Cooling Fan Control Device for Vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling fan control device for a moving object, and more specifically, to a cooling fan control device for a moving object that can convert a high-voltage power source into a low-voltage power source. The objective of the present invention is to provide a cooling fan control device suitable for a moving object using a power system that provides 48V power, which is a cooling fan control device that previously used a 12V power system.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling fan control device for a moving object, and more specifically, to a cooling fan control device for a moving object capable of converting a high-voltage power source into a low-voltage power source for use. Background Technology

[0002] Recently, as IT technology is being integrated into the automotive industry, the number of electrical and electronic devices installed in vehicles is increasing. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the growing power demand with the 12V power systems used in conventional vehicles, and recently, to solve this problem, vehicles utilizing systems that provide both 48V high-output power and 12V power are being released.

[0003] Meanwhile, an engine cooling system is used in vehicles to prevent engine overheating. The engine cooling system includes a radiator to release some of the heat generated by the engine through coolant, a cooling fan to prevent high-temperature air from accumulating in the radiator, a drive motor to drive the cooling fan, and a cooling fan control device to control the operation of the drive motor. Conventional cooling fan control devices are designed to be suitable for use in 12V power systems, but they need to be improved to operate suitablely in systems that provide both 48V high-output power and 12V power. The problem to be solved

[0004] The present invention is intended to solve the problems described above, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a cooling fan control device suitable for a mobile body using a power system that provides 48V power, which is a cooling fan control device that previously used a 12V power system. means of solving the problem

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, comprising: a driving module that receives a first power source from a battery included in the moving body; a voltage conversion module that converts the first power source into a second power source; and a control module that receives the second power source and generates a control signal to control the driving module.

[0007] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the voltage conversion module includes a DC-DC converter.

[0008] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the DC-DC converter converts a first power source of 48V into a second power source comprising at least one of 3.3V, 5V, and 12V.

[0009] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the voltage conversion module includes a Low Drop-Out (LDO) regulator.

[0010] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the LDO regulator converts a first power source of 48V into a second power source comprising at least one of 3.3V, 5V, and 12V.

[0011] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the LDO regulator is included in a single chip (1-chip) together with a gate driver included in the control module and the driving module.

[0012] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the gate driver is driven by the input of the first power supply.

[0013] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, wherein the control module generates a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal capable of controlling the rotational speed of the cooling fan in multiple stages according to the operating conditions of the moving body and the state of the battery, and the PWM signal is included in the control signal.

[0014] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the control module generates a control signal to reduce the rotational speed of the cooling fan when the moving body is in a stationary state and to increase the rotational speed of the cooling fan when the load state is above a predetermined standard.

[0015] According to an embodiment, a cooling fan control device for a moving body is disclosed, characterized in that the driving module includes at least one brushless DC motor. Effects of the invention

[0016] According to the present invention, a cooling fan control device can be used in a mobile body using 48V power.

[0017] In addition, according to the present invention, as the voltage increases, the current decreases, so the size of the connector connected to the battery can be reduced.

[0018] In addition, according to the present invention, voltage stability in the voltage conversion process can be improved by using an LDO regulator.

[0019] In addition, according to the present invention, space efficiency can be increased by designing an LDO regulator, a control module, and a gate driver as a single chip.

[0020] In addition, according to the present invention, the rotational speed of the cooling fan can be controlled in multiple stages using a PWM signal, thereby increasing energy efficiency. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0021] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a cooling fan control device for a moving body according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 3 are configuration diagrams showing an embodiment of a cooling fan control device for a moving body according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0022] The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention described above will become more apparent through the following embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings. The specific structural or functional descriptions below are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining other embodiments of the concept of the present invention, and embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in this specification or application. Since embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be subject to various modifications and may take various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification or application. However, this is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Terms such as "first" and / or "second" may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited to said terms. The above terms may be used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, for example, without departing from the scope of rights according to the concept of the present invention, such that the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. When it is stated that a component is connected to or coupled with another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected to or coupled with that other component, or that there may be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that a component is directly connected to or directly coupled with another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions used to describe the relationship between components, such as between, immediately between, adjacent to, and directly adjacent to, should be interpreted in the same way.The terms used in this specification are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms such as "include" or "have" in this specification are intended to indicate the existence of the described features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, and should not be understood as precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this specification. The invention will be described in detail below by describing preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical reference numerals in each drawing indicate identical components.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a cooling fan control device for a moving body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, the cooling fan control device (100) for a mobile body according to the present invention may include a driving module (110), a voltage conversion module (120), and a control module (130). The cooling fan control device (100) for a mobile body operates by receiving power from a battery (50) mounted on the mobile body and can control a motor (60) for operating a cooling fan (10).

