Method and apparatus for detecting coolant leaks in a battery cooling device of a vehicle

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving, by a controller, a first pressure value from a first pressure sensor configured to detect pressure in a coolant pipe; and determining, by the controller, whether coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe based on the first pressure value.

Description

[0001] Cross-citation to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0093489, filed on Jul. 28, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a battery for a vehicle. Background Art

[0004] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0005] An environmentally friendly vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle refers to a vehicle that generates power by operating a motor using electric energy stored in a battery.

[0006] Typically, a battery's internal resistance increases in low-temperature environments, which degrades charging and discharging efficiency. Furthermore, the heat generated during charging and discharging can cause the battery to overheat. This overheating not only reduces battery performance but also shortens its lifespan. Therefore, proper battery temperature management is essential.

[0007] Air cooling and coolant cooling are commonly known as typical battery temperature management technologies. Coolant cooling uses a coolant to manage battery temperature. When the battery temperature is below a predetermined temperature, the coolant is heated by a heater installed in the coolant path and then circulated. When the battery temperature is above a predetermined reference temperature, the coolant is cooled by a radiator or cooler and then circulated.

[0008] The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present invention is directed to providing a method and apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, which are capable of detecting the leakage of the coolant by using a pressure sensor.

[0010] One form of the present disclosure provides a method for detecting a leak of coolant in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving, by a controller, a first pressure value from a first pressure sensor, the first pressure sensor being configured to detect a pressure in a coolant pipe in which coolant to be introduced into a battery of the battery cooling device of the vehicle moves; and determining, by the controller based on the first pressure value, whether the coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe in which the coolant flows through the battery.

[0011] The method of detecting a coolant leak in a battery cooling device of a vehicle may further include starting, by the controller, a vehicle driven by the battery to drive the vehicle or to stop the vehicle before receiving the first pressure value.

[0012] The method of detecting coolant leakage in the battery cooling device of a vehicle may further include calculating, by the controller, an amount of coolant leakage occurring in the coolant pipe based on a change value of the first pressure value with respect to time.

[0013] The method for detecting a coolant leak in a battery cooling device of a vehicle may further include: receiving, by a controller, a second pressure value from a second pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor being configured to detect a pressure in a coolant pipe in which coolant discharged from the battery moves, wherein the controller calculates, based on the first pressure value and the second pressure value, a location of the coolant leak occurring in the coolant pipe.

[0014] The method for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle may further include: when it is determined that the coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe, stopping, by the controller, the operation of an electric water pump that regulates the flow rate of the coolant discharged from the battery, and turning on, by the controller, a warning light provided on a dashboard of the vehicle.

[0015] The first pressure sensor may be installed in a coolant pipe provided between a cooler configured to cool the battery and a coolant heater configured to heat the battery.

[0016] Another form of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a first pressure sensor configured to detect pressure in a coolant pipe in which coolant to be introduced into a battery of the battery cooling device of the vehicle moves; and a controller configured to receive a first pressure value from the first pressure sensor, wherein the controller determines whether coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe in which the coolant passing through the battery flows based on the first pressure value.

[0017] Prior to receiving the first pressure value, the controller may start the vehicle powered by the battery to drive the vehicle or stop the vehicle.

[0018] The controller may calculate an amount of coolant leakage occurring in the coolant pipe based on a change value of the first pressure value with respect to time.

[0019] The apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle may further include a second pressure sensor configured to detect the pressure in a coolant pipe in which the coolant discharged from the battery moves, wherein the controller receives the second pressure value and calculates a leakage location of the coolant occurring in the coolant pipe based on the first pressure value and the second pressure value.

[0020] When it is determined that the coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe, the controller may stop operation of the electric water pump that adjusts the flow rate of the coolant exhausted from the battery, and turn on a warning light provided on a dashboard of the vehicle.

[0021] The first pressure sensor may be installed in a coolant pipe provided between a cooler configured to cool the battery and a coolant heater configured to heat the battery.

[0022] A method and apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure may improve vehicle driver safety by sensing (detecting) coolant leakage in the battery cooling device of the vehicle using a pressure sensor.

[0023] An exemplary form of the present disclosure may detect leakage of coolant regardless of a vehicle driving condition such as a condition in which the vehicle is driven or stopped.

[0024] Furthermore, the exemplary form of the present disclosure may detect leakage of the coolant by using one pressure sensor, and may detect a leakage position of the coolant by using two pressure sensors.

[0025] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein.It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order that the present disclosure may be readily understood, various forms thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 is a flowchart for explaining a method for detecting a coolant leak in a battery cooling device of a vehicle according to one form of the present disclosure; and

[0028] Figure 2 is a view for explaining an apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, the apparatus applying Figure 1 A method for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle is shown.

[0029] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to fully understand the present disclosure and the objectives to be achieved by carrying out the present disclosure, it is necessary to refer to the accompanying drawings to illustrate various forms of the present disclosure and the contents disclosed in the accompanying drawings.

