An integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle and a control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses an integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle and a control method thereof, the integrated radiator comprising: a cooling system, which is equipped with a cooling master controller, a plurality of cooling modules and a plurality of cooling channels, the number of cooling modules and the number of cooling devices in the cooling modules can be flexibly configured according to the actual internal circuit of the fuel cell vehicle; a vehicle controller, which is connected to the cooling master controller and sends the target temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling channel; a plurality of temperature sensors, which collect the actual temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling channel; a cooling master controller, which compares the actual temperature of the cooling medium with the corresponding target temperature, calculates the control amount of each cooling module based on a specific algorithm, and enables each cooling module to dissipate heat according to the received control amount. Compared with the traditional solution, the present invention is more cost-saving, more energy-saving, more modular and flexible, and each fan is controlled separately, with higher control accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle thermal management, and in particular to an integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Fuel cell vehicles have currently become one of the key areas of national policy support, and the radiator of the fuel cell engine is one of the important components of the fuel cell vehicle.

[0003] The main function of the radiator of a fuel cell engine is to transfer the waste heat generated during the operation of the fuel cell from the water to the air. Currently, the radiator generally uses several fans to work simultaneously to ensure sufficient heat dissipation capacity. As the power of the fuel cell engine increases, the number of cooling fans will also increase. How to minimize the demand for engine controller resources while ensuring stable water temperature and reducing the cost of the radiator has become an important research topic. Summary of the invention

[0004] One of the technical problems to be solved by the present invention is the need to provide an integrated radiator for fuel cell vehicles and a control method thereof, which mainly solves the problems of low integration, high cost, low control accuracy, inability to perform modular expansion, short life and low energy saving of traditional radiators.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application first provides an integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle, which includes: a cooling system, which has a main cooling controller, multiple cooling modules and multiple cooling flow paths, wherein the number of cooling modules and the number of cooling devices in the cooling modules can be flexibly configured according to the actual internal circuits of the fuel cell vehicle; a vehicle controller, which is connected to the main cooling controller and sends the target temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path to the main cooling controller; multiple temperature sensors, which collect the actual temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path; wherein the main cooling controller compares the collected actual temperature of the cooling medium with the corresponding target temperature, and calculates the control amount of controlling each cooling module based on a specific algorithm, so that each cooling module dissipates heat for the corresponding cooling flow path according to the received control amount.

[0006] In one embodiment, the cooling master controller generates a control quantity by executing the following steps: selecting a control mode, the control mode including a first mode in which the output control quantity is a PWM signal and a second mode in which the output control quantity is a start-stop signal, wherein in the first mode, the number of operating cooling devices is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the PWM signal of each cooling device to be operated is calculated; in the second mode, the number of cooling devices to be operated in turn each time is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the dead time between each cooling device to be operated is calculated.

[0007] In one embodiment, when the cooling module is composed of N cooling devices, the cooling master controller, in a first mode, determines a preset duty cycle range in which the calculated total duty cycle is located, and selects a corresponding number of n cooling devices to send PWM signals, and the duty cycles of the PWM signals of these n cooling devices are all total duty cycle * N / n; the cooling master controller, in a second mode, determines a preset duty cycle range in which the calculated total duty cycle is located, and selects a corresponding number of n cooling devices to send PWM signals in turn, and when switching the cooling devices, a dead time of 1-total duty cycle * N / n is left.

[0008] In one embodiment, when the cooling module is composed of four cooling devices, the cooling master controller performs one of the following steps in the first mode: when the total duty cycle is less than the first set duty cycle, a PWM signal is sent to a cooling device, and its duty cycle is the total duty cycle * 4; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the first set duty cycle and less than the second set duty cycle, a PWM signal with the same duty cycle is sent to two cooling devices, and the duty cycle is the total duty cycle * 2; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second preset duty cycle and less than the third preset duty cycle, a PWM signal with the same duty cycle is sent to three cooling devices, and the duty cycle is the total duty cycle * 1.333; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the third preset duty cycle and less than 100%, a PWM signal with the same duty cycle is sent to four cooling devices, and the duty cycle is the total duty cycle * 1.

