Abstract:
An apparatus for controlling a temperature of an engine by controlling the flow of a liquid engine coolant to a radiator is disclosed. The apparatus includes a thermostat having a thermally responsive valve for substantially blocking or opening the flow of coolant to the radiator to maintain the engine at or about a preferred engine operating temperature. Also included is a thermally activated actuator for opening the valve in response to an engine condition such as load or a need for power. The actuator is activated at a temperature different than the thermostat. A source of electro thermal energy is provided to motivate the actuator so the valve may be opened on demand. In one aspect the invention provides a method of controlling the temperature of the engine by opening the valve in response to engine monitoring.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the field of internal combustion engines and more particularly to the cooling systems used to control the heat generated by such combustion engines. Most particularly, this invention relates to thermostats used to control the flow of the coolant between an engine and a heat exchanger such as a radiator. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Thermostats have been known and used extensively to control the circulation of coolant in internal combustion engines. In the past, the thermostats have taken the form of valves which are immersed in the coolant in, for example, a coolant conduit. Most commonly the valves include a valve member which spans the conduit and sits against a valve seat. Thus, in the closed position the valve substantially blocks the flow of coolant, for example, to the radiator, allowing the coolant to re-circulate past the engine and to heat up more quickly. 
     Typically such valves include a closed body containing a thermally expandible material such as wax. A piston is provided which is thrust outward upon the expansion of the wax due to higher coolant temperatures. The piston lifts the valve off the valve seat to allow the coolant to circulate past a heat exchanger, such as a radiator. This lowers the temperature of the coolant and removes heat from the engine. A spring is provided to urge the valve to a closed position so that in the resting or cooled state the valve is closed. Thus, when an engine is first started, the valve will be closed allowing the engine to attain its optimum running temperature more quickly. 
     Thermostats, to date, have been designed to permit the engine to operate over time at a constant optimum temperature. The thermostat accomplishes this by opening a valve in the cooling system when the engine temperature, and thus the liquid coolant temperature, rises. Opening the valve permits more flow to a heat exchanger such as a radiator, permitting more heat to be dissipated, which in turn can lower the engine temperature. As the engine temperature drops, and thus the coolant temperature drops, the valve closes, reducing the amount of heat dissipated and again maintaining an optimum operating temperature. 
     Such prior art thermostats are effective, simple and reliable, but suffer from several drawbacks. One is that the thermostat essentially requires the engine designer to set one optimum engine temperature. However, in practice, the engine operating temperature is known to affect engine performance. Specifically, a hotter running engine produces less in the way of emissions, by permitting more complete combustion which in turn improves fuel economy. A hotter running engine will deliver less power, while a cooler running engine delivers more power. Thus, any single optimum engine temperature is a compromise between power and emissions. 
     Another drawback is that thermostats are slow to respond. The coolant temperature change is fairly gradual and since the change in coolant temperature controls movement of the piston, the valve only opens slowly. Essentially the response of the thermostat lags the engine demand and thus acts as a dampened system. For example, it might take the thermostat 12 minutes to respond in winter when the engine start is very cold, and about 5 minutes in summer where the engine start temperature is warmer. Sharp changes in engine temperature which arise and then recede quickly are not well managed by the thermostat. However, such sharp changes may occur, for example during acceleration from a stop, when accelerating to pass, or when climbing a hill. Therefore there has been an effort to develop a thermostat which responds, on demand, rather than simply following coolant temperature. Of course, the thermostat still needs to reliably respond to coolant temperature changes in a manner which prevents overheating. 
