Digital twin architecture and intelligent control method of electric vehicle thermal management system

Abstract

The application relates to a digital twin architecture and an intelligent control method of an electric vehicle thermal management system, and belongs to the electric vehicle thermal management field. The application utilizes a digital twin technology to establish digital twins corresponding to each module and each component of physical real vehicle thermal management in a cloud platform thermal management digital space; real-time operation data of the physical real vehicle is collected through a sensing device and uploaded to a cloud platform digital space digital twin engine; the digital twin engine utilizes the real-time operation data to realize accurate mapping of the digital twins and the physical real vehicle; an intelligent computing module in the digital twin engine realizes real-time calculation of an optimal electric vehicle thermal management strategy through coupling of the digital twins and operation results; the physical real vehicle receives the optimal thermal management strategy from the digital space, and completes one-time vehicle thermal management control. The application can improve the control efficiency and precision of integrated thermal management of the electric vehicle, improve the cruising range of the electric vehicle, and reduce the risk of battery thermal runaway.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of electric vehicle thermal management, and relates to a digital twin architecture and intelligent control method for an electric vehicle thermal management system. Background Technology

[0002] Integrated thermal management for electric vehicles is a core device for temperature control of the passenger compartment, power battery, electric drive, and electronic control systems. Thermal management involves the joint control of cooling / heat pumps, battery water cooling, electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery, and passenger compartment air. However, the limited computing power of existing onboard chips can only meet the requirements of coarse control based on PID and rule lookup tables, making it difficult to achieve efficient and precise overall coordination of the thermal management system. Under complex and variable actual operating conditions, the thermal management system is prone to problems such as high energy consumption, low efficiency, and poor temperature control, leading to a series of serious consequences such as reduced vehicle range, accelerated battery aging, and battery thermal runaway. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this invention is to provide a digital twin architecture and intelligent control method for an electric vehicle thermal management system. By establishing a digital twin engine, a real-time data transmission and interaction between the cloud and the actual electric vehicle is constructed. Through the data transmission, the thermal management components are precisely controlled in the actual vehicle to ensure the optimal temperature control state of the electric vehicle's passenger compartment, power battery, electric drive, and electronic control system.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] Option 1: A digital twin architecture for an electric vehicle thermal management system, comprising a physical space and a digital space for the thermal management system.

[0006] The physical space of the thermal management system includes: the physical vehicle, the sensing devices mounted on the physical vehicle, and the terminal thermal management control center mounted on the physical vehicle.

[0007] The thermal management system's digital space includes a digital twin and a digital twin engine.

[0008] The digital twin is a thermal management model in a digital space that corresponds to the physical vehicle, constructed using digital twin technology. It includes a digital twin of the battery pack cooling / heating module, a digital twin of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module, a digital twin of the passenger compartment cooling / heating module, and a digital twin of the heat pump / cooling module.

[0009] The sensing devices are used to collect operational data characterizing the real-time operating status of the physical vehicle and upload it to the digital twin engine via the terminal thermal management control center. Simultaneously, the terminal thermal management control center receives thermal management control strategies issued by the digital twin engine. The digital twin is used to realize the digital spatial mirroring of the electric vehicle's thermal management system in the physical space; the digital twin engine is used to achieve real-time connection and synchronization between the physical and digital spaces.

[0010] Optionally, the digital twin of the battery pack cooling / heating module includes a digital twin of the battery pack sub-module and four models, realizing a digital mapping of the physical vehicle battery pack cooling / heating module.

[0011] Its model specifically includes:

[0012] A battery pack model that simulates the response relationships between various state variables during the operation of the battery pack.

[0013] The first water pump model simulates the physical characteristics of a real vehicle's water pump during the battery pack cooling process.

[0014] A water-cooled plate model is used to simulate the relationship between coolant circulation and heat exchange in the battery pack during the cooling process.

[0015] The PTC model simulates the auxiliary heating process of the PTC heater for the battery pack under cold operating conditions.

[0016] Optionally, the digital twin of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module includes a motor sub-digital twin and three models, realizing the digital mapping of the physical vehicle's electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module.

[0017] The model specifically includes:

[0018] An electric drive and control model simulates the temperature changes and heat generation characteristics of the power drive system and drive control system during the operation of a physical vehicle.

[0019] A radiator model that simulates the heat dissipation process between the coolant and the outside air in an electric drive and control system.

[0020] The second water pump model simulates the characteristics of a physical vehicle water pump during the electric drive and electronic control cooling process.