[0009] In one embodiment, when the cooling module is composed of four cooling devices, the cooling master controller performs one of the following steps in the second mode: when the total duty cycle is less than the first preset duty cycle, only one cooling device is operated at a time, and the dead time is 1-total duty cycle*4; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the first preset duty cycle and less than the second preset duty cycle, two cooling devices are operated at a time, and the dead time is 1-total duty cycle*2; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second preset duty cycle and less than the third preset duty cycle, three cooling devices are operated at a time, and the dead time is 1-total duty cycle*1.333; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the third preset duty cycle and less than 100%, four cooling devices are operated at a time, and the dead time is 1-total duty cycle*1.

[0010] In one embodiment, the main cooling controller integrates controllers and drivers having the same number as the cooling devices.

[0011] In one embodiment, the driver includes an H-bridge driving circuit composed of four switching tubes, the H-bridge driving circuits of two adjacent drivers share the same bridge arm, and each H-bridge driving circuit drives the cooling device connected thereto to operate after being turned on.

[0012] In one embodiment, the switch tube is a triode, an IGBT, a MOSFET or a diode.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for the integrated radiator as described above is also provided, the method comprising: the vehicle controller sends the target temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path to the main cooling controller; the main cooling controller compares the actual temperature of the cooling medium collected by the temperature sensor with the corresponding target temperature, and calculates the control amount for controlling each cooling module based on a specific algorithm, so that each cooling module dissipates heat for the corresponding cooling flow path according to the received control amount.

[0014] In one embodiment, the step of generating a control quantity by the cooling master controller includes: selecting a control mode, the control mode including a first mode in which the output control quantity is a PWM signal and a second mode in which the output control quantity is a start-stop signal, wherein in the first mode, the number of operating cooling devices is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the PWM signal of each cooling device to be operated is calculated; in the second mode, the number of cooling devices to be operated in turn is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the dead time between each cooling device to be operated is calculated.

[0015] In one embodiment, when the cooling module is composed of N cooling devices, the cooling master controller, in a first mode, determines a preset duty cycle range in which the calculated total duty cycle is located, and selects a corresponding number of n cooling devices to send PWM signals, and the duty cycles of the PWM signals of these n cooling devices are all total duty cycle * N / n; the cooling master controller, in a second mode, determines a preset duty cycle range in which the calculated total duty cycle is located, and selects a corresponding number of n cooling devices to send PWM signals in turn, and when switching the cooling devices, a dead time of 1-total duty cycle * N / n is left.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, one or more embodiments of the above scheme may have the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0017] The CCU in the integrated radiator of the embodiment of the present application integrates all fan motor drivers, changing the original situation that each fan has its own driver, improving hardware reuse and reducing costs. Moreover, by flexibly grouping fans and their motors into modules to control different cooling circuits, this method is more flexible than traditional solutions. Since each fan is controlled individually, the control accuracy is higher and more energy-saving, avoiding the situation where multiple fans are started at a time under low duty cycle conditions in traditional solutions.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by implementing the technical solution of the present invention. The purpose and other advantages of the present invention can be achieved and obtained by the structures and / or processes specifically pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the technical solution of the present application or the prior art, and constitute a part of the specification. Among them, the accompanying drawings expressing the embodiments of the present application are used together with the embodiments of the present application to explain the technical solution of the present application, but do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of the present application.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of an integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 This is the internal circuit diagram of the CCU of an embodiment of the present application (the motor in the figure is not a CCU component).

[0022] Figure 3 This is a circuit structure diagram of the fan motor driver inside the CCU of an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a control method for an integrated radiator of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will describe the implementation methods of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, so that the implementation process of how the present invention applies technical means to solve technical problems and achieve corresponding technical effects can be fully understood and implemented accordingly. The embodiments of the present application and the various features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict, and the technical solutions formed are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] In addition, the steps shown in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions. Also, although a logical sequence is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a sequence different from that here.

[0026] The current mainstream fuel cell engine radiator mainly includes fans, fixed brackets, fuse boxes, metal heat sinks or tubes, etc., where the fan includes a driver, motor, blades and frame, etc. Several fans are grouped together and controlled by a unified PWM wave. However, the above mainstream technical solutions have the following defects: 1) Low integration, each fan has an independent driver, which increases the cost; 2) Controlling the fans by grouping reduces the demand for controller IO to a certain extent, but this method cannot achieve precise control and has high power consumption; 3) It is not convenient to perform flexible grouping and cannot be modularly expanded; 4) The use of group control reduces the life of the fan.

