Thermal Management System for Electric Vehicles

Abstract

An example provides a thermal management system for an electric vehicle, comprising: a pump for pumping a heat transfer fluid through a plurality of circulation loops, an electric heater for heating the heat transfer fluid, a heat exchanger for discharging heat from the heat transfer fluid, a plurality of valves, and a plurality of fluid channels for fluidly interconnecting the pump, the heater, the heat exchanger and the valves. These valves can be controlled to reach a plurality of different positions to form a plurality of circulation loops, which include: a battery heating circulation loop extending through the heater for heating the vehicle's battery pack; a secondary component cooling circulation loop extending through the heat exchanger for cooling the vehicle's secondary components, the secondary components including a motor and a motor controller; and a battery cooling circulation loop extending through the heat exchanger for cooling the battery pack.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This utility patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Serial No. 62 / 931,903, filed on November 7, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Background of the Invention

[0003] Power sports vehicles, such as all - terrain vehicles (ATVs), personal watercraft (PWC), and snowmobiles, continue to be popular. Electric power sports vehicles offer an alternative to power sports vehicles driven by traditional internal combustion engines due to their quieter, cleaner, and more efficient power drive systems. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] Figure 1 An electric power sports vehicle including a thermal management system in accordance with an example of the present disclosure is generally shown.

[0005] Figure 2 is a block diagram and schematic illustration showing a thermal management system in accordance with an example of the present disclosure.

[0006] Figure 3 is a block diagram and schematic illustration showing a thermal management system operating in an active battery heating mode in accordance with an example of the present disclosure.

[0007] Figure 4 is a block diagram and schematic illustration showing a thermal management system operating in a passive battery heating mode in accordance with an example of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 5 is a block diagram and schematic illustration showing a thermal management system operating in a full - cooling mode in accordance with an example of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a thermal management system in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a thermal management system in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 8 is a block diagram and schematic illustration showing a thermal management system in accordance with an example of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0012] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific examples in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. It is to be understood that unless specifically stated otherwise, the features of the various embodiments described herein may be combined in whole or in part with each other.

[0013] Powered recreational vehicles, such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), personal watercraft (PWC), and snowmobiles, remain popular. Traditionally, such powered recreational vehicles are driven by internal combustion engines, and the exhaust gases emitted by the internal combustion engines (e.g., carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide) cause greenhouse gases and other forms of pollution, and generate high noise levels under certain operating conditions.

[0014] Accordingly, electric-powered recreational vehicles represent a promising alternative to internal combustion engine-driven recreational vehicles. A recreational vehicle employing an electric powertrain is quieter, cleaner, and more energy-efficient than a traditional recreational vehicle employing an internal combustion engine. However, to be successful, an electric-powered recreational vehicle needs to meet customer expectations in terms of performance, range, reliability, and cost.

[0015] A typical electric powertrain for an electric-powered recreational vehicle includes a battery system, one or more electric motors with corresponding electronic motor drives, and various auxiliary systems. Unlike automobiles, recreational vehicles often operate at "full throttle" for extended periods of time. However, when operating at a high discharge rate, the battery generates a large amount of heat. While increasing the operating temperature can improve the performance of the battery in the form of increased power output, high-temperature operation has the potential to cause damage and reduce battery life. Conversely, when operating at low temperatures, the power output of the battery decreases. Accordingly, to optimize the performance and life of the battery, it is desirable to operate the battery within an optimal operating temperature range.

[0016] For electric vehicles, liquid-based heat transfer systems (e.g., ethylene glycol-based systems) have been developed to provide thermal management for components of the electric powertrain, including the battery. However, such systems typically include a complex piping system with a large number of control valves and multiple heat exchangers. While such systems are effective in managing the thermal loads of the powertrain components, they are complex, expensive, and heavy, making them unsuitable for use in electric-powered recreational vehicles. Although liquid-based heat transfer systems have been used in electric-powered recreational vehicles to provide thermal management for the motor and the corresponding electronic controller, the battery system has traditionally been air-cooled, which significantly reduces the complexity of the heat transfer system and the battery system and enables the use of commercially available off-the-shelf battery modules.

[0017] As described herein, a liquid-based thermal management system (TMS) for an electric power sports vehicle is disclosed. In an example, the TMS employs a pump, a heater, a heat exchanger, and a piping system employing a pair of three-way valves, where each three-way valve can be controlled based on the temperature of a powertrain component to provide a number of different circulation paths (or loops) to achieve different operating modes, including an active battery heating mode, a passive battery heating mode (in combination with the cooling of the motor / controller), and an active system cooling mode (including the cooling of the battery and the motor / controller). According to the present disclosure, the TMS maintains the battery within an acceptable operating temperature range and the motor / controller within a target temperature range over a wide range of ambient temperatures, while being lightweight, such that the corresponding electric power sports vehicle has acceptable performance under a wide range of conditions to meet consumer expectations.

