METHOD OF DETERMINING COOLANT SHORTAGE AND ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM USING THE SAME

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0187728, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 16, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to vehicle cooling systems, and more specifically to a method of determining coolant shortage and an engine cooling system using the same.

BACKGROUND

When an engine (e.g., an internal combustion engine) is used as the propulsion system for a vehicle, engine coolant (hereinafter, the coolant) may be one of the important means of cooling the engine. Insufficient coolant may cause the engine to overheat. A mechanical device with an engine needs to perform continuous monitoring of the amount of coolant to maintain a normal operation of the engine.

An engine cooling system for circulating coolant in and out of the engine may be designed and implemented in a variety of ways. Depending on the structure of the engine cooling system, the method of monitoring the amount of coolant may vary.

The matters described in this Background section are only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure, and should not be taken as acknowledgement that they correspond to prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure attempts to provide a method of determining whether coolant is deficient, and an engine cooling system using the method.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure, an engine cooling system may include: a water temperature controller assembly (WTCA) coupled to an engine of a vehicle to control a flow of a coolant discharged from the engine; and a first temperature sensor including a portion that penetrates into an interior of the WTCA. The first temperature sensor may be configured to: measure one or more temperatures of the coolant discharged from the engine; and generate one or more signals indicating the one or more measured temperatures of the coolant discharged from the engine. The engine cooling system may further include a processor configured to: receive the one or more signals; determine, based on the one or more measured temperatures of the coolant discharged from the engine, a highest coolant temperature measured during a first time period; determine, based on the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period, whether an amount of the coolant is below a threshold coolant level; and send, based on a determination that the amount of the coolant is below the threshold coolant level, a signal to the vehicle.

The processor may be configured to determine the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period by: determining, based on the one or more measured temperatures, an average coolant temperature for a second time period; and determining, based on the one or more measured temperatures, a highest coolant temperature measured during the second time period. The processor may be configured to determine the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period based on a difference between the average coolant temperature and the highest coolant temperature measured during the second time period being greater than or equal to a threshold temperature difference.

The processor may be configured to determine the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period by: based on the one or more measured temperatures indicating that the coolant is maintained at or above a threshold temperature during the second time period, determining the average coolant temperature and determining the highest coolant temperature measured during the second time period.

The processor may be configured to determine the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period by: determining the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period based on a rotational speed of the engine and an ambient air temperature outside the vehicle during the first time period and while the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold temperature difference.

The processor may be configured to determine the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period by: based on the rotational speed being less than or equal to a threshold rotational speed, based on the ambient air temperature being less than or equal to a threshold temperature, and based on a current temperature of the coolant being greater than the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period, setting the current temperature of the coolant as a new highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period.

The processor may be configured to determine whether the amount of the coolant is below the threshold coolant level by: determine, after the first time period ends and based on the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period being greater than or equal to a threshold temperature, that the amount of the coolant is below the threshold coolant level.

The engine cooling system may further include: a second temperature sensor including a portion that penetrates into an interior of a cylinder block of the engine. The second temperature sensor may be configured to: measure one or more temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block; and generate a second signal indicating the one or more measured temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block. The engine cooling system may further include: an on-board diagnostics (OBD) device configured to store, based on the second signal, the one or more measured temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block.

The processor may be further configured to: determine, based on the one or more measured temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block, an average coolant temperature of the coolant in the cylinder block for a second time period; and determine, based on the one or more measured temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block, a highest coolant temperature in the cylinder block during the second time period. The processor may be configured to determine whether the amount of the coolant in the engine cooling system is below the threshold coolant level based on a difference between the average coolant temperature of the coolant in the cylinder block and the highest coolant temperature in the cylinder block being greater than or equal to a threshold temperature difference.

The engine cooling system may further include: an on-board diagnostics (OBD) device configured to store, based on the one or more signals, the one or more measured temperatures; a Bluetooth communication device coupled to the OBD device; and a user terminal including the processor. The user terminal may be configured to: receive, via the Bluetooth communication device, the one or more measured temperatures; and provide, to the processor, the one or more measured temperatures.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure, a method including: obtaining, by a processor via a first temperature sensor, one or more temperatures of a coolant discharged from an engine of a vehicle into a water temperature controller assembly (WTCA) of the vehicle; determining, based on the one or more temperatures of the coolant discharged from the engine, a highest coolant temperature measured during a first time period; determining, after the first time period ends and based on the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period being greater than or equal to a threshold temperature, that an amount of the coolant is below a threshold coolant level; and sending, based on the determining of the amount of the coolant being below the threshold coolant level, a signal to the vehicle.

The method may further include: determining, based on the one or more temperatures, an average coolant temperature for a second time period; and determining, based on the one or more measured temperatures, a highest coolant temperature measured during the second time period. Determining the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period may be performed based on a difference between the average coolant temperature and the highest coolant temperature measured during the second time period being greater than or equal to a threshold temperature difference.

Determining the average coolant temperature and determining the highest coolant temperature measured during the second time period may be performed based on the one or more temperatures indicating that the coolant is maintained at or above the threshold temperature during the second time period.