[0021] Optionally, the digital twin of the passenger compartment cooling / heating module includes a passenger compartment sub-digital twin and two models, realizing a digital mapping of the physical vehicle's passenger compartment cooling / heating module.

[0022] The model specifically includes:

[0023] The passenger compartment model simulates the temperature, humidity changes, and heat load of the passenger compartment during the actual operation of the vehicle.

[0024] A fan model to simulate the characteristics of the fan in the crew compartment cooling / heating module.

[0025] Optionally, the heat pump / cooling module digital twin includes a compressor sub-digital twin and five models to achieve a digital mapping of the physical vehicle heat pump / cooling module.

[0026] The model specifically includes:

[0027] A compressor model that simulates the compression, suction, and circulation characteristics of a compressor in a heat pump / refrigeration module;

[0028] A condenser model to simulate the characteristics of the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant condensation and heat dissipation process;

[0029] An expansion valve model is used to simulate the characteristics of the refrigerant throttling and pressure reduction process.

[0030] An evaporator model to simulate the characteristics of the refrigerant evaporation and heat absorption process;

[0031] A water-cooled heat exchanger model simulates the cooling effect of refrigerant evaporation on the coolant.

[0032] Optionally, the digital twin engine includes an intelligent computing module and a data storage and management module. The intelligent computing module uses data from the data storage and management module combined with intelligent optimization algorithms to solve for the optimal control strategy of the thermal management system under the current operating conditions, and then distributes it to the physical space terminal thermal management control center; the data storage and management module receives data collected by sensing devices in the physical space, processes the data, and then stores it.

[0033] Option 2: An intelligent control method for an electric vehicle thermal management system based on a digital twin architecture, comprising the following steps:

[0034] S1: Using the vehicle entity that requires thermal management as the physical entity, and using digital twin technology to construct a digital twin in the digital space;

[0035] S2: Through sensing devices, data representing the operating status of physical entities is collected, and calculated data representing the operating status is obtained in real time using this collected data; the collected data and calculated data are uploaded to the data storage and management module of the digital twin engine;

[0036] S3: Using the data stored in the digital twin engine, combined with intelligent optimization algorithms, the model parameters of the digital twin established in step S1 are identified, and finally, the accurate two-way mapping between the digital twin and the physical entity and the real-time update of the running status are realized.

[0037] S4: When the operating conditions change, the intelligent computing module of the digital twin engine receives the real-time operating parameters updated by the data management and storage module, uses the intelligent optimization algorithm to determine the thermal management control variables to be optimized in the control strategy, calculates the control strategy of vehicle thermal management in real time, and transmits the control strategy to the digital twin.

[0038] The specific thermal management control variables to be optimized include: compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module; PTC input current and water pump speed in the battery pack cooling / heating module; water pump speed and radiator fan speed in the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module; and fan speed in the passenger compartment cooling / heating module.

[0039] S5: The data management and storage module receives the real-time operating parameters from the digital twin again and passes them to the intelligent computing module to update the control variables of the thermal management to be optimized; then repeat step S5 until the optimal control strategy is reached.

[0040] S6: The terminal thermal management control center receives control strategies and parameter information from the intelligent computing module, and uses the control strategies and parameter information to complete one cycle of vehicle thermal management control.

[0041] Furthermore, the control strategies include battery pack cooling / heating module control strategies, passenger compartment cooling / heating module control strategies, and electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module control strategies.

[0042] The specific control strategy for the battery pack cooling / heating module is as follows: using the collected and calculated data obtained from the sensors at the battery pack, the heat generation, SOC, and temperature field of the battery pack are calculated in real time and compared with the preset optimal temperature of the battery pack.

[0043] When the battery pack temperature is higher than the preset temperature, adjust the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module, and adjust the water pump speed in the battery pack cooling / heating module.

[0044] When the battery pack temperature is lower than the preset temperature, adjust the four-way valve to connect the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module with the battery pack cooling / heating module through a pipeline. Use the waste heat of the electric drive and electronic control coolant to heat the battery pack, and at the same time adjust the power of the PTC heater to heat the battery pack.

[0045] The specific control strategy for the crew cabin cooling / heating module is as follows: based on the collected and calculated data obtained from the sensors in the crew cabin, the current three-dimensional temperature field and PMV of the crew cabin are calculated. With human comfort as the goal, the three-dimensional temperature field of the crew cabin is controlled by adjusting the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module and adjusting the fan speed of the crew cabin system.

