ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

GENBA SOPANRAO MOZE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PUNE

A SEMINAR REPORT ON

ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEMS

PRESENTED BY

RAUT SIDDHARTH VASANT

SEAT NO: - T120300951

For Academic Year: - 2017-2018

Under Guidance Of:

PROF.D.J.WAGHULDE

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

GENBA SOPANRAO MOZE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PUNE

G S M COE, BALEWADI-045 Mech. Dept. PAGE NO.1

 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

GENBA SOPANRAO MOZE COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING PUNE

Department of Mechanical Engineering

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that RAUT SIDDHARTH VASANT has successfully

submitted his report on ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM during the
academic year of 2017-2018 in degree course of third year Mechanical
Engineering under Genba Sopanrao Moze College of engineering, Pune

PROF.D.J. WAGHULDE PROF. Dr.ASHFAQ S. Dr.F.B.SAYYAD

Guide Head of Department Principal

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

INDEX

SR. PAGE
NAME OF TOPIC
NO. NO.

1 INTRODUCTION 7

2 BACKGROUND 9

3 INVENTOR 10

4 DESIGN AND FUNCTION 11

5 WORKING OF AGS SYSTEM 12

6 AGS SYSTEM USED IN DIFFERENT VEHICLES 16

OPTIMISATION OF THE OVERALL VEHICLE

7 ENERGY CONSUMPTION 17

8 SUMMARY 20

9 CONCLUSION 21

10 REFERENCE LIST 22

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

Acknowledgement

The seminar would not have been the light of the day without the whole hearted
support of our guide Prof.D.J.WAGHULDE he always boosted our morals.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Prof. Mr.Dr.ASHFAQ S., Head of
Mechanical Department, for their support and encouragement.

Nonetheless, over the weeks, all other faculty members of computer department have
rendered us significant encouragement, in vigorous and continuous and kind guidance. I
thank them all for their valuable guidance and other people who directly and indirectly
assisted us in the successful and timely completion of the seminar”.

I express my gratitude to all my friends and classmates for their support and help in
this seminar.

- SIDDHARTH RAUT

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

An integrated assembly includes a vehicle bumper system, and upper and lower air
shutter sections with sub assembled shutter vanes movable between closed and open
positions, an actuator mechanism for moving the shutter members between positions. When
in the fully open position, the shutter vanes are aerodynamically designed to minimize air
drag, both as air flows past the vanes and also during after-vane airflow (and during after-
bumper-beam airflow). When in the fully closed vane position, the vanes seal against each
other to provide a highly efficient and leak-resistant air-blocking assembly.

Due to increased demand for improved fuel economy and reduction in CO2
emissions, active grille shutter (AGS) has been considered as one option to increase fuel
economy by reducing vehicle drag resistance. An AGS system will allow airflow through the
grille when demand on cooling system or air conditioning system is high. Under conditions
of light load and moderate ambient temperatures and humidity, the grille does not have to be
fully open. A reduction in the effective grille size opening can be achieved by either partially
or fully closing the grille through a stepped speed motor actuator. When the grille opening
size is reduced, under-hood airflow will decrease. Therefore, the operating points for the
grille shutter should take into account the effect of temperature rise for under-hood and
underbody components and the performance of the cooling and climate control systems. In
this paper, a series of tests have been designed and conducted to evaluate the effect of the
grille shutter on the air conditioning (AC) system performance, and power train cooling as
well as under-hood and underbody components temperatures. Tests have been designed to
determine the impact of AGS on the AC compressor and fan power consumptions, cooling
system and climate control system performance.

