TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The various aspects and implementations thereof relate to a fan system for an engine-generator
comprising an internal combustion engine, an electrical generator and a fan.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Combustion engines need to be cooled. They are usually either liquid cooled or air
cooled. In both cases, an air flow is provided by means of a fan, which flows along
a radiator or the engine, respectively. The fan is connected to the crankshaft of
the engine or powered by a separate electromotor that switches on or off, triggered
by a thermostat that senses the temperature of the engine.
SUMMARY
[0003] The fan consumes a significant amount of energy generated by the generator, up to
10%. Therefore, it is preferred to provide an efficient way of operating the fan system.
[0004] A first aspect provides an engine-generator comprising an internal combustion engine,
an generator connected to the engine for converting mechanical energy to electrical
energy, a radiator connected to the combustion engine via a coolant circuit and a
fan for providing an air flow over the radiator. The fan comprises a rotor having
blades and an electromotor having a controllable annular speed connected to the rotor.
The generator further comprises a fan controller arranged to receive sensor data from
sensors comprised by the generator unit for sensing at least one of engine status
parameters and ambient parameters, the fan controller being further arranged to control
the speed of the electromotor in response to the received sensor data at a controlled
annular speed between a minimum speed and a maximum speed.
[0005] An electromotor for powering a fan switching on and off has appeared to consume more
power than a fan providing an air flow just enough for proper cooling. By controlling
the angular speed of the fan, such more efficient use of available energy is provided.
[0006] In an embodiment, the engine comprises at least one of a coolant temperature sensor
for sensing coolant temperature and an inlet air temperature sensor for sensing inlet
air temperature and the wherein engine is provided with an engine control unit for
collecting data from the sensors and providing the collected data to the fan controller.
[0007] These parameters provide relevant input for controlling the fan.
[0008] An embodiment further comprises at least one of an ambient temperature sensor for
sensing ambient temperature and an ambient humidity sensor for sensing humidity sensor,
wherein the fan controller is arranged to receive collected data.
[0009] These parameters determine whether and how the engine may require any further cooling.
If the outside temperature - or air temperature within a housing of the engine-generator
- is relatively high, more air flow may be required as with lower ambient temperatures,
with the same engine coolant temperature.
[0010] A second aspect provides a method of operating an electromotor of a for driving a
fan comprising a rotor having blades comprised by an engine-generator unit comprising
an internal combustion engine, an generator connected to the engine for converting
mechanical energy to electrical energy, a radiator connected to the combustion engine
via a coolant circuit, a fan for providing an air flow over the radiator and sensors
for sensing at least one of engine status parameters and ambient parameters. The method
comprises receiving sensor data and controlling annular speed of the electromotor
at a controlled annular speed between a minimum speed and a maximum speed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The various aspects and embodiments thereof will now be described in further detail
in conjunction with drawings. In the drawings:
Figure 1: shows a schematic representation of an engine-generator; and
Figure 2: shows a flowchart of a procedure executed by the engine- generator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an engine generator 100. The engine generator
comprises an internal combustion engine 120, an electrical generator 110, a fan module
130 and a radiator 140 connected to the engine 120 via a coolant circuit 142. The
coolant circuit 142 is shown comprising a single duct to enhance clarity of the figure;
in practice, the coolant circuit 142 comprises a duct for transfer of coolant to the
radiator 140 and a duct for transfer of coolant to the engine 120. The coolant circuit
142 may to that purpose comprise a pump. The coolant is preferably liquid.
[0013] The electrical generator 110 is provided with a power supply line 190 for providing
high power electricity generated by the electrical generator 110. the power supply
line 190 preferably provides three phase alternating current and may further comprise
at least one of a ground line or a zero line.
[0014] The engine generator 100 further comprises a central processing unit 162 for controlling
operation of the engine generator 100. The central processing unit 162 is connected
to a storage module 164, a communication unit 166 and a screen 168. The storage module
164 is arranged for storing code for programming the central processing unit 162 to
operate the engine generator 100 in accordance with the various aspects and examples
discussed in this document. Furthermore, the storage module 164 may store data to
be displayed on the screen 168 for informing user about the engine generator 100 and
various components thereof. The communication unit 166 is arranged to send out data
and receive data, for example for monitoring of the engine-generator 100 and/or for
controlling the engine-generator 100.