Determining the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period may include: based on a rotational speed of the engine being less than or equal to a threshold rotational speed, based on an ambient air temperature outside the vehicle being less than or equal to the threshold temperature, and based on a current temperature of the coolant being greater than the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period, setting the current temperature of the coolant as a new highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period.

The method may further include: obtaining, by the processor via a second temperature sensor, one or more temperatures of the coolant in a cylinder block of the engine; determining, based on the one or more temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block, an average coolant temperature of the coolant in the cylinder block for during a second time period; and determining, based on the one or more temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block, a highest coolant temperature in the cylinder block during the second time period. Determining the highest coolant temperature measured during the first time period may be performed based on a difference between the average coolant temperature of the coolant in the cylinder block and the highest coolant temperature in the cylinder block being greater than or equal to a threshold temperature difference.

The method may further include: storing, at an on-board diagnostics (OBD) device, the one or more temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block; and receiving, by the processor via a Bluetooth communication device coupled to the OBD device, the one or more temperatures of the coolant in the cylinder block.

The method may further include: storing, at an on-board diagnostics (OBD) device, the one or more temperatures; and receiving, by the processor via a Bluetooth communication device coupled to the OBD device, the one or more temperatures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating configurations to describe an example engine cooling system.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts illustrating an example method of determining coolant shortage.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine cooling system.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine cooling system.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine cooling system and a vehicle including the same.

FIG. 7 shows an example computing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of the present application and the claims, using the exemplary phrase “at least one of: A; B; or C” or “at least one of A, B, or C,” the phrase means “at least one A, or at least one B, or at least one C, or any combination of at least one A, at least one B, and at least one C. Further, exemplary phrases, such as "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", etc. as used herein may mean each listed item or all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, "at least one of A or B" may refer to (1) at least one A; (2) at least one B; or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

Unless otherwise defined, the terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have meanings generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs.

The expressions such as “comprise,” “may comprise,” “include,” “may include,” “have,” “may have,” etc. as used herein are intended to mean the presence of a characteristic (e.g., function, operation, component, etc.) and do not exclude the presence of other additional characteristics. That is, these expressions should be understood as open-ended terms that encompass the possibility that other examples are included.

A singular expression used herein may include the meaning of the plural unless otherwise stated in the context, which also applies to the singular expression described in the claims.

Expressions such as “first” or “second” as used herein are used to distinguish one object from another in referring to multiple similar objects, unless otherwise indicated in context, and do not limit the order or importance between them. For example, a plurality of chips according to the present disclosure may be distinguished from each other by referring them as “first chip,” “second chip,” respectively.

The term “unit” as used herein may refer to software, or hardware component such as Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc. However, “unit” is not limited to hardware and software. The “unit" may be configured to be stored in an addressable storage medium, or may be configured to execute one or more processors. The "unit" may include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processors, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

The expression “based” on as used herein is intended to describe one or more factors that influence an act or operation of determining or deciding described in a phrase or sentence including that expression, and this expression does not exclude any additional factors that influence the act or operation of determining or deciding.

When it is described that a component (e.g., a first component) is “connected” or “coupled” to another component (e.g., a second component) as used herein, it may mean that the component is not only directly connected or coupled to another component, but also connected or coupled through yet another component (e.g., a third component).

Depending on the context, the expression “configured to” as used herein may have meanings such as “set to,” “with the ability to,” “modified to,” “made to,” “to be able to,” etc. This expression is not limited to the meaning of “specially designed in hardware to.” For example, a processor configured to perform a specific operation may refer to a generic purpose processor capable of performing the specific operation by executing software, or to a special purpose computer structured through programming to perform the specific operation.

In one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure, coolant shortage (e.g., deficiency) may be determined by using one temperature sensor located at an outlet of an engine cooling system. Coolant temperature data may be stored for a predetermined period of time after a coolant warm-up, determine a peak value and an average value of the coolant temperature by using the stored temperature data, and determine whether the coolant is deficient by using the peak value and the average value of the coolant temperature. In the following description, the temperature sensor measures a coolant temperature and generates a signal indicating the measured coolant temperature, and the signal is referred to as a coolant temperature signal CTS1. The coolant temperature signal CTS1 is transmitted to an on-board diagnostics (OBD) device, and the OBD device may store a value based on the coolant temperature signal CTS1. In the present disclosure, the value according to the coolant temperature signal CTS1 stored in the OBD device is referred to as coolant temperature data.

A program according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure may process a plurality of operations to determine whether coolant is deficient (e.g., an amount of the coolant in the engine cooling system 10 is below a threshold level) by using coolant temperature data. The processor of the present disclosure may be implemented as hardware, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or field-programmable gate array (FPGA), that stores and executes the program. The processor may be a component of a user terminal, or may be a component of an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls a mechanical device.

In the following description, an example of a mechanical device is a vehicle including an engine.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating configurations for describing an engine cooling system.

The engine cooling system 10 may be applied to a vehicle. The engine cooling system 10 includes a water temperature controller assembly (WTCA) 100, a temperature sensor 110, a water pump 120, a thermostat 130, and an engine ECU 200. The engine cooling system 10 may further include an OBD device 20, a Bluetooth communication device 21, and a user terminal 30.

