Ventilator System for a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a ventilator system, especially for cooling the engine of a motor vehicle, said system comprising at least one ventilator provided with a ventilator motor, a control appliance, and an actuator for an air flap. The inventive ventilator system also comprises a ventilator control system which is integrated thereinto and is used to autonomously control the ventilator motor(s) and the actuator(s) for air flaps.

1 . A ventilator system, in particular for cooling a motor vehicle engine, which has at least one ventilator with a ventilator motor, a control apparatus and an actuator for an air flap, wherein the ventilator system has a ventilator control which is integrated into the latter and which independently controls the ventilator motor or ventilator motors and the actuator or actuators for air flaps.  
   
   
       2 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ventilator control is connected to the vehicle-side control.  
   
   
       3 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein ventilator control is essentially independent of the vehicle-side control, said ventilator control receiving a switch-on and/or a switch-off signal from the vehicle-side control.  
   
   
       4 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the ventilator control is essentially independent of the vehicle-side control, said ventilator control receiving a signal relating to the cooling requirement of the engine from the vehicle-side control.  
   
   
       5 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the ventilator control is essentially independent of the vehicle-side control, said ventilator control receiving a signal relating to the driving speed from the vehicle-side control.  
   
   
       6 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the ventilator control is essentially independent of the vehicle-side control, said ventilator control receiving a signal relating to the air temperature from the vehicle-side control.  
   
   
       7 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ventilator control is connected to at least one sensor for the coolant temperature and/or the engine power and/or the flow velocity of the air in the region of the ventilator and/or the air temperature, the measurement values of the sensor or sensors being used for controlling the ventilator motor or ventilator motors and the actuator or actuators for the air flaps.  
   
   
       8 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ventilator control has at least one sensor for detecting the position of the air flaps or of the actuators.  
   
   
       9 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the at least one sensor is part of a sensor system integrated into an actuator control.  
   
   
       10 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ventilator control is arranged on or in a ventilator motor housing and is connected to the vehicle-side control via an interface.  
   
   
       11 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ventilator control is connected to a remaining vehicle-side control via an interface, in particular a standard interface, such as a CAN bus or a LIN bus, while a parameter transfer and/or a programming of the ventilator control can take place via the interface.  
   
   
       12 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein an internal ventilator bus system is provided.  
   
   
       13 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein automatic control apparatus detection for a single unit or a master unit and for one or more slave units is provided.  
   
   
       14 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein, in a ventilator system with two ventilators, a FAIL-SAVE mode is provided, which makes it possible, in the event of a failure of the master unit, for the slave unit to continue to operate automatically.  
   
   
       15 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ventilator system has two ventilators with ventilator motors and two actuators for air flaps, the ventilators and actuators being designed identically.  
   
   
       16 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein an energy-saving mode can be regulated by means of the ventilator control, the energy-saving mode comprising, in particular, an at least partly open air flap position and an at least reduced rotational speed of the ventilator motor  
   
   
       17 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a maximum rotational speed of the ventilator motor in the case of high driving speeds can be set by means of the ventilator control.  
   
   
       18 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a hot-running mode can be regulated by means of the ventilator control, the hot-running mode comprising, in particular, a closed air flap position and a switched-off ventilator motor.  
   
   
       19 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a follow-up mode after a stop of the vehicle engine can be regulated by means of the ventilator control.  
   
   
       20 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein both the desired position of the air flap and a desired rotational speed of the ventilator motor can be transmitted by means of a coded signal.  
   
   
       21 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the coded signal is a pulse width modulated signal, a first pulse width range being assigned a first air flap position and a second pulse width range being assigned a second air flap position.  
   
   
       22 . The ventilator system as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein one pulse width range is assigned a variable desired rotational speed of the ventilator motor which is dependent on the pulse width.  
   
   
       23 . A control method for operating a ventilator system for cooling a motor vehicle engine, comprising the following steps: 
 a. determination of at least one parameter which is dependent on an operating state of the motor vehicle engine;    b. derivation of a desired position of an air flap and of a desired rotational speed for a ventilator motor as a function of the parameter;    c. activation of the air flap to reach the desired position and of the ventilator motor to reach the desired rotational speed.    
   
   
       24 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the parameter comprises information on an activation state of the motor vehicle engine, in the case of nonactivation a decision being made on a follow-up control of the ventilator system.  
   
   
       25 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein a decision on a hot-running mode is made, in the hot-running mode an air flap being closed and a ventilator motor being deactivated.  
   
   
       26 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein a decision on an energy-saving mode is made, in the energy-saving mode an air flap being open and the ventilator motor being operated with at least reduced power.  
   
   
       27 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein a decision on the desired position of the air flap and the desired position of the ventilator rotational speed is made, one of the decision possibilities comprising a desired rotational speed of the ventilator motor which is between zero and a maximum rotational speed.  
   
   
       28 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the method steps are combined, overall, into a callable control sequence in the manner of a subroutine, the subroutine being called up from a loop.  
   
   
       29 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the ventilator system can be initialized by means of a starting signal of the motor vehicle.  
   
   
       30 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein after initialization, a programming of the control system can take place by means of the motor vehicle.  
   
   
       31 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein a first ventilator motor is initialized by means of first control electronics as a master system and at least one second ventilator motor is initialized by means of second control electronics as a slave system, one of the two, the master or the slave system, receiving operating data from the other system in each case, and the other system in each case receiving operating data from the motor vehicle.  
   
   
       32 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein in the course of a periodic control loop, a first ventilator motor is detected by means of first control electronics as a master system and at least one second ventilator motor is detected by means of second control electronics as a slave system, one of the two, the master or the slave system, receiving operating data from the other system in each case, and the other system in each case receiving operating data from the motor vehicle.  
   
   
       33 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein a first ventilator motor is initialized by means of first control electronics as a master system and at least one second ventilator motor is initialized by means of second control electronics as a slave system, each of the two, the master or the slave system, exchanging operating data with the motor vehicle.  
   
   
       34 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein a fault management of the ventilator system is activatable.  
   
   
       35 . The control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the ventilator system is a ventilator system as claimed in one of  claims 1  to  22 .  
   
   
       36 . A device for cooling a coolant of a motor vehicle, comprising control electronics with a program-controlled processor, a control method as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein being implemented by means of a program.