[0046] The control strategy of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module is as follows: when the temperature of the electric drive and electronic control exceeds its optimal operating temperature, the water pump speed and radiator fan speed in the module are adjusted to keep the electric drive and electronic control system in a suitable operating temperature range; when the car is working in cold conditions, the four-way valve is adjusted to connect the coolant circulation of the electric drive and electronic control system with the coolant circulation of the battery pack, and the waste heat of the coolant in the electric drive and electronic control system is used to heat the battery pack, thereby reducing the thermal management power consumption of the car.

[0047] Furthermore, the thermal management control variables to be optimized include the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module, the PTC power and water pump speed in the battery pack cooling / heating module, the water pump speed and radiator fan speed in the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module, and the fan speed in the passenger compartment cooling / heating module.

[0048] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The digital twin architecture for integrated thermal management intelligent control of electric vehicles proposed in this invention can realize the overall coordinated control of the electric vehicle thermal management system. By establishing a digital twin of the whole vehicle thermal management model in the cloud, keeping the digital twin updated in real time through data acquisition, and realizing the optimal control quantity of the control strategy through optimization algorithm, real-time regulation and precise control of thermal management control are achieved, ensuring the best temperature control state of the electric vehicle passenger compartment, power battery, electric drive, and electronic control, which helps to reduce thermal management power consumption, improve vehicle range, and reduce the risk of battery thermal runaway.

[0049] Other advantages, objectives, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following examination, or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention can be realized and obtained through the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0050] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principles of a digital twin architecture.

[0052] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an intelligent control method;

[0053] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a digital twin and its sub-digital twins;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an integrated thermal management and control strategy. Detailed Implementation

[0055] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0056] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are schematic diagrams, not actual pictures. They should not be construed as limiting the invention. To better illustrate the embodiments of the invention, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0057] In the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, the same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, they are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms used to describe positional relationships in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0058] like Figure 1 The diagram shows a digital twin architecture for an electric vehicle thermal management system, which includes a physical space and a digital space for the thermal management system.

[0059] The physical space for thermal management specifically includes: the physical vehicle, the sensing devices mounted on the physical vehicle, and the terminal thermal management control center mounted on the physical vehicle.

[0060] The physical vehicle contains four thermal management modules: a battery pack cooling / heating module, an electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module, a passenger compartment cooling / heating module, and a heat pump / refrigeration module. The battery pack cooling / heating module includes: the battery pack, water pump, water-cooled plate, and PTC heater. The electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module includes: the electric drive and electronic control system, water pump, radiator, and radiator fan. The heat pump / refrigeration module includes: compressor, condenser, evaporator, water-cooled heat exchanger, and electronic expansion valve. The passenger compartment cooling / heating module includes: the passenger compartment and fan.

[0061] The heat pump / cooling module provides cooling to the battery pack via a water-cooled heat exchanger and directly heats or cools the passenger compartment via a condenser and evaporator. The electric drive / electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module exchanges heat with the external environment through a radiator and a fan, and is coupled to the battery pack cooling / heating module via a four-way valve. When the operating temperature is low, the coolant in the electric drive / electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module heats the battery pack.

[0062] The sensing devices are mounted on the physical vehicle in the physical space and have digital interfaces. They are mainly used to collect operational data that characterizes the real-time operating status of the vehicle. Specifically, they include: temperature sensors, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, flow sensors, current sensors, voltage sensors, power sensors, and speed sensors. Each sensor is installed in one of the four modules of the physical vehicle. The real-time operating data monitored by the sensors includes: temperature, pressure, humidity, flow rate, speed, vehicle speed, motor torque, valve opening, current, and voltage, and is uploaded to the terminal thermal management control center via the network.

[0063] The terminal thermal management control center connects to the digital twin engine in the cloud digital space via Ethernet, uploads real-time operating data of the physical vehicle, receives thermal management control strategies issued by the digital twin engine, and adjusts the components of each system of the physical vehicle according to the thermal management strategies to ensure that each system is in the optimal working state.

[0064] The thermal management digital space specifically includes: digital twin and digital twin engine.

[0065] A digital twin is a thermal management model in digital space that corresponds to the physical vehicle, constructed using digital twin technology. It comprises four digital twins: a battery pack cooling / heating module digital twin, an electric drive and control cooling / waste heat recovery module digital twin, a passenger compartment cooling / heating module digital twin, and a heat pump / refrigeration module digital twin; and four sub-digital twins: a battery pack sub-digital twin, a motor sub-digital twin, a passenger compartment sub-digital twin, and a compressor sub-digital twin. The digital twins and sub-digital twins are interconnected, realizing a digital spatial mirroring of the physical space's integrated thermal management system for electric vehicles.