The WTCA 100 may be coupled (e.g., mechanically and/or physically coupled) to the engine 1, and may control and distribute the flow of coolant discharged from the engine 1.

The temperature sensor 110 may measure a temperature of the coolant exiting the engine 1 and generate a coolant temperature signal CTS1 indicative of the measured coolant temperature. The location of the temperature sensor 110 may be at a coolant outlet of the engine 1 where the engine 1 and the WTCA 100 are coupled. In FIG. 1, it is illustrated that the temperature sensor 110 is in contact with a top surface of the WTCA 100, a portion of the temperature sensor 110 is located while penetrating into the interior of the WTCA 100, but this is illustrative and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The temperature sensor 110 may be installed with a portion penetrating into the interior of the WTCA 100 at any suitable location to measure the coolant temperature.

The temperature sensor 110 may transmit the coolant temperature signal CTS1 to the engine ECU 200 and the OBD device 20. The engine ECU 200 may use the coolant temperature signal CTS1 to control an operation of the water pump 120. The OBD device 20 may store the value indicated by the coolant temperature signal CTS1 transmitted from the temperature sensor 110 as coolant temperature data.

The engine cooling system 10 may be connected to the engine 1, a radiator 2, a heater 3, an oil cooler 4, and a turbocharger 5 via a pipe and/or valve. Coolant supplied by the engine cooling system 10 may perform heat exchange as it passes via the engine 1, the radiator 2, the heater 3, the oil cooler 4, and the turbocharger 5.

The water pump 120 may discharge flowing-in coolant to circulate the coolant. The coolant discharged from the water pump 120 may be introduced to the engine 1.

The engine 1 may include a cylinder head 1a and a cylinder block 1b. Coolant supplied to the engine 1 from the water pump 120 flows to each of the cylinder head 1a and the cylinder block 1b, and coolant passing via the cylinder block 1b rises to the cylinder head 1a and is discharged to the WTCA 100.

The coolant discharged from the engine 1 to the WTCA 100 may be directed to the turbocharger 5, the oil cooler 4, and the heater 3 via the WTCA 100. Some of the coolant that has passed via the WTCA 100 may be supplied to the turbocharger 5 to cool the turbocharger 5. Some of the coolant that has passed via the WTCA 100 may pass via the oil cooler 4 to cool the engine oil. Some of the coolant that has passed via the WTCA 100 may provide heat to the heater 3. The coolant that has passed via the turbocharger 5, the oil cooler 4, and the heater 3 may enter the water pump 120 and be circulated by the water pump 120. When the thermostat 130 is open, coolant discharged from the engine 1 may be discharged to the radiator 2 via the WTCA 100. The coolant entering the radiator 2 may be cooled by discharging heat via the radiator 2. The coolant that has passed via the radiator 2 may enter the water pump 120 and be circulated.

The thermostat 130 may be located in the path of the coolant supply from the WTCA 100 to the radiator 2 to control a flow rate of the coolant flowing to the radiator 2. The thermostat 130 may be implemented as a mechanical thermostat. The thermostat 130 may open in response to the temperature of the coolant that has passed via the turbocharger 5, the oil cooler 4, and the heater 3 to control the flow rate of the coolant flowing to the radiator 2.

The engine ECU 200 controls the coolant discharge from the water pump 120 based on the output required by the engine 1 (hereinafter, the required output) and the coolant temperature indicated by the coolant temperature signal CTS1 after cooling the engine 1. Hereinafter, the “coolant temperature indicated by the coolant temperature signal CTS1” is simply referred to as the coolant temperature. The engine ECU 200 may control the coolant discharge of the water pump 120 by considering the engine load and coolant temperature together with the engine oil temperature and the amount of fuel consumed by the engine 1. For example, the water pump 120 may be implemented as an electric water pump. The engine ECU 200 may receive feedback of the coolant temperature, and may adjust the operating speed of the water pump 120 to increase or decrease the flow of coolant so that the coolant temperature is maintained in a predetermined appropriate range (hereinafter, the normal range). When the coolant temperature is greater than the normal range, the engine ECU 200 may increase the operating speed of the water pump 120 to increase a circulation speed of the coolant. When the coolant temperature is less than the normal range, the engine ECU 200 may slow down the operating speed of the water pump 120 or stop the operation of the water pump 120 to decrease the circulation speed of the coolant. The engine ECU 200 may receive a required output to control the operation of the engine 1, and may increase the operating speed of the water pump 120 as the required output increases. Conversely, the engine ECU 200 may decrease the operating speed of the water pump 120 as the required output decreases.

The OBD device 20 may be coupled to the Bluetooth communication device 21. The OBD device 20 may transmit and receive signals via the Bluetooth communication device 21. The user terminal 30 is a terminal capable of Bluetooth communication. For example, the user terminal 30 may be any one of a smartphone, tablet, laptop, smartwatch, or the like.

