FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10; Rule 13]
TITLE: “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING COOLANT PUMP OPERATION OF A VEHICLE ENGINE”
Name and Address of the Applicant: TATA MOTORS LIMITED,
Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra
Nationality: Indian
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates, in general, to automobiles. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Engine coolant is a liquid which is supplied to a vehicle engine during running condition of the vehicle to prevent engine failures related to overheating and to keep the engine running at optimal temperatures. The process of transferring the coolant from the radiator to engine and back is performed by a mechanical pump associated with the engine. The mechanical pump helps in controlling the temperature of the engine by continuously circulating the coolant. In the existing techniques, the mechanical pump is powered by a drive belt which is dependent on the engine speed. The flow rate of the coolant is dependent on engine speed, due to which the flow rate of coolant increases when the engine speed increases without considering other engine parameters impacting the time required to heat the engine. If the engine takes longer time to heat then the working and performance of the engine is also affected. This arises the problem of delayed warm-up of engine which results in inefficient working of the engine during vehicle running condition. Excess flow of the coolant reduces the engine heat which affects the power output of the engine. Therefore, there is a need to control the flow rate of coolant in the engine optimally.
[0003] The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
[0004] Disclosed herein is a method of controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine. The method comprises receiving, by a control unit associated with an electric water pump in a vehicle, input data related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors associated with the vehicle. Further, the method comprises determining an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be

supplied to the vehicle engine at the current operating point of the vehicle engine, based on the received input data and a pre-generated flow rate data indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. Finally, the method comprises controlling speed of the Electric Water Pump supplying coolant to the vehicle engine relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant.
[0005] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the input data related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine comprises at least one of, engine coolant temperature, engine speed, Thermostat Set/Start Opening Temperature (SOT), vehicle speed and load signal.
[0006] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the environmental parameters comprise an ambient temperature.
[0007] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the pre-generated flowrate data comprises a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle.
[0008] In an embodiment of the disclosure, generating the flow rate look-up table during the testing stage of the vehicle comprises controlling speed of the Electric Water Pump to achieve initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the Electric Water Pump equal to or nearly equal to a predefined flow rate of the coolant supplied by a mechanical pump for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine. Further, determining a new flow rate of the coolant supplied by the Electric Water Pump, for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine and the corresponding environmental parameters, by adjusting the initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the Electric Water Pump in incremental steps until a temperature of the vehicle engine reaches a predefined thermal limit, wherein the new flow rate of the coolant is inferred as the optimal flow rate of the coolant. Thereafter, generating flow rate data comprising flowrate look-up table, wherein the flow rate look-up table comprises mapping of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine and the corresponding environmental parameters with the corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant.
[0009] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes adjusting speed of the Electric Water Pump to reduce a current flowrate of the coolant below the optimal flowrate of the coolant when a leaking thermostat is detected in the vehicle engine based on the input data.
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[0010] In an embodiment of the disclosure, change in the speed of the Electric Water Pump is proportional to flowrate of the coolant.
[0011] Further, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus i.e., a control unit for controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine. The control unit comprises a processor and a memory. The memory is communicatively coupled to the processor and stores processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the processor to receive input data related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors associated with the vehicle. Further, the processor determines an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine at the current operating point of the vehicle engine, based on the received input data and a pre-generated flow rate data indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. Finally, the processor controls speed of an electric water pump supplying coolant to the vehicle engine relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant.
[0012] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and regarding the accompanying figures, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1A shows an exemplary block diagram of a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
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[0015] FIG. 1B illustrates the steps performed in determining optimal flow rate of the coolant for an exemplary operating point of the vehicle engine during the testing stage, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 1C shows an exemplary graph illustrating leaking thermostat, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 2A shows a detailed block diagram of the proposed control unit, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.
[0020] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
[0022] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
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[0023] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device, or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
[0024] As discussed in the background section, in the existing techniques, mechanical pump supply the coolant at a flow rate which is dependent only on the engine speed which affects the operation of vehicle engine. Hence, the present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine. According to the present disclosure, a control unit associated with an electric water pump in a vehicle receives input data related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors associated with the vehicle. Further, the control unit determines an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine at the current operating point of the vehicle engine, based on the received input data and a pre-generated flow rate data indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. The pre-generated flow rate data comprises a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle. Finally, the control unit controls speed of the electric water pump supplying coolant to the vehicle engine relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant.