     Various levers and actuators have been proposed to open and close valve elements on demand, but these suffer from various disadvantages. Firstly, they are relatively expensive. Secondly, they involve complex moving parts, which can fail over time. A failed system could lead to overheating and failure of the engine, which is unacceptable. Thus, electromechanical systems are inappropriate for the under the hood environment. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,790 and its related U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,530 disclose a better thermo-mechanical solution with a thermostat which is more responsive than one limited to responding to coolant temperature only. This patent teaches a first thermostat 40 located in the usual position within a coolant conduit and then a second thermostat like device 52 (called a thermal motor) located outside of the conduit and being insulated therefrom. The device 52 includes the same element as a thermostat as previously described, namely a closed body, a thermally expandible material within the body and a piston which can be extended in response to a temperature rise in the thermally expandible material. However, rather than the coolant temperature governing the degree of extension, the device 52 includes a small electrical heater within the closed body which can be used to heat the expandible material to in turn cause a piston to extend. The pistons of device 52 and the regular thermostat are made coaxial so that when the electrically controlled piston extends, the valve of the thermostat is lifted off the valve seat. The patents teach that in this way the valve can be opened in response to engine parameters such as load or the like measured by other sensors and the coolant allowed to circulate before the heat builds up in the engine. This ability to control the opening of the valve is said to virtually eliminate customer complaints of engine overheating and improves fuel economy and reduces emissions. 
     While a reasonable solution in some respects, this prior art device still suffers from numerous drawbacks and has not found widespread acceptance. For example, the thermal motor 52, although insulated from the coolant, projects, somewhat exposed, into the under the hood compartment. The air temperature of the under the hood environment can vary widely, depending upon outside temperature, and further can be quite hot when the engine reaches steady state operating temperatures, up to about 25% higher than the coolant temperature. Such a wide temperature range for the operating conditions of the thermally activated motor make it difficult to predict how much heat is needed from the electrical heater to cause the motor to move. Worse, the device 52 might be activated by the ambient temperature without even being controlled by the engine control system, which is unacceptable. 
     Further, connecting the piston of the device 52 to the thermostat piston coaxially magnifies the effect of the two thermally activated pistons systems since their movements are cumulative. This makes the valve opening and closing overly sensitive and difficult to reliably control. What is believed to happen in practice is that the valve will tend to open too much and then close too much and to essentially oscillate about the desired set point in an undampened manner. Such oscillation is hard on the components and renders the desired temperature less of the time, making the device less efficient rather than more efficient. What is needed therefore is a simple and reliable way of providing accurate temperature control for an internal combustion engine which responds both to the coolant temperature, which is responsive to engine load and which avoids these problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     What is needed therefore is a controllable thermostat system which on the one hand is readily controlled by an engine control system to permit rapid response to short duration peak loads and yet which still responds in a safe and reliable way to changes in coolant temperature to prevent overheating. In this way, in the event the device ever fails, the thermostat portion will still be active to prevent engine overheating. Further the system should be made from inexpensive components which are reliable, safe and simple to install. The system should respond appropriately and not for example be susceptible to changes in operating environment causing the device to undesirably initiate, nor should the device be too sensitive and tend to overshoot in an undampened way any desired set point temperature. Further, the device should permit the engine temperature to be lowered on demand, to deliver more power, but also let the engine operate at high temperatures, to reduce emissions. The device should also respond rapidly to permit the engine temperature to be reduced, for example, within a time horizon of a real time loading event of an engine. 
     Therefore, according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided, an apparatus for controlling a temperature of an engine by controlling a flow of a liquid engine coolant, the apparatus comprising: 
     a thermostat having a temperature responsive valve for substantially blocking and substantially unblocking the flow of said liquid coolant to a radiator, said thermostat having a first temperature activation range; 
     a thermally activated actuator operatively connected to said valve, said actuator having a second temperature activation range above said first temperature activation range; and 
     a source of electrothermal energy for activating said actuator to cause said temperature responsive valve to unblock the flow of said liquid coolant on demand. 
     According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of controlling a temperature of an engine having a coolant circulation system comprising the steps of: 
     a) providing a thermally activated actuator; 
     b) providing a thermostat having a fixed thrust surface and an openable valve including by a valve body; 
     c) operatively connecting said thermally activated actuator to said valve body of said thermostat; 
     d) monitoring said engine to determine when to open said valve; and 
     e) opening said valve by activating said thermally activated actuator in response to said engine monitoring. 