Keywords:-

AC : - Air Conditioning
AGS:-Active Grille Shutter
AVG: - Average
CD:-Coefficient of Drag
PCM:-power-train control module

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

ACTIVE GRILLE SHUTTER

SYSTEM

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

In order to improve the aerodynamic drag and the associated fuel consumption of
motor vehicles, increased attention is given to the reduction of cooling drag, which is the
resistance caused by the air flow through the vehicle's front-end. Air flow through heat
exchangers in the front-end and through the engine compartment is necessary to cool various
systems and components, one of which is the condenser of the air conditioning (A/C) system.
In a conventional vapour compression A/C cycle, the condenser rejects the heat taken out of
the cooled cabin air and the heat generated by the compressor. The air flow through the
condenser is typically driven by ram-air through the vehicle's front-end apertures and by one
or multiple cooling fans. The cooling drag of the vehicle can be reduced or eliminated by an
active grille shutter (AGS), which is closed as long as the cooling requirements are low. This
results in a reduced aerodynamic drag coefficient and thereby increased fuel economy. As
soon as cooling requirements arise, air flow through the front-end has to be provided, i.e. the
cooling fan(s) have to be operated and the AGS has to open. In this situation, the energy
consumption of the vehicle systems still has to be minimized. Therefore, the incremental
aerodynamic drag that is generated by opening the AGS has to be balanced with the power
requirement of the cooling fan(s). A special case occurs when the vehicle's A/C system is
operating. Because the power consumption of the A/C compressor is significant, it can
exceed aero drag savings by closing the AGS as well as cooling fan power consumption. To
address this problem, the AGS has to be controlled in a way that the overall power
consumption of aero drag and A/C compressor is minimized.

The present invention relates to grill shutter systems for selectively controlling
airflow to a vehicle engine/power plant or other vehicle cooled component, and more
particularly relates to a shutter system with aerodynamic vanes for low drag pass through
when open but also non-leaking air blockage when closed.

Ford says the 2015 Ford Mustang with 2.3-liter Eco Boost four-cylinder engine will
be equipped with active grille shutters because hard-working turbo "need a lot of cooling air
fed through the grille." But non-turbo models benefit, as well. Other manufacturers that have

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

utilized active grille shutters include Chevrolet, which built them into its Cruze Eco
and Malibu Eco models, among others, and Cadillac, which has used them on the ATS and
CTS. Chrysler's Dodge Dart and Ram 1500 pickup feature active grille shutters, as do a
number of models from Honda, Mazda and Toyota.

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to grill shutter systems for selectively controlling
airflow to a vehicle engine/power plant or other vehicle cooled component, and more
particularly relates to a shutter system with aerodynamic vanes for low drag pass through
when open but also non-leaking air blockage when closed.

Components, such as grills and the like, that affect airflow around a vehicle front end
and airflow into a vehicle engine compartment are important for several reasons. For
example, the components must provide good airflow for engine cooling, stylistic appearance
for customer satisfaction and acceptance, aerodynamic effect for good gas mileage, good
impact characteristics (and good reparability) in case of a vehicle crash, and a competitive
cost of manufacturing. This has traditionally been accomplished by using static components,
such as grills, baffles, stylish fascia, and the like. However, some vehicle manufacturers are
now looking for airflow systems that provide an ability to actively manage and selectively
optimize airflow based on engine temperature and operating conditions (such as during an
engine cold start or after engine warm up), vehicle speed (such as idle or at highway speeds),
and environmental conditions (such as hot humid day versus sub-zero cold dry night).
Notably, any such airflow control system must preferably be reliable, durable, robust, cost-
competitive to manufacture and assemble, maintain design flexibility, not cause other
problems (such as noise and/or rattle concerns), and be capable of integration into the overall
vehicle design. Due to conflicting design requirements, the details of any such system are not
clear.

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

INVENTORS

Todd W. Pastrick

Samuel I. Smith

Charles A. Seiter

Jeffrey A. Blair

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

DESIGN AND FUNCTION OF THE ACTIVE GRILLE

SHUTTER
The AGS used in the new Ford Focus is located between the cooling apertures in the
front bumper and the cooling package, i.e. the stacked heat exchangers that cool the different
sub-systems (charge air cooler, A/C condenser, and engine cooling radiator).