[0025] In an embodiment, the proposed method controls the coolant pump operation based on the current operating point of a vehicle engine and corresponding current environmental parameters. This helps in determining an optimal flow rate which is suitable for achieving maximum output from the engine. According to the proposed method, during a testing stage of the vehicle the pre-generated flow rate data is generated. This helps in testing the vehicle engine under various operating conditions and environmental conditions and storing the optimal flow rate for the corresponding operating and environmental conditions for use during running of the vehicle. According to the proposed method, the input data also comprises ambient temperature which helps to determine an accurate flow rate of the coolant based on the ambient condition along with the engine condition.
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[0026] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0027] FIG. 1A shows an exemplary block diagram of a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0028] Exemplary block diagram of a vehicle 101 comprises a control unit 103, a vehicle engine 105, sensor 1071 to sensor 107N (also referred as one or more sensors 107), an electric water pump 109 and a radiator fan 111. The control unit 103 may also be broadly referred as an apparatus in the context of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the control unit 103 may be an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) configured in the vehicle 101. In some other embodiments, the control unit 103 may be any computing unit configured in the vehicle 101 that is associated via a communication network to an ECU configured in the vehicle 101, as shown in the FIG.4. As an example, the communication network may be at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network. As an example, the vehicle 101 may be a passenger vehicle such as a car, a van, a bus and/or a commercial vehicle such as pick-up trucks. The one or more sensors 107 may be associated with the vehicle engine 105 to continuously monitor and determine current operating point of the vehicle engine 105. The one or more sensors 107 may also be configured to determine current environmental parameters such as ambient temperature. As an example, the one or more sensors 107 may include, but not limited to, temperature sensor, engine speed sensor, a thermostat, vehicle speed sensor and Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor. The control unit 103 may be associated with the electric water pump 109 and the radiator fan 111 to control the operation of the electric water pump 109 and the radiator fan 111. The electric water pump 109 is a component used in the vehicle engine 105 cooling system and the electric water pump 109 pressurizes the coolant to ensure the circulation of the coolant and accelerates the heat dissipation in the vehicle engine 105. The radiator fan 111 may be used to dissipate the heat generated in a radiator which helps in reducing the temperature of the coolant.
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[0029] In an embodiment, the control unit 103 may be configured to receive input data related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors 107 associated with the vehicle 101. The input data related to the current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 may include, without limitation, current values associated with at least one of, engine coolant temperature, engine speed, Thermostat Set/Start Opening Temperature (SOT), vehicle speed and load signal. The environmental parameters may include, without limitation, an ambient temperature. In an embodiment, the input data may be received in real time when the vehicle ignition is ON.
[0030] In an embodiment, upon receiving the input data, the control unit 103 may determine an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine 105 at the current operating point of the vehicle engine 105, based on the received input data and a pre-generated flow rate data indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating point of the vehicle engine 105 and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. In an embodiment, the pre-generated flow rate data may include a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle 101.
[0031] During the testing stage of the vehicle 101 i.e., during engine test bed, the control unit 103 may control speed of the electric water pump 109 to achieve initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109 equal to or nearly equal to a predefined flow rate of the coolant supplied by a mechanical pump for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105. As an example, when the engine speed is 2000 RPM, the flow rate of the coolant supplied by the mechanical pump may be 40 Liters per minute (Lpm), the initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109 may also be 40 Lpm, which is same as the flow rate of the mechanical pump. Upon controlling the speed of the electric water pump 109 to achieve the initial flow rate, the control unit 103 may determine a new flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109, for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and the corresponding environmental parameters, by adjusting the initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109 in incremental steps until a temperature of the vehicle engine 105 reaches a predefined thermal limit.