[0031] Hereinafter, various forms of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the detailed description may make the subject matter of the present disclosure unclear, the detailed description of the well-known related configurations or functions will be omitted. The same reference numerals indicated in the corresponding drawings may refer to the same components.

[0032] The terms used in this specification are used only for the purpose of describing a particular form and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless clearly described as having a different meaning in the context, singular expressions include plural expressions. In this specification, it should be understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "containing," "has," "having," or other variations thereof are inclusive, thereby specifying the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0033] Throughout this specification, when a constituent element is referred to as being “connected to” another constituent element, one constituent element may be “directly connected” to another constituent element, and one constituent element may also be “electrically or mechanically” connected to “another constituent element” with other constituent elements in between.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, the terms used herein (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant technology and should not be interpreted as an ideal or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this specification.

[0035] As the driving distance of electric vehicles increases, the capacity of high-voltage batteries used to drive electric vehicles increases. In order to shorten the time it takes to charge the high-voltage batteries at high speed, a cooling system using coolant cooling is used as a method of cooling the high-voltage batteries.

[0036] We discovered that if the battery heats up due to poor cooling, the vehicle's required output power may be limited, or the motor (drive motor) and inverter powered by the battery may overheat, potentially causing their output to deteriorate or even malfunction. We also discovered that if coolant leaks in the battery system, a short circuit could occur.

[0037] Figure 1is a flowchart for explaining a method of detecting a coolant leak in a battery cooling device of a vehicle according to one form of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a view for explaining an apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, the apparatus applying Figure 1 A method for detecting a coolant leak in a battery cooling device of a vehicle is shown.

[0038] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the starting step 100, the controller 200 including the battery management system (BMS) may start the electric vehicle and drive or stop the vehicle. When the vehicle is started, the operation of the BMS may be running (activated).

[0039] Controller 200 is an electronic control unit (ECU) capable of controlling all operations of a vehicle, including a battery cooling device. For example, controller 200 may be one or more microprocessors operated by a program (control logic) or hardware including a microprocessor (e.g., a microcomputer), and the program may include a series of instructions for executing a method for detecting a coolant leak in a battery cooling device of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The instructions may be stored in a memory included in controller 200.

[0040] A battery cooling device of a vehicle (battery cooling circuit of a vehicle) included in a vehicle may include a controller 200, a radiator 202 configured to cool a coolant; a three-way valve 204 configured to adjust a flow direction of the coolant, a power element (PE) 206, such as a driving motor, an electric water pump (EWP) 208 configured to adjust a flow rate of the coolant, a three-way valve 210 configured to adjust a flow direction of the coolant, an air conditioner 212 configured to cool or heat the interior of the vehicle, a cooler (battery cooler) 214 configured to cool a battery 220, a first pressure sensor 216, a coolant heater 218 configured to heat the battery 220, a battery 220 configured to drive the vehicle, an electric water pump 222 configured to adjust a flow rate of the coolant, a second pressure sensor 226, a three-way valve 228 configured to adjust a flow direction of the coolant, a storage tank 230, and a heat pump 232 configured to absorb heat from the coolant.

[0041] Constituent elements including radiator 202 of the battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle may be connected via a coolant pipe or coolant line 201. In another form of the present disclosure, air conditioner 212 connected to cooler 214 may be omitted from the battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle.

[0042] The battery 220 and the power element 206 are components to be cooled, the electric water pumps 208 and 222 are components for circulating the coolant, the cooler 214, the coolant heater 218, the radiator 202 and the heat pump 232 are components for adjusting the temperature of the coolant, the three-way valves 204, 210, 228 are components for adjusting the path of the coolant, and the tank 230 is a component for storing the coolant.

[0043] An apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle may include a controller 200 , a first pressure sensor 216 , and a second pressure sensor 226 .

[0044] according to Figure 1 In step 120 shown, controller 200 may control first pressure sensor 216 to detect the pressure in coolant pipe 201, causing coolant to be introduced into battery 220 to move in coolant pipe 201. For example, first pressure sensor 216 may be installed in coolant pipe 201 between cooler 214 and battery 220. Controller 200 may control second pressure sensor 226 to detect the pressure in coolant pipe 201, through which coolant discharged from battery 220 moves. For example, second pressure sensor 226 may be installed at the rear end of electric water pump 222.

[0045] According to step 140, the controller 200 can calculate the change value of the first pressure value relative to time

[0046] According to step 160, the controller 200 can determine the change value of the first pressure value with respect to time. Whether the absolute value of exceeds a reference value (for example, 0).

[0047] When the change value of the first pressure value When the absolute value of the first pressure value is equal to or less than the reference value, the process of the method for detecting coolant leakage in the battery cooling device of a vehicle may proceed to step 170, and when the change ... When the absolute value of is greater than the reference value, the process of the method for detecting coolant leakage in the battery cooling device of the vehicle may proceed to step 180 .

