Patent ID: 11867286
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Field: Mechanical elements (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  B | IPC F

Claim 7:
8. A vehicle comprising;
a heat exchanger;
a transmission configured to transfer power within a powertrain, the transmission having,
a primary fluid circuit configured to deliver fluid to at least one clutch,
a secondary fluid circuit configured to (i) divert the fluid from the primary fluid circuit and (ii) deliver the fluid to the heat exchanger, and
a valve configured to (i) close to isolate the secondary fluid circuit from the primary fluid circuit, (ii) open to direct fluid from the primary fluid circuit to the secondary fluid circuit, and (iii) transition between partially opened positions to adjust a flow rate of the fluid from the primary fluid circuit to the secondary fluid circuit; and

a controller programmed to,
in response to a temperature of the fluid being outside of a desired range, open the valve to direct the fluid toward the heat exchanger via the secondary fluid circuit,
in response to the temperature of the fluid being within the desired range, close the valve to isolate the fluid from the secondary fluid circuit and the heat exchanger,
in response to a change in the temperature of the fluid toward the desired range, adjust the valve between the partially opened positions to decrease the flow rate of the fluid from the primary fluid circuit to the secondary fluid circuit,
in response to a change in the temperature of the fluid away from the desired range, adjust the valve between the partially opened positions to increase the flow rate of the fluid from the primary fluid circuit to the secondary fluid circuit, and
adjust the valve between the partially opened positions based on a powertrain torque command to (i) control heat transfer to or from the fluid via the heat exchanger and (ii) drive the temperature of the fluid toward the desired range.