[0025] The driving module (110) can receive a control signal from the control module (130) and drive and control the motor (60) connected to the cooling fan (10) of the moving body. The driving module (110) may include a gate driver (111) and 6x MosFETs (112). The gate driver (111) and 6x MosFETs (112) included in the driving module (110) may operate by receiving a first power supply of 48V voltage from a 48V battery (50) mounted on the moving body. The motor connected to the driving module (110) may include at least one brushless DC motor.

[0026] The voltage conversion module (120) can receive a first power of 48V from a 48V battery (50) mounted on a mobile body and convert it into a second power including at least one of 12V, 5V, and 3.3V voltages. The voltage conversion module (120) may include at least one of a DC-DC converter (121, see FIG. 2) and an LDO (Low Drop-Out) regulator (122, see FIG. 3) to convert the first power of 48V supplied from the battery (50) into the second power.

[0027] The control module (130) can generate a control signal to control the motor (60) according to the surrounding environment and transmit it to the drive module (110). At this time, the control module (130) can operate by receiving a second power source converted by the voltage conversion module (120) for the operation of generating the control signal. The control module (130) can generate a control signal that controls the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) in multiple stages according to the operating conditions of the moving body and the state of the battery (50). The control signal generated by the control module (130) may include a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal. Alternatively, it may receive a PWM signal from a PWM module mounted in the moving body and generate a control signal based on the received PWM signal.

[0028] The control module (130) can generate a control signal to reduce the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) when, for example, the moving body is in a stationary state, and to increase the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) to lower the engine temperature when the load state is above a predetermined standard. Additionally, it can receive ambient temperature information from a temperature sensor (not shown) included in the cooling fan control device (100) or mounted in the moving body, and generate a control signal to control the cooling fan (10) based on the received ambient temperature information.

[0029] FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 3 are configuration diagrams showing an embodiment of a cooling fan control device for a moving body according to the present invention. FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 3 respectively show the case where the voltage conversion module (120) is a DC-DC converter (121) and the case where it is an LDO (Low Drop-Out) regulator (122).

[0030] First, referring to FIG. 2, the cooling fan control device for a mobile body according to the present invention may include a driving module (110), a DC-DC converter (121), and a control module (130). The cooling fan control device (100) for a mobile body operates by receiving power from a battery (50) mounted on the mobile body and can control a motor (60) for operating a cooling fan (10).

[0031] The driving module (110) can receive a control signal from the control module (130) and drive and control the motor (60) connected to the cooling fan (10) of the moving body. The driving module (110) may include a gate driver (111) and 6x MosFETs (112). The gate driver (111) and 6x MosFETs (112) included in the driving module (110) may operate by receiving a first power supply of 48V voltage from a 48V battery (50) mounted on the moving body. The motor connected to the driving module (110) may include at least one brushless DC motor.

[0032] The DC-DC converter (121) can receive a first power source of 48V voltage from a 48V battery (50) mounted on a mobile body and convert it into a second power source including at least one of 12V, 5V, and 3.3V voltages.

[0033] The control module (130) can generate a control signal to control the motor (60) according to the surrounding environment and transmit it to the drive module (110). At this time, the control module (130) can operate by receiving a second power converted from the DC-DC converter (121) for the operation to generate the control signal. The control module (130) can generate a control signal that controls the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) in multiple stages according to the operating conditions of the moving body and the state of the battery (50). The control signal generated by the control module (130) may include a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal. Alternatively, it may receive a PWM signal from a PWM module mounted in the moving body and generate a control signal based on the received PWM signal.

[0034] The control module (130) can generate a control signal to reduce the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) when, for example, the moving body is in a stationary state, and to increase the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) to lower the engine temperature when the load state is above a predetermined standard. Additionally, it can receive ambient temperature information from a temperature sensor (not shown) included in the cooling fan control device (100) or mounted in the moving body, and generate a control signal to control the cooling fan (10) based on the received ambient temperature information.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 3, the cooling fan control device for a mobile body according to the present invention may include a driving module (110), an LDO (Low Drop-Out) regulator (122), and a control module (130). The cooling fan control device (100) for a mobile body operates by receiving power from a battery (50) mounted on the mobile body and can control a motor (60) for operating a cooling fan (10).