[0048] According to step 170, the controller 200 may determine that no coolant leaks from the coolant pipe 201 in which the coolant flows through the battery 220. After step 170, the controller 200 may allow the method of detecting coolant leakage in the battery cooling device of the vehicle to proceed to step 120.

[0049] According to step 180, the controller 200 may determine that the coolant is leaking from the coolant pipe 201 in which the coolant passes through the battery 220. For example, when a change value of a first pressure value with respect to time, which is a pressure change gradient, continues for a specific time (e.g., 20 seconds), the controller 200 may determine that the coolant is leaking from the coolant pipe 201.

[0050] The controller 200 may calculate the leakage amount Q of the coolant occurring in the coolant pipe 201 based on the change value of the first pressure value with respect to time. L For example, the controller 200 can calculate the leakage amount Q of the coolant by using the following formula: L .

[0051]

[0052] In the above formula, A t is the cross-sectional area of ​​the coolant tube, ρ is the density of the coolant, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

[0053] The controller 200 may calculate a coolant leakage position occurring in the coolant pipe 201 based on the first and second pressure values. For example, the controller 200 may calculate a coolant leakage position L2 spaced apart from the installation position of the second pressure sensor 226 using the following formula.

[0054]

[0055] In the above formula, P2 is the first pressure value, α is an experimental constant for determining the leakage position of the coolant, and Q1 is the flow rate of the coolant at the position in the direction of the second pressure sensor 226 .

[0056] When it is determined that the coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe 201, the controller 200 may stop the operation of the electric water pump 222, which regulates the flow rate of the coolant discharged from the battery 220, and turn on a warning light provided on the dashboard of the vehicle. In addition, when it is determined that the coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe 201, the controller 200 may stop the operation of the electric water pump 208, which regulates the flow rate of the coolant discharged from the power element 206, and control the three-way valves 204, 210, and 228 to change the flow direction of the coolant in the battery cooling device of the vehicle (such as Figure 2 250, 260 in the figure).

[0057] The components, "units," blocks, or modules used in the exemplary forms of the present disclosure may be implemented in software such as a task, class, subroutine, process, process, thread of execution, or program executed on a certain memory area, in hardware such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or a combination of software and hardware. The components or units may be included in a computer-readable medium, or some components or units may be dispersed and distributed across multiple computers.

[0058] As described above, various forms have been described with reference to the drawings and the description. In this case, the specific terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the meaning or scope of the present disclosure disclosed in the claims. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present disclosure and other exemplary forms equivalent thereto can be implemented. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present disclosure should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

[0059] <Description of symbols>

[0060] 200: Controller

[0061] 214: Cooler

[0062] 216: First pressure sensor

[0063] 220: Battery

[0064] 226: Second pressure sensor.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a coolant leak in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving, by a controller, a first pressure value from a first pressure sensor configured to detect a first pressure in a coolant pipe; and determining, by the controller based on the first pressure value, whether the coolant is leaking in the coolant pipe, receiving, by the controller, a second pressure value from a second pressure sensor configured to detect a second pressure in the coolant pipe; A position of the coolant leakage occurring in the coolant pipe is calculated by the controller based on the first pressure value and the second pressure value.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Before receiving the first pressure value, the controller starts the vehicle and drives or stops the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The controller calculates an amount of the coolant leakage occurring in the coolant pipe based on a change in the first pressure value with respect to time.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When it is determined that the coolant has leaked in the coolant pipe, the controller stops the operation of the electric water pump and turns on a warning light provided on a dashboard of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first pressure sensor is installed in the coolant pipe provided between a cooler configured to cool a battery and a coolant heater configured to heat the battery.

6. An apparatus for detecting coolant leakage in a battery cooling device of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a first pressure sensor configured to detect a first pressure in the coolant pipe; as well as a controller configured to receive a first pressure value from the first pressure sensor; a second pressure sensor configured to detect a second pressure in the coolant pipe, wherein the controller determines whether the coolant leaks in the coolant pipe based on the first pressure value; The controller is configured to receive a second pressure value from the second pressure sensor and calculate a location of the coolant leakage occurring in the coolant pipe based on the first pressure value and the second pressure value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein Prior to receiving the first pressure value, the controller is configured to start the vehicle and drive or stop the vehicle.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The controller is configured to calculate a leakage amount of the coolant in the coolant pipe based on a change value of the first pressure value with respect to time.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein When it is determined that the coolant has leaked in the coolant pipe, the controller is configured to stop the operation of the electric water pump and turn on a warning light provided on a dashboard of the vehicle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The first pressure sensor is installed in the coolant pipe provided between the cooler and the coolant heater, The cooler is configured to cool a battery, and the coolant heater is configured to heat the battery.

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