[0027] In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides an integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle, which facilitates the heat dissipation of the fuel cell vehicle.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 To illustrate the structure and function of the device. Figure 1 As shown, the integrated radiator 10 includes a cooling system 12 and a vehicle controller VCU 14. The cooling system 12 is equipped with a cooling master controller CCU 122, multiple cooling modules (two in this example, labeled 124a and 124b) and multiple cooling flow paths (not shown). In this example, each cooling module is composed of multiple cooling devices, such as cooling module 124a is composed of four cooling devices, and cooling module 124b is composed of two cooling devices, wherein the number of cooling modules and the number of cooling devices in the cooling modules can be flexibly configured according to the actual internal circuit of the fuel cell vehicle. In the following description, the cooling device takes the mainstream heat dissipation device-the fan as an example, and the device includes a fan, a fan motor and a heat sink.

[0029] In this embodiment, multiple temperature sensors (two in this example, labeled 126a, 126b) collect the actual temperature of the cooling medium (such as cooling water, air, cooling oil, etc.) in each cooling flow path. The vehicle controller VCU 14 is connected to the cooling master controller CCU 122 through the CAN bus, and exchanges information through CAN communication, mainly sending the target temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path to the cooling master controller CCU 122. The cooling master controller CCU 122 compares the actual temperature of the cooling medium collected by the temperature sensors 126a, 126b with the corresponding target temperature, and calculates the control quantities S1, S2 for controlling each cooling module 124a, 124b based on a specific algorithm, so that each cooling module 124a, 124b dissipates heat for the corresponding cooling flow path according to the received control quantities S1, S2, so that the actual temperature of the cooling medium reaches the target temperature.

[0030] The cooling master controller CCU 122 integrates controllers and drivers of the same number as the number of cooling devices (such as fans). Figure 2 The internal circuit of the CCU shown is an example of the present application. In this example, since the number of fan motors M is 6, the cooling master controller CCU 122 also includes 6 drivers 122a. Figure 3 As shown, the driver 122a includes an H-bridge drive circuit composed of four switch tubes T1 to T4, which is used to drive the motor M1 in the fan, and T3 to T6 constitute another H-bridge drive circuit, which is used to drive the motor M2 in the fan. The H-bridge drive circuits of these two adjacent drivers share the same bridge arm (the bridge arm where T3 and T4 are located). The motor M1 can be rotated by driving the switch tubes T1 and T4. When switching to the rotation of the motor M2, it is only necessary to turn off the switch tube T1 and drive the switch tube T5. Since in the traditional solution, the motors M1 and M2 have their own independent drive circuits, and the drive circuits are not related to each other, the turning on and off of the motors M1 and M2 requires opening and closing two switches. However, through the reuse of the H-bridge bridge arm in this example, the number of switches is less than that of the traditional solution, and it is more cost-effective.

[0031] In one embodiment, Figure 2 or Figure 3 T1 to T6 in the figure are switch tubes such as triodes, IGBTs, MOSFETs, etc. In the case where the fan does not reverse, it can also be Figure 2 In the example, T2, T3 and T6 are replaced by diodes. The function of the circuit remains unchanged after the transformation, which will further save costs.

[0032] The CCU 122 controls the power supply length of the motor by controlling the internal switch tube, thereby controlling the start and stop or the speed of the fan. The rotation of the fan can take away the heat in the cooling system and reduce the temperature of the cooling medium.

[0033] Specifically, the cooling master controller CCU 122 generates a control quantity by executing the following steps: selecting a control mode, the control mode including a first mode in which the output control quantity is a PWM signal and a second mode in which the output control quantity is a start-stop signal, wherein in the first mode, the number of operating cooling devices is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the PWM signal of each cooling device to be operated is calculated; in the second mode, the number of cooling devices to be operated in turn each time is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the dead time between each cooling device to be operated is calculated.

[0034] More specifically, when the cooling module is composed of N cooling devices, the cooling master controller, in a first mode, determines the preset duty cycle range of the calculated total duty cycle, and selects the corresponding n cooling devices to send PWM signals, and the duty cycles of the PWM signals of these n cooling devices are all total duty cycle * N / n; the cooling master controller, in a second mode, determines the preset duty cycle range of the calculated total duty cycle, and selects the corresponding n cooling devices to send PWM signals in turn, and when switching the cooling devices, a dead time of 1-total duty cycle * N / n is left.