[0066] The digital twin engine is the driving force for real-time connection and synchronization between the physical and virtual systems, and the core engine for intelligent algorithms and intelligent computing in the digital twin system. It consists of two modules: an intelligent computing module and a data storage and management module. The intelligent computing module uses data from the data storage and management module, combined with intelligent optimization algorithms, to solve for the optimal control strategy of the thermal management system under the current operating conditions, and then distributes this strategy to the thermal management control center at the physical space terminal. The data storage and management module receives data collected from sensors in the physical space, processes the data, and then stores it.

[0067] like Figure 3 As shown, the digital twin mirror mapping of the electric vehicle thermal management system is achieved through data interaction between the digital twin and its sub-digital twins, thereby combining the powerful computing power of the digital twin engine to calculate the optimal thermal management strategy under the current operating conditions.

[0068] Specifically:

[0069] 1) The digital twin of the battery pack cooling / heating module comprises four models and a sub-digital twin of the battery pack, to achieve a digital mapping of the physical vehicle's battery pack cooling / heating module. Specifically, the models are: the battery pack model, the first water pump model, the water-cooled plate model, and the PTC model.

[0070] The battery pack model is specifically an electro-thermal-aging coupled model of the battery pack, simulating the response relationships between terminal voltage, internal resistance, power, state of charge, and temperature and current, as well as the response relationships between temperature changes, capacity decay, charge / discharge rate, temperature, current, and battery usage time during charging and discharging. The first water pump model simulates the physical characteristics of a real-vehicle water pump during battery pack cooling, describing the response relationships between pump efficiency, speed, and power consumption; the relationship between battery pack heat dissipation and module coolant circulation flow rate; and the response relationships between pump inlet / outlet pressure difference, coolant circulation flow rate, and pump power. The water-cooled plate model simulates the heat transfer relationship between coolant circulation and the battery pack during cooling, determining the battery pack heat dissipation and optimizing the battery pack temperature field in conjunction with the battery pack thermal characteristic model. The PTC model simulates the auxiliary heating process of the PTC heater for the battery pack under cold conditions, showing the response relationships between PTC current, voltage, and PTC heating amount.

[0071] The battery pack digital twin is a three-dimensional model of the physical vehicle battery pack. By collecting data such as the battery pack temperature, water cooling plate cooling method, coolant flow rate, and temperature from sensors, the battery pack temperature field is simulated and analyzed to establish a three-dimensional temperature field of the battery pack, which shows the temperature uniformity of the battery pack under different operating conditions and provides a reference for further optimization of battery pack temperature control.

[0072] 2) The digital twin of the passenger compartment cooling / heating module includes two models and a sub-digital twin of the passenger compartment, to achieve a digital mapping of the passenger compartment cooling / heating module of the physical vehicle. The models are: passenger compartment model and fan model.

[0073] The passenger compartment model simulates the temperature and humidity changes and heat loads in the passenger compartment during vehicle operation, including solar radiation heat load, ventilation heat load, electronic equipment heat load, external convection heat load, and heat generated by the human body. The fan model simulates the fan characteristics in the passenger compartment cooling / heating module, controlling the fan speed to control the convective heat transfer coefficient during the heat exchange process between the passenger compartment and the evaporator and condenser of the heat pump / cooling module, thereby controlling the heating / cooling capacity of the heat pump / cooling module for the passenger compartment.

[0074] The digital twin of the passenger compartment is a three-dimensional model of the physical vehicle's passenger compartment, simulating the temperature of different physical structures in the passenger compartment and the heat exchange with the external environment, internal air, solar radiation, etc., to establish a three-dimensional temperature field of the passenger compartment.

[0075] 3) The heat pump / refrigeration module digital twin includes five models and a compressor sub-digital twin to achieve digital mapping of the physical vehicle's heat pump / refrigeration module. Specifically, the models are: compressor model, condenser model, evaporator model, expansion valve model, and water-cooled heat exchanger model.

