System and method for controlling water pump of vehicle having water-cooled intercooler

Abstract

A water pump control system of a vehicle having a water-cooled intercooler includes: the water-cooled intercooler cooling intake air that is injected from the outside through heat exchange with coolant; an electric water pump that selectively supplies coolant to the water-cooled intercooler using an electric motor; and a controller that controls the electric water pump using a heat releasing amount of intake air passing through the water-cooled intercooler.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A water pump control system of a vehicle having a water-cooled intercooler, the water pump control system comprising:
 the water-cooled intercooler that cools an intake air that is injected from an outside through heat exchange with a coolant;   an electric water pump (EWP) that selectively supplies the coolant to the water-cooled intercooler using an electric motor; and   a controller that controls the EWP using a heat releasing amount of the intake air passing through the water-cooled intercooler.   
     
     
         2 . The water pump control system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first temperature sensor that is provided at a front end of the water-cooled intercooler to measure a temperature of the inflow air that is injected into the water-cooled intercooler; and   a second temperature sensor that is provided at a rear end of the water-cooled intercooler to measure a temperature of the inflow air that is discharged from the water-cooled intercooler.   
     
     
         3 . The water pump control system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller determines a heat releasing amount of intake air from a difference between intake temperatures that are detected by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor and an intake air amount that passes through the water-cooled intercooler. 
     
     
         4 . The water pump control system of  claim 3 , wherein the heat releasing amount of intake air is determined by an equation
     Q=c·m·dT     where Q is a heat releasing amount of intake air, c is a specific heat of intake air, m is an intake amount passing through the water-cooled intercooler, and dT is a temperature difference between the front end and the rear end of the water-cooled intercooler.   
     
     
         5 . The water pump control system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second temperature sensor that is provided at a rear end of the water-cooled intercooler to measure a temperature of the inflow air that is discharged from the water-cooled intercooler;   a turbocharger comprising a turbine that rotates by exhaust gas that is discharged from a combustion chamber of an engine and a compressor that rotates by interlocking with a rotation of the turbine and that compresses the intake air; and   a hot-film mass air flow (HFM) sensor that is provided at a front end of the compressor,   wherein the controller determines a heat releasing amount of intake air from a temperature of intake air that is detected by the HFM sensor, a temperature of intake air that is detected by the second temperature sensor, and an air amount passing through the water-cooled intercooler.   
     
     
         6 . The water pump control system of  claim 5 , wherein the controller estimates a temperature of a front end of the water-cooled intercooler using a temperature that is detected by the HFM sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The water pump control system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller turns on operation of the EWP when a heat releasing amount of intake air is smaller than a predetermined value and turns off operation of the EWP when a heat releasing amount of intake air is a predetermined value or more. 
     
     
         8 . The water pump control system of  claim 7 , wherein the predetermined value is stored as map data according to engine revolutions per minute (RPM) and an engine load. 
     
     
         9 . The water pump control system of  claim 8 , wherein the predetermined value increases as engine RPM increases and increases as an engine load increases. 
     
     
         10 . A method of controlling a water pump of a vehicle having a water-cooled intercooler, the method comprising:
 determining a heat releasing amount of an intake air passing through a water-cooled intercooler that cools the intake air that is injected from an outside to supply the intake air to a combustion chamber of an engine; and   controlling an electric water pump (EWP) that supplies coolant to the water-cooled intercooler according to a heat releasing amount of the intake air.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the determining of the heat releasing amount comprises:
 detecting a temperature of a front end and a rear end of the water-cooled intercooler;   measuring a temperature difference of the intake air passing through the water-cooled intercooler from a temperature of the front end and the rear end of the water-cooled intercooler; and   determining a heat releasing amount of intake air passing through the water-cooled intercooler using a specific heat of air passing through the water-cooled intercooler, an air amount passing through the water-cooled intercooler, and the temperature difference.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the determining of the heat releasing amount comprises:
 estimating a temperature of the front end of the water-cooled intercooler from a temperature that is detected at a hot-film mass air flow (HFM) sensor that is provided at a front end of a turbocharger that compresses air that is injected into the combustion chamber of the engine;   detecting a temperature of the rear end of the water-cooled intercooler;   measuring a temperature difference of intake air passing through the water-cooled intercooler from the estimated temperature of the front end of the water-cooled intercooler and the temperature of the rear end of the water-cooled intercooler; and   determining a heat releasing amount of intake air passing through the water-cooled intercooler using a specific heat of air passing through the water-cooled intercooler, an air amount passing through the water-cooled intercooler, and the temperature difference.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the controlling of the EWP comprises:
 determining whether the heat releasing amount of the intake air is smaller than a predetermined value; and   turning on operation of the EWP when a heat releasing amount of the intake air is smaller than a predetermined value, and turning off the operation of the EWP when the heat releasing amount of the intake air is a predetermined value or more.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the predetermined value is stored as map data according to engine RPM and an engine load. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the predetermined value increases as engine RPM increases and increases as an engine load increases.