[0035] like Figure 1 In the example shown, when the cooling module 124a is composed of four fan internal motors M1, M2, M3, and M4, the cooling master controller CCU 122, which performs one of the following steps in the first mode: when the total duty cycle is less than the first set duty cycle (such as 25%), only send a PWM signal to one of the motors, and its duty cycle is the total duty cycle multiplied by 4; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the first set duty cycle (such as 25%) and less than the second set duty cycle (such as 50%), only send PWM signals with the same duty cycle to the two motors, and the duty cycle is the total duty cycle multiplied by 2; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second preset duty cycle (such as 50%) and less than the third preset duty cycle (such as 75%), only send PWM signals with the same duty cycle to the three motors, and the duty cycle is the total duty cycle multiplied by 1.333; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the third preset duty cycle (such as 75%) and less than 100%, send PWM signals with the same duty cycle to the four cooling devices, and the duty cycle is the total duty cycle multiplied by 1.

[0036] Then, still with Figure 1Taking the cooling module 124a shown as an example, the cooling master controller CCU 122, in the second mode, operates the four fan motors M1, M2, M3, and M4 in turn according to the duty cycle calculated by PID (a dead zone is left when switching the fan, and the length of the dead zone depends on the duty cycle). Specifically, one of the following steps is performed: when the total duty cycle is less than the first preset duty cycle (such as 25%), only one fan is operated at a time (the duty cycle of the PWM signal sent is 100%, and the duty cycle of the PWM signal sent below is also 100%, and each fan realizes full voltage operation), and the dead zone time is 1-total duty cycle * 4; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the first preset duty cycle (such as 25%) and less than the second preset duty cycle (such as 50%), two fans are operated at a time, and the dead zone time is 1-total duty cycle * 4. The time is 1-total duty cycle * 2; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second preset duty cycle (such as 50%) and less than the third preset duty cycle (such as 75%), three fans are operated each time, and the dead time is 1-total duty cycle * 1.333; when the total duty cycle is greater than or equal to the third preset duty cycle (such as 75%) and less than 100%, four cooling devices are operated each time (stopping and starting at the same time), and the duty cycles of the four fans are all total duty cycle * 1, which is equivalent to a dead time of 1-total duty cycle * 1.

[0037] The above two control modes can be selected according to the fan demand. Generally speaking, the second mode is more energy-efficient because fewer fans are running under certain conditions. Moreover, by controlling each fan individually, the control accuracy is higher and more energy-efficient, avoiding the situation where traditional solutions start multiple fans at a time under low duty cycle conditions.

[0038] Because in the prior art, when cooling a fuel cell vehicle, each component that needs to dissipate heat (such as an engine, certain controllers, etc.) is implemented using their corresponding integrated cooling modules (including a fan controller and a fan driver). In this way, on the one hand, the fan of each cooling module has an independent drive, which is costly. On the other hand, it is not convenient to flexibly group and cannot be modularly expanded. Since a controller and multiple drivers are integrated inside the CCU in the embodiment of the present application, when controlling multiple fans, only one controller is needed to achieve it, saving costs. And the same number of output lines as the number of cooling devices can be set inside the CCU, and the number of cooling modules and the number of motors contained in the cooling modules can be flexibly configured by changing the wiring without changing the CCU hardware, thereby realizing the reuse of the CCU hardware. In other words, fans and their motors can be flexibly grouped to form modules to control different cooling circuits, which is more flexible than traditional solutions.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of a control method for an integrated radiator of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 To illustrate the specific steps of the control method.

[0040] In step S410, the main cooling controller receives the target temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path sent from the vehicle controller.

[0041] In step S420, the cooling master controller compares the actual temperature of the cooling medium collected by the temperature sensor with the corresponding target temperature to obtain a total duty cycle. In this example, a PID algorithm is used to calculate the total duty cycle.

[0042] In step S430, the cooling master controller selects a control mode.

[0043] In step S440, in the first mode, the cooling master controller determines the preset duty cycle range of the calculated total duty cycle, selects n corresponding cooling devices to send PWM signals, and the duty cycles of the PWM signals of these n cooling devices are all total duty cycle*N / n.

[0044] In step S450, in the second mode, the cooling master controller determines the preset duty cycle range of the calculated total duty cycle, selects the corresponding n number of cooling devices to send PWM signals in turn, and leaves a dead time of 1-total duty cycle*N / n when switching the cooling devices.

[0045] For details about the above steps S440 to S450, please refer to the functional description of the above cooling master controller, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] In summary, the CCU in the integrated radiator of the embodiment of the present application integrates all fan motor drivers, which changes the original situation that each fan has its own driver, improves hardware reuse, and reduces costs. Moreover, by flexibly grouping fans and their motors into modules to control different cooling circuits, this method is more flexible than traditional solutions. Since each fan is controlled individually, the control accuracy is higher and more energy-saving, avoiding the situation where multiple fans are started at a time under low duty cycle conditions in traditional solutions.

