MOTOR VEHICLE COMPRISING A MEANS FOR COUNTING VENTILATION FLAP Actuations, METHOD AND PROGRAM BASED ON SUCH A VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising: - a grille (K) including a cooling system which includes ventilation flaps (V) actuable between closed and open positions, either opposing or allowing airflow; - at least one controller (S) connected to the flaps (V), said controller comprising: - a means (C) for counting flap actuations; - at least one warning means (A) sending an alert if the number of flap (V) actuations reaches a first predetermined threshold; - at least one means (B) for locking the flaps in the open position, commanding the flaps (V) to be locked in the open position if the number of flap (V) actuations reaches a second predetermined threshold higher than the first threshold. The invention also relates to a method and a program based on such a vehicle. Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: MOTOR VEHICLE COMPRISING A COUNTING MEANS Actuation of ventilation flaps, method and program based on such a vehicle

[0001] The invention relates to the field of monitoring systems for cooling vent flaps in the grilles of motor vehicles. This type of ventilation is intended to ensure the integrity of the vehicle's cooling components.

[0002] Currently, there are few systems for monitoring the age of the ventilation flap actuation. If a failure occurs in the actuation of these flaps, they can become stuck in the closed position, thus limiting the cooling level of the cooling system. Consequently, poorly cooled components can experience derating due to overheating. As a result, the vehicle's performance is restricted and its fuel efficiency is reduced.

[0003] Document WO2013188068A1 describes a system and method for diagnosing an active grille shutter system. The method consists of receiving at least one mechanical fault status signal, such a signal indicating that a particular mechanical fault state has been detected in the system. The method also consists of receiving a temperature signal indicating the temperature at a location near the system's grille shutter and determining whether to perform extended diagnostics, at least on the basis of the mechanical fault status signal and the temperature signal. This type of system appears complex and can be simplified.

[0004] One objective of the present invention is to remedy the defects of the prior art, and in particular to propose a simplified solution for checking the age of ventilation shutters, and to avoid shutters being blocked in the closed position due to defective operation.

[0005] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes a motor vehicle comprising a grille which includes a cooling system comprising ventilation flaps actuable between a closed position in which the ventilation flaps oppose an airflow, and an open position in which the ventilation flaps do not oppose an airflow; and at least one controller connected to the ventilation flaps, said controller comprising: - a counting device that counts the number of times the ventilation flaps are activated; - at least one means of alerting that sends an alert if the number of times the ventilation flaps are activated reaches a first predetermined threshold; - at least one means of locking the flaps in the open position, controlling a locking of the flaps in the open position if the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps reaches a second predetermined threshold higher than the first threshold.

[0006] Advantageously, the invention prevents malfunctions in the actuation of ventilation flaps due to excessive actuation. Furthermore, the invention assists the maintenance department in diagnosing these flap actuations through a simplified diagnostic process.

[0007] Counting shutter activations serves two purposes: - notify the maintenance department of a potential problem activating the shutters after a certain threshold of activations; and - a locking of the flaps in an open position (therefore full cooling) in the event of reaching a second threshold of the number of activations.

[0008] The advantage is to ensure monitoring of the aging of the shutter actuation to avoid having the shutters blocked in the closed position in case of age of the shutter actuation; and thus ensure actuation of the shutters within a range of number of actuations validated by the supplier.

[0009] Preferably, the motor vehicle further includes a diagnostic means equipped with a memory, connected to said controller, characterized in that said controller transmits the alert to the diagnostic means and records it in said memory.

[0010] This allows the fault to be reported to the maintenance service which has access to the diagnostic means.

[0011] Preferably, the first threshold is between 17000 and 19000, and is preferably 18000.

[0012] This allows the use of a number of actuations beyond which the control of the flaps generally begins to deteriorate in current technologies.

[0013] Preferably, the second threshold is between 19000 and 21000, and is preferably 20000 in current technologies.

[0014] This allows the use of a number of actuations beyond which the control of the flaps is generally degraded.

[0015] The invention also relates to a method for monitoring the ventilation flaps of a motor vehicle according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - a counting step in which the number of times the ventilation flaps are actuations is counted; - an alert stage in which an alert is sent if the number of ventilation flap actuations reaches a first predetermined threshold; - a blocking step in which the flaps are blocked in the open position if the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps reaches a second predetermined threshold higher than the first threshold.

[0016] Preferably, the monitoring method further includes a diagnostic step in which an aging diagnosis is performed in the event of an alert, and the diagnosis is recorded in a memory.

[0017] Preferably, the first threshold is between 17000 and 19000, and is preferably 18000.

[0018] Preferably, the second threshold is between 19000 and 21000, and is preferably 20000.

[0019] Another object of the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of the monitoring method according to the invention, when said program is running on a computer.

[0020] The invention will be further detailed by the description of non-limiting embodiments, and on the basis of the attached [Fig. 1] schematically illustrating a control architecture for ventilation flaps of a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0021] The invention proposes a method for monitoring the aging of the ventilation flaps / flaps of a motor vehicle grille K. These are motorized flaps V (called MEAP), located on the vehicle's cooling front panel. When necessary to cool one or more components of the powertrain, they can be opened to allow a greater quantity of air to pass through, thereby increasing heat exchange with the radiator. This allows for more effective cooling of the vehicle's heat transfer fluid.

[0022] When cooling is not required, the V flaps are closed to reduce the airflow to the radiator of the vehicle's cooling front; closing the V flaps also helps to improve the vehicle's penetration coefficient.

[0023] The ventilation flaps V are closed when the vehicle is switched off, and remain closed as long as there is no need to cool one or more components of the powertrain.

