Patent ID: 7021071
Filing Date: 2006-04-04
Classification: B60H,F01P

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling a cooling fan unit of a vehicle, the cooling fan unit including at least one cooling fan, the method comprising: detecting a plurality of vehicle parameters including a coolant temperature and a vehicle speed; determining a driving load of the cooling fan unit corresponding to the vehicle parameters on the basis of a plurality of temperature ranges of the coolant temperature and a plurality of speed ranges of the vehicle speed, operating the cooling fan unit at the determined driving load, wherein: the vehicle is equipped with an air conditioning system including an air/con switch; the at least one reference temperature and the at least one reference speed are selected on the basis of an on/off state of the air/con switch; and in the case in which the air/con switch is off, the driving load of the cooling fan unit is determined as: a smallest one of the predetermined loads when the coolant temperature lies in a first temperature range less than a first reference temperature; a load depending on comparison of the vehicle speed and a first reference speed when the coolant temperature lies in a second temperature range greater than or equal to the first reference temperature and less than a second reference temperature; a load depending on comparison of the vehicle speed and a second reference speed when the coolant temperature lies in a third temperature range greater than or equal to the second reference temperature and less than a third reference temperature; and a largest one of the predetermined loads when the coolant temperature lies in a fourth temperature range greater than or equal to the third reference temperature.