[0018] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram generally showing an electric vehicle 10 in which a TMS in accordance with the present disclosure may be employed. In one example, the electric power sports vehicle 10 is an electric power sports vehicle, such as Figure 1 the personal watercraft (PWC) shown. Although the electric power sports vehicle 10 is shown as a personal watercraft (PWC), in other instances, the TMS may be used in any number of electric power sports vehicles, such as snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. In one example, the vehicle 10 includes an electric powertrain 12, including at least one motor 14 having a corresponding electronic motor controller 16 and a battery system 18. The vehicle 10 further includes a TMS 20, which, according to the present application, is for the thermal management of the electric powertrain 12, which will be described in more detail below.

[0019] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of a TMS 20 associated with components of an electric powertrain 12 employed by, for example, Figure 1 the PWC 10. In one example, the battery system 18 includes a battery pack 22, the battery pack including a number of battery modules 24, illustrated as battery modules 1 through N, where each battery module 24 includes a number of battery cells 26, illustrated as battery cells 1 through M. In an example, the battery cells 24 of each battery module 26 are electrically connected to each other, where the battery modules 26 are in turn electrically connected to each other to form the battery pack 22. In one example, each battery cell 24 includes a lithium-ion battery cell, but any number of other suitable battery chemistries and configurations may be employed.

[0020] In one example, battery system 18 includes a battery management system 30 that includes a battery monitoring unit 32 and a plurality of temperature sensors 34 for monitoring the operating temperature of the battery cells 26 of each battery module 24. In one example, temperature sensors 34 include at least one temperature sensor for each battery cell 26 of each battery module 24. In other examples, temperature sensors 34 may include fewer temperature sensors than the case where there is one temperature sensor for each battery cell 26. In an example, in addition to monitoring the temperature of the battery cells 26 of battery module 24 via temperature sensors 34, battery monitoring unit 32 also monitors other operating conditions and parameters of battery pack 22, such as, by way of example only, the voltage, current, and charge of each battery cell 26.

[0021] In one example, as shown, TMS 20 includes a pump 40 having an input port (in) and an output port (out), an electric heater 42, and a heat exchanger 44. In an example, heat exchanger 44 can be a fluid-air heat exchanger (e.g., when used in an ATV), a fluid-fluid heat exchanger (e.g., when used in a PWC), and a fluid-snow heat exchanger (e.g., when used in a snowmobile). Any suitable type of lightweight heat exchanger can be employed. TMS 20 further includes: a first controllable three-way valve (V1) 50 having an input port I1 and two valve positions (or output ports) P1 and P2; and a second controllable three-way valve (V2) 52 having an input port I1 and two valve positions (or output ports) P1 and P2. In an example, first valve V1 50 can be referred to as the "battery bypass valve" and second valve V2 can be referred to as the "cooling bypass valve".

[0022] A fluid channel system 60 interconnects pump 40, heater 42, heat exchanger 44, and first and second valves V1 50 and V2 52, wherein the positions of first and second valves V1 50 and V2 52 are controllable to form a number of flow paths (or circulation loops) for circulating a heat transfer fluid (e.g., an ethylene glycol-based fluid, but any number of suitable heat transfer fluids can be employed) through motor 14, motor controller 16, and battery pack 22 to transfer heat to and / or remove heat from the motor, motor controller, and battery pack according to some different operating modes of TMS 20, which can be selected during operation of electric power sports vehicle 10. It should be noted that more than one motor 14 and corresponding controller 16 can be cooled by TMS 20.

[0023] In one example, the fluid channel system 60 includes a number of pipes, and such pipes can be made of any suitable material (e.g., plastic, copper, aluminum). In one example, as shown in the figure, pipe 61 provides a fluid flow path between the output port P1 of the first valve V1 and the heater 42, pipe 62a provides a fluid flow path between the heater 42 and the battery pack 22, and pipe 62b provides a fluid flow path between the battery pack 22 and the input port I1 of the second valve V2, where pipes 62a and 62b serve as the input and output paths for circulating the heat transfer fluid through the battery pack 22 respectively.