[0047] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not limited to the specific structures and processing steps disclosed herein, but should be extended to equivalent substitutions of these features understood by ordinary technicians in the relevant field. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not meant to be limiting.

[0048] The "one embodiment" or "embodiment" mentioned in the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the phrases "one embodiment" or "embodiment" appearing in various places throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0049] Although the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are as above, the contents described are only embodiments adopted for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any technician in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make any modifications and changes in the form and details of the implementation without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed in the present invention, but the patent protection scope of the present invention shall still be subject to the scope defined in the attached claims.

Claims

1. An integrated radiator for a fuel cell vehicle, characterized in that: The integrated heat sink includes: A cooling system, which includes a cooling master controller, a plurality of cooling modules and a plurality of cooling flow paths, wherein the number of cooling modules and the number of cooling devices in the cooling modules can be flexibly configured according to the actual internal circuit of the fuel cell vehicle; A vehicle controller, which is connected to the cooling master controller and sends a target temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path to the cooling master controller; A plurality of temperature sensors for collecting the actual temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path; The cooling master controller compares the actual temperature of the collected cooling medium with the corresponding target temperature, calculates the control amount of each cooling module based on a specific algorithm, and enables each cooling module to dissipate heat for the corresponding cooling flow path according to the received control amount. The cooling master controller generates the control amount by executing the following steps: A control mode is selected, wherein the control mode includes a first mode in which the output control amount is a PWM signal and a second mode in which the output control amount is a start-stop signal. Wherein, in the first mode, the number of cooling devices to be operated is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the PWM signal of each cooling device to be operated is calculated; In the second mode, the number of cooling devices to be operated in turn each time is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the dead time between each cooling device to be operated is calculated. When the cooling module is composed of N cooling devices, The cooling master controller, in the first mode, determines a preset duty cycle range in which the calculated total duty cycle is located, and selects n corresponding cooling devices to send PWM signals, wherein the duty cycles of the PWM signals of the n cooling devices are all the total duty cycle*N / n; The cooling master controller, in the second mode, determines the preset duty cycle range within which the calculated total duty cycle lies, selects a corresponding number n of cooling devices to send PWM signals in turn, and leaves a dead time of 1-total duty cycle*N / n when switching the cooling devices.

2. The integrated heat sink according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main cooling controller is integrated with controllers and drivers having the same number as the cooling devices.

3. The integrated heat sink according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driver comprises an H-bridge driving circuit composed of four switch tubes. The H-bridge driving circuits of two adjacent drivers share the same bridge arm. After each H-bridge driving circuit is turned on, it drives the cooling device connected thereto to operate.

4. The integrated heat sink according to claim 3, characterized in that: The switch tube is a triode, an IGBT, a MOSFET or a diode.

5. A control method for an integrated radiator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The method includes: The vehicle controller sends the target temperature of the cooling medium in each cooling flow path to the main cooling controller; The main cooling controller compares the actual temperature of the cooling medium collected by the temperature sensor with the corresponding target temperature, and calculates the control amount of each cooling module based on a specific algorithm, so that each cooling module dissipates heat for the corresponding cooling flow path according to the received control amount.

6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of generating the control quantity by the cooling master controller includes: A control mode is selected, wherein the control mode includes a first mode in which the output control amount is a PWM signal and a second mode in which the output control amount is a start-stop signal. Wherein, in the first mode, the number of cooling devices to be operated is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated by the PID algorithm, and the PWM signal of each cooling device to be operated is calculated; In the second mode, the number of cooling devices to be operated in turn is determined according to the total duty cycle calculated using the PID algorithm, and the dead time between each cooling device to be operated is calculated.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the cooling module is composed of N cooling devices, The cooling master controller, in the first mode, determines a preset duty cycle range in which the calculated total duty cycle is located, and selects n corresponding cooling devices to send PWM signals, wherein the duty cycles of the PWM signals of the n cooling devices are all the total duty cycle*N / n; The cooling master controller, in the second mode, determines the preset duty cycle range within which the calculated total duty cycle lies, selects a corresponding number n of cooling devices to send PWM signals in turn, and leaves a dead time of 1-total duty cycle*N / n when switching the cooling devices.

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