     According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for controlling a temperature of an engine, said apparatus comprising: 
     a thermostat having a thermally controlled valve which opens to a first position in response to a coolant temperature, said first position corresponding to a first rate of coolant flow sufficient for maintaining an optimum engine temperature; 
     a thermally controlled actuator for opening said valve to a second position, said second position corresponding to a second rate of coolant flow sufficient to permit said engine to cool to a power delivering temperature below said optimum temperature; and 
     a heater associated with said actuator, said heater being initiated when additional power is required. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Reference will now be made to drawings which depict, by way of example only, preferred embodiments of the invention and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of the present invention in place in a coolant conduit with the valve closed; 
     FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the invention of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top cross-section along lines A—A of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view of the present invention in place in a coolant conduit with the valve open in a first mode; 
     FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the invention of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a front cross-sectional view of the present invention in place in a coolant conduit with the valve open in a second mode; and 
     FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the invention of FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An apparatus for controlling a temperature of an engine by controlling a flow of liquid engine coolant as illustrated generally as  10  in FIG.  1 . The apparatus includes an end cap  12 , and a main body  14  which defines a fluid conduit  16 . The main body  14  includes an attachment flange  18  having a pair of opposed fastener openings  20  for attaching the device  10  onto the cooling system of, for example, a vehicle. An O-ring  22  is provided to permit a liquid tight seal to be made between the part  10  and the remainder of the engine system. Although a particular configuration for end caps and main body is shown, it will be appreciated that various forms of fitting could be used without departing from the present invention. 
     Associated with the end cap  12  is an instrumentation package including a pair of electrical leads  24  which are connected to a fitting  26  external to the conduit  16 . A retaining ring  28  is associated with the instrumentation package  26  which includes an O-ring  30  to provide a liquid tight seal with respect to liquid in the conduit  16 . The retaining ring  28  is preferably formed with a sloped surface  32  for interfacing with the O-ring  30 . 
     Electrical leads  24  are most preferably connected to an electrical circuit controlled, for example, by an Engine Control Module (ECM). Typically an ECM will include a plurality of sensors which are used to sense various engine and vehicle parameters so the performance of the engine can be optimized. The present invention comprehends either using existing sensors, if appropriate and available, or using added sensors to provide the ECM with sufficient information to take advantage of the present invention as described herein. 
     Extending below the retaining ring  28  is a body  34  of the device which includes a closed portion  36  which forms a reservoir for a thermally expandable material (not shown), an extension  38  and a piston  40 . It will be noted that the reservoir  36 , extension  38  and piston  40  extend into the conduit  16  and in normal full coolant conditions would be surrounded by coolant fluid. The reservoir  36 , extension  38  and piston  40  may be considered to be an actuator, as explained below. 
     The top part  12  is secured to the main body  14  by being threaded for example, at  42 . Again, an O-ring  44  may be used to provide a secure liquid tight connection, between the top part  12  and main body  14 . 
     Also shown in FIG. 1 is a conventional thermostat  50  which includes a body  52  containing a thermally expandable material, a mounting bracket  54 , a valve  56 , a spring  58  extending between the mounting bracket  54  and the valve  56 , and a piston  60 . Also shown in FIG. 1 is a receptacle  80  into which piston  60  fits. The receptacle  80  is fixed in place and thus acts as a thrust surface for piston  60 . Also shown is a chamfered valve seat  82  against which the valve  56  seals. An important characteristic of the valve seat  82  is that the opening is sized and shaped so that the further displaced the valve  56  is from the valve seat  82 , the greater the flow of coolant to the heat exchanger, up to a maximum flow rate. The operation of these components is explained in more detail below. 
     Located in the middle of the conduit  16  is a connecting apparatus which includes a load transfer member  83  having a spring  84  extending between a ledge  86  shown in FIG. 1 and a ledge  88  shown in FIG.  2 . The member  83  operatively connects the actuator with the thermostat  50 . Again the operation of these elements will be described in more detail below. 