[0024] In one example, as shown, for example, by the battery module pipe arrangements 63a and 63b, the pipe arrangements for circulating fluid through the battery modules 24 are integral with each battery module 24, where the input and output pipes 62a and 62b are coupled to the integral battery module pipe arrangements 63a and 63b. In other cases, the battery module pipe arrangements 63a and 63b can be separate from the battery modules 24. In other cases, some parts of the battery module pipe arrangements 63a and 63b can be integral with the battery modules 24 while some parts can be separate from the battery modules 24. In some cases, as shown in the figure, the battery module pipe arrangements 63a and 63b are implemented to circulate fluid between pairs of adjacent battery cells 26. In some examples (not shown herein), the battery module pipe arrangements 63a and 63b include heat transfer plates disposed between each pair of battery cells 26, where the heat transfer fluid circulates through the heat transfer plates to transfer heat to / from adjacent battery cells 26.

[0025] In one example, pipe 63a extends from the first output port P1 of the second valve V2 and the pipe tee 64, and pipe 63b extends from the tee 64 through the motor 14 and the motor controller 16 to the heat exchanger 44. Pipe 65a extends from the heat exchanger 44 to the pipe tee 66, and pipe 65b extends from the pipe tee 66 to the input port of the pump 40. Pipe 67 extends between the output port of the pump 40 and the input port I1 of the first controllable valve V1 50. Pipe 68 forms a fluid channel between the second output port P2 of the second controllable valve V2 52 and the pipe tee 66 near the input port of the pump 40, and pipe 69 forms a fluid channel between the second output port P2 of the first controllable valve V1 50 and the pipe tee 64 between the second valve 52 and the motor 14.

[0026] In one example, the thermal management system 20 further includes a thermal control system 80 that includes a thermal control unit 82 and temperature sensors 84 and 86 to provide the operating temperatures of the motor 14 and the motor controller 16, respectively. In one example, the thermal control unit 82 receives temperature signals from the motor temperature sensor 84 and the controller temperature sensor 86 via signal lines 87a and 87b, and receives a heating / cooling request from the battery monitoring unit 32 via signal line 87c (as will be described in more detail below, for example, see Figure 6 ). In one example, the thermal control unit 82 controls the operation (e.g., the position) of the first and second controllable valves 50 and 52 via control lines 88a and 88b, respectively, controls the operation of the pump 40 via control line 88c, and controls the operation of the heater 42 via control line 88d. In some examples, the battery management system 30 may be separate from the thermal control system 80. In other examples, all or part of the battery management system 30 may be included as part of the thermal control system 80.

[0027] As will be described in more detail below, based on the operating temperatures of the motor 14 and the electronic motor controller 16 provided by the motor temperature sensor 84 and the controller temperature sensor 86, and based on the heating and cooling requests from the battery management system 30 (which are based on the temperature of the battery cells 26 provided by the battery cell temperature sensor 34 and the charge level of the battery cells 26, for example, see Figure 6 ), the thermal control unit 82 controls the operation (e.g., on / off) of the pump 40, the operation (e.g., on / off) of the heater 42, and the positions of the first and second controllable valves V1 50 and V2 52 to provide various operating modes (e.g., heating and cooling modes) to control the operating temperatures of the motor 14, the electronic motor controller 16, and the battery pack 22 to keep these temperatures at acceptable levels.

[0028] In an example, as described below, the thermal management system 20 includes an active battery heating mode (see Figure 3 ), a passive battery heating mode (see Figure 4 ), and a full cooling mode (see Figure 5 ). It should also be noted that the thermal management system 20 includes a standby operation mode, as shown by Figure 2 , in which the pump 40 and the heater 42 are deactivated and no heat transfer fluid is circulated through the fluid channel 60.

[0029] Referring to Figure 3, in one example, the thermal management system 20 configures the fluid passage 60 to form a circulation loop 90 of heated heat transfer fluid through the battery pack 22 to provide an active battery heating mode by activating the pump 40 and the heater 42, by switching the controllable valve V1 50 to the first position to direct the heat transfer fluid from the input port I1 to the first output port P1, and by switching the controllable valve V2 52 to the second position to direct the heat transfer fluid from the input port I1 to the second output port P2. In the active battery heating mode, the heated heat transfer liquid is circulated by the pump 40 through the circulation loop 90 via the heater 42 through the battery pack 22 to heat the battery pack 22 while bypassing the motor 14, the electronic motor controller 16, and the heat exchanger 44. In one example, as shown, in the active battery heating mode, the pipe sections 61, 62a, 62b, 68, 65b, and 67 (and the internal pipes of the battery pack 22) are used to form the circulation loop 90 to circulate the heat transfer fluid (as shown by the thick lines and direction arrows), while the pipe sections 63a, 63b, 65a, and 69 are bypassed (as shown by the dashed lines).