[0015] The central processing unit 162 is connected to an engine control unit 122 comprised
by the engine 120, to a fan control unit 138, a fan drive unit 136 and an environmental
sensor module 180 via a bus system 150. The bus system 150 comprises a communication
line and a bus controller and is preferably implemented as a CAN bus, though other
bus systems may be used as well. The bus system 150 is preferably compatible with
common automotive standards over which, among others, the engine control unit 122
is arranged to communicate as well. The fan control unit 138 is in Figure 1 shown
as a separate component; in another implementation, functionality of the fan control
unit may be comprised by the central processing unit 162. Alternatively, the various
components are connected by means other than a bus system.
[0016] The fan module 130 comprises a hub 132 to which two, three, four, five, six, or more
blades 134 are connected in equiangular positions. In another embodiment, the blades
are connected at their outmost edges to an annular hub that is driven at the outer
perimeter of the fan. The hub 132 is connected to the fan drive unit 136. The fan
drive unit 136 is arranged to receive operating instructions via the bus system 150.
The fan drive unit 136 is arranged to operate at multiple angular velocities between
zero and a maximum speed. The multiple angular velocities may be discrete level or,
alternatively, be set at any position between zero and maximum on a continuous scale.
[0017] The fan drive unit 136 comprises a bus communication unit 172, an instruction interpreter
174 and an electromotor 176. The bus communication unit 172 receives instructions,
the instruction interpreter 174 translates the instructions to power to be provided
to the electromotor 176 and the electromotor 176 drives the hub 132, thus rotating
the blades 134. Rotation of the blades provides an air flow along the radiator 140,
taking up thermal energy from the radiator 140. The coolant releases thermal energy,
after which is may take up thermal energy from the engine 120, thus cooling the engine
120.
[0018] Figure 2 shows a first flowchart 200 depicting a procedure for operation of a fan
system comprising the fan control unit 138 and the fan drive unit 136. The various
parts of the first flowchart 200 are briefly summarised below and will subsequently
be discussed in further detail. The procedure may be carried out by the fan control
unit 138, the central processing unit 162, by another circuit or a combination thereof.
- 202
- start procedure
- 204
- start engine
- 206
- run engine
- 208
- obtain engine temperature
- 210
- temperature at or above set point?
- 212
- obtain engine data
- 214
- obtain ambient data
- 216
- temperature above set point?
- 218
- determine first fan speed
- 220
- run fan at first fan speed
- 222
- temperature at of below set point?
- 224
- determine second fan speed
- 226
- run fan at second fan speed
- 228
- switch off fan
[0019] The procedure starts in a terminator 202 and proceeds to step 204 at which the engine
120 is started; the engine is run in step 206. Subsequently, engine temperature is
obtained at step 208. The engine temperature is preferably obtained by means of the
engine control unit 122. Alternatively, the temperature and other parameters may be
collected by means of separate sensors connected to any of the other controllers comprised
by the engine-generator 100. The engine temperature may be obtained as temperature
of the coolant in the engine or leaving the engine, but it ma also be obtained through
other sensing means inside or outside the engine 120.
[0020] At step 210, it is determined whether the engine temperature is at or above a predetermined
threshold. If this is not the case, the fan is switched off in step 228 - in case
the fan would be running - and the procedure loops back to step 206.
[0021] If the engine temperature is at or above a predetermined threshold, the procedure
continues to step 212, at which engine data other than engine temperature may be obtained.
Engine parameters may include at least one of oil temperature, crank shaft torque,
engine power, intercooler temperature, crank shaft angular speed, engine power, other
parameters, or a combination thereof.
[0022] In step 214, data on environmental parameters are obtained via the environmental
sensor module 180. Such environmental parameters may include at least one of inlet
air temperature, outside temperature, temperature within a housing of the engine-generator
100, air humidity either inside or outside the housing, or a combination thereof.
