Patent Application
20180313308
The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicles and, more specifically, to a cold air recovery system.
Cooler air delivered to an engine air induction system brings more oxygen into the combustion chamber, resulting in more power. When an engine operates in idle or under high load conditions, the engine generates heat that disperses throughout the engine compartment, resulting in decreased performance from additional systems, such as the air conditioning system.
Embodiments according to the present disclosure provide a number of advantages. For example, embodiments according to the present disclosure enable cold air delivery to an air induction plenum of a vehicle utilizing, in some embodiments, fan pressure to pull air from a cold air source.
In one aspect, a system to improve air flow to an engine and one or more other vehicle components includes an air intake member, an air induction plenum, an air inlet passage fluidicly connected to the air induction plenum and the air intake member, a first air outlet passage fluidicly connected to the air induction plenum and a second air outlet passage fluidicly connected to the air induction plenum, and a fan. The fan creates a fan pressure to pull air into the air induction plenum, the first air outlet passage directs air to the engine, and the second air outlet passage directs air to the one or more other vehicle components.
In some aspects, the intake member is a hood scoop.
In some aspects, the intake member is integrally formed with a hood of a vehicle.
In some aspects, the system further includes at least one sensor and a controller, the controller configured to receive sensor data from the at least one sensor indicating a temperature of a component to be cooled, determine whether the temperature of the component is above a predetermined threshold, and generate a control signal to initiate operation of the fan.
In some aspects, the air inlet passage is separated from the first and second air outlet passages by a length of the plenum.
In some aspects, air passes along the length of the plenum from the air inlet passage to one or more of the first and second air outlet passages.
In another aspect, an automotive vehicle includes a frame, an engine coupled to the frame, an air delivery system including an air intake member, a fan, an air induction plenum, an air inlet passage fluidicly connecting the air intake member to the air induction plenum, and at least one air outlet passage fluidicly connected to the air induction plenum, and a hood coupled to the frame, the hood defining a compartment for the engine and the air delivery system. The fan creates a fan pressure to pull air into the air induction plenum and the at least one air outlet passage directs air into the compartment.
In some aspects, the air intake member defines an ambient air inlet having a length transverse to a direction of travel of the vehicle.
In some aspects, the air intake member is integrally formed with the hood.
In some aspects, the air intake member is a hood scoop.
In some aspects, the automotive vehicle further includes at least one vehicle sensor and a controller. The controller is configured to receive sensor data from the at least one vehicle sensor indicating a temperature of the vehicle component, determine whether the temperature of the vehicle component is above a predetermined threshold, and generate a control signal to initiate operation of the fan.
In some aspects, the automotive vehicle further includes a first air outlet passage and a second air outlet passage. Each of the first and second air outlet passages is fluidicly connected to the air induction plenum, the first air outlet passage directs air towards the engine, and the second air outlet passage directs air towards one or more of a brake mount, an engine mount, one or more brake calipers, and a radiator.
In yet another aspect, a method to provide air to cool a vehicle component is disclosed. The method includes the steps of receiving, by a controller, sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor indicating a temperature of the vehicle component, determining, by the controller, whether the temperature of the vehicle component is above a predetermined threshold, and generating, by the controller, a control signal to initiate operation of a vehicle fan.
In some aspects, the method further includes the step of receiving, by the controller, sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor indicating an engine operating condition.
In some aspects, the method further includes the step of monitoring, by the controller, temperature data received from one or more temperature sensors.
The present disclosure will be described in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings. Any dimensions disclosed in the drawings or elsewhere herein are for the purpose of illustration only.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.
Certain terminology may be used in the following description for the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “above” and “below” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “rear,” and “side” describe the orientation and/or location of portions of the components or elements within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which is made clear by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the components or elements under discussion. Moreover, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” and so on may be used to describe separate components. Such terminology may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
High pressure within the engine compartment due to fan-induced pressures can cause hot air “reverse blowback” through a hood duct or any opening resulting in hot air recirculation into the air induction system. By providing an air flow path to the engine as discussed herein, cold air can be delivered to the air induction system as well as to an area where cool or cold air is desired, such as, for example and without limitation, forward of a condenser fan radiator module (CRFM), one or more engine mounts, one or more body mounts, or one or more brake calipers, while the engine is operating in a low speed or idle condition.
At low speed or idle conditions, the engine requires very little air to operate. However, during operation at these conditions, especially in hot weather locations, the engine generates a high amount of heat. The heat generated by the engine disperses throughout the engine compartment. Improved cooling benefits result when cool air is dumped in front of heat exchangers and air induction inlets, including improved performance of the air conditioning system, among other benefits.
Additionally, high pressure and hot engine compartment air and high mass air flow (MAF) demand under heavy trailer low speed accelerations can cause air induction plenum seals to be breached. The seal breach can cause hot air from under the hood to be sucked into the plenum and the air induction system. Embodiments discussed herein provide a cool or cold air recovery path to the air induction system that improve engine launch performance due to colder air intake temperatures using fan pressure during low speed engine operation to pull cool or colder air into an intake plenum.