[0032] An exemplary graph is shown in FIG. 1B that illustrates the steps performed in determining optimal flow rate of the coolant for an exemplary operating point of the vehicle engine during the testing stage. X-axis of the graph indicates Brake-specific fuel consumption
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(BSFC) which indicates a comparison between efficiency of internal combustion engines with a shaft output and Y-axis of the graph indicates flow rate of the coolant. Operational zone in the FIG. 1B may refer to a zone in which the vehicle engine 105 is operational even if the coolant flow rate reduces. Non-operational zone in the FIG. 1B may refer to a zone in which the vehicle engine 105 is non-operational as the vehicle engine temperature may be greater than the thermal limit. The vehicle engine temperature increases if the coolant flow rate is reduced beyond the optimal flow rate. In an embodiment, for a predefined operating point, the initial flow rate (indicated as starting point) is reduced in incremental steps. For instance, the initial flow rate is reduced by 5% in each step. As the flow rate is decreasing, vehicle engine temperature is checked to monitor if the vehicle engine temperature is closer to the predefined thermal limit of the vehicle engine 105, the flow rate is reduced by 1% in each step to obtain an accurate value of the new flow rate. The initial flow rate is reduced until the vehicle engine temperature reaches the predefined thermal limit to determine the new flow rate for the predefined operating point. The new flow rate of the coolant is inferred as the optimal flow rate of the coolant for the predefined operating point. Once the new flow rate is determined, the control unit 103 may generate flow rate data comprising flow rate look-up table. The flow rate look-up table may include, without limitation, mapping of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and the corresponding environmental parameters with the corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. In an embodiment, the flow rate look-up table may be stored in a memory associated with the control unit 103. In some embodiments, the flow rate look-up table may be stored in the control unit 103.
[0033] In an embodiment, upon determining the optimal flow rate, the control unit 103 may control speed of the electric water pump 109 supplying coolant to the vehicle engine 105 relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant. The change in the speed of the electric water pump 109 may be proportional to flow rate of the coolant. When the speed of the electric water pump 109 changes, the flow rate at which the coolant is supplied to the vehicle engine 105 also changes. The process of controlling the coolant pump operation is performed continuously when the vehicle 101 is ON and variation in the input data is detected.
[0034] In an embodiment, the control unit 103 may also control the operation of the radiator fan 111. For instance, when the control unit 103 determines a cold weather condition, based on the ambient temperature received from the one or more sensors 107, the control unit 103 may turn OFF the radiator fan 111 or delay turning ON of the radiator fan 111. This is performed
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so that the temperature of the coolant does not decrease further as the coolant temperature is already reduced due to the ambient temperature. If the coolant temperature is reduced further, the time taken to heat the vehicle engine 105 to achieve an optimal working temperature of the vehicle engine 105 may be delayed.
[0035] In an embodiment, when the control unit 103 detects a leaky thermostat based on the input data. The control unit 103 may adjust the speed of the electric water pump 109 to reduce a current flow rate of the coolant to a value below the optimal flow rate of the coolant predetermined for a given operating point. When the coolant is leaking in the vehicle engine 105, the time taken to warm-up the vehicle engine 105 is more than the usual time. The cause for the delayed warm-up is the coolant which is leaking in the vehicle engine 105. When the control unit 103 detects that the time required to warm-up the vehicle engine 105 is more than time required to warm-up the vehicle engine 105 when the thermostat is not leaking, the control unit 103 detects presence of leaky thermostat and the current flow rate of the coolant is reduced to a value below the optimal flow rate of the coolant. The value below the optimal flow rate of the coolant may be determined using predefined techniques. As shown in FIG. 1C, the time required to warm-up the vehicle engine 105 is lower than the time required to warm-up the vehicle engine 105 with normal thermostat.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows a detailed block diagram of the proposed control unit 103, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0037] In some implementations, the control unit 103 may include an I/O interface 201, a processor 203 and a memory 205. In an embodiment, the memory 205 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 203. The processor 203 may be configured to perform one or more functions of a control unit 103 for controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine 105, using the data 207 and the one or more modules 209 of the control unit 103. In an embodiment, the memory 205 may store the data 207.
[0038] In an embodiment, the data 207 stored in the memory 205 may include, without limitation, input data 211, pre-generated flow rate data 223 and other data 213. In some implementations, the data 207 may be stored within the memory 205 in the form of various data structures. Additionally, the data 207 may be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data models. The other data 213 may include various temporary data and files generated by the one or more modules 209.