The user terminal 30 may include a processor 31, a memory 32, and a Bluetooth communication circuit 33. Bluetooth communication between the Bluetooth communication circuit 33 of the user terminal 30 and the Bluetooth communication device 21 is performed, and the OBD device 20 may be coupled to the Bluetooth communication device 21, receive commands from the Bluetooth communication device 21, and transmit signals to the outside via the Bluetooth communication device 21. For example, the OBD device 20 may transmit data to the user terminal 30 in response to a command received from the user terminal 30 via the Bluetooth communication device 21. The OBD device 20 may receive a coolant temperature transmission command from the user terminal 30 and transmit coolant temperature data to the user terminal 30 in response to the command.

The user terminal 30 may execute a program to determine whether the coolant is deficient (e.g., an amount of the coolant in the engine cooling system 10 is below a threshold level) by using the received coolant temperature data. The program may be installed on the processor 31, and the processor 31 may execute the program to determine whether the coolant is deficient. The processor 31 may receive coolant temperature data from the OBD device 20 and store the coolant temperature data in the memory 32. The processor 31 may use the coolant temperature data stored in the memory 32 to determine whether the coolant is deficient.

The engine ECU 200 may collect information necessary for controlling the engine 1, and may computationally process the collected information to control the operation of the engine 1. For example, the engine ECU 200 may collect rotations per minute (RPM) information (also referred to as rotational speed information or rotational speed information) of the engine 1 and provide the collected RPM information to the OBD device 20. The temperature sensor 300 may be positioned to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle including the engine cooling system 10 to measure an outside air temperature of the vehicle, and may provide outside air temperature information indicative of the measured outside air temperature to the engine ECU 200. The OBD device 20 may collect RPM information and outside air temperature information of the engine 1 from the engine ECU 200.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts illustrating an example method of determining coolant shortage.

The OBD device 20 may receive a coolant temperature signal CTS1 that the temperature sensor 110 generates each time the temperature sensor 110 measures the coolant temperature, from the temperature sensor 110.

The processor 31 may request the coolant temperature from the OBD device 20 at regular intervals, and the OBD device 20 may transmit the coolant temperature data to the user terminal 30 in response to the request. The user terminal 30 may receive the coolant temperature data from the OBD device 20 (S0). The communication between the OBD device 20 and the user terminal 30 is Bluetooth communication, such that the Bluetooth communication circuit 33 of the user terminal 30 may receive the coolant temperature from the Bluetooth communication device 21 and provide the received coolant temperature to the processor 31.

The processor 31 compares whether the coolant temperature according to the coolant temperature data is greater than or equal to a reference temperature (also referred to as a threshold temperature) (S1). The state when the coolant temperature is greater than or equal to the reference temperature is referred to as a warm-up state. The reference temperature may be, for example, 85 degrees Celsius.

If the coolant temperature is greater than or equal to the reference temperature as a result of the determination in operation S1, the processor 31 may store the coolant temperature (S2). When the coolant temperature is below the reference temperature as a result of the determination in operation S1, the processor 31 does not store the coolant temperature.

Following operation S2, the processor 31 may count the number of times the coolant temperatures (e.g., consecutively measured coolant temperatures) have been stored in the memory 32 to generate a temperature storage count value (also referred to as a stored times count value) (S3). The temperature storage count value may be a running count that indicates how many times (e.g., the number of times) the coolant temperatures have been stored in the memory 32. The storage count may also be referred to as a consecutive high coolant temperature count because it may also indicate how many times (e.g., the number of times) the measured (e.g., consecutively measured) coolant temperatures were at or above the reference temperature. The storage count may indicate the number (e.g., quantity) of coolant temperatures that were consecutively measured at or above the reference temperature. If the coolant temperature is below the reference temperature as a result of the determination in operation S1, the processor 31 may not proceed with operations S2 and S3 and may reset the temperature storage count value (S4).

Following operation S3 or operation S4, the processor 31 may determine whether the temperature storage count value is the reference value (S5). When the temperature storage count value is less than the reference value as a result of the determination in operation S5, the processor 31 may restart from S0.

Via operations S0 to S5, the processor 31 may use the measured coolant temperatures to determine whether the coolant is deficient (e.g., an amount of the coolant in the engine cooling system 10 is below a threshold level) if the warm-up state is maintained for at least a predetermined preliminary diagnosis cycle (e.g., for at least a predetermined time duration). The preliminary diagnosis cycle may be an amount of time (e.g., a period of time) it took for the count (e.g., the number of times), of the consecutively measured coolant temperatures reaching (e.g., being greater than or equal to) the reference temperature and are thus being stored in the memory 32, to reach (e.g., be equal to) the threshold value. The processor 31 may adjust the preliminary diagnosis cycle by adjusting the reference value (e.g., threshold temperature value) that is compared against the temperature storage count value.

If the coolant flowing via the engine 1 is deficient, coolant cannot flow freely to the radiator 2 even when the thermostat 130 is open. In this situation, the coolant temperature may rise excessively during acceleration oscillations. However, even if the coolant is deficient, the coolant temperature may not rise in low load operation where the required output on the engine is low. When the coolant temperature rises and falls repeatedly during a coolant shortage condition, it is difficult to accurately diagnose whether the coolant shortage condition is due to the coolant shortage or the required output for the engine.

