Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Hassan Farhat

Ravi Gopal

Yixin Yao

Rajit Johri

A vehicle includes first and second fuel-cell stacks, a first coolant circuit including conduit arranged to circulate coolant through the first fuel-cell stack, and a second coolant circuit including conduit arranged to circulate coolant through the second fuel-cell stack. A heater is in fluid communication with at least the first coolant circuit. A valve arrangement is configured to proportion a flow of coolant between the first and second coolant circuits. The valve arrangement has an isolation position in which the first and second circuits are not in fluid communication and at least one mixing position in which the first and second circuits are in fluid communication. A controller is programmed to operate the value based on sensed conditions.

Thermal management system for fuel cell vehicle having multiple fuel-cell stacks

A vehicle includes first and second fuel-cell stacks, a first coolant circuit having conduit arranged to circulate coolant through the first fuel-cell stack, a second coolant circuit having conduit arranged to circulate coolant through the second fuel-cell stack, a heater in fluid communication with at least the first coolant circuit, and an isolation valve assembly configured to proportion a flow of coolant between the first and second coolant circuits. The isolation valve assembly includes valving. The valving has an isolation position in which the first and second circuits are isolated. The valving also has at least one mixing position in which the first and second circuits are in fluid communication.

A differential assembly include a housing defining an oil sump, a differential disposed in the housing, and a thermal-management system. The system includes an oil pump in fluid communication with the sump, a spool valve having an inlet connected to the pump, a first outlet, a second outlet, and a spool slidable to a first position in which the inlet is in fluid communication with the first outlet and to a second position in which the inlet is in fluid communication with the second outlet. The spool valve further has a chamber containing wax configured to move the spool according to a temperature of the wax such that the spool is in the first position when the temperature of the wax is within a first temperature range and is in the second position when the temperature of the wax is within a second temperature range.

Differential with passive thermal-management system

Methods and system for operating a vehicle cooling system are described. In one example, the vehicle cooling system cools a heat generating device via a fan and pump. A speed of the fan is commanded by a feedback controller with possible neural network predictive control to track a variable temperature reference that is based on thermal load estimation. A disturbance observer may be applied to observe thermal load and an observer-based observer may be used to generate the temperature reference so that the power consumption of a fan is minimized.

Method and system for vehicle cooling systems

A vehicle has an internal combustion engine, an accessory, and a system having first and second belts extending between a drive assembly rotatably connected to a crankshaft of the engine and a driven assembly rotatably connected to a driveshaft of the accessory. One of the drive and driven assemblies comprises a mechanism with a shaft supporting first and second pulleys, with the first and second pulleys associated with the first and second belts, respectively. The first pulley is selectively engaged with the shaft in response to an engine speed being below a threshold value, and the second pulley is selectively engaged with the shaft in response to the engine speed being above the threshold value.

Mechanism for a two-speed engine accessory drive system in a vehicle

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting operation of each of a pump and a fan of an engine cooling system. In one example, a method may include adjusting a speed of the pump and a speed of the fan based on one or more of a temperature of coolant entering a heat exchanger of the cooling system, a temperature of air exiting the heat exchanger, and a temperature of air entering the heat exchanger.

System and method for engine cooling system

A differential assembly includes a housing defining an oil sump, a differential disposed in the housing, and a thermal-management system. The thermal-management system includes an oil pump in fluid communication with the sump, an oil-to-air heat exchanger external to the housing, and a passive valve assembly. The passive valve assembly has an inlet connected to the pump, a first outlet connected to the heat exchanger, and a second outlet connected to a conduit disposed within the housing. The valve assembly further has a valve movable to a first position in which the inlet and the first outlet are in fluid communication and to a second position in which the inlet and the second outlet are in fluid communication. The valve is configured to be in the first position in response to the oil exceeding a first threshold temperature.

Methods and systems are provided for variable thermal capacity charge air cooler (VTC-CAC). In one example, the VTC-CAC includes a plurality of cooling channels and an integrated bypass that diverts air around the cooling channels. Division of boosted intake air between the cooling channels and the bypass is regulated by a positioning of dual-gate mechanism that is adjusted in response to manifold charge temperature.

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Hassan Farhat