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[0039] In an embodiment, the input data 211 may include information related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 and corresponding current environmental parameters. The input data 211 may be received from one or more sensors 107 associated with the vehicle 101. The input data 211 related to the current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 may include, without limitation, at least one of, engine coolant temperature, engine speed, Thermostat Set/Start Opening Temperature (SOT), vehicle speed and load signal. The engine coolant temperature may indicate the current temperature of the coolant. The engine speed may be the Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) value of the engine 105. The thermostat SOT may be a predefined temperature at which the thermostat starts to open. The vehicle speed may be the current speed of the vehicle 101. The load signal may indicate the power of the vehicle engine 105, i.e., torque output of the vehicle engine 105. The environmental parameters may include, without limitation, an ambient temperature. The input data 211 may be used to determine an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine 105.
[0040] In an embodiment, the pre-generated flow rate data 223 may include a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle 101. In an embodiment, the flow rate look-up table comprises mapping of plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and the corresponding environmental parameters with the corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. In an embodiment, the pre-generated flow rate data 223 may be used to determine an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine 105 at the current operating point of the vehicle engine 105. An exemplary flow rate look-up table is shown in Table A below. X axis of the Table A indicates engine load, Y axis of the Table A indicates Engine RPM and values in the T
Table A
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[0041] Table A indicates electric water pump duty cycle.


[0042] In an embodiment, the data 207 may be processed by the one or more modules 209 of the control unit 103. In some implementations, the one or more modules 209 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 203 for performing one or more functions of the control unit 103. In an implementation, the one or more modules 209 may include, without limiting to, a transceiver module 217, a determining module 219, a controlling module 221 and other modules 223.
[0043] As used herein, the term module may refer to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a hardware processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In an implementation, each of the one or more modules 209 may be configured as stand-alone hardware computing unit. In an embodiment, the other modules 223 may be used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities on the control unit 103. It will be appreciated that such one or more modules 209 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.
[0044] In an embodiment, the transceiver module 217 may be configured to receive input data 211 related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors 107 associated with the vehicle 101. The input data 211 related to the current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 may include, without limitation, at least one of, engine coolant temperature, engine speed, Thermostat Set/Start Opening Temperature (SOT), vehicle speed and load signal. The environmental parameters may include, without limitation, an ambient temperature. In an embodiment, the input data 211 may be received in real-time when the vehicle 101 is ON.
[0045] In an embodiment, the determining module 219 may be configured to determine an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine 105 at the current operating point of the vehicle engine 105, based on the received input data 211 and a pre-generated flow rate data 223 indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. Referring to Table A, the determining module 219 may in one implementation, determine the optimal flow rate using the current engine speed and current engine load. The value corresponding to the current engine speed and current engine load may be the optimal flow rate. In an embodiment, the pre-generated flow rate data 223 comprises a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle 101. In an embodiment,
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during the testing stage to generate the flow rate look-up table, the determining module 219 may be configured to control speed of the electric water pump 109 to achieve initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109 equal to or nearly equal to a predefined flow rate of the coolant supplied by a mechanical pump for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105. Further, the determining module 219 may be configured to determine a new flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109, for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and the corresponding environmental parameters, by adjusting the initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109 in incremental steps until a temperature of the vehicle engine 105 reaches a predefined thermal limit. The new flow rate of the coolant is inferred as the optimal flow rate of the coolant. Thereafter, the determining module 219 may be configured to generate flow rate data comprising flow rate look-up table. The flow rate look-up table comprises mapping of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and the corresponding environmental parameters with the corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant.
[0046] In an embodiment, the controlling module 221 may be configured to controlling speed of the electric water pump 109 supplying coolant to the vehicle engine 105 relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant. In case of a leaking thermostat is detected in the vehicle engine 105 based on the input data 211, controlling module 221 may be configured to adjust speed of the electric water pump 109 to reduce the current flow rate of the coolant below the optimal flow rate of the coolant. The change in the speed of the electric water pump 109 is proportional to flow rate of the coolant. In some embodiments, the controlling module 221 may also control the operation of the radiator fan 111. For instance, when the control unit 103 determines a cold weather condition than a normal weather condition, based on the ambient temperature received from the one or more sensors 107, the control unit 103 may turn OFF the radiator fan 111 or delay turning ON of the radiator fan 111. In some embodiments, when a leaky thermostat is detected based on the input data. The controlling module 221 may adjust the speed of the electric water pump 109 to reduce a current flow rate of the coolant to a value below the optimal flow rate of the coolant predetermined for a given operating point.