[0023] In step 216, it is determined whether the engine temperature is at a set point. Such
set point may be a specific temperature, but is may also be a temperature range preferred
for the engine 120 is preferred to operate in. Such temperature or temperature range
may be pre-det. Alternatively, it may depend on certain engine operating conditions
like engine load - between minimum and maximum - or environmental conditions.
[0024] If the engine temperature is at the pre-determined set point, the procedure continues
to step 224. If the temperature of the engine 120 is found to be higher than the set
point, the procedure continues to step 218, at which a first fan speed is determined.
The first fan speed is a speed at which sufficient air is provided to the radiator
140 for sufficiently cooling coolant to lower temperature of the engine 120, within
an acceptable, optionally preset, amount of time. The first fan speed may be calculated
using at least one of the parameters obtained, including outside air temperature and
outside air humidity, as well as engine parameters.
[0025] At step 220, the electromotor 176 is driven to have the fan running at the first
fan speed, by providing the appropriate instruction to the fan driving unit 136 over
the bus system 150. The procedure proceeds to step 220, at which the temperature of
the engine is checked to the set point. If the temperature is still above the set
point, the process branches back to step 220. If the temperature is at or below the
set point, the procedure continues to step 224.
[0026] In step 224, a second fan speed is calculated for driving the fan module 130 at a
speed that is sufficient for providing an air flow for maintaining temperature of
the engine 120 at the pre set temperature (point or range). This fan speed is determined
using engine parameters and ambient parameters obtained earlier. Alternatively or
additionally, parameters may be refreshed at this point. It is noted that the fan
speed to maintain the temperature of the engine 120 depends on the load of the engine
120; while engine load increases while executing the depicted procedure, the required
angular speed of the fan for providing a proper air flow to maintain temperature may
change.
[0027] In step 226, the fan is run at the second speed by providing the bus communication
unit 172, over the bus system 150, an instruction for running the electromotor 176
at the determined second fan speed. Subsequently, the procedure branches back to step
206. At the fan 130 module, data may be collected like fan temperature, fan angular
speed, fan power, fan status, ambient temperature, other or a combination thereof.
Values of such parameters may be sent back to the fan controller 138 and/or the central
processing unit over the bus system 150 for further use, like optionally setting a
desired fan speed or generating a warning message.
[0028] During the procedure, outside carrying out of the procedure, safety measures are
applied. As one safety measure, temperatures may measured, including at least one
of engine oil temperature, coolant temperature (leaving the engine or entering the
engine) ambient temperature, fan temperature or engine temperature. If the temperature
is too high or too low - beyond safety limits -, a warning message may be displayed
on the screen 168. Such warning message is preferably pre-stored in the memory module
164..
[0029] In summary, the various aspects and implementations thereof relate to an engine-generator
comprises an internal combustion engine, a generator for providing electrical energy,
a radiator and a fan for providing an air flow over the radiator. The fan is driven
by an electromotor having a controllable angular speed. The generator further comprises
a fan controller arranged to receive sensor data from sensors comprised by the generator
unit for sensing at least one of engine status parameters and ambient parameters,
the fan controller being further arranged to control the speed of the electromotor
in response to the received sensor data at a controlled annular speed between a minimum
speed and a maximum speed. An electromotor for powering a fan switching on and off
has appeared to consume more power than a fan providing an air flow just enough for
proper cooling. By controlling the angular speed of the fan, such more efficient use
of available energy is provided.
[0030] In the description above, it will be understood that when an element such as layer,
region or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "onto" another element, the element
is either directly on the other element, or intervening elements may also be present.
Also, it will be understood that the values given in the description above, are given
by way of example and that other values may be possible and/or may be strived for.
[0031] Furthermore, the invention may also be embodied with less components than provided
in the embodiments described here, wherein one component carries out multiple functions.
Just as well may the invention be embodied using more elements than depicted in the
Figures, wherein functions carried out by one component in the embodiment provided
are distributed over multiple components.
[0032] It is to be noted that the figures are only schematic representations of embodiments
of the invention that are given by way of non-limiting examples. For the purpose of
clarity and a concise description, features are described herein as part of the same
or separate embodiments, however, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention
may include embodiments having combinations of all or some of the features described.