[0076] The compressor model simulates the compression, suction, and circulation characteristics of the compressor in a heat pump / refrigeration module, and the response relationship between refrigerant mass flow rate and compressor speed and volumetric efficiency. Combined with compressor inlet / outlet refrigerant pressure data, it determines the refrigerant enthalpy and temperature changes during compression. The condenser model simulates the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant condensation and heat dissipation process, and the response relationship between condensation heat dissipation and refrigerant inlet / outlet condenser temperature, refrigerant mass flow rate, and condensation pressure. The expansion valve model simulates the refrigerant throttling and pressure reduction process, and the response relationship between refrigerant flow rate and expansion valve opening degree and evaporation / condensation pressure. The evaporator model simulates the refrigerant evaporation and heat absorption process, and the response relationship between heat absorption during evaporation and refrigerant inlet / outlet evaporator temperature, refrigerant mass flow rate through the expansion valve, and evaporation pressure. The water-cooled heat exchanger model simulates the cooling characteristics of the coolant during refrigerant evaporation, and the response relationship between refrigerant heat absorption, coolant temperature drop, refrigerant mass flow rate, refrigerant inlet / outlet heat exchanger temperature, evaporation pressure, and coolant mass flow rate.

[0077] The compressor sub-digital twin is a three-dimensional model of the physical vehicle compressor, simulating the internal working process of the compressor and the movement law of the valves, and showing the response relationship between the compressor's isentropic efficiency, volumetric efficiency, power, power consumption and parameters such as refrigerant pressure, refrigerant flow rate, and compressor speed.

[0078] 4) The digital twin of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module includes three models and a motor sub-digital twin to achieve digital mapping of the physical vehicle's electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module. Specifically, the models are: electric drive and electronic control model, radiator model, and second water pump model.

[0079] The electric drive and control model simulates the temperature changes and heat generation characteristics of the power drive system and drive control system during electric vehicle operation, including heat generation from the motor, transmission structure, inverter, and electronic control system. The second water pump model simulates the physical characteristics of a real vehicle water pump during the electric drive and control cooling process, describing the relationship between the heat dissipation of the electric drive and control system and the module's coolant circulation flow rate, as well as the response relationships between the pump inlet / outlet pressure difference, coolant circulation flow rate, and pump power. The radiator module simulates the heat dissipation process between the electric drive and control system coolant and the ambient air, and the response relationships between the heat dissipation, electric drive and control system temperature, radiator fan speed, coolant mass flow rate, and coolant temperature.

[0080] The digital twin of the motor is a three-dimensional model of the physical vehicle motor, simulating the working state of the motor during vehicle operation. Based on vehicle speed, motor torque, current, and voltage, it outputs the three-dimensional temperature field and power consumption of the motor.

[0081] like Figure 2 The diagram illustrates an integrated thermal management intelligent control method for electric vehicles based on a digital twin architecture, which includes the following steps:

[0082] S1: Using the vehicle entity that requires thermal management as the physical entity, and using digital twin technology to construct a digital twin in the digital space;

[0083] S2: Through sensing devices, data representing the operating status of physical entities is collected, and calculated data representing the operating status is obtained in real time using these collected data; the collected data and calculated data are uploaded to the data storage and management module of the digital twin engine;

[0084] S3: Using the data stored in the digital twin engine, combined with intelligent optimization algorithms, the model parameters of the digital twin established in step S1 are identified, and finally, the accurate two-way mapping between the digital twin and the physical entity and the real-time update of the running status are realized.

[0085] S4: When the operating conditions change, the intelligent computing module of the digital twin engine receives the real-time operating parameters updated by the data management and storage module, uses the intelligent optimization algorithm to determine the thermal management control variables to be optimized in the control strategy, calculates the control strategy of vehicle thermal management in real time, and transmits the control strategy to the digital twin.

[0086] S5: The data management and storage module receives the real-time operating parameters from the digital twin again and passes them to the intelligent computing module to update the control variables of the thermal management to be optimized; then repeat step S5 until the optimal control strategy is reached.

[0087] S6: The terminal thermal management control center receives control strategies and parameter information from the intelligent computing module, and uses the control strategies and parameter information to complete one cycle of vehicle thermal management control.

[0088] The intelligent optimization algorithm in step S3 includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: rule-based optimization algorithms, learning-based optimization algorithms, and optimization-based optimization algorithms, in a free combination.

[0089] The thermal management control variables to be optimized in step S4 specifically include: compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module, PTC input current and water pump speed in the battery pack cooling / heating module, water pump speed and radiator fan speed in the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module, and fan speed in the passenger compartment cooling / heating module.

[0090] like Figure 4 As shown, this example provides a control strategy for a thermal management system based on a digital twin architecture. The control strategy is calculated by the intelligent computing module of the digital twin engine in the digital space