[0047] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
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[0048] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the method 300 may include one or more blocks illustrating a method of controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine. The method 300 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.
[0049] The order in which the method 300 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.
[0050] At block 301, the method 300 includes receiving, by a processor 203 of a control unit 103 associated with an electric water pump 109 in a vehicle 101, input data 211 related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors 107 associated with the vehicle 101. The input data 211 related to the current operating point of a vehicle engine 105 may include, without limitation, at least one of, engine coolant temperature, engine speed, Thermostat Set/Start Opening Temperature (SOT), vehicle speed and load signal. The environmental parameters may include, without limitation, an ambient temperature.
[0051] At block 303, the method 300 includes determining, by the processor 203, an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine 105 at the current operating point of the vehicle engine 105, based on the received input data 211 and a pre-generated flow rate data 223 indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant. The pre-generated flow rate data 223 may include, without limitation, a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle 101. In an embodiment, generate the flow rate look-up table during the testing stage of the vehicle 101 the processor 203 may control speed of the electric water pump 109 to achieve initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109 equal to or nearly equal to a predefined flow rate of the coolant supplied by a mechanical pump for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105. Further, the processor 203 may determine a new flow rate of the coolant
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supplied by the electric water pump 109, for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and the corresponding environmental parameters, by adjusting the initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump 109 in incremental steps until a temperature of the vehicle engine 105 reaches a predefined thermal limit. The new flow rate of the coolant is inferred as the optimal flow rate of the coolant. Finally, the processor 203 generates flow rate data comprising flow rate look-up table. The flow rate look-up table comprises mapping of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine 105 and the corresponding environmental parameters with the corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant.
[0052] At block 305, the method 300 includes controlling, by the processor 203, speed of an electric water pump 109 supplying coolant to the vehicle engine 105 relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant. In an embodiment, the processor 203 may adjust speed of the electric water pump 109 to reduce a current flow rate of the coolant below the optimal flow rate of the coolant when a leaking thermostat is detected in the vehicle engine 105 based on the input data 211. The change in the speed of the electric water pump 109 is proportional to flow rate of the coolant.
Computer System
[0053] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 400 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the computer system 400 may be the control unit 103 that controls a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine 105. In some embodiments, the control unit 103 may be a computing unit such as a tablet phone device configured in the vehicle 101 which may be associated with at least one Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 415 in the vehicle 101 via a communication network as shown in the FIG. 4. In another embodiment, the control unit 103 may be the ECU 415 in the vehicle 101 itself. The ECU 415 in the vehicle 101 may be further connected to at least one of the electric water pump 109, radiator fan 111, and one or more sensors 107. The computer system 400 may include a central processing unit (“CPU” or “processor” or “memory controller”) 402. The processor 402 may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system-generated business processes. A user may include a network manager, an application developer, a programmer, an organization, or any system/sub-system being operated parallelly to the computer system 400. The processor 402 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory
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controllers/memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.
[0054] The processor 402 may be disposed in communication with one or more Input/Output (I/O) devices (411 and 412) via I/O interface 401. The I/O interface 401 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE®-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, Video Graphics Array (VGA), IEEE® 802.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Global System For Mobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or the like), etc. Using the I/O interface 401, the computer system 400 may communicate with one or more I/O devices 411 and 412.
[0055] In some embodiments, the processor 402 may be disposed in communication with a network 409 via a network interface 403. The network interface 403 may communicate with the network 409. The network interface 403 may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE® 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc.
[0056] In an implementation, the preferred network 409 may be implemented as one of the several types of networks, such as intranet or Local Area Network (LAN) and such within the organization. The preferred network 409 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of several types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the network 409 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc. Using the network interface 403 and the network 409, the computer system 400 may communicate with one or more sensors 107, an electric water pump 109, a radiator fan 111 and an Electronic Control Unit 415.
[0057] In some embodiments, the processor 402 may be disposed in communication with a memory 405 (e.g., RAM 413, ROM 414, etc. as shown in FIG. 4) via a storage interface 404.
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The storage interface 404 may connect to memory 405 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.
[0058] The memory 405 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, user/application interface 406, an operating system 407, a web browser 408, and the like. In some embodiments, computer system 400 may store user/application data 406, such as the data, variables, records, etc. as described in this invention. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle® or Sybase®.