Hardware Rotating vanes are placed in the air paths between the bumper grilles and
the cooling module. By adjusting the angle of the vanes with an electric actuator, the air flow
through the heat exchangers can be regulated.

Front End Module

Cooling Heat Exchangers

Rotating Vanes

Figure 1: Active Grille Shutter assembly

Functional characteristics Similar to the electric cooling fan, which is placed

downstream, behind the heat exchangers, the AGS actuation is also controlled by the
vehicle's Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The vanes are closed to aid the warm-up of the
engine and to preserve heat in winter conditions, and to reduce the aerodynamic drag of the
vehicle at higher road speeds. When cooling demands arise from the different sub-systems,
the shutters can be opened accordingly.

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

WORKING OF AGS SYSTEM

The grille shutter actuator positions the grille shutters based on commands from the
PCM. The grille shutter moves 90 degrees from fully closed to fully open and, based on the
position commanded by the PCM, is set in 1 of 16 positions (approximately 6 degrees
between positions).

During normal operation, the grille shutter may be partially to fully open when the
engine is off, depending on the ambient temperature. When the engine is started, a calibration
of the grille shutter system occurs, which typically takes 15-20 seconds. The grille shutter
system performs the calibration sequence by detecting the end positions, open and closed.
The calibration sequence can begin in either direction, open or closed, and continues until it
is successful or a fault is sensed. A long pause may occur between the 2 portions (open/close)
of the calibration sequence. Calibration of the grille shutter system cannot be manually
requested, it only occurs as determined by the grille shutter actuator. If certain faults are
present (shutter blocked or actuator error), a recalibration is initiated in an attempt to resolve
the problem. If the problem is not resolved after a calibrated number of attempts (usually 3 or
4), a timer starts and sets a DTC when the timer reaches a predetermined limit. Other faults
also trigger a recalibration request, but not until a grille shutter DTC is set in the PCM.

The PCM communicates the desired position (open or closed) of the grille shutter
based on various PCM inputs (vehicle speed, coolant temperature, ambient temperature, A/C
system pressure, etc.). The PCM communicates to the grille shutter actuator via a LIN. The
LIN supports bi-directional communication between the grille shutter actuator and PCM,
allowing the grille shutter actuator to communicate position and fault information to the
PCM.

The PCM sets grille shutter Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) when the fault
information is communicated by the grille shutter actuator for a predetermined amount of
time. Any failures of the LIN for over 10 seconds continuously results in the grille shutter
actuator positioning the grille shutter fully open. There is no indication to the driver of the

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

vehicle when a fault with the grille shutter system is present or a grille shutter DTC is set in
the PCM.

What are active shutter grille vents, and how do they work?

In a conventional, front-engined, water-cooled, gasoline car, air is drawn through the

grille and into the engine bay, either sucked in by the radiator fan, or forced in by the
movement of the car through the air. The majority of that air then passes through the fins of
the radiator located directly behind the grille, helping cool down the coolant within, which in
turn keeps the engine cool.

Unless that engine is working extremely hard, or is in a hot climate, however, there is often
more air entering the engine bay than is needed to keep the engine cool. Moreover, that
unnecessary air entering the engine bay can add significant aerodynamic drag to the car,
increasing the amount of energy needed to move it along and thus decreasing gas mileage.

Automatic Calibration
When the engine is started, an automatic calibration of the grille shutter system takes
place. This calibration process cannot be initiated manually.

Calibration typically takes about 15-20 seconds. The process occurs until calibration
is successful, or a fault is detected. Any failure of the system for over 10 seconds
continuously will result in the actuator positioning the shutters fully open. There is no
indication to the driver when a grille shutter system fault is present, however, a diagnostic
trouble code is set in the PCM.

Operation
This controlled vent system is primarily designed to maximize fuel economy by
reducing drag on the vehicle. The grille shutters automatically close to block airflow through
the cooling system when not needed. Closing the active grille shutters helps to improve
aerodynamics at high speeds. The shutters open to reduce under hood temperatures when
needed. The grille shutter system is also used to control coolant temperatures, HVAC
performance, and exhaust emissions depending on the vehicle speed.