In the present disclosure, coolant temperatures collected during the preliminary diagnosis cycle in which the warm-up state is maintained are used to accurately diagnose a coolant shortage.

When the temperature storage count value is (e.g., reaches) the reference value as a result of the determination in operation S5, the processor 31 may determine (e.g., calculate) an average coolant temperature of the coolant temperatures stored in the memory 32 (e.g., the coolant temperatures that were measured at or above the reference value) during the preliminary diagnosis cycle (hereinafter, the target coolant temperatures), determine a preliminary highest coolant temperature (also referred to as a highest coolant temperature candidate) among the target coolant temperatures, and determine (e.g., calculate) a coolant temperature deviation by subtracting the average coolant temperature from the preliminary highest coolant temperature (S6).

The processor 31 may determine whether the coolant temperature deviation is greater than or equal to a predetermined diagnosis reference temperature (also referred to as a threshold difference or threshold deviation) (S7).

If the coolant temperature deviation is below (e.g., less than) the diagnosis reference temperature as a result of the determination in operation S7 (e.g., falls below the diagnosis reference temperature), the processor 31 may reset the temperature storage count value (e.g., set the temperature storage count value to zero) and start from operation S0 again (S8).

If the coolant temperature deviation is greater than or equal to the diagnosis reference temperature as a result of the determination in operation S7, the processor 31 may diagnose that there is a possibility of a coolant shortage based on the monitoring during the preliminary diagnosis cycle. Hereinafter, this is referred to as “preliminary diagnosis”. Following the preliminary diagnosis, the processor 31 may, during a main diagnosis cycle, sample the coolant temperatures when each of the RPM (e.g., rotational speed) and outside air temperature conditions is met, and determine the highest coolant temperature among the sampled coolant temperatures. The processor 31 may determine that the coolant is deficient (e.g., an amount of the coolant in the engine cooling system 10 is below a threshold level) when the highest coolant temperature during the main diagnosis cycle is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold temperature. Hereinafter, this is referred to as ‘main diagnosis.

The processor may enter the main diagnosis based on the result of the determination in operation S7, and the processor 31 may request the engine RPM information (e.g., engine rotational speed information), the outside air temperature information, and the coolant temperature data from the OBD device 20 via the Bluetooth communication circuit 33 at a predetermined monitoring cycle during the main diagnosis cycle (S9).

At each monitoring cycle, the processor 31 may determine whether the sampling condition that the RPM according to the RPM information is less than or equal to a reference RPM and the outside air temperature (e.g., ambient or atmospheric temperature outside the vehicle) according to the outside air temperature information is less than or equal to a reference temperature is satisfied (S10).

If the RPM (e.g., rotational speed) and the outside air temperature satisfy the sampling conditions as a result of the determination in operation S10, the processor 31 may determine whether the coolant temperature (hereinafter, the current coolant temperature) according to the coolant temperature data in the corresponding monitoring cycle is greater than the highest coolant temperature (S11). When the RPM and the outside air temperature do not satisfy the sampling conditions as a result of the determination in operation S10, operation S9 may be performed without performing any further operations.

When the current coolant temperature is greater than the highest coolant temperature as a result of the determination in operation S11, the processor 31 may update the highest coolant temperature with the current coolant temperature (S12). The current coolant temperature when the sampling condition is satisfied for the first time upon entering the main diagnosis may be set as the first highest coolant temperature (e.g., first highest coolant temperature candidate). When the current coolant temperature is not greater than the highest coolant temperature as a result of the determination in operation S11, operation S9 may be performed without performing any further operations. That is, the highest coolant temperature is maintained.

Separate from operations S9 to S12, an operation of counting the main diagnosis cycle is performed. For example, the processor 31 may count the passage of time to generate a time count value (S13).

The processor 31 may determine whether a time count value reaches a main diagnosis period each time the time count value is generated (S14). When the time count value has not reached the main diagnosis period as a result of the determination in operation S14, operation S13 may be repeated.

When the time count value reaches the main diagnosis period as a result of the determination in operation S14, the processor 31 may determine whether the most recently updated highest coolant temperature is greater than or equal to the threshold temperature (S15).

When the highest coolant temperature is below the threshold temperature as a result of the determination in operation S15, the processor 31 may determine that there is no coolant shortage and perform operation S0 again.

When the highest coolant temperature is greater than or equal to the threshold temperature as a result of the determination in operation S15, the processor 31 may determine that the coolant is deficient (S16). In this case, the threshold temperature may be set to a temperature obtained by adding a predetermined temperature to a temperature at which the thermostat 130 is opened. For example, when the thermostat 130 opens at 82 degrees Celsius, the threshold temperature may be set to 92 degrees Celsius (=82+10).

