a road takes, the gradient, etc, by data received by a mobile or fixed earthbound station or by a GPS system via satellite.
The engine-load relevant ambient conditions lying ahead, which are important in the method according to the present invention, include especially uphill slopes, downhill slopes, stretches of road having many curves, level stretches and probable vehicle stop situations.
A device suitable for carrying out this method of thermal management of at least the motor vehicle's engine cooling system includes, according to the present invention, a controlling/regulating device set up to carry out the method according to the present invention.
Of course, the method according to the present invention includes not only the thermal management of the engine cooling system, but also covers checking and control of all heat flows in the motor vehicle, including those heat flows going to or coming from the air conditioning unit, and including all heat flows stored in or released from thermal accumulators such as phase change material devices for the storage of heat or coldness.
Motor vehicle air conditioning equipment can thus be checked and controlled by a functional connection to the control/regulation device, installed for carrying out the method according to the present invention, in such a way that the respective operating points for optimal operating conditions can be set quickly.
Such air conditioning equipment can have an input/output device, for instance, on the motor vehicle's dashboard, for the input of driving intentions and display of operating conditions of the air conditioning equipment.
The aforementioned functional connection of the air conditioning equipment to the control/regulating device, installed for carrying out the method according to the present invention, can be made by using a vehicle body bus connection which is also connected to sensors and other vehicle control devices, in particular to a GPS receiver.
For instance, the well known CAN (controller area network) bus system is such a vehicle body bus.
Using the method and the device for carrying it out, according to the present invention, one can take advantage of data on travel conditions that are expected to take place, while taking under consideration the thermal inertia of the engine cooling system, for thermal management that is optimal at all times of heat generators and users in motor vehicles, not only the engine cooling system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5553661 (1996-09-01), Beyerlein et al.
patent: 5666911 (1997-09-01), Gohl et al.
patent: 0 811 757 (1997-12-01), None
patent: 0 974 742 (2000-01-01), None
patent: 2 323 682 (1998-09-01), None
Technical Academy at Esslingen “Automatic Climatic System and Ergonomics”-Course No. 21751/67.059 of December 12/13, 1996.
Hesse Ullrich
Lehr Walter
Kenyon & Kenyon
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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