     Turning to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view through the element  80  is now visible, showing that the element  80  extends outwardly from the side wall of the conduit  16  and thus permits the piston  60  of thermostat  50  to push there against as a thrust surface or point. Also shown is the support bracket  54  being lodged in downwardly dependent arms  90  fixed to main body  14  which locate the thermostat  50  in place. It is most preferred if the arms  90  are sized and shaped to fit into the coolant conduit located below main body  14  for ease of assembly. It will be noted that the conduit  16  includes a Y-connection  100  which will permit coolant to circulate to a radiator (not shown). Thus arrow  102  shows location of a radiator, and arrow  104  shows the inflow of coolant into conduit  16  from the engine (not shown). Arrow  105  shows the coolant not passing past valve  56 , which in this FIG. 2 is closed. 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view from above of the elements of FIG. 2 along section line A—A. In particular, the main body  14  is shown forming a conduit  16  having a receptacle  80  for the piston  60 . Also shown is the load transfer member  83  extending on either side of the receptacle  80 . The load transfer member  83  is sized and shaped to be guided by an outer surface of the receptacle  80 . Other forms of load transfer member may be used, but reasonable results have been obtained with the form of member  83  as shown. 
     Returning to FIG. 2, also shown is an electrical heater  110  which extends downwardly into the closed portion  36  of body  34 . The electrical heater  110  is attached by means of insulated leads  112  which in turn form part of the instrumentation package  26 . It will be understood that other types of electrical connections can be made, provided that the ECM is operatively connected to the heater  110 . 
     FIG. 2 shows the position of the valve  56  when the coolant and engine are cold. In this circumstance, the valve  56  is tightly placed against the valve seat  82  blocking the flow of coolant from the engine to the radiator. This permits the coolant to recirculate past the engine allowing the engine to achieve its desired operating temperature more quickly (shown at  105  in FIG.  2 ). 
     Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that the valve  56  has moved off the valve seat  82 . At this time the temperature of the coolant has reached the activation temperature of the thermally expandable material in thermostat  50  causing it to expand and thereby causing the piston  60  to extend. Since the piston  60  abuts a thrust surface in the receptacle  80 , the extension of the piston  60  from the body  52  forces the valve  56  downwardly away from the valve seat  82  compressing the spring  58 . In this position the coolant can flow past the valve  56  and out into the radiator through the limb  100  of the conduit as shown by arrows C. It will be noted from FIG. 4 that although the valve  50  has opened, the load transferring member  83  has not moved and as a result a gap  120  exists between the load transfer member  83  and the valve  56 . In the event coolant temperature drops below the thermal activation point for the thermostat  50 , the spring  58  will cause the valve  56  to close onto the valve seat  82 , thereby reducing heat dissipation and preserving the engine temperature at the optimum set point temperature. 
     According to the present invention, it is preferred if the temperature activation range of the thermostat  50  is above the normal range for mass produced vehicles. Thus, where typically a thermostat will be set to begin to respond at a temperature of between 90° C. and 95° C., in the present invention the preferred activation temperature is between about 100° C. to 105° C. Most preferably the temperature activation range will begin at about 102° C. and be complete at about 10° C. higher at about 112° C. This temperature range is referred to as a first activation range. When the temperature of the coolant reaches 112° C. for example, the valve  56  will be displaced from the valve seat a distance D 1 . D 1  is defined as a distance which is enough to permit the engine to operate at the desired set point steady temperature. This amount of cooling can be achieved with coolant circulation flows of about 1 to 2 cubic meters per hour for a typical mid-sized car. Of course other types of cars or trucks will have different engine heat loads requiring different ranges of coolant flow. As explained in more detail below, the valve position for temperature maintenance at the optimum engine temperature is preferably not a fully open position of the valve  56 . Rather, the valve position at D 1  is such that enough coolant flow is allowed to achieve temperature maintenance. It will be further understood that an engine operating over a temperature range of 102° C. to 112° C. for a steady state temperature is running significantly hotter than a conventional system. This encourages more complete combustion, less emissions and a greater fuel economy. It is estimated that the fuel savings could be between one and two percent, or even higher depending upon the specifics of the engine. 
     FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the present invention when the piston  40  is extended. Piston  40  will be extended upon the engine control module sending a signal to the heater  110  causing the heater to rapidly heat up and in turn cause the thermally expandable material in the actuator to expand. As noted previously, this will occur as a result of particular conditions existing in the engine load, such as an acceleration or other circumstance which creates a need for more power, and hence more cooling. Heat from the heater  110  has the effect of pushing the piston  40  outwardly causing it to push load transferring member  83  downwardly. The load transferring member  83  transfers the load from the piston  40  to the shoulders of the thermostat  50 , causing the valve disk  56  to be displaced away from the valve seat  82 . Again, this permits the coolant to circulate past the thermostat  50  shown as arrows C and to the radiator through the leg  100 . As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the extension of the piston  40  compresses the spring  84 . Further, the extension of the piston  40  causes the piston  60  to move within the receptacle  80  creating a gap shown at  130 . Again, the valve  56  is displaced of the valve seat  82  but this time by a distance D 2 . According to the present invention D 2  is a distance sufficient to permit much greater flow of coolant past the valve than occurs at D 1  and is enough coolant flow to permit the engine temperature to be lowered, rather than held at a steady state, which is accomplished at position D 1 . Further, the lowering of the temperature is preferred to occur rapidly, within a time horizon of a loading event meaning that the coolant flow should be sufficient to achieve rapid cooling of the engine, if possible. Most preferable D 2  permits a coolant flow rate of about 8 to 12 cubic meters of flow per hour for a conventional mid sized car. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other car types and other engine sizes may require more or less coolant flow. Thus D 2  will represent a further open position than D 1 . One method to achieve this according to the present invention is to cause the piston  40  to extend more or further when activated than the piston  60  extends when it is activated. However, other methods may also be used to achieve the same result of providing a greater cooling capacity by means of the actuator than the thermostat  50 . 
     Also according to the present invention the thermally expansible material responsible for extending piston  40  will be set to a different or second temperature activation range from the first temperature activation range responsible for extending piston  60 . Most preferably, the second temperature activation range will be significantly higher than the first temperature activation range of the main thermostat and may be, for example, about 25° C. higher. For example, thermally expansible material in the actuator responsible for extending piston  40  could be set to respond to about temperatures of 125° C. to 127° C. Since this second range is well above the first range, the piston  40  will never be caused to extend by reason of the coolant temperature alone. Quite simply, the operative range of the thermally expansive material in the actuator is above the actuation temperature range of the thermostat  50 . Thus, by normal operation the thermostat  50  will prevent the coolant from ever being able to get as high as the actuator initiation temperature. In this manner, the actuator is only activated as a result of electrical output from the electrical heater contained within the closed body  56  or by a direct command from the ECM. 
     It has been found that a rapid extension of the piston  40  can be achieved by choosing a heating element for heater  110  which heats to a temperature significantly higher still, for example to about 150° C. Also, it is preferred if the response is fast. This will permit the temperature of the thermally expansive material to reach expansion temperature much more rapidly. Of course, the temperature cannot be so high that it damages any of the components, especially the thermally expansive material. Thus, according to the present invention, a signal to heat the heater will quickly raise the temperature to cause the piston  40  to extend. A response time of under 10 seconds is preferred, and about 6 seconds has been achieved to date, but even better performance may be possible. 
     As will also be appreciated, as well as rapid heating of the thermally expansive material, rapid cooling of the engine is required if the needed power boost is to be delivered within the event time horizon. To this end the valve  56  must be able to be opened more, under the increased power situation, than in a steady state condition, to permit greater coolant flow. 
     Thus, another aspect of the present invention is that the movement range of the valve  56  from the thermostat  50  corresponds to flow rates of 1 to 2 m 3  per hour. However, because of the size and shape of the valve opening between valve  56  and valve seat  82 , the piston  40  opens the valve  56  more corresponding to a flow rate of about 10 m 3  per hour. In this way rapid cooling is provided, enough to lower the temperature of the coolant to well below normal operating temperatures, such as for example to about 70° C. to 80° C. Such a low engine temperature will increase power. 