Based on the determination that the coolant is deficient (e.g., an amount of the coolant in the engine cooling system 10 is below a threshold level), the processor 31 may transmit a signal (e.g., an abnormality code) indicating coolant shortage to the vehicle, and may cause the vehicle to display a coolant shortage message on the user terminal 30 (S17). Alternatively, the signal may indicate the amount (e.g., estimated amount) of the coolant. For example, the processor 31 may transmit an abnormality code indicating coolant shortage to the vehicle 10 via the user terminal 30. The corresponding abnormality code may be the abnormality code preset in the vehicle 10 that indicates coolant shortage. The engine cooling system 10 may display the coolant shortage via an in-vehicle display device. The processor 31 may display the coolant shortage message on a display device provided on the user terminal 30. Upon receiving the coolant shortage abnormality code, the engine cooling system 10 may notify the engine ECU 200 of the coolant shortage. In response, the engine ECU 200 may stop the operation of the engine and may stop the operation of the water pump 120.

In FIG. 1, the thermostat 130 is located in the path formed between the WTCA 100 and the radiator 2, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine cooling system.

The description of the engine cooling system 10 of FIG. 4 that is identical to the description of the engine cooling system 10 of FIG. 1 is omitted. The engine cooling system 10 of FIG. 4 may further include a thermostat 150, which is not shown in FIG. 1.

In the engine cooling system 10 of FIG. 1, a coolant introduced into the cylinder block 1b may flow via the cylinder head 1a to the WTCA 100. However, in the engine cooling system 10 of FIG. 4, a coolant introduced into the cylinder head 1a may flow to the WTCA 100 and a coolant introduced into the cylinder block 1b may flow to the WTCA 100 via the thermostat 150.

When the temperature of the coolant entering the cylinder block 1b rises to a predetermined temperature or higher, the thermostat 150 may be opened. When the thermostat 150 is opened by the coolant of the predetermined temperature or higher, the coolant from the cylinder block 1b may be discharged to the WTCA 100. The coolant from the cylinder block 1b and the cylinder head 1a may be introduced into the WTCA 100, and the temperature sensor 110 may measure a coolant temperature to generate a coolant temperature signal CTS1.

FIG. 1 shows the engine cooling system 10 as including only one temperature sensor, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the engine cooling system 20 may further include a temperature sensor for measuring a coolant temperature inside the cylinder block 1b (hereinafter referred to as the block coolant temperature).

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine cooling system.

The engine cooling system 20 of FIG. 5 further includes a temperature sensor 160. While it is illustrated that the temperature sensor 160 is in contact with a side of the cylinder block 1b, and a portion of the temperature sensor 160 is located while penetrating into the interior of the cylinder block 1b, this is by way of illustration only and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The temperature sensor 160 may be installed while penetrating into the interior of the cylinder block 1b at any suitable location to measure the block coolant temperature.

The temperature sensor 160 may measure the temperature of the coolant within the cylinder block 1b and generate a coolant temperature signal CTS2 indicative of the measured block coolant temperature. The temperature sensor 160 may transmit the coolant temperature signal CTS2 to the engine ECU 200 and the OBD device 20. The engine ECU 200 may use the coolant temperature signal CTS2 together with the coolant temperature signal CTS1 to control the operation of the water pump 120. For example, the operation of the water pump 120 may be controlled based on an average value or a maximum value of the temperature indicated by the coolant temperature signal CTS1 and the coolant temperature signal CTS2, respectively. The OBD device 20 may store the value indicated by the coolant temperature signal CTS2 transmitted from the temperature sensor 160 as block coolant temperature data.

The processor 31 may perform a preliminary diagnosis (operations S0 to S8) using the block coolant temperature data. When the coolant temperature deviation is greater than or equal to the diagnosis reference temperature as a result of the preliminary diagnosis, the processor 31 may proceed with the main diagnosis. The main diagnosis may use the coolant temperature measured by the temperature sensor 110 as shown in one or more example embodiments. The temperature sensor 160 may measure the temperature of the coolant in the cylinder block 1b and generate a coolant temperature signal CTS2 that indicates the block coolant temperature. The OBD device 20 may store the value indicated by the coolant temperature signal CTS2 as block coolant temperature data. The processor 31 may request a block coolant temperature from the OBD device 20 at regular intervals, and the OBD device 20 may transmit the block coolant temperature data to the user terminal 30 in response to the request. The user terminal 30 may receive the block coolant temperature data from the OBD device 20. The Bluetooth communication circuit 33 of the user terminal 30 may transmit the received block coolant temperature data to the processor 31. The processor 31 may determine (e.g., calculate) an average coolant temperature for the block coolant temperature data during the preliminary diagnosis period, and may determine a preliminary highest coolant temperature, which is the highest coolant temperature, by using the block coolant temperature data during the preliminary diagnosis period. The processor 31 may determine whether the coolant temperature deviation, which is the difference between the average coolant temperature and the preliminary highest coolant temperature, is greater than or equal to the diagnosis reference temperature. When the coolant temperature deviation is greater than or equal to the diagnosis reference temperature, the main diagnosis may be performed.