[0030] Referring to Figure 4 , in one example, the thermal management system 20 provides a passive battery heating mode (or an active motor cooling mode) by activating the pump 40, by switching the controllable valve V1 50 to the first position to direct the heat transfer fluid from the input port I1 to the second output port P2, and by switching the controllable valve V2 52 to the closed position to configure the fluid passage 60 to form a circulation loop 92 to circulate the heat transfer fluid through the motor 14, the electronic motor controller 16, and the heat exchanger 44. In the passive battery heating mode, the heater 42 is deactivated and the battery pack 22 is bypassed, so that the battery pack 22 is passively heated by the discharge of the battery cells, while the motor 12 and the electronic motor controller 16 are cooled by circulating the heat transfer fluid through the heat exchanger 44. In one example, as shown, in the passive battery heating mode, the pipe sections 67, 69, 63b, 65a, and 65b are used to form the circulation loop 92 to circulate the heat transfer fluid (as shown by the thick lines and direction arrows), while the pipe sections 61, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 68 are bypassed (as shown by the dashed lines).

[0031] Referring to Figure 5, in one example, the thermal management system 20 configures the fluid passage 60 to form a circulation loop 94 for circulating the heat transfer fluid through the battery pack 22, the motor 14, the electronic motor controller 16, and the heat exchanger 44 by activating the pump 40, by switching the controllable valve V1 50 to the first position to direct the heat transfer fluid from the input port I1 to the second output port P1, and by switching the controllable valve V2 52 to the first position to direct the heat transfer fluid from the input port I1 to the second output port P2, providing a full cooling mode of operation. In the full cooling mode, the heater 42 is deactivated, such that the battery pack 22, the motor 12, and the electronic motor controller 16 are cooled by circulating the heat transfer liquid through the heat exchanger 44. In one example, as shown, in the active cooling mode, the pipe sections 67, 61, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b, 65a, and 65b (and the pipes inside the battery pack 22) are used to form the circulation loop 94 for circulating the heat transfer fluid (as shown by the thick lines and the direction arrows), while the pipe sections 68 and 69 are bypassed (as shown by the dashed lines).

[0032] Figure 6 is a flow chart generally showing a method 100 for operating a thermal management system, such as the TMS 20, according to an example of the present disclosure. In particular, the method 100 shows an example for determining the initiation of a heating request or a cooling request for the battery pack 22. According to the example, the method 100 may be executed by the battery management system 30, wherein, as described above, a part of the battery management system 30 may be implemented as a part of the thermal control system 80.

[0033] The method 100 starts at 102. At 104, the method 100 determines the state of charge of the battery pack 22. In one example, to determine the state of charge of the battery pack 22, the state of charge is determined for each battery cell 26 of each battery module 24 of the battery pack 22. In one example, the state of charge of each battery cell 26 is determined by the battery management unit 32 by monitoring the voltage and current levels of each battery cell to determine the remaining ampere-hours. In other examples, other suitable techniques may be employed to measure the state of charge of the battery pack 22. In one example, the battery management unit 32 determines the state of charge of each battery cell 26 of each battery module 24. In other cases, the battery management unit 32 determines the average state of charge of a group of one or more battery cells 26 within each battery module 24. In other examples, the battery management unit 32 determines the state of charge of each battery module 24, wherein such state of charge is the average of the state of charge of each corresponding battery cell 26. In other examples, the battery management unit 32 determines the state of charge of the battery pack 22 by determining the average state of charge of each battery module 24.

[0034] At 106, method 100 determines the temperature of battery pack 22. In one example, as shown, to determine the temperature of battery pack 22, the temperature is determined for each cell 26 of each battery module 24 of battery pack 22, for example, by temperature sensors 34. In one example, temperature sensors 34 include at least one temperature sensor for each cell 26 of each battery module 24. In one example, battery management unit 32 measures the temperature of each individual cell 24. In other cases, the battery management unit may determine the average temperature of a group of one or more cells 26 of each battery module 24. In other examples, battery management unit 32 may determine the temperature of each battery module 24, where such temperature is the average of the temperatures of each corresponding cell 26. In other cases, the temperature of battery pack 22 is determined based on the average of the temperatures of each battery module 24.

[0035] At 108, method 100 queries whether the temperature of battery pack 22 is less than a minimum threshold temperature. In one example, as shown, method 100 queries whether the temperature of any cell 26 within battery pack 22 is less than the minimum threshold temperature. In one example, such minimum threshold temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. In other cases, any suitable minimum threshold temperature may be employed. In one example, instead of determining whether the temperature of any cell 26 is below the minimum threshold temperature, the temperature of each battery module 24 (e.g., the average temperature of the corresponding cells 26) is compared with the minimum threshold temperature. In other examples, instead of determining whether the temperature of any cell 26 is below the minimum threshold temperature, the temperature of each battery pack 22 (e.g., the average temperature of all cells 26 within battery pack 22) is compared with the minimum threshold temperature.