[0059] The operating system 407 may facilitate resource management and operation of the computer system 400. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE® MACINTOSH® OS X®, UNIX®, UNIX-like system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION® (BSD), FREEBSD®, NETBSD®, OPENBSD, etc.), LINUX® DISTRIBUTIONS (E.G., RED HAT®, UBUNTU®, KUBUNTU®, etc.), IBM® OS/2®, MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® (XP®, VISTA®/7/8, 10 etc.), APPLE® IOS®, GOOGLE TM ANDROID TM, BLACKBERRY® OS, or the like.
[0060] The user interface 406 may facilitate display, execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program components through textual or graphical facilities. For example, the user interface 406 may provide computer interaction interface elements on a display system operatively connected to the computer system 400, such as cursors, icons, check boxes, menus, scrollers, windows, widgets, and the like. Further, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) may be employed, including, without limitation, APPLE® MACINTOSH® operating systems’ Aqua®, IBM® OS/2®, MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® (e.g., Aero, Metro, etc.), web interface libraries (e.g., ActiveX®, JAVA®, JAVASCRIPT®, AJAX, HTML, ADOBE® FLASH®, etc.), or the like.
[0061] The web browser 408 may be a hypertext viewing application. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer
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(SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), and the like. The web browsers 408 may utilize facilities such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE® FLASH®, JAVASCRIPT®, JAVA®, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and the like. Further, the computer system 400 may implement a mail server stored program component. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP, ACTIVEX®, ANSI® C++/C#, MICROSOFT®, .NET, CGI SCRIPTS, JAVA®, JAVASCRIPT®, PERL®, PHP, PYTHON®, WEBOBJECTS®, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT® exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the computer system 400 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE® MAIL, MICROSOFT® ENTOURAGE®, MICROSOFT® OUTLOOK®, MOZILLA® THUNDERBIRD®, and the like.
[0062] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present invention. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
Advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated herein.
[0063] In an embodiment, the proposed method controls the coolant pump operation based on the current operating point of a vehicle engine and corresponding current environmental parameters. This helps in determining an optimal flow rate which is suitable for achieving maximum output from the engine.
[0064] In an embodiment, according to the proposed method, during a testing stage of the vehicle the pre-generated flow rate data is generated. This helps in testing the vehicle engine under various operating conditions and environmental conditions, and storing the optimal flow rate for the corresponding operating and environmental conditions for use during running of
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the vehicle. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a robust system for controlling the flow rate of the coolant optimally.
[0065] In an embodiment, according to the proposed method, the input data also comprises ambient temperature which helps to determine an accurate flow rate of the coolant based on the ambient condition along with the engine condition.
[0066] In light of the technical advancements provided by the disclosed method and apparatus, the claimed steps, as discussed above, are not routine, conventional, or well-known aspects in the art, as the claimed steps provide the aforesaid solutions to the technical problems existing in the conventional technologies. Further, the claimed steps clearly bring an improvement in the functioning of the system itself, as the claimed steps provide a technical solution to a technical problem.
[0067] The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified otherwise.
[0068] The terms "including", "comprising", “having” and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise.
[0069] The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.
[0070] A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.
[0071] When a single device or article is described herein, it will be clear that more than one device/article (whether they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device/article is described herein (whether they cooperate), it will be clear that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device/article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices
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or programs. The functionality and/or features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of invention need not include the device itself.
[0072] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
[0073] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
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Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
101 Vehicle
103 Control unit
105 Engine
1071 - 107N One or more sensors
109 Electric water pump
111 Radiator fan
201 I/O Interface
203 Processor
205 Memory
207 Data
209 Modules
211 Input data
213 Pre-generated flow rate data
215 Other data
217 Transceiver module
219 Determining module
221 Controlling module
223 Other modules
223 Flow rate data
400 Computer system
401 I/O Interface of the exemplary computer system
402 Processor of the exemplary computer system
403 Network interface
404 Storage interface
405 Memory of the exemplary computer system
406 User/Application
407 Operating system
408 Web browser
411 Input devices
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412 Output devices
413 RAM
414 ROM
415 Electronic Control Unit (ECU)

WE CLAIM:
1. A method of controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine (105), the method
comprising:
receiving, by a control unit (103) associated with an electric water pump (109) in a vehicle (101), input data related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine (105) and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors (107) associated with the vehicle (101);
determining, by the control unit (103), an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine (105) at the current operating point of the vehicle engine (105), based on the received input data and a pre-generated flow rate data indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine (105) and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant; and
controlling, by the control unit (103), speed of an electric water pump (109) supplying coolant to the vehicle engine (105) relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input data related to the current operating point of a vehicle engine (105) comprises at least one of, engine coolant temperature, engine speed, Thermostat Set/Start Opening Temperature (SOT), vehicle (101) and load signal.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the environmental parameters comprises an ambient temperature.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-generated flow rate data comprises a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle (101).
