Vehicle computing hardware thermal management method, device and autonomous vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a kind of thermal management method, device and automatic driving vehicle of vehicle computing hardware, it is related to artificial intelligence technology, especially in the field of automatic driving.The specific implementation scheme is: in vehicle, the thermal management device of computing hardware is separately arranged, comprising: liquid cooling circuit and temperature sensor, water pump is sequentially connected in liquid cooling circuit, electronic three-way valve, one-way pipeline of heat exchanger, and computing hardware, temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the computing hardware.Computing hardware includes heat exchange unit and control circuit.Another way pipeline of heat exchanger is connected in the heat exchange circuit of battery pack of the vehicle, electronic three-way valve and temperature sensor are connected with control unit respectively, and the state of electronic three-way valve is controlled by control unit according to the temperature detected by temperature sensor to make the pipeline of heat exchanger access the liquid cooling circuit or short circuit, so as to realize the thermal management of the computing hardware of vehicle, and the thermal management device can avoid noise and be controlled individually.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of autonomous driving in artificial intelligence, and more particularly to a thermal management method, device and autonomous vehicle for vehicle computing hardware. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of artificial intelligence technology, autonomous driving technology has also emerged in the automotive field. Autonomous driving in automobiles generally employs technologies such as environmental information perception and recognition, artificial intelligence, and intelligent decision-making and control through vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems. Autonomous driving technology integrates automatic control, complex systems, artificial intelligence, and machine vision, collecting information such as V2X data, geographic data, and environmental perception data from cloud and onboard sensors to identify the environmental characteristics of the vehicle's driving area and perform task setting and control planning.

[0003] To ensure autonomous vehicles can quickly recognize their surroundings and safely and efficiently complete actions such as driving and parking on roads, high-performance computing control units are often required for analysis and control. High computing power means greater heat dissipation than commonly used vehicle control units, necessitating temperature management. Current technologies generally employ air cooling or liquid cooling. Air-cooled thermal management systems, due to the placement of cooling fans and space constraints, significantly impact the performance and noise levels of the original vehicle's air conditioning system. Current liquid cooling technology utilizes a small water chiller installed in the vehicle, using air from the passenger compartment to dissipate heat from the liquid inside the chiller, and a PTC heater to heat the liquid, thus cooling and heating the coolant within the computing hardware. However, due to the limitations of water chillers and air conditioning systems, the computing hardware still faces the risk of overheating during continuous operation. Alternatively, connecting the computing hardware in series or parallel to the vehicle's piping and using the original vehicle coolant for thermal management requires significant vehicle modifications, calibration, and the computing hardware thermal management solution cannot be operated independently.

[0004] In summary, there is currently no solution in the technology that can avoid the effects of noise and can independently control the thermal management of computing hardware. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a thermal management method, device, and autonomous vehicle for vehicle computing hardware, which solves the problems of high noise in the prior art for air cooling and large modifications to the vehicle and inability to be independently controlled for liquid cooling. It provides a solution that avoids noise and can independently manage the thermal of computing hardware.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware is provided, comprising:

[0007] Obtain the real-time temperature of the computing hardware;

[0008] Based on the real-time temperature and the temperature range corresponding to different preset thermal management modes, determine the target thermal management mode currently required by the computing hardware.

[0009] According to the target thermal management mode, the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to cool or heat the computing hardware.

[0010] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware is provided, comprising:

[0011] Temperature acquisition unit, used to acquire the real-time temperature of computing hardware;

[0012] The first processing unit is used to determine the target thermal management mode currently required by the computing hardware based on the real-time temperature and the temperature range corresponding to different preset thermal management modes.

[0013] The second processing unit is used to control the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to cool or heat the computing hardware according to the target thermal management mode.

[0014] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware is provided, comprising: a liquid cooling circuit and a temperature sensor;

[0015] The liquid cooling circuit is sequentially connected to a water pump, an electronic three-way valve, one pipeline of a heat exchanger, and computing hardware. The temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the computing hardware.

[0016] The computing hardware includes a heat exchange unit and a control circuit.

[0017] Another pipeline of the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchange circuit of the vehicle's battery pack, and the input end of the water pump is also connected to the vehicle's expansion tank.