With reference to
As illustrated in
The fan 36 creates a fan pressure that starves, or pulls, air from the plenum 12 during engine idle or low speed conditions. Starving the plenum 12 results in air being drawn into the plenum 12 via the air inlet tube 16 from the hood scoop 14 or from another cold air source, such as an opening near the front fender, for example and without limitation. The cold or cooler air drawn into the plenum 12 by the fan pressure created by the fan 36 provides cold or cooler air to the engine 24 and also to another location where cool air is desired, such as in front of the condenser radiator fan module (CRFM) or other location to counteract hot thermal recirculation, that is, heat generated when the engine is at low speed or operating under high load towing conditions or when the engine 24 is idling. When the engine 24 is operating at idle or at a low speed, the temperature of the air delivered to the engine 24 by the air induction system 28 is typically warm due to a lack of air flow from movement of the vehicle 10. It is well known that the engine 24 does not operate most efficiently under these conditions. The systems discussed herein provide a source of cold or cooler air to the air induction system 28 by starving the plenum 12 of air and thus drawing air into the plenum 12 and the air induction system 28 from a cold or cooler air source such as, for example and without limitation, an air inlet located on the vehicle hood (that is, the hood scoop 14). In some embodiments, air is drawn into the plenum 12 from another cool or colder air location, such as, for example and without limitation, the side of the vehicle 10, a fender of the vehicle 10, the glove box, etc.
As shown in
The method 500 begins at start block 502 and proceeds to 504. At 502, the controller 38 receives sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors 52 indicating a temperature of a vehicle component or area to be cooled. In some embodiments, the sensor data indicates a temperature of the engine 24, an engine mount, or a body mount, for example and without limitation. Next, at 506, the controller 38 receives sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors 52 indicating an engine operating condition. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 52 indicates that the engine 24 is operating in an idle or low speed condition.
At 508, the controller 38 determines whether the sensor data indicates that the measured temperature is above a predetermined threshold temperature. The threshold temperature is determined based on the component being measured. For example and without limitation, the threshold temperature for the engine 24 may be different from the threshold temperature for an engine mount or a body mount.
If the measured temperature of the component is above the threshold temperature, the method 500 proceeds to 510. At 510, the controller 38 generates a control signal that is transmitted to the fan 36 to operate the fan 36 at a predetermined fan speed. In some embodiments, the predetermined fan speed is based on one or more factors, including the size of the fan, the measured temperature of the component, the type of component to be cooled, etc. for example and without limitation. The method 500 then returns to 504 and the controller 38 continues to monitor the temperature information received from one or more temperature sensors 52.
If the measured temperature of the component is not above the threshold temperature, the method 500 returns to 504 and the controller 38 continues to monitor the temperature information received from one or more temperature sensors 52.
It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the herein-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims. Moreover, any of the steps described herein can be performed simultaneously or in an order different from the steps as ordered herein. Moreover, as should be apparent, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Moreover, the following terminology may have been used herein. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an item includes reference to one or more items. The term “ones” refers to one, two, or more, and generally applies to the selection of some or all of a quantity. The term “plurality” refers to two or more of an item. The term “about” or “approximately” means that quantities, dimensions, sizes, formulations, parameters, shapes and other characteristics need not be exact, but may be approximated and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting acceptable tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like and other factors known to those of skill in the art. The term “substantially” means that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide.
Numerical data may be expressed or presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also interpreted to include all of the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 to 5” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1 to about 5, but should also be interpreted to also include individual values and sub-ranges within the indicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values such as 2, 3 and 4 and sub-ranges such as “about 1 to about 3,” “about 2 to about 4” and “about 3 to about 5,” “1 to 3,” “2 to 4,” “3 to 5,” etc. This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value (e.g., “greater than about 1”) and should apply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristics being described. A plurality of items may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. Furthermore, where the terms “and” and “or” are used in conjunction with a list of items, they are to be interpreted broadly, in that any one or more of the listed items may be used alone or in combination with other listed items. The term “alternatively” refers to selection of one of two or more alternatives, and is not intended to limit the selection to only those listed alternatives or to only one of the listed alternatives at a time, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
The processes, methods, or algorithms disclosed herein can be deliverable to/implemented by a processing device, controller, or computer, which can include any existing programmable electronic control unit or dedicated electronic control unit. Similarly, the processes, methods, or algorithms can be stored as data and instructions executable by a controller or computer in many forms including, but not limited to, information permanently stored on non-writable storage media such as ROM devices and information alterably stored on writeable storage media such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, CDs, RAM devices, and other magnetic and optical media. The processes, methods, or algorithms can also be implemented in a software executable object. Alternatively, the processes, methods, or algorithms can be embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components, such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), state machines, controllers or other hardware components or devices, or a combination of hardware, software and firmware components. Such example devices may be on-board as part of a vehicle computing system or be located off-board and conduct remote communication with devices on one or more vehicles.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further exemplary aspects of the present disclosure that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.