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein generating the flow rate look-up table during the testing stage of the vehicle (101) comprises:
controlling, by the control unit (103), speed of the electric water pump (109) to achieve initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump (109) equal to or nearly equal to a predefined flow rate of the coolant supplied by a mechanical

pump for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine (105);
determining, by the control unit (103), a new flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump (109), for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine (105) and the corresponding environmental parameters, by adjusting the initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump (109) in incremental steps until a temperature of the vehicle engine (105) reaches a predefined thermal limit, wherein the new flow rate of the coolant is inferred as the optimal flow rate of the coolant; and
generating, by the control unit (103), flow rate data comprising flow rate look-up table, wherein the flow rate look-up table comprises mapping of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine (105) and the corresponding environmental parameters with the corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises:
adjusting, by the control unit (103), speed of the electric water pump (109) to reduce a current flow rate of the coolant below the optimal flow rate of the coolant when a leaking thermostat is detected in the vehicle engine (105) based on the input data.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein change in the speed of the electric water
pump (109) is proportional to flow rate of the coolant.
8. A control unit (103) for controlling a coolant pump operation of a vehicle engine (105),
the control unit (103) comprising:
a processor (203); and
a memory (205), communicatively coupled to the processor (203), wherein the memory (205) stores processor (203) executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the processor (203) to:
receive input data related to a current operating point of a vehicle engine (105) and corresponding current environmental parameters from one or more sensors (107) associated with the vehicle (101);
determine an optimal flow rate of a coolant to be supplied to the vehicle engine (105) at the current operating point of the vehicle engine (105), based on

the received input data and a pre-generated flow rate data indicating a mapping of a plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine (105) and a corresponding environmental parameters with a corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant; and
control speed of an electric water pump (109) supplying coolant to the vehicle engine (105) relative to the determined optimal flow rate of the coolant.
9. The control unit (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the input data related to the current operating point of a vehicle engine (105) comprises at least one of, engine coolant temperature, engine speed, Thermostat Set/Start Opening Temperature (SOT), vehicle (101) and load signal.
10. The control unit (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the environmental parameters comprises an ambient temperature.
11. The control unit (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pre-generated flow rate data comprises a flow rate look-up table generated during a testing stage of the vehicle (101).
12. The control unit (103) as claimed in claim 11, wherein to generate the flow rate look¬up table during the testing stage of the vehicle (101) the processor (203) is configured to:
control speed of the electric water pump (109) to achieve initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump (109) equal to or nearly equal to a predefined flow rate of the coolant supplied by a mechanical pump for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine (105);
determine a new flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump (109), for each of the plurality of predefined operating points of the vehicle engine (105) and the corresponding environmental parameters, by adjusting the initial flow rate of the coolant supplied by the electric water pump (109) in incremental steps until a temperature of the vehicle engine (105) reaches a predefined thermal limit, wherein the new flow rate of the coolant is inferred as the optimal flow rate of the coolant; and
generate flow rate data comprising flow rate look-up table, wherein the flow rate look-up table comprises mapping of the plurality of predefined operating points of

the vehicle engine (105) and the corresponding environmental parameters with the corresponding optimal flow rate of the coolant.
13. The control unit (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor (203) is further
configured to:
adjust speed of the electric water pump (109) to reduce a current flow rate of the coolant below the optimal flow rate of the coolant when a leaking thermostat is detected in the vehicle engine (105) based on the input data.
14. The control unit (103) as claimed in claim 8, wherein change in the speed of the electric
water pump (109) is proportional to flow rate of the coolant.