Diagnosing a cooling subsystem of an engine system in response to dynamic pressure sensed in the subsystem

Abstract

A method of diagnosing a cooling subsystem of an engine system in response a parameter extracted from dynamic hydraulic pressure sensed in the cooling subsystem, and products and systems using same.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An engine system comprising: an engine;
 a cooling subsystem coupled to the engine to cool at least a portion of the engine and including at least one hydraulic pressure sensor to sense dynamic hydraulic pressure in the cooling subsystem; and   said cooling subsystem comprising a HT cooling subsystem and a LT cooling subsystem; and   a control subsystem to extract a parameter from the sensed dynamic hydraulic pressure, and to evaluate the extracted parameter to diagnose a condition of the cooling subsystem.   
     
     
         2 . The engine system of  claim 1  wherein the extracted parameter is at least one of acceleration, period, amplitude, frequency, wavelength, intensity, velocity, or direction. 
     
     
         3 . The engine system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one condition includes at least one of a device malfunction, device failure, device position, coolant leakage, coolant boiling, coolant volume flow, coolant volume flow splits, coolant pressure differential, or coolant temperature. 
     
     
         4 . The engine system of  claim 1  wherein the cooling subsystem further comprises at least one pump, and said hydraulic pressure sensor is located in proximity to said at least one pump to assess at least one condition of said at least one pump. 
     
     
         5 . The engine system of  claim 4  wherein the wherein said cooling subsystem further comprises at least one thermostat valve, and at least one hydraulic pressure sensor is also located in proximity to the thermostat valve to assess at least one condition of the thermostat valve. 
     
     
         6 . A method comprising:
 sensing dynamic hydraulic pressure in a cooling subsystem of an engine system; said cooling subsystem comprising a HT cooling subsystem and a LT cooling subsystem;   extracting a parameter from the sensed dynamic hydraulic pressure; and   evaluating the extracted parameter to diagnose a condition of the cooling subsystem.