Engine Cooling Pore Clogging Detection via Pump Idling Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine cooling systems face erroneous determinations of pore clogging due to similarities in coolant temperature increase patterns between actual clogging and coolant pump idling, leading to potential temperature unevenness and reduced engine lifetime.
Innovation Solution
A pore clogging determination apparatus and method that utilize a CPU connected to an ECU, which tentatively determines clogging based on coolant temperature increases at the engine outlet, checks for coolant pump idling by adjusting pump speed, and finalizes the determination by distinguishing between actual clogging and idling through rotation speed analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If coolant pump speed is increased to verify clogging, then clogging determination accuracy improves, but system complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by temporarily increasing coolant pump speed before finalizing the clogging determination. This preliminary speed increase allows the system to check whether coolant flow improves, providing additional diagnostic information before making a final clogging assessment
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback by monitoring coolant temperature changes and pump speed responses. After temporarily increasing pump speed, the system observes whether coolant temperature decreases (indicating improved flow) or remains unchanged (indicating clogging), using this feedback to refine the final determination
2Reliability
If coolant pump speed is increased to check for idling, then determination reliability improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by temporarily and moderately increasing coolant pump speed only for the duration needed to check for idling conditions. The pump speed is increased just enough to detect whether the pump is idle, without sustained excessive operation that would cause significant energy waste
Solution Approach 2:
The coolant pump speed increase is performed periodically rather than continuously. The system temporarily increases pump speed at specific diagnostic intervals, checks for idling, and then returns to normal operation, thereby limiting energy consumption to only when necessary for accurate determination
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively suppresses erroneous clogging determinations, enhancing the reliability of pore clogging assessments and preventing temperature unevenness in the engine cooling system.
Implementation Method 1
a first temperature sensor configured to detect a coolant temperature at the engine outlet
Implementation Method 2
the CPU determines that the coolant pump is idling when an actual rotation speed of the coolant pump obtained by a rotation speed sensor is higher than a target rotation speed obtained from the ECU
Data Source
AI summary
The pore clogging determination apparatus tentatively determines clogging of a pore (micropore) based on the rate of increase in a coolant temperature at an engine outlet. When the presence of pore clogging has been tentatively determined, the apparatus increases a rotation speed of a coolant pump to determine whether or not the coolant pump is idling. When it has been determined that the coolant pump is idling, the apparatus finalizes the determination of the clogging of the pore (micropore). This suppresses an erroneous determination of clogging of the pore that allows the coolant to flow in an engine cooling system.