Heat exchanging system for vehicle and control method thereof

Abstract

A heat exchange system for a vehicle may include a heat exchanger to transfer heat among a coolant, an automatic transmission oil, and/or a gear oil, an engine fluidly connected to the heat exchanger and adapted to deliver/receive the coolant, an automatic transmission fluidly connected to the heat exchanger and adapted to deliver/receive the automatic transmission oil, a differential apparatus fluidly connected to the heat exchanger and adapted to deliver/receive the gear oil, a pump adapted to pump the gear oil, and a control unit adapted to control the pump. A control method is also provided.

1 . A heat exchange system for a vehicle, comprising:
 a heat exchanger adapted to transfer heat among a coolant, an automatic transmission oil, and/or a gear oil;   an engine fluidly connected to the heat exchanger and adapted to deliver the coolant to the heat exchanger or to receive the coolant from the heat exchanger;   an automatic transmission fluidly connected to the heat exchanger and adapted to deliver the automatic transmission oil to the heat exchanger or to receive the automatic transmission oil from the heat exchanger;   a differential apparatus fluidly connected to the heat exchanger and adapted to deliver the gear oil to the heat exchanger or to receive the gear oil from the heat exchanger;   a pump adapted to pump the gear oil; and   a control unit adapted to control the pump.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchange system of  claim 1 , wherein a coolant pathway through which the coolant flows, a transmission oil pathway through which the automatic transmission oil flows, and a gear oil pathway through which the gear oil flows are formed in the heat exchanger, and the coolant pathway, the transmission oil pathway, and the gear oil pathway are not fluidly communicated with each other. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchange system of  claim 2 , wherein the coolant, the automatic transmission oil, and/or the gear oil transfer heat with each other during passing respectively through the coolant pathway, the transmission oil pathway, and/or the gear oil pathway. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchange system of  claim 1 , wherein the pump is provided at the differential apparatus. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchange system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is adapted to receive information on the coolant, the automatic transmission oil, and/or the gear oil, and to control a rotation speed of the pump or to turn on or off the pump selectively based on the information. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchange system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a heater adapted to receive the coolant from the engine, warm up the coolant and return the coolant back to the engine; and   a radiator adapted to receive the coolant from the engine, cool the coolant and return the coolant back to the engine.   
     
     
         7 . A control method of a heat exchange system which circulates a coolant through an engine, a gear oil through a differential apparatus with a pump, and an automatic transmission oil through an automatic transmission, the method comprising:
 determining whether information on temperatures of the coolant, the automatic transmission oil, and the gear oil is received during an operation of the engine;   calculating a rotation speed of the pump according to the information if the information is received; and   operating the pump according to the calculated rotation speed.   
     
     
         8 . The control method of  claim 7 , wherein the pump is operated at a safe mode if the information is not received. 
     
     
         9 . The control method of  claim 7 , wherein the pump is operated only when the engine operates. 
     
     
         10 . The control method of  claim 7 , further comprising diagnosing the pump if a vehicle is in a key-on state before the engine operates. 
     
     
         11 . A control method of a heat exchange system which circulates a coolant through an engine, a gear oil through a differential apparatus with a pump, and an automatic transmission oil through an automatic transmission, the method comprising:
 determining whether information on temperatures of the coolant, the automatic transmission oil, and the gear oil is received during an operation of the engine; and   turning on or off the pump selectively based on the information if the information is received.   
     
     
         12 . The control method of  claim 11 , wherein the pump is turned off to prevent heat loss of the coolant when a coolant temperature is lower than a first predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         13 . The control method of  claim 12 , wherein the pump is turned on to increase a heat-exchange efficiency between the oil and the coolant when the coolant temperature is higher than or equal to the first predetermined temperature and an oil temperature is lower than a second predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         14 . The control method of  claim 13 , wherein the pump is turned off to minimize wasting energy of the heat exchange system when the oil temperature is higher than or equal to the second predetermined temperature and is lower than a third predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         15 . The control method of  claim 14 , wherein the pump is turned on to prevent overheating of the automatic transmission and the differential apparatus when the oil temperature is higher than or equal to a third predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         16 . The control method of  claim 11 , wherein the pump is operated at a safe mode if the information is not received. 
     
     
         17 . The control method of  claim 11 , wherein the pump is operated only when the engine operates. 
     
     
         18 . The control method of  claim 11 , further comprising diagnosing the pump if a vehicle is in a key-on state before the engine operates. 
     
     
         19 . The control method of  10 , further comprising operating a warning device to alert a drive if the pump is not operated normally. 
     
     
         20 . The control method of  19 , wherein the warning device is a warning lamp.