Patent ID: 8205709

Claim:
A vehicle comprising: a passenger compartment; an internal combustion engine; and an automatic transmission using transmission fluid and transmitting power from the engine to drive wheels to propel the vehicle, and a system for heating and cooling the transmission fluid, said system including: a heat exchanger fluidly connected to the engine and transmission, said heat exchanger being adapted to receive engine coolant from the engine, direct transmission fluid to the transmission and transfer heat between the engine coolant and the transmission fluid; a passenger compartment heater core in fluid connection with both the engine and passenger compartment, said heater core being adapted to receive engine coolant from the engine, and to transfer heat between the engine coolant and air for the passenger compartment; a radiator fluidly connected to the engine and the heat exchanger, said radiator being adapted to cool the engine coolant; a first valve fluidly connected between the engine and the heat exchanger and being adapted to selectively allow or prevent the flow of engine coolant from the engine to the heat exchanger; a second valve fluidly connected between the engine, the heat exchanger, and the radiator and being adapted to selectively allow fluid flow of engine coolant from the radiator to a select one of the engine and the heat exchanger; and a controller for controlling the first and second valves to place the system into a select one of several modes including, a heating mode wherein hot engine coolant flows directly to the heat exchanger from the engine, and a cooling mode wherein cool engine coolant flows directly to the heat exchanger from the radiator and a heater core priority mode wherein no engine coolant flows to the heat exchanger, whereby transmission fluid temperature regulation occurs in an efficient manner with minimal impact on passenger compartment heating.