Engine Cooling Multiway Valve Anti-Freeze Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Under extremely low temperature conditions, coolant freezing in the engine's coolant circuit can lead to blockages, causing the multiway valve to become inoperable and resulting in increased pressure within the circuit, which necessitates higher pressure resistance performance in circuit components, increasing manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
The cooling device includes a multiway valve with an electronic control unit that controls the discharge ports to ensure at least one port remains open when the ignition switch is turned off, preventing all ports from closing and reducing the likelihood of blockages and pressure rise, while also optimizing port configurations based on outside air temperature to avoid refreezing and enhance heat utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If coolant stop control is performed by closing all discharge ports of the multiway valve, then heat retention in the engine is improved, but the risk of coolant freezing and pressure rise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic control unit performs preliminary action by controlling the multiway valve to maintain at least one discharge port in the open state before coolant freezing can occur. This preventive measure ensures that the coolant circulation path remains open, allowing the pump to discharge coolant even under extremely low temperature conditions, thereby preventing blockage and pressure rise while still enabling heat retention when needed.
2Strength
If higher pressure resistance performance is required for coolant circuit parts, then the ability to withstand freezing pressure is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by maintaining a open discharge port state that acts as a pressure relief path. This preventive measure cushions against the harmful effect of pressure rise that would occur during coolant freezing, eliminating the need to design coolant circuit parts with higher pressure resistance performance and thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
3Loss of energy
If all discharge ports are closed in the multiway valve, then coolant circulation is stopped for heat retention, but the multiway valve may become inoperable when coolant freezes
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic control unit performs preliminary action by controlling the multiway valve to maintain at least one discharge port in the open state before coolant freezing can occur. This preventive measure ensures that the coolant circulation path remains open, allowing the pump to discharge coolant even under extremely low temperature conditions, thereby preventing blockage and pressure rise while still enabling heat retention when needed.
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
This approach reduces the time to resolve blockages, lowers the maximum pressure in the coolant circuit, and allows for the use of less expensive components, thereby decreasing manufacturing costs while preventing coolant refreezing and delayed engine warm-up.
Implementation Method 1
a coolant flows from the pump through the inside of the engine
Implementation Method 2
a radiator route passing through the radiator
Implementation Method 3
a radiator route passing through the radiator
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device for an engine includes a radiator route passing through a radiator, that are merged together after being branched on the downstream side from the inside of the engine in a coolant circuit configured to allow a coolant to flow from a pump through the inside of the engine and return to the pump. An at-stop control section provided in the cooling device controls a multiway valve that has three discharge ports, including a radiator port connected to the radiator route, so as to close the radiator port and open at least one of the other discharge ports when an ignition switch is turned off.