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

The shutters are linked together, with one of the individual shutters attached to the
actuator by the retainer. When the grille shutter actuator moves, it moves the attached shutter,
which in turn, causes the other linked shutters to move.
The shutters are regulated by the powertrain control module (PCM), and can be set
into 16 different positions, from fully closed (see Figure 2), to fully open (see Figure 3),
depending on the amount of cooling air required. The grille shutter actuator receives the
position commands from the PCM. The PCM determines the required positions based on
inputs such as vehicle speed, coolant temperature, ambient air temperature, and air
conditioning system pressure.
During normal operation, the grille shutters are fully open when the engine is off.
When starting the engine from cold, the grille shutters will remain closed as long as possible
to help reach the most efficient operating temperatures more quickly. This also helps reduce
fuel consumption and emissions.
When the engine-grille shutters open, air is allowed to flow through the radiator and
into the engine compartment for faster cooling of the engine. But when that cooling air is not
needed, the shutters close, as determined by the engine control unit (ECU), which reroutes air
around the vehicle creating less turbulence than what would otherwise exist if the air was to
flow through the vehicle. The reduced turbulence lessens the aerodynamic drag by up to 6%,
increasing fuel economy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 2 %.

Figure 1. Air Flow with Grille Shutter Open and Closed

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

As an added advantage, the closed shutters also reduce engine warm-up time in cold weather
by stopping air from entering the engine on cold days. This advantage allows the engine to
run more efficiently, heating to the optimal operating temperature faster, and warming up the
interior of car quicker. Figure 2 shows an active grille shutter typically found in most modern
vehicles.

Figure 2. Active Grille Shutter Operatio

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

AGS SYSTEM USED IN DIFFERENT VEHICLES

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

OPTIMISATION OF THE OVERALL VEHICLE ENERGY

CONSUMPTION
After the influence of the AGS on the energy consumption of the A/C system was
demonstrated, the next step was to optimize the overall energy consumption of the vehicle by
balancing the direct AGS benefit with this indirect/secondary effect. This is important to
maximize the advantage given by the AGS under real driving conditions where the A/C
system is operating most of the time.

A mapping approach was taken to evaluate the A/C compressor power consumption,
where the vehicle was tested in different ambient conditions (15°, 25°, and 35°C) and at
different speeds. Data for the incremental power consumption of the A/C compressor, i.e. the
power consumption increase relative to fully open AGS is shown in Figure 7. Note that the
data set is not complete. The high load tests were not conducted with the shutters in fully
closed or near fully closed position.

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

Shutter opening

Test condition

Figure 7: A/C power consumption increase with closing shutters, different ambient conditions,
different vehicle speeds

The data show that more shutter opening is required at lower vehicle speeds, and
more shutter opening is required with increasing ambient temperature.

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

For the direct AGS effect, data was supplied by the Aerodynamics department, where
the improvement of the drag coefficient with fully closed shutters was quantified. This
translates into a reduction of the required power to move the vehicle against aerodynamic
resistances. This aerodynamic power reduction due to closed AGS increases with the third
power of vehicle speed. The effect is relatively small below 80 km/h, but significant at high
speed. For partially closed AGS, the benefit can be approximately scaled according to the
percentage closed.

It is important to note that the decreasing requirement to open the AGS for the A/C
system at higher vehicle speed is in line with increased aero benefit of closing the AGS.

1600

100 Km/h vehicle speed, 25°C ambient

1400

Optimum
Total of aero and A/C compressor power consumption
1200

1000

A/C compressor power consumption

800

600

Additional aero power consumption

400

200

0
00 % 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%
100
Shutter opening

Figure 8: optimization of aero and A/C compressor power consumption

The total power consumption of A/C compressor and opened AGS can be minimized
as shown in Figure 8. This approach leads to a map of optimized AGS positions for different
ambient conditions (mainly temperature) and different vehicle speeds.