[0024] There may be two ventilation flaps V, one on each side of the radiator on the cooling front panel. Alternatively, there may be only one ventilation flap per cooling front panel.

[0025] The V-shaped flaps are not intended to completely block the airflow to the radiator. Generally, they only open to allow more air to flow into the radiator. When they are closed, some air still enters the radiator, but the difference in the amount of air flowing into the radiator is almost 40% greater when the V-shaped flaps are open.

[0026] We have developed a function "counting the number of activations of the V flaps". This function consists of counting the number of activations of the V flaps.

[0027] The actuation of the ventilation flaps V is controlled by at least one controller. In the preferred configuration, the controller used is the powertrain supervisor S. The flaps V move from the "open" state to the "closed" state and from the "closed" state to the "open" state, upon instruction from the supervisor S.

[0028] Thus, the function "counting the number of activations of shutter actuations" increments the counter (which we will call C here) at each change of setpoint of the supervisor S, that is to say when the supervisor S requests the change of state of the shutters V.

[0029] In summary, the function "counting the number of activations of the shutters V" stores in its read-only memory that the shutters V are in the "open" or "closed" position, but when the supervisor S requests the change of state of the shutters V to the "open" position (when the function has the "closed" position of the shutters in memory) or to the "closed" position (when the function has the "open" position of the shutters in memory), the function "counting the number of activations of the shutters" notes that the setpoint is no longer similar to the value stored in its read-only memory, and therefore the function increments the counter C by 1.

[0030] Counter C is initialized at the manufacturing plant to the value 0 and the maintenance department can only reset this counter to 0 when a control solenoid valve is changed by the maintenance department.

[0031] The function has 2 thresholds: - a first threshold, which is a simple alert threshold, which we will call Threshold; and - a second threshold, which is a blocking threshold in the "open" position of the V flaps, which we will call Threshold2.

[0032] Threshold is calibrable during the development of the "counting the number of activations of shutter actuations" function, and is currently calibrated at 18,000 activations (optimal value).

[0033] Threshold2 is calibrable during the development of the "counting the number of activations of shutter actuations" function, and is currently calibrated at 20,000 activations (optimal value).

[0034] In use, when the value of counter C becomes greater than or equal to the threshold value, the "counting the number of flap actuation activations" function sends a fault code to the BSI controller (diagnostic means D).

[0035] When the maintenance service finds this fault code during vehicle servicing, they are asked to check the operation and condition of the actuator of the V ventilation flaps. This remains invisible to the user, i.e. without a "service" light, without an alert on the dashboard, and without a message.

[0036] Reaching this first threshold is purely transparent to users.

[0037] On the other hand, when the value of counter C becomes greater than or equal to the value of threshold2, the function "counting the number of activations of shutter actuations" performs the following reconfiguration, which takes place in 2 steps.

[0038] In the first step, the "actuator activation count" function inhibits the control of the V flaps by the supervisor S; that is, the supervisor S requests the V flap actuator to move to the "open" position and can no longer request the solenoid valve to return to the "closed" position. The aim is that, once threshold 2 is reached, the V flap actuator is no longer used and the cooling airflow to the cooling front panel is always at its maximum to ensure optimal cooling of the heat transfer circuit components.

[0039] In the second step, the function sends another fault code to the BSI controller (diagnostic means D) and requests the illumination of a service light on the dashboard, to indicate to users to go to the maintenance service to have their vehicle checked.

[0040] When the maintenance service finds this second fault code, they are asked to check the condition of the V flaps, replace the V flap actuator, and reset counter C to 0, once the V flap actuator has been changed.

[0041] Preferably, the value of the "C" counter is accessible at any time to the maintenance service via a request in the diagnostic tool of said service, so that it can have visibility on the number of occurrences of the activation of the V shutters.

[0042] The invention further relates to a method and program for monitoring ventilation flaps implementing the elements described above. The program can be loaded into the memory of one or more controllers.

Claims

Demands

1. A motor vehicle comprising a grille (K) which includes a cooling system comprising ventilation flaps (V) actuable between a closed position in which the ventilation flaps (V) oppose an airflow, and an open position in which the ventilation flaps (V) do not oppose an airflow; and at least one controller (S) connected to the ventilation flaps (V), said controller comprising: - a counting means (C) counting the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps; - at least one warning means (A) sending a warning if the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps (V) reaches a first predetermined threshold; - at least one means for locking the flaps in the open position, commanding a locking of the flaps (V) in the open position if the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps (V) reaches a second predetermined threshold greater than the first threshold.

2. Motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a diagnostic means (D) equipped with a memory, connected to said controller (S), characterized in that said controller (S) transmits the alert to the diagnostic means (D) and records it in said memory.

3. Motor vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the first threshold is between 17000 and 19000, and is preferably 18000.

4. Motor vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second threshold is between 19000 and 21000, and is preferably 20000.

5. A method for monitoring the ventilation flaps of a motor vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - a counting step in which the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps (V) is counted; - an alert step in which an alert is sent if the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps (V) reaches a first predetermined threshold; - a blocking step in which the flaps (V) are blocked in the open position if the number of actuations of the ventilation flaps (V) reaches a second predetermined threshold greater than the first threshold.

6. A monitoring method according to claim 5, further comprising a diagnostic step in which an aging diagnosis is performed in the event of an alert, and the diagnosis is recorded in a memory.

7. A monitoring method according to any one of claims 5 to 6, characterized in that the first threshold is between 17000 and 19000, and is preferably 18000.

8. A monitoring method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the second threshold is between 19000 and 21000, and is preferably 20000.

9. Computer program comprising program code instructions for performing the steps of the monitoring method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, when said program is running on a computer.

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