[0018] The electronic three-way valve and the temperature sensor are respectively connected to the control unit. The control unit is used to control the state of the electronic three-way valve according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, so that the heat exchanger's pipeline is connected to the liquid cooling circuit or short-circuited.

[0019] The control unit includes the vehicle controller or the control circuit in the computing hardware.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle is provided, comprising: a vehicle body, and a thermal management device for the vehicle computing hardware described in the third aspect.

[0021] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided storing computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions are configured to cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0022] According to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program stored in a readable storage medium, wherein at least one controller of a vehicle or a control circuit of computing hardware, etc., can read the computer program from the readable storage medium, and the at least one processor executes the computer program to cause the vehicle to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0023] According to the technical solution disclosed herein, thermal management of computing hardware is independently implemented in the vehicle. This includes a liquid cooling circuit and a temperature sensor. The liquid cooling circuit sequentially connects a water pump, an electronic three-way valve, one pipe of a heat exchanger, and the computing hardware. The temperature sensor detects the temperature of the computing hardware. The computing hardware includes a heat exchange unit and a control circuit. The coolant in the heat exchange unit cools or heats the computing hardware. Another pipe of the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchange circuit of the vehicle's battery pack. The electronic three-way valve and the temperature sensor are respectively connected to the control unit. The control unit controls the state of the electronic three-way valve based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, either connecting the heat exchanger pipe to the liquid cooling circuit or short-circuiting it. This achieves thermal management of the vehicle's computing hardware. This thermal management device does not require drawing in cold air from the vehicle's air conditioning or passenger compartment, thus avoiding noise. Furthermore, it can be controlled independently via the electronic three-way valve to achieve thermal management of the computing hardware without requiring major modifications to the existing software or hardware.

[0024] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The accompanying drawings are provided to better understand this solution and do not constitute a limitation of this disclosure. Wherein:

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the first embodiment of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the second embodiment of this disclosure;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the third embodiment of this disclosure;

[0029] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware provided in the fourth embodiment of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the fifth embodiment of this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the control unit provided in the embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, including various details of the embodiments to aid understanding, and should be considered merely exemplary. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Similarly, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted in the following description.

[0033] Currently, to ensure that autonomous vehicles can quickly recognize their surroundings and safely and efficiently complete actions such as road recognition, driving, and parking, high-performance computing hardware is required for analysis and control. This high-performance computing hardware also generates significant heat. Existing technologies employ the following methods for thermal management of this computing hardware:

[0034] (1) Air-cooled solution: The computing hardware of the autonomous vehicle is placed directly in the passenger compartment, using the cold air in the passenger compartment to cool the computing hardware. However, this solution directly places the computing hardware in the passenger compartment, which is noisy and affects the driving experience. In addition, the air conditioning needs to be turned on and waited for the passenger compartment temperature to drop before it reaches the start-up temperature of the computing hardware, which affects the overall performance of the air conditioning system and the start-up time of the autonomous driving system.

[0035] (2) Air-cooled solution: The computing hardware is placed in the maintenance compartment, and cold air is drawn in from the passenger compartment / air conditioning ducts to cool the computing hardware. This solution requires that the air conditioning system be started before the computing hardware is turned on, and sufficient airflow must be ensured in the maintenance compartment; otherwise, the computing hardware may still overheat. This will also reduce the overall performance of the original vehicle's air conditioning system. If air is only drawn from the passenger compartment, noise will be transmitted into the passenger compartment through the ventilation ducts, affecting the driving and riding experience.

[0036] (3) Liquid Cooling Solution: This solution utilizes a small water chiller placed on a vehicle. The air in the passenger compartment dissipates heat from the liquid inside the chiller, while a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater heats the liquid. This process both cools and heats the coolant within the computing hardware to meet its thermal management requirements. However, this solution, which places the small water chiller on the vehicle, also relies on the chiller's cooling fan for heat dissipation, using the air in the passenger compartment to cool the liquid inside the chiller. Due to limitations of the onboard water chiller and the original vehicle air conditioning system, there is a risk of overheating when the computing hardware operates continuously at high power.

[0037] (4) Liquid cooling solution: The computing hardware is connected in series or parallel to the vehicle's piping, and the original vehicle coolant is used for thermal management and control. This method requires significant modifications to the vehicle, calibration, and the computing hardware thermal management solution cannot operate independently.