With regard to the electric cooling fan and the related energy consumption, it could be
concluded that any cases where the AGS is not fully open but the cooling fan is running
should be avoided. That is because the cooling fan increases the effect of recirculated hot
leakage air flow on the A/C condenser. Therefore, the existing cooling fan control strategy
that considers a balance between fan and A/C compressor requirements already could be left

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

in place. The fan control would be effective after the AGS is opened and if the ventilation of
the A/C condenser with ram air only is insufficient.

CONTROL STRATEGY

After the optimization of the shutter opening is completed and mapped for a specific vehicle,
a suitable control strategy is required to actuate the AGS according to the specific
application. It is apparent that information on e.g. vehicle speed, ambient temperature, and on
the operation conditions of the A/C system can be utilized to achieve this.

It can be noted that closing the AGS at very low vehicle speed and at idle does not deliver
any aerodynamic benefit. Therefore, it can be opened already responding to lowest cooling
requirements in such situations.

Additional considerations have to be made for cabin/engine warm-up scenarios in winter,

where heat in the engine compartment has to be preserved.

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 ACTIVE GRILL SHUTTER SYSTEM

SUMMARY

 An object of the present invention is to provide an active grille shutter which is capable of
properly controlling opening and closing of a variable duct.
 A first aspect of the invention provides an active grille shutter for controlling opening and
closing of a variable duct device that uses a movable louver to open and close an opening
provided at a front end of a vehicle to introduce air, the active grille shutter including: a
thermal load state detection unit configured to detect a thermal load state of the vehicle; and
an opening and closing control unit configured to set the variable duct device in a closed state
in a normal condition, and to set the variable duct device in an open state when it is
determined that the thermal load state of the vehicle is a predetermined high thermal load
state.
 The thermal load state detection unit may include an ambient temperature sensor configured
to detect an ambient temperature, and the opening and closing control unit may be configured
to maintain the variable duct device in a closed state irrespective of a result of the detection
by the thermal load state detection unit when the ambient temperature is substantially below a
freezing point
 The thermal load state detection unit may include a vehicle speed sensor configured to detect
a running speed of the vehicle, and the opening and closing control unit may be configured to
determine that the vehicle is in the high thermal load state when the vehicle has a low running
speed which is lower than or equal to a predetermined value.
 The thermal load state detection unit may include an engine output state detection unit
configured to detect an output state of an engine, and the opening and closing control unit
may be configured to determine that the vehicle is in the high thermal load state when the
engine is in a predetermined high output state.
 The thermal load state detection unit may include a temperature sensor configured to detect at
least either one of a coolant temperature and a lubricating oil temperature of the engine, and
the opening and closing control unit may be configured to determine that the vehicle is in the
high thermal load state when the at least either one of the coolant temperature and the
lubricating oil temperature is higher than or equal to a predetermined value.

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COCLUSION

A method for actuating an active grille shutter to optimize the total vehicle energy
consumption by balancing the power consumption of the A/C compressor and the
aerodynamic benefit of the AGS has been derived. Data enabling this optimization has been
created and presented.

The method allows for reducing the fuel consumption of the vehicle under 'real-world'
conditions with the A/C system operating and the aerodynamic drag being influenced by the
AGS position.

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REFERENCE LIST

1. Williams, J., “Aerodynamic Drag of Engine-Cooling Airflow with External

Interference”, SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-0996, 2003.
2. Markowitz, M., "Improving Efficiency of Vehicle Air Conditioning Systems",
2nd European Mobile Air Conditioning Workshop (ATA), November 29/30,
2007, Torino (IT), www.ata.it/en/convegni/calendario/past/ (last accessed 10 Jan
2011)
3. Meininghaus, R., Fischer, D., "MAC Energy Efficiency", VDA Winter Meeting,
February 11/12, 2009, Saalfelden (AT), www.vda-wintermeeting.de (last accessed
10 Jan 2011

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