The coolant in the cylinder block 1b rarely flows unless the thermostat 160 is in the open state. Therefore, the coolant in the cylinder block 1b may warm up faster than the coolant flowing via the cylinder head 1a. The time of determining the warm-up of the engine 1 by using the temperature of the coolant in the cylinder block 1b may be earlier than the time of determining the warm-up of the engine 1 by using the temperature of the coolant flowing via the cylinder head 1a. The time of determining the warm-up of the engine 1 means the time when the engine 1 is determined to be warmed up. When the time the engine 1 is warmed up is earlier, the determination of the coolant shortage is fast, and thus the fast diagnosis may be made when the coolant is actually deficient. In the event of the coolant shortage, a temperature sensor 110 inside the WTCA 100 may not be immersed in the coolant to measure the internal temperature of the WTCA 100. The coolant temperature may then be measured to be less than the actual temperature because the temperature sensor 110 is measuring the temperature of the air inside the WTCA 100, even though the coolant temperature has already increased. To avoid such mis-measurements, the processor 31 may perform a preliminary diagnosis by using the block coolant temperature, which is the coolant temperature of the cylinder block 1b.

While the processor 31 may be provided in the user terminal 30 in some example embodiment(s), the disclosure is not limited thereto. The engine ECU 200 may include the processor 31.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine cooling system and a vehicle including the same.

Any identical configuration already shown in some example embodiment(s) will not be described. In the engine cooling system 30, an engine ECU 600 may include a processor 610 and a memory 620. The engine ECU 600 receives a coolant temperature signal CTS1 from the temperature sensor 110, and the coolant temperature signal CTS1 is provided to the processor 610. The processor 610 may generate coolant temperature data based on the coolant temperature signal CTS1, and may use the coolant temperature data to perform a preliminary diagnosis and a main diagnosis. The engine ECU 600 may collect RPM information and receive outside air temperature information from the temperature sensor 300. The processor 610 may store the coolant temperature data in the memory 620. The processor 610 may use the coolant temperature data stored in the memory 620 to determine whether the coolant is deficient. The memory 620 may store the coolant temperature data.

FIG. 7 shows an example computing system (e.g., a computing device of a vehicle or any other apparatus). One or more components (e.g., the ECU 200, the OBD device 20, the Bluetooth communication devices 21, 33, the processor 31, the ECU 600, the processor 610, etc.), including any controllers, processors, etc., as described herein may be implemented by the computing system or may be implemented in the computing system.

A computing system (also referred as a computer, a computing device, etc.) 1000 may include at least one processor 1100, memory 1300, a user interface input device 1400, a user interface output device 1500, a storage 1600, and a network interface 1700, which are connected with each other via a bus 1200.

The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in the memory 1300 and/or the storage 1600. Each of the memory 1300 and the storage 1600 may include various types of volatile or nonvolatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

Communication interface(s) (also referred to as communication device(s), communicator(s), communication module(s), communication unit(s), etc.), such as the network interface 1700, may allow software and/or data to be transferred between a device and one or more external devices, and/or between one or more components of a device. Communication interface(s) may include a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, a modem, a network interface and/or adapter (such as an Ethernet adapter), a radio transceiver, an antenna, a communication port, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, or the like. Software and data transferred via communication interface(s) may be in the form of signals, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, infrared, or other signals capable of being received by communication interface(s). These signals may be provided to communication interface(s) via a communication path of a device, which may be implemented using, for example, wire or cable, fiber optics, a cellular link, a radio frequency (RF) link and/or other communications channels. Communication interface(s) may communicate using one or more communication protocols, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, near-field communication (NFC), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Zigbee, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), 5G New Radio (NR), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), a controller area network (CAN), or a local interconnect network (LIN), etc.

Accordingly, the operations of the method or algorithm described in connection with example embodiment(s) disclosed in the specification may be directly implemented with a hardware module, a software module, or a combination of the hardware module and the software module, which is executed by the processor 1100. The software module may reside on a storage medium (i.e., the memory 1300 and/or the storage 1600) such as RAM, a flash memory, ROM, an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk drive, a removable disc, or a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM).

The storage medium may be coupled to the processor 1100. The processor 1100 may read out information from the storage medium and may write information in the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor 1100. The processor and storage medium may be implemented with an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may be provided in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may be implemented with separate components in the user terminal.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure, an engine cooling system may include: a water temperature controller assembly (WTCA) mechanically and physically coupled to an engine to control and distribute a flow of a coolant discharged from the engine; a first temperature sensor including a portion positioned while penetrating into an interior of the WTCA, and for measuring a temperature of a coolant discharged from the engine and generating a first coolant temperature signal indicative of the measured coolant temperature; and a processor for receiving coolant temperature data in accordance with the first coolant temperature signal, determining a highest coolant temperature, which is the highest coolant temperature during a predetermined main diagnosis period, by using the coolant temperature data, and determining whether a coolant is short based on the highest coolant temperature.

The processor may calculate an average coolant temperature for the coolant temperature data during a predetermined preliminary diagnosis period, determine a preliminary highest coolant temperature, which is the highest coolant temperature, by using the coolant temperature data during the preliminary diagnosis period, and determine the highest coolant temperature during the main diagnosis period and determine whether the coolant is short when a coolant temperature deviation, which is a difference between the average coolant temperature and the preliminary highest coolant temperature, is equal to or higher than a predetermined diagnosis reference temperature.