     According to the present invention, the body  36  is located on the cold side of the valve  56 . The body  56  is completely surrounded by coolant which means that the temperature of the body  56  will be kept within the relatively small dynamic range of coolant temperatures. This means that the electrical energy required to heat the thermally expansible material in the body  36  will be restricted to a fairly narrow range thus permitting a more accurate and timely extension of the piston  40 . In other words, by providing the body  36  in the coolant, the coolant acts as a temperature buffer which in turn ensures that the piston  40  is more reliably and more quickly extendable by the electrical heater  110 . 
     For example, the body  38  will already be at the coolant temperature, because it is immersed therein. Thus, for steady state operation, the thermally expandible material will be essentially preheated to the running temperature of between 102° C. to 112° C. for example. In this way, there is a smaller thermal gap to overcome allowing more prompt heating, and extension of piston  40 . The initiation temperature of the material in body  38  can be any temperature, but is preferably a higher temperature and most preferably is a temperature which is higher enough to prevent unwanted extension of the piston by ambient conditions. 
     A further aspect of the present invention is that since it is surrounded by coolant, once the engine control module stops sending electrical energy to the heater, the coolant will have the effect of quickly cooling down the body  36 . The then occurring difference in coolant temperature and the temperature of the actuator will be large leading to more rapid cooling. Specifically, the actuator through piston  40  opens the valve  56  and permits the rapid cooling of the engine due to higher flow rates. This will lower the temperature of the engine and coolant to a lower temperature (which delivers a correspondingly higher power). Again, by way of example only, for a mid sized conventional car a preferred power delivering temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees C. and most preferably about 75 degrees C. Thus shortly after the heater in the actuator is initiated, the engine coolant temperature will also be about 75 degrees. Since the heater heats up to about 150 degrees as previously stated, the temperature difference is large between the thermally expansive material and the coolant (about 75 compared to between 140 and 150) and thus the thermally expansive material of the actuator is rapidly cooled by reason of the large temperature difference. 
     Quick cooling causes the piston  40  to retract relatively rapidly as well. This will permit the piston  60  to engage the receptacle  80  at the appropriate degree of openness for the valve  56  for that coolant temperature. In the example of a temperature of 75 degrees the valve  56  of thermostat  50  may be for example fully closed if the power delivering lower temperature occurred over a long enough period to permit the piston  60  to fully retract from its steady state position. 
     It will also be appreciated that the load transferring member  80  extends between the top piston  40  and the body of the thermostat  50 . Thus, as the top piston  40  extends the valve  56  is opened by movement of the body of the thermostat  50 . As the coolant temperature reduces as a result of the actuator opening the valve  56 , the thermostat  50  will react in a normal manner retracting the piston  60 . However, because the piston  60  is spaced from the thrust seat  80  by the load transfer member  83 , the position of the piston  60  will not influence the position of the valve  56  relative to the valve seat  82 . In this manner, the effect of the electronically controlled actuator valve opening is not cumulative, nor subtractive, of the effect of the coolant temperature thermostat valve opening. Rather the two effects are separate and independent. Thus, the temperature of the coolant can be set according to engine load since the valve can be opened immediately and by an appropriate signal from the ECM on demand. 
     It can now be appreciated that the valve  56  can be made to open enough to cause temperatures of coolant which are lower than the range of the normal operating temperatures set by a conventional thermostat. In circumstances where more power is required, it may be desirable to lower the temperature to a power delivering temperature. This can be accomplished simply by the engine control module energizing the electric heater in the actuator. In this case the valve can be opened to permit the temperature to be lowered and a burst of power to be delivered. Alternately, it is also known that a higher set point temperature permits the engine to operate with reduced emissions, at better fuel economy but with reduced power. This compromise has resulted in lower operating temperatures than might otherwise be desirable to reduce emissions. The actuator of the present invention permits engine operation at a higher running temperature for the purpose of reducing emissions, because any power loss can be compensated for on demand as explained above. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description relates to preferred embodiments of the invention by way of example only. Various modifications and alterations of the invention have been suggested above and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art which still fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, although the difference in initiation temperature between the upper and lower portions is preferred to be about 25°, any range of temperatures can be used provided that the actuator initiates at a temperature higher than the thermostat so that the actuator does not open the valve in an unintended fashion.