[0036] If the answer to the query at 108 is yes, meaning the temperature of at least one cell is less than the minimum threshold temperature, then method 100 proceeds to 110, where, in one example, the state of charge of each cell 26 is compared with a minimum threshold state of charge. Similar to the above description regarding cell temperature, in some examples, instead of comparing the state of charge of each cell 26 with the minimum threshold state of charge, the average state of charge of each battery module 24 is compared with the minimum threshold state of charge, or the average state of charge of battery pack 22 is compared with the value of the minimum threshold state of charge. In one example, the minimum state of charge is 5% of the full state of charge. In other cases, any suitable value for the state of charge may be employed.

[0037] If the answer to the query at 110 is yes, which means the state of charge of each battery cell (or in other examples, the state of charge of each battery module 24 or battery pack 22) is greater than the value of the minimum threshold state of charge, then method 100 proceeds to 112, where the battery management unit 32 issues a battery heating request to the thermal control unit 82 (see Figure 7 ). If the answer to the query at 110 is no, which means the state of charge of at least one battery cell 26 (or in other examples, the state of charge of any battery module 24 or battery pack 22) is less than the value of the minimum threshold state of charge, method 100 returns to 102. In other words, in one example, as shown in the figure, under low temperature and low state of charge conditions, no battery heating request is issued to avoid over-discharging at low temperatures.

[0038] In one example, method 100 may optionally include a query at 114 to determine whether the battery is connected to a charger. If the answer to this query at 114 is yes, which means the battery is connected to a charger, then method 100 continues to 116, where a heating request is issued. Under this condition, the battery can avoid over-discharging at low temperatures by drawing an external power source from the charger. If the answer to the query at 114 is no, which means the battery is not connected to a charger, method 100 proceeds to 102.

[0039] If the answer to the query at 108 is no, which means the temperature of each battery cell 26 is greater than the minimum threshold temperature, then method 100 proceeds to 116. At 116, method 100 queries whether the temperature of any battery cell 26 within the battery pack 22 (or, in other examples, the temperature of any battery module 24 or battery pack 22) is greater than the maximum threshold temperature. In one example, this maximum threshold temperature is 40 degrees Celsius. In other cases, any suitable maximum threshold temperature may be adopted. If the answer to the query at 116 is yes, then method 100 continues to 118.

[0040] If the answer to the query at 116 is yes, which means the temperature of at least one battery cell (or in other examples, the temperature of any battery module 24 or battery pack 22) is greater than the maximum threshold temperature, then method 100 continues to 112, where the battery management unit 32 issues a battery cooling request to the thermal control unit 82 (see Figure 7 ). If the answer to the query at 116 is no, that is, the temperature of each battery cell (or in other examples, the temperature of each battery module 24 or battery pack 22) is less than the maximum threshold temperature, then method 100 returns to 102 to continue monitoring the operating state of the battery pack 22.

[0041] Figure 7FIG. 130 is a flow chart of a method 130 for operating a thermal management system (e.g., TMS 20) in accordance with an example of the present disclosure. Method 130 begins at 132. At 134, a query is made as to whether a battery heating request has been issued (e.g., see Figure 6 at 112 in). If a heating request has been issued, method 130 proceeds to 136, where a query is made as to whether there is a "secondary component" critical cooling request condition. As used herein, the term "secondary component" refers to components of the powertrain 12 other than the battery pack 22, such as the motor 12, the electronic motor controller 14, and other electronic devices. In one example, if the temperature of any secondary component exceeds a critical cooling threshold temperature (also referred to as a thermal cut-off temperature), there is a secondary component critical cooling request condition. In one example, such a thermal cut-off temperature may be 100 degrees Celsius. In other examples, other suitable thermal cut-off temperature values may be employed. In the example, the temperature of the secondary components is provided for the motor 14 and the electronic motor controller 16 by respective temperature sensors 84 and 86.

[0042] If the answer to the query at 136 is no, meaning that no secondary component critical cooling request has been made, method 130 proceeds to 138, where the temperature control unit 82 activates an active battery heating operation mode of the thermal management system 12, such as shown by Figure 3 . Then, the battery pack 22 is actively heated by a heat transfer fluid (which is heated by the heater 42) via circulation through a circulation loop 90, for example, until the temperature of the battery pack 22 reaches a desired temperature value within a desired operating temperature range (e.g., between a minimum and maximum battery threshold temperature) or until a secondary component critical cooling request occurs. It should be noted that, generally, the battery pack 22 will be heated to an ideal operating temperature before the secondary components are heated to the critical cooling threshold temperature, especially when the electric powered vehicle 10 is operating in a cold weather climate.

[0043] If the answer to the query at 136 is yes, meaning that a secondary component critical request has been made (i.e., at least one secondary component is at a critical cooling temperature), method 130 proceeds to 140, where the temperature control unit 82 activates a passive battery heating operation mode of the thermal management system 12, such as shown by Figure 4 . In the example, when operating in the passive battery heating mode, the battery pack 22 is bypassed, so that the battery pack 22 is passively heated by the thermal energy generated during operation, and the secondary components (such as the motor 14 and the electronic motor controller 16) are cooled by circulating the heat transfer fluid through them via a heat exchanger 44 (e.g., by circulating through a circulation loop 92).

[0044] If the answer to the query at 134 is no, meaning no battery heating request has been issued, the method 130 proceeds to 142, where it queries whether the battery management unit 32 has issued a battery cooling request (see Figure 6 at 118 in Figure 5 ). If the answer to the query at 142 is yes, meaning a battery cooling request has been issued, the method 130 proceeds to 144, where the temperature control unit 82 activates the full cooling operation mode of the thermal management system 12, as Figure 5 shown. Then, the battery pack 22 is cooled, such as by circulating a heat transfer fluid through the battery pack 22 via a loop through the loop circuit 94 and passing the heat transfer fluid through the heat exchanger 44, while also cooling secondary components (such as the motor 14 and the electronic motor controller 16).

[0045] If the answer to the query at 142 is no, i.e., no battery cooling request has been issued, the method 130 proceeds to 146. At 146, the method 130 queries whether there is a secondary component cooling request condition. This request is similar to the request described at 136, except that the corresponding cooling temperature threshold is less than the critical cooling temperature threshold. In one example, the cooling threshold temperature can be 60 degrees Celsius. In other examples, other suitable cooling threshold temperature values can be employed, such as 70 degrees Celsius.

[0046] If the answer to the query at 146 is yes, the method 130 proceeds to 140, where the thermal control unit 82 activates the passive battery heating operation mode (see Figure 4 ), whereby the secondary components (such as the motor 14 and the electronic controller 16) are cooled while the battery pack 22 is bypassed. If the answer to the query at 146 is no, the method 130 proceeds to 148, where the thermal control unit 82 activates the standby operation mode of the thermal management system 20, as Figure 2 shown, where no heat transfer fluid is circulated by the pump 40.

[0047] Figure 8 FIG. Figure 8 is a block diagram and schematic illustration generally showing the TMS 20, according to an example of the present disclosure. In other embodiments, as Figure 8 shown, the TMS 20 can be implemented with some type of valves and a fluid channel configuration different from that Figures 2 - 5 elaborated. In alternative examples, the TMS 20 can be implemented with a dedicated piping system for heating / cooling the battery pack 12 and cooling secondary components (such as the motor 14 and the motor controller 16), and in some examples, this dedicated piping system shares the pump 40 and the heat exchanger 44.

[0048] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 8As shown, the TMS includes controllable valves VA and VB to control the heating and cooling of the battery pack 22, and valves VC and VD to control the cooling of secondary components (such as the electric motor 14 and the electronic motor controller 16). For example, in one case, valves VC and VD are closed, while valve VA is open and valve VB is positioned to direct flow through output port P2 to form a heating cycle loop 140 when the heater 42 is activated. In another case, valves VA and VB are closed, while valves VC and VC are open to form a secondary component cooling cycle loop 142 through the heat exchanger 44, such that the motor 14 and the motor controller 16 are cooled while the battery pack 22 is bypassed and thus passive heating can be achieved. In another case, valves VC and VD are closed, while valve VA is open and valve VB is positioned to direct flow through output port P1 to form a battery pack cooling cycle loop 144 through each exchanger 44. In another case, the battery cooling cycle loop 144 and the secondary component cooling cycle loop 142 can operate simultaneously.

[0049] Any number of alternative valve and piping configurations can be employed within the scope of the present disclosure, which share the pumps 40, 42, and the heat exchanger 44 and can be controlled by the battery management system 30 and the thermal control system 80 to form cooling and heating cycle loops for the thermal management of the battery pack 22 and various secondary components, including the motor 14 and the motor controller 16.

[0050] Although specific examples have been shown and described herein, various alternative and / or equivalent embodiments may be substituted for the specific examples shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific examples discussed herein. Accordingly, the aim of this application is to limit the present disclosure only by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A thermal management system for an electric vehicle, the thermal management system comprising: A single pump; A heater; A heat exchanger; And A first valve and a second valve, each of the first valve and the second valve being movable at least between a first position and a second position; And A plurality of fluid channels fluidly connecting the single pump, the heater, the heat exchanger, and the first valve and the second valve to each other; The thermal management system is operable in a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including: A first mode, in which the first valve is in the first position and the second valve is in the second position to configure the fluid channels to form a first fluid circulation loop that extends through the heater and the vehicle's battery pack, and configure the single pump to circulate the fluid heated by the heater through the first fluid circulation loop to heat the battery pack; and A second mode, in which the first valve is in the second position to configure the fluid channels to form a second fluid circulation loop that extends through the vehicle's electric motor and motor controller and the heat exchanger, and configure the single pump to circulate the fluid through the second fluid circulation loop to discharge heat from the electric motor and motor controller through the heat exchanger while bypassing the battery pack.

2. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein the first fluid circulation loop extends as follows: from the single pump through the first valve, from the first valve through the heater, from the heater through the battery pack, from the battery pack through the second valve, and from the second valve back to the single pump.

3. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein the second fluid circulation loop extends as follows: from the single pump through the first valve, from the first valve through the vehicle's motor and motor controller, and back to the single pump through the heat exchanger.

4. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: A third mode, in which each of the first valve and the second valve is in its respective first position to configure the fluid channels to form a third fluid circulation loop that extends through the heater, the battery pack, the vehicle's motor and motor controller, and the heat exchanger, and configure the single pump to circulate the fluid through the third fluid circulation loop to discharge heat from the battery pack, motor, and motor controller through the heat exchanger, wherein the heater is deactivated.

5. The thermal management system according to claim 4, wherein the third fluid circulation loop extends as follows: from the single pump through the first valve, from the first valve through the heater, from the heater through the battery pack, from the battery pack through the second valve, from the second valve through the vehicle's motor and motor controller, and back to the single pump through the heat exchanger.

6. The thermal management system according to claim 4, wherein, Select the operable mode based on the operating temperature of the motor and motor controller and the operating temperature and state of charge of the battery pack.

7. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein the thermal management system operates in the first mode under the following conditions: The operating temperature of the battery pack is lower than the minimum threshold temperature; The state of charge of the battery pack is greater than the minimum state-of-charge threshold; and The operating temperature of secondary components of the vehicle, including the motor and the motor controller, is lower than the thermal cut-off temperature.

8. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein the thermal management system operates in a second mode when: The operating temperature of the battery pack is lower than the minimum threshold temperature; The state of charge of the battery pack is greater than the minimum state-of-charge threshold; and The operating temperature of secondary components of the vehicle, including the motor and the motor controller, is at least equal to the thermal cut-off temperature.

9. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein the thermal management system operates in a second mode when: The operating temperature of the battery pack is greater than the minimum threshold temperature and less than the maximum threshold temperature; and The temperature of one of the motor and the motor controller is greater than the cooling temperature threshold.

10. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein the thermal management system operates in a second mode when: The operating temperature of the battery pack is less than the minimum threshold temperature; The state of charge of the battery pack is less than the minimum state-of-charge threshold; and The temperature of one of the motor and the motor controller is greater than the cooling temperature threshold.

11. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein the thermal management system operates in a third mode when: The operating temperature of the battery pack is greater than the maximum threshold temperature.

12. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein, The operating temperature of the battery pack represents the temperature of the hottest battery cell in the battery pack and the temperature of the coldest battery cell in the battery pack.

13. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein, The operating temperature of the battery pack represents the average temperature of a plurality of battery cells constituting the battery pack.

14. The thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein, The operating temperature of the battery pack represents the average temperature of a plurality of battery modules constituting the battery pack.

15. The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first valve and the second valve includes a three-way valve.

16. An electric vehicle, comprising the thermal management system according to claim 1.

17. The electric vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the electric vehicle is an electric powered recreational vehicle.