The processor may calculate the average coolant temperature, and determines the preliminary highest coolant temperature when the coolant temperature is maintained at a predetermined reference temperature or higher during the preliminary diagnosis period.

The processor may determine the highest coolant temperature based on an RPM and an outside air temperature of the engine during the main diagnosis period under conditions where the coolant temperature deviation is equal to or greater than the diagnosis reference temperature.

When the RPM is equal to or lower than a reference RPM and the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference temperature, the processor may update the highest coolant temperature with the current coolant temperature when the current coolant temperature is higher than the highest coolant temperature.

The processor may determine that the coolant is short when the highest coolant temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold temperature after the main diagnosis period ends.

The engine cooling system may further include a second temperature sensor that has a portion positioned while penetrating into an interior of a cylinder block of the engine, and measures a temperature of a coolant of the cylinder block and generates a second coolant temperature signal indicative of the measured block coolant temperature. The OBD device may store a value indicated by the second coolant temperature signal transmitted from the second temperature sensor as block coolant temperature data.

The processor may calculate an average coolant temperature for the block coolant temperature data during a predetermined preliminary diagnosis period, determine a preliminary highest coolant temperature for the coolant temperature data during the preliminary diagnosis period, and determine whether a coolant is short by using the highest coolant temperature when a coolant temperature deviation, which is a difference between the average coolant temperature and the preliminary highest coolant temperature, is equal to or greater than a predetermined diagnosis reference temperature.

The engine cooling system may further include: an OBD device for storing a value indicated by the first coolant temperature signal transmitted from the first temperature sensor as coolant temperature data; and a Bluetooth communication device coupled to the OBD device.

The processor may be a configuration of a user terminal, and the user terminal may receive the coolant temperature data via the Bluetooth communication device and provide the received coolant temperature data to the processor.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of determining coolant shortage of an engine cooling system may include a first temperature sensor, a processor, and a memory, the method including: measuring, by the first temperature sensor, a temperature of a coolant flowing from an engine into a water temperature controller assembly (WTCA) and generating a first coolant temperature signal indicative of the measured coolant temperature; receiving, by the processor, coolant temperature data in accordance with the first coolant temperature signal and storing the received coolant temperature data in the memory, and determining a highest coolant temperature, which is the highest coolant temperature during a predetermined main diagnosis period, by using the coolant temperature data; and determining, by the processor, coolant shortage when the highest coolant temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold temperature after the main diagnosis period ends.

The method may further include: calculating, by the processor, an average coolant temperature for the coolant temperature data during a predetermined preliminary diagnosis period; determining, by the processor, a preliminary highest coolant temperature, which is the highest coolant temperature, by using the coolant temperature data during the preliminary diagnosis period; and determining, by the processor, whether a coolant temperature deviation, which is a difference between the average coolant temperature and the preliminary highest coolant temperature, is equal to or higher than a predetermined diagnosis reference temperature.

When the coolant temperature deviation is equal to or higher than the predetermined diagnosis reference temperature, an operation of determining a highest coolant temperature that is the highest coolant temperature during the main diagnosis period may be performed.

The calculating of the average coolant temperature and the determining of the preliminary highest coolant temperature may be performed when the coolant temperature is maintained at a predetermined reference temperature or higher during the preliminary diagnosis period.

The determining of the highest coolant temperature may include, during the main diagnosis period, when the RPM is equal to or lower than a reference RPM and the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference temperature, updating the highest coolant temperature with the current coolant temperature when the current coolant temperature is higher than the highest coolant temperature.

The method may further include: measuring, by a second temperature sensor, a temperature of a coolant of a cylinder block of the engine and generating a second coolant temperature signal indicative of the measured block coolant temperature; calculating, by the processor, an average coolant temperature for the block coolant temperature data according to the second coolant temperature signal during a predetermined preliminary diagnosis period; determining, by the processor, a preliminary highest coolant temperature, which is the highest coolant temperature, by using the block coolant temperature data during the preliminary diagnosis period; and determining, by the processor, whether a coolant temperature deviation, which is a difference between the average coolant temperature and the preliminary highest coolant temperature, is equal to or greater than a predetermined diagnosis reference temperature. When the coolant temperature deviation is equal to or higher than the diagnose reference temperature, an operation of determining a highest coolant temperature, which is the highest coolant temperature during the main diagnosis period, may be performed.

The method may further include: storing, by an OBD device, a value indicated by the second coolant temperature signal transmitted from the second temperature sensor as block coolant temperature data; and transmitting the block coolant temperature data to the processor via a Bluetooth communication device coupled to the OBD device.

The method may further include: storing, by an OBD device, a value indicated by the first coolant temperature signal transmitted from the first temperature sensor as coolant temperature data; and transmitting the coolant temperature data to the processor via a Bluetooth communication device coupled to the OBD device.

Some embodiments may provide the method of determining whether a coolant is short by using a coolant temperature and an engine cooling system using the same. In particular, some embodiments may provide the method of determining whether a coolant is short only by measuring a temperature of a coolant discharged an engine when a mechanical thermostat is connected between the radiator and the engine, and an engine cooling system.

While one or more example embodiments are described in the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the example embodiment(s), but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.