The word 'comprising' does not exclude the presence of other features or steps than
those listed in a claim. Furthermore, the words 'a' and 'an' shall not be construed
as limited to 'only one', but instead are used to mean 'at least one', and do not
exclude a plurality.
[0033] A person skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various parameters and values
thereof disclosed in the description may be modified and that various embodiments
disclosed and/or claimed may be combined without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0034] It is stipulated that the reference signs in the claims do not limit the scope of
the claims, but are merely inserted to enhance the legibility of the claims.
1. Engine-generator comprising an internal combustion engine, an generator connected
to the engine for converting mechanical energy to electrical energy, a radiator connected
to the combustion engine via a coolant circuit and a fan for providing an air flow
over the radiator;
the fan comprising a rotor having blades and an electromotor having a controllable
annular speed connected to the rotor;
the generator further comprising a fan controller arranged to receive sensor data
from sensors comprised by the generator unit for sensing at least one of engine status
parameters and ambient parameters, the fan controller being further arranged to control
the speed of the electromotor in response to the received sensor data at a controlled
annular speed between a minimum speed and a maximum speed.
2. Engine-generator according to claim 1, wherein the engine comprises at least one of
a coolant temperature sensor for sensing coolant temperature and an inlet air temperature
sensor for sensing inlet air temperature and the wherein engine is provided with an
engine control unit for collecting data from the sensors and providing the collected
data to the fan controller.
3. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the engine comprises
an intercooler and further comprising at least one of an oil temperature sensor for
sensing oil temperature and an intercooler temperature sensor for sensing intercooler
temperature and the wherein engine is provided with an engine control unit for collecting
data from the sensors and providing the collected data to the fan controller.
4. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least
one of an engine load sensor for sensing engine load and an engine annular speed sensor
for sensing engine angular speed, wherein engine is provided with an engine control
unit for collecting data from the sensors and providing the collected data to the
fan controller.
5. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least
one of an ambient temperature sensor for sensing ambient temperature and an ambient
humidity sensor for sensing humidity sensor, wherein the fan controller is arranged
to receive collected data.
6. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fan controller
is arranged to determine, based on received sensor data, an annular speed of the electromotor
required to at least one of achieve and maintain a set point coolant temperature.
7. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fan comprises
at least one of a fan annular speed sensor for sensing fan annular speed, a fan power
sensor for sensing fan power, a fan temperature sensor for sensing fan temperature
and an ambient temperature sensor for sensing ambient temperature, the sensor being
arranged to provide the sensor data to the fan controller.
8. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a bus
system arranged to communicate sensor data to the fan controller and to communicate
fan power data comprising instructions to the fan enabling the fan to operate at an
instructed annular speed.
9. Engine-generator according to any of the claims 2 to 8, wherein the engine control
unit is connected to the bus system.
10. Engine-generator according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the bus system is a CAN bus.
11. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fan controller
is further arranged to determine, based on the received sensor data, whether the fan
can provide sufficient air for cooling the radiator to achieve a set point temperature
and to issue a first signal if the fan cannot provide sufficient air for cooling the
radiator to achieve the set point temperature.
12. Engine-generator according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a display
and a central control unit connected to the fan control unit for receiving data from
the fan control unit and arranged to provide display data to the display to display
data related to at least one of the sensor data and the fan status.
13. Engine-generator according to claim 12, further comprising a communication unit connected
to the central control unit, the communication unit arranged to communicate at least
one of sensor data status data to an entity remote to the generator unit.
14. Method of operating an electromotor of a for driving a fan comprising a rotor having
blades comprised by an engine-generator unit comprising an internal combustion engine,
an generator connected to the engine for converting mechanical energy to electrical
energy, a radiator connected to the combustion engine via a coolant circuit, a fan
for providing an air flow over the radiator and sensors for sensing at least one of
engine status parameters and ambient parameters;
the method comprising receiving sensor data and controlling annular speed of the electromotor
at a controlled annular speed between a minimum speed and a maximum speed.
15. Method according to claim 14, further comprising determining, based on received sensor
data, an annular speed of the electromotor required to at least one of achieve and
maintain a set point coolant temperature.