[0038] In summary, the solutions mentioned above either generate excessive noise, have poor temperature management, or require significant modifications to the vehicle and cannot be operated and controlled independently. Therefore, there is currently no solution that can avoid the impact of noise and independently control the thermal management of computing hardware.

[0039] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the technical concept of this disclosure is as follows: During the research on vehicle temperature management, the inventors considered designing a separate liquid cooling circuit for the computing hardware. The coolant in this liquid cooling circuit can be directly connected to an expansion tank. To achieve coolant circulation in the liquid cooling circuit, a water pump is also required. Considering that the vehicle's battery pack circuit also generates heat, a heat management loop can be established between it and the computing hardware; therefore, a heat exchanger is also needed. To reduce control complexity and the extent of vehicle modifications, a separate three-way valve is also installed. By independently isolating the computing hardware cooling circuit from the original vehicle cooling circuit through the heat exchanger and the electronic three-way valve, independent control is achieved.

[0040] Based on the above technical conception process, this disclosure provides a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware and a corresponding thermal management method.

[0041] The following detailed description uses specific embodiments to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure and how these solutions solve the aforementioned technical problems. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] The following section describes the specific implementation scheme of the thermal management device and corresponding thermal management method for the vehicle computing hardware provided in this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the first embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the thermal management device for the vehicle's computing hardware specifically includes a liquid cooling circuit and a temperature sensor. The liquid cooling circuit includes a water pump, an electronic three-way valve, one line of piping for the heat exchanger, and the computing hardware. Specifically, the liquid cooling circuit sequentially connects to the water pump, the electronic three-way valve, one line of piping for the heat exchanger, and the computing hardware. The temperature sensor can be placed near the computing hardware and is used to detect the temperature of the computing hardware.

[0044] The computing hardware includes heat exchange units and control circuits. The heat exchange unit can be specifically implemented as a pipe or heat exchanger, which can cool or heat the circuit part of the computing hardware through the temperature change of the coolant. There are no restrictions on the specific implementation of the heat exchange unit.

[0045] The heat exchanger in the whole scheme includes two pipelines. The other pipeline of the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchange circuit of the battery pack in the vehicle. When needed, heat can be exchanged between the heat exchanger and the heat exchange circuit on the battery pack side according to the control of the electronic three-way valve.

[0046] The water pump's input is also connected to the vehicle's expansion tank, allowing coolant from the expansion tank to enter the water pump and thus the cooling circuit.

[0047] The electronic three-way valve and the temperature sensor are respectively connected to the control unit. The control unit is used to control the state of the electronic three-way valve according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, so that the heat exchanger pipeline is connected to the liquid cooling circuit or short-circuited.

[0048] In this scheme, the main function of the control unit is to collect the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the computing hardware and control the electronic three-way valve. In this implementation, this control function can be implemented by the vehicle controller (also known as the vehicle controller, main controller, etc.) or by the computing hardware itself. Therefore, the control unit can include the vehicle controller or the control circuit within the computing hardware. When the control unit's function is implemented through the vehicle controller, the temperature sensor and the electronic three-way valve are connected to the vehicle controller. When the control unit's function is implemented through the control circuit of the computing hardware, the temperature sensor and the electronic three-way valve are connected to the control circuit of the computing hardware. The connection methods differ depending on the implementation and can be selected according to actual needs.

[0049] The thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in this embodiment is independent of the heat exchange circuit of the vehicle's battery pack. It is equipped with a water pump and a temperature sensor, which are isolated from the vehicle's original cooling circuit through a heat exchanger and an electronic three-way valve, and are controlled separately, thereby realizing independent thermal management function for the computing hardware.

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the second embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 As shown above, in the above Figure 1 Based on the illustrated embodiment, the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware further includes a heater.

[0051] The heater is connected in the liquid cooling circuit to the heat exchange unit where the coolant enters the computing hardware, and can heat the coolant entering the heat exchange unit under the control of the control unit. The control unit is connected to the heater and is used to control the heater to heat the coolant.

[0052] This heater can be achieved using a PTC.

[0053] The thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in this embodiment can also be equipped with a heater, so that the computing hardware can be heated when the temperature is low during the thermal management process.

[0054] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the third embodiment of this disclosure. Based on the above two embodiments, this solution illustrates a piping connection diagram of this thermal management device specifically applied in a vehicle. Figure 3 As shown, the output end of the heat exchange unit in the computing hardware module is connected to the input end of the water pump, and the output end of the water pump is connected to one end of the electronic three-way valve.