[0036] The driving module (110) can receive a control signal from the control module (130) and drive and control the motor (60) connected to the cooling fan (10) of the moving body. The driving module (110) may include a gate driver (111) and 6x MosFETs (112). The gate driver (111) and 6x MosFETs (112) included in the driving module (110) may operate by receiving a first power supply of 48V voltage from a 48V battery (50) mounted on the moving body. The motor connected to the driving module (110) may include at least one brushless DC motor.

[0037] The LDO (Low Drop-Out) regulator (122) can receive a first power supply of 48V voltage from a 48V battery (50) mounted on a mobile body and convert it into a second power supply including at least one of 12V, 5V, and 3.3V voltages. At this time, the LDO (Low Drop-Out) regulator (122) is designed to be included in a single chip (1-chip) together with a gate driver (111) included in a control module (130) and a driving module (110), and can be included in a cooling fan control device (100).

[0038] The control module (130) can generate a control signal to control the motor (60) according to the surrounding environment and transmit it to the drive module (110). At this time, the control module (130) can operate by receiving a second power source converted by the voltage conversion module (120) for the operation of generating the control signal. The control module (130) can generate a control signal that controls the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) in multiple stages according to the operating conditions of the moving body and the state of the battery (50). The control signal generated by the control module (130) may include a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal. Alternatively, it may receive a PWM signal from a PWM module mounted in the moving body and generate a control signal based on the received PWM signal.

[0039] The control module (130) can generate a control signal to reduce the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) when, for example, the moving body is in a stationary state, and to increase the rotational speed of the cooling fan (10) to lower the engine temperature when the load state is above a predetermined standard. Additionally, it can receive ambient temperature information from a temperature sensor (not shown) included in the cooling fan control device (100) or mounted in the moving body, and generate a control signal to control the cooling fan (10) based on the received ambient temperature information.

[0040] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended only to illustrate, not to limit, the technical scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention includes not only each disclosed embodiment but also combinations of the disclosed embodiments, and furthermore, the scope of the technical scope of the present invention is not limited by such embodiments. In addition, a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can make numerous changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and all such appropriate changes and modifications should be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention as equivalents. Furthermore, the upward direction and downward direction disclosed in the present invention refer only to the upper electrode direction and the lower electrode direction, respectively, and do not necessarily mean an upward direction and a downward direction. Explanation of the symbols

[0041] 10 : Cooling fan 50 : Battery 60 : Motor 100 : Cooling fan control unit 110: Drive module 111 : Gate Driver 112 : 6x MosFET 120: Voltage conversion module 121 : DC-DC converter 122 : LDO Regulator 130: Control Module

Claims

Claim 1 A cooling fan control device for a moving body, comprising: a driving module that receives a first power supply from a battery included in the moving body; a voltage conversion module that converts the first power supply into a second power supply; and a control module that receives the second power supply and generates a control signal to control the driving module. Claim 2 A cooling fan control device for a moving body, characterized in that, in claim 1, the voltage conversion module includes a DC-DC converter. Claim 3 A cooling fan control device for a moving body according to claim 2, wherein the DC-DC converter converts a first power source of 48V into a second power source comprising at least one of 3.3V, 5V, and 12V. Claim 4 A cooling fan control device for a moving body, characterized in that, in claim 1, the voltage conversion module includes an LDO (Low Drop-Out) regulator. Claim 5 A cooling fan control device for a moving body according to claim 4, wherein the LDO regulator converts a first power source of 48V into a second power source comprising at least one of 3.3V, 5V, and 12V. Claim 6 A cooling fan control device for a moving body, characterized in that, in claim 5, the LDO regulator is included in a single chip (1-chip) together with the gate driver included in the control module and the driving module. Claim 7 In claim 6, the above gate driver is characterized by being driven by the input of the above first power supply, a cooling fan control device for a moving body. Claim 8 A cooling fan control device for a moving body according to claim 1, wherein the control module generates a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal capable of controlling the rotational speed of the cooling fan in multiple stages according to the operating conditions of the moving body and the state of the battery, and wherein the PWM signal is included in the control signal. Claim 9 A cooling fan control device for a moving body according to claim 8, wherein the control module generates a control signal to reduce the rotational speed of the cooling fan when the moving body is in a stationary state and to increase the rotational speed of the cooling fan when the load state is above a predetermined standard. Claim 10 A cooling fan control device for a moving body according to claim 1, wherein the driving module comprises an FET element connected to at least one brushless DC motor.

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