18. A thermal management system for an electric vehicle, comprising: A pump for pumping a heat transfer fluid through a plurality of circulation loops; A heater for heating the heat transfer fluid; A heat exchanger for discharging heat from the heat transfer fluid; A plurality of valves; And A plurality of fluid channels fluidly connecting the pump, the heater, the heat exchanger and the valves to each other; Wherein the plurality of valves can be controlled to reach a plurality of different positions to form the plurality of circulation loops, the plurality of circulation loops including: A battery heating circulation loop extending through the heater for heating the battery pack of the vehicle; A secondary component cooling circulation loop extending through the heat exchanger for cooling secondary components of the vehicle, the secondary components including a motor and a motor controller, the secondary component cooling circulation loop bypassing the battery pack; and A battery cooling circulation loop extending through the heat exchanger, the heater, the battery pack, the motor and the motor controller for cooling the battery pack, wherein the heater is in a deactivated state.

19. The thermal management system according to claim 18, wherein, The valve can be controlled to form one of the plurality of circulation loops based on the operating temperatures of the motor and the motor controller and based on the operating temperature and state of charge of the battery pack.

20. The thermal management system according to claim 19, wherein, The valve can be controlled to form a battery heating circulation loop in the following cases: The operating temperature of the battery pack is lower than a minimum threshold temperature; The state of charge of the battery pack is greater than a minimum state-of-charge threshold; and The operating temperature of the secondary components of the vehicle including the motor and the motor controller is lower than a thermal cut-off temperature.

21. The thermal management system according to claim 19, wherein, The valve can be controlled to form a secondary component cooling circulation loop in the following cases: The operating temperature of the battery pack is lower than a minimum threshold temperature; The state of charge of the battery pack is greater than a minimum state-of-charge threshold; and The operating temperature of the secondary components of the vehicle including the motor and the motor controller is at least equal to the thermal cut-off temperature.

22. The thermal management system according to claim 19, wherein, The valve can be controlled to form a secondary component cooling circulation loop in the following cases: The operating temperature of the battery pack is greater than the minimum threshold temperature and less than the maximum threshold temperature; and The operating temperature of the secondary components of the vehicle including the motor and the motor controller is greater than a cooling temperature threshold.

23. The thermal management system according to claim 19, wherein, The valve can be controlled to form a secondary component cooling circulation loop in the following cases: The operating temperature of the battery pack is lower than a minimum threshold temperature; The state of charge of the battery pack is less than a minimum state-of-charge threshold; and The operating temperature of the secondary components of the vehicle including the motor and the motor controller is higher than a cooling temperature threshold.

24. The thermal management system according to claim 19, wherein, The valve can be controlled to form a battery cooling circulation loop in the following cases: The operating temperature of the battery pack is greater than the maximum threshold temperature.

25. An electric vehicle, the electric vehicle including the thermal management system according to claim 18.

26. The electric vehicle according to claim 25, wherein, The electric vehicle is an electric powered recreational vehicle.

27. An electric vehicle, comprising: An electric motor; An electronic motor controller; And A thermal management system, comprising: A single pump; A heater; A heat exchanger; A first valve and a second valve, each of the first valve and the second valve being movable between at least a first position and a second position; and A plurality of fluid channels fluidly connecting the single pump, the heater, the heat exchanger, and the first valve and the second valve to each other; The thermal management system can operate in a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including: A first mode, in which the first valve is in the first position and the second valve is in the second position to configure the fluid channels to form a first fluid circulation loop that extends through the heater and the battery pack of the vehicle, and configuring the single pump to circulate the fluid heated by the heater through the first fluid circulation loop to heat the battery pack; and A second mode, in which the first valve is in the second position to configure the fluid channels to form a second fluid circulation loop that extends through the motor and the motor controller and the heat exchanger, and configuring the single pump to circulate the fluid through the second fluid circulation loop to discharge heat from the motor and the motor controller through the heat exchanger while bypassing the battery pack.

28. The electric vehicle according to claim 27, comprising: A third mode, in which each of the first valve and the second valve is in its respective first position to configure a fluid passage to form a third fluid circulation loop that extends through a heater, a battery pack, a motor and a motor controller of a vehicle, and a heat exchanger, and configuring the single pump to circulate fluid through the third fluid circulation loop to discharge heat from the battery pack, the motor and the motor controller through the heat exchanger, wherein the heater is deactivated.

29. The electric vehicle according to claim 27, wherein the electric vehicle comprises an electric powered recreational vehicle.

30. A thermal management system for an electric vehicle, the thermal management system comprising: A single pump for circulating fluid; A heater for heating the fluid; A heat exchanger for cooling the fluid; And At least one valve for controlling fluid circulation, the at least one valve being operable in any one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including: A first mode that circulates fluid through a first circulation loop including the single pump, the heater, and a battery pack of an electric vehicle to heat the battery pack; And A second mode that circulates fluid through a second circulation loop including the single pump, the heat exchanger, and a motor of an electric vehicle to discharge heat from the motor through the heat exchanger while bypassing the battery pack.

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