[0055] The other two ends of the electronic three-way valve are respectively connected to the input end of one pipeline of the heat exchanger and the input end of the heater; the temperature sensor is located on the pipeline between the output end of the heater and the heat exchange unit, close to the control circuit.

[0056] In this embodiment, the entire vehicle includes Figure 3 The refrigerant circuit on the left, the battery pack circuit at the top, and the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware provided in this solution within the dashed box are as follows: In the refrigerant circuit, the dryer, expansion valve, compressor, one pipeline of the cooler (chilier1), and condenser form a circuit. The water pump, heater (PTC1), and another pipeline of the cooler (chilier1) form the battery pack circuit. The battery pack circuit and the refrigerant circuit exchange cooling through the cooler, and the battery pack circuit exchanges heat with the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware through a heat exchanger.

[0057] The vehicle uses the connection method shown in the figure. The heat exchanger and electronic three-way valve isolate the computing hardware circuit from the original vehicle cooling circuit. The temperature of the temperature sensor is collected by the vehicle's computing hardware or other controllers, and the opening angle of the electronic three-way valve is controlled to raise or lower the temperature of the computing hardware, thereby realizing an independent thermal management scheme.

[0058] The following describes the specific control method of the thermal management device based on the vehicle computing hardware provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0059] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware provided in the fourth embodiment of this disclosure, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware is applied in the vehicle controller or the control circuit of the computing hardware, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0060] S101: Obtain the real-time temperature of the computing hardware.

[0061] In this step, a temperature sensor located at the computing hardware is used to acquire the real-time temperature of the computing hardware so that the electronic three-way valve can be controlled according to the temperature.

[0062] S102: Based on the real-time temperature and the temperature range corresponding to different preset thermal management modes, determine the target thermal management mode currently required by the computing hardware.

[0063] In this step, after the vehicle controller or the control circuit of the computing hardware acquires the real-time temperature of the computing hardware, it is necessary to determine how to control the electronic three-way valve, heater, etc., based on the temperature value.

[0064] In one specific implementation, the corresponding thermal management mode can be determined based on the real-time temperature range. This method requires pre-configuring the temperature range corresponding to each mode. For example, thermal management modes can include: no thermal management requirement mode, small cooling requirement mode, large cooling requirement mode, and heating requirement mode. Heating can also be categorized into small and large quantity modes, which this solution does not restrict.

[0065] The temperature range for each mode can also be preset. For example, when the temperature is between 5 and 30 degrees Celsius, no heating or cooling is required, which corresponds to a mode with no thermal management needs. A temperature between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius corresponds to a mode with minimal cooling needs; a temperature above 40 degrees Celsius corresponds to a mode with significant cooling needs; and a temperature below 5 degrees Celsius corresponds to a mode with heating needs. Specifically, depending on the capabilities and characteristics of the computing hardware, the temperature for each mode can be configured according to actual conditions. The aforementioned temperature ranges are merely examples, and this solution does not impose restrictions on the division of temperature ranges.

[0066] S103: According to the target thermal management mode, control the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to cool or heat the computing hardware.

[0067] In this step, once the vehicle controller or computing hardware determines the corresponding target thermal management mode based on the current temperature, it can control the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to achieve cooling or heating of the computing hardware.

[0068] Based on the specific structure of the thermal management device in the above scheme, it actually controls the electronic three-way valve and / or heater in the thermal management device of the vehicle's computing hardware to cool or heat the computing hardware. The specific control method is described below:

[0069] Mode 1, the target thermal management mode, is a mode with no thermal management requirement.

[0070] In this mode, the computing hardware requires neither heating nor cooling. Only the right and lower branches of the electronic three-way valve need to be connected. The heater (PTC 2) is not operational, and the coolant is simply circulating to maintain basic heat dissipation for the computing hardware. Specifically, the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the vehicle computing hardware's thermal management device can be controlled to completely short-circuit the heat exchanger and shut down the heater. This allows the heat exchange unit, water pump, electronic three-way valve, and heater piping of the computing hardware to form a connected liquid-cooling circuit, enabling the coolant to circulate within this circuit.

[0071] Mode 2, the target thermal management mode, is a mode with low cooling demand.

[0072] In this mode, the computing hardware temperature is slightly high and needs cooling. However, since the temperature has not yet reached extreme high temperatures, the right, lower, and left branches of the electronic three-way valve can be connected. By adjusting the angle of the electronic three-way valve, the flow rate through the heat exchanger is changed, thus cooling the computing hardware. In other words, all three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the vehicle's computing hardware thermal management device are connected, connecting the heat exchanger in the device to a liquid cooling circuit to cool the computing hardware.

[0073] In this implementation, since the actual temperature is within a certain range but varies, it is also necessary to control the angle of the electronic three-way valve according to the real-time temperature of the computing hardware to control the flow rate. That is, the flow rate of the heat exchanger connected to the liquid cooling circuit is controlled by adjusting the angle of the electronic three-way valve.

[0074] Mode 3, the target management mode, is the mode with high cooling demand.

[0075] In this mode, the computing hardware temperature is already far above normal operating temperature, requiring significant cooling. Connecting the left and right branches of the electronic three-way valve allows the coolant to flow completely through the heat exchanger, cooling the computing hardware, while the heater remains off. Essentially, controlling the electronic three-way valve in the vehicle's computing hardware thermal management system fully connects the heat exchanger to the liquid cooling circuit, allowing the coolant to circulate throughout the entire circuit, thereby cooling the computing hardware.

[0076] Mode 4, the target management mode is the heating demand mode.

[0077] In the case of heating demand mode, there are also a variety of specific situations. For example, if the temperature is just below the minimum temperature of the normal operating range and the temperature of the coolant in the battery pack side circuit is slightly higher enough to meet the heating demand, then it is not necessary to start the heater for heating. However, if the temperature is extremely low or the temperature of the coolant in the battery pack side circuit is also relatively low, then it is necessary to start the heater for heating. Different heating methods are required for different temperatures. Here are some common examples.

[0078] In the first scenario, when the computing hardware requires heating and the coolant (water temperature) on the battery pack side is low, the right and lower branches of the electronic three-way valve can be connected, activating the heater (PTC 2) to heat the computing hardware. Specifically, when the temperature on the vehicle's battery pack side is lower than a first preset value, the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the vehicle's computing hardware's thermal management device is controlled to completely short-circuit the heat exchanger piping, and the heater is activated to heat the computing hardware. To determine whether the coolant temperature on the battery pack side is sufficient, a temperature threshold, i.e., the first preset value, needs to be set. This temperature threshold can be pre-configured according to actual conditions.

[0079] In the second scenario, the computing hardware requires heating. When the coolant temperature (water temperature) on the battery pack side is high, the left and right branches of the electronic three-way valve can be connected to heat the computing hardware. Specifically, when the temperature on the vehicle's battery pack side exceeds a second preset value, the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the vehicle's computing hardware thermal management device is controlled, fully connecting the heat exchanger piping in the thermal management device to the liquid cooling circuit to heat the computing hardware. Here, the second preset value is greater than the first preset value. In this method, to determine whether the coolant temperature on the battery pack side is sufficient, a temperature threshold, i.e., the second preset value, needs to be set. This temperature threshold can be pre-configured according to actual conditions, and the temperature is generally higher than the temperature threshold in the first scenario.

[0080] In the third scenario, the computing hardware requires minimal heating. If the coolant temperature (water temperature) on the battery pack side meets the heating requirements, the right, lower, and left branches of the electronic three-way valve can be connected. By adjusting the angle of the electronic three-way valve, the flow rate through the heat exchanger is changed, thus heating the computing hardware. Specifically, heating can be performed when the temperature on the vehicle's battery pack side is higher than the real-time temperature of the computing hardware. This is achieved by connecting all three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the vehicle's computing hardware's thermal management device, connecting the heat exchanger in the thermal management device to the liquid cooling circuit, thereby heating the computing hardware.

[0081] The thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware provided in this embodiment manages the temperature of the computing hardware by controlling the electronic three-way valve and / or heater through temperature data collected by a temperature sensor in the thermal management device. This conveniently solves the problem of computing hardware operating at high and low temperatures, and also reduces the impact of the computing hardware on the passenger compartment, minimizing discomfort for passengers. Furthermore, considering the original vehicle performance, the thermal management device is independently set up and controlled to prevent problems such as abnormal thermal management of the original vehicle caused by integrated computing hardware.

[0082] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in the fifth embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the thermal management 200 of the vehicle computing hardware provided in this embodiment includes:

[0083] Temperature acquisition unit 201 is used to acquire the real-time temperature of computing hardware;

[0084] The first processing unit 202 is used to determine the target thermal management mode currently required by the computing hardware based on the real-time temperature and the preset temperature range corresponding to different thermal management modes.

[0085] The second processing unit 203 is used to control the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to cool or heat the computing hardware according to the target thermal management mode.

[0086] The thermal management device for the vehicle computing hardware provided in this embodiment can be used to perform the above-mentioned... Figure 4 The thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware in the illustrated embodiment has a similar implementation principle and technical effect, and will not be described in detail here.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the second processing unit 203 includes:

[0088] The processing module is used to control the electronic three-way valve and / or heater in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to cool or heat the computing hardware.

[0089] In one possible implementation, where the target thermal management mode is a mode with no thermal management requirement, the processing module includes:

[0090] The first processing submodule is used to control the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, completely short-circuit the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and control the heater to shut down, so that the pipelines of the heat exchange unit, water pump, electronic three-way valve and heater of the computing hardware form a connected liquid cooling circuit, so that the coolant circulates in the liquid cooling circuit.

[0091] In one possible implementation, where the target thermal management mode is a low-cooling-demand mode, the processing module includes:

[0092] The second processing submodule is used to control the three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to be connected, and to connect the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit to cool the computing hardware.

[0093] In one possible implementation, the second processing submodule is further configured to:

[0094] Based on the real-time temperature of the computing hardware, the flow rate of the heat exchanger connected to the liquid cooling circuit is controlled by adjusting the angle of the electronic three-way valve.

[0095] In one possible implementation, where the target management mode is a high-volume cooling demand mode, the processing module includes:

[0096] The third processing submodule is used to control the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and to fully connect the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit, so that the coolant circulates in the liquid cooling circuit to cool the computing hardware.

[0097] In one possible implementation, where the target management mode is a heating demand mode, the processing module includes:

[0098] The fourth processing submodule is used to control the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware when the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is less than a first preset value, to completely short-circuit the heat exchanger pipeline in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and to control the start of the heater to heat the computing hardware.

[0099] In one possible implementation, the processing module further includes:

[0100] The fifth processing submodule is used to control the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware when the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is greater than the second preset value, so as to fully connect the heat exchanger pipeline in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit and heat the computing hardware, wherein the second preset value is greater than the first preset value.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the processing module further includes:

[0102] The sixth processing submodule is used to control all three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to be connected when the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is higher than the real-time temperature of the computing hardware, so as to connect the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit and heat the computing hardware.

[0103] The thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware provided in this embodiment can be used to execute the thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware in the above method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be described in detail here.

[0104] The collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, and disclosure of user personal information involved in the technical solution disclosed herein comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0105] According to embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure also provides an autonomous vehicle, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, and a computer program product.

[0106] According to embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure also provides an autonomous driving vehicle, including a vehicle body and a thermal management device for the vehicle computing hardware provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0107] According to embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions are used to cause the computer to perform... Figure 4 The method of the illustrated embodiment.

[0108] According to embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program stored in a readable storage medium, wherein a vehicle controller or computing hardware of a vehicle can read the computer program from the readable storage medium and execute the computer program to cause the vehicle to perform the solution provided in the above method embodiments.

[0109] Figure 6 This is merely an example illustrating the possible hardware structure within a vehicle's control unit (vehicle controller or computing hardware). Figure 6This is a schematic block diagram of the control unit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, the control unit 300 includes a computing unit 301, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes based on a computer program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 302 or a computer program loaded from a storage unit 308 into a random access memory (RAM) 303. The RAM 303 may also store various programs and data required for the operation of the device 300. The computing unit 301, ROM 302, and RAM 303 are interconnected via a bus 304. An input / output (I / O) interface 305 is also connected to the bus 304.

[0110] Multiple components in device 300 are connected to I / O interface 305, including: input unit 306; output unit 307; storage unit 308, such as a disk, optical disk, etc.; and communication unit 309, etc. Computing unit 301 can be various general-purpose and / or dedicated processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of computing unit 301 include, but are not limited to, central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), various dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various computing units running machine learning model algorithms, digital signal processor (DSP), and any suitable processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. Computing unit 301 performs the various methods and processes described above, such as resource recommendation methods. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal management method of vehicle computing hardware can be implemented as a computer software program tangibly contained in a machine-readable medium, such as storage unit 308. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and / or installed on a control unit of another vehicle via ROM 302 and / or communication unit 309. When the computer program is loaded into RAM 303 and executed by computing unit 301, one or more steps of the thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware described above can be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, computing unit 301 can be configured for the thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware by any other suitable means (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0111] Various embodiments of the systems and techniques described above herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, integrated circuit systems, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various embodiments may include implementations in one or more computer programs that can be executed and / or interpreted on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be a dedicated or general-purpose programmable processor, capable of receiving data and instructions from a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device, and transmitting data and instructions to the storage system, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device.

[0112] The program code used to implement the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a standalone software package partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0113] In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that may contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections based on one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0114] To provide interaction with the user, the systems and technologies described herein can be implemented in a vehicle having: a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor for displaying information to the user; and a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user provides input to the vehicle. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form (including sound input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0115] The systems and technologies described herein can be implemented in computing systems that include backend components (e.g., as a data server), or computing systems that include middleware components (e.g., an application server), or computing systems that include frontend components (e.g., a user computer with a graphical user interface or web browser through which a user can interact with embodiments of the systems and technologies described herein), or any combination of such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected via digital data communication of any form or medium (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the Internet.

[0116] Computer systems can include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally geographically separated and typically interact via communication networks. The client-server relationship is created by computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship with each other. A server can be a cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or cloud host, a hosting product within the cloud computing service ecosystem, addressing the shortcomings of traditional physical hosts and VPS (Virtual Private Server, or simply "VPS") services, such as high management difficulty and weak business scalability. Servers can also be servers for distributed systems or servers incorporating blockchain technology.

[0117] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to rearrange, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this disclosure can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution disclosed in this disclosure can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0118] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A thermal management method for vehicle computing hardware, comprising: Obtain the real-time temperature of the computing hardware; Based on the real-time temperature and the temperature range corresponding to different preset thermal management modes, determine the target thermal management mode currently required by the computing hardware. According to the target thermal management mode, the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled so that the heat exchanger's pipeline is connected to or short-circuited to the liquid cooling circuit; the thermal management device includes a liquid cooling circuit, in which a water pump, an electronic three-way valve, one pipeline of the heat exchanger, and computing hardware are sequentially connected, and the other pipeline of the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchange circuit of the vehicle's battery pack.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The liquid cooling circuit is also connected to a heater, and the method further includes: According to the target thermal management mode, the heater in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to heat the computing hardware.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, If the target thermal management mode is a mode with no thermal management requirement, then the electronic three-way valve and heater in the thermal management device controlling the vehicle computing hardware will cool or heat the computing hardware, including: The angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to completely short-circuit the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and the heater is controlled to be turned off, so that the pipelines of the heat exchange unit, water pump, electronic three-way valve and heater of the computing hardware form a connected liquid cooling circuit, and the coolant circulates in the liquid cooling circuit.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, If the target thermal management mode is a low-cooling-demand mode, then the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to cool the computing hardware, including: The three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware are all connected, and the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is connected to the liquid cooling circuit to cool the computing hardware.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The method further includes: Based on the real-time temperature of the computing hardware, the flow rate of the heat exchanger connected to the liquid cooling circuit is controlled by adjusting the angle of the electronic three-way valve.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target thermal management mode is a high-cooling-demand mode, then the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to cool the computing hardware, including: The electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to fully connect the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit, so that the coolant circulates in the liquid cooling circuit to cool the computing hardware.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, If the target thermal management mode is a heating demand mode, then the electronic three-way valve and heater in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware are controlled to heat the computing hardware, including: When the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is lower than a first preset value, the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to completely short-circuit the heat exchanger pipeline in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and the heater is started to heat the computing hardware.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The method further includes: When the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is greater than a second preset value, the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is controlled to fully connect the heat exchanger pipeline in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit, thereby heating the computing hardware and controlling the heater to turn off, wherein the second preset value is greater than the first preset value.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The method further includes: When the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is higher than the real-time temperature of the computing hardware, the three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware are connected, the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware is connected to the liquid cooling circuit to heat the computing hardware, and the heater is controlled to turn off.

10. A thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware, comprising: Temperature acquisition unit, used to acquire the real-time temperature of computing hardware; The first processing unit is used to determine the target thermal management mode currently required by the computing hardware based on the real-time temperature and the temperature range corresponding to different preset thermal management modes. The second processing unit is used to control the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware according to the target thermal management mode, so that the heat exchanger pipeline is connected to the liquid cooling circuit or short-circuited; the thermal management device includes a liquid cooling circuit, in which a water pump, an electronic three-way valve, one pipeline of the heat exchanger and computing hardware are connected in sequence, and the other pipeline of the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchange circuit of the vehicle's battery pack.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The liquid cooling circuit is also connected to a heater, and the second processing unit includes: The processing module is used to control the electronic three-way valve and heater in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to heat the computing hardware.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, If the target thermal management mode is a mode with no thermal management requirement, then the processing module includes: The first processing submodule is used to control the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, completely short-circuit the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and control the heater to shut down, so that the pipelines of the heat exchange unit, water pump, electronic three-way valve and heater of the computing hardware form a connected liquid cooling circuit, so that the coolant circulates in the liquid cooling circuit.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, If the target thermal management mode is a low-cooling-demand mode, then the processing module includes: The second processing submodule is used to control the three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to be connected, and to connect the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit to cool the computing hardware.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, The second processing submodule is also used for: Based on the real-time temperature of the computing hardware, the flow rate of the heat exchanger connected to the liquid cooling circuit is controlled by adjusting the angle of the electronic three-way valve.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, If the target thermal management mode is a high-cooling-demand mode, then the processing module includes: The third processing submodule is used to control the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and to fully connect the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit, so that the coolant circulates in the liquid cooling circuit to cool the computing hardware.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, If the target thermal management mode is a heating demand mode, then the processing module includes: The fourth processing submodule is used to control the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware when the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is less than a first preset value, to completely short-circuit the heat exchanger pipeline in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware, and to control the start of the heater to heat the computing hardware.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein, The processing module further includes: The fifth processing submodule is used to control the angle of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware when the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is greater than the second preset value, so as to fully connect the heat exchanger pipeline in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit, heat the computing hardware, and control the heater to turn off, wherein the second preset value is greater than the first preset value.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein, The processing module further includes: The sixth processing submodule is used to control all three branches of the electronic three-way valve in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to be connected when the temperature on the battery pack side of the vehicle is higher than the real-time temperature of the computing hardware, so as to connect the heat exchanger in the thermal management device of the vehicle computing hardware to the liquid cooling circuit, heat the computing hardware, and control the heater to be turned off.

19. A thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware, comprising: Liquid cooling circuit and temperature sensor; The liquid cooling circuit is sequentially connected to a water pump, an electronic three-way valve, one pipeline of a heat exchanger, and computing hardware. The temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the computing hardware. The computing hardware includes a heat exchange unit and a control circuit. Another pipeline of the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchange circuit of the vehicle's battery pack, and the input end of the water pump is also connected to the vehicle's expansion tank. The electronic three-way valve and the temperature sensor are respectively connected to the control unit. The control unit is used to control the state of the electronic three-way valve according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, so that the heat exchanger's pipeline is connected to the liquid cooling circuit or short-circuited. The control unit includes the vehicle controller or the control circuit in the computing hardware.

20. The thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware according to claim 19, wherein, The thermal management device for the vehicle computing hardware also includes: a heater; The heater is connected to the location where the coolant enters the heat exchange unit in the liquid cooling circuit, and the control unit is connected to the heater to control the heater to heat the coolant.

21. The thermal management device for vehicle computing hardware according to claim 20, wherein, The output end of the heat exchange unit in the computing hardware is connected to the input end of the water pump, and the output end of the water pump is connected to one end of the electronic three-way valve. The other two ends of the electronic three-way valve are respectively connected to the input end of one pipeline of the heat exchanger and the input end of the heater; The temperature sensor is located on the pipeline between the output end of the heater and the heat exchange unit, near the control circuit.

22. An autonomous vehicle, comprising: The vehicle body, and the thermal management device for the vehicle computing hardware according to any one of claims 19 to 21.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, wherein, The computer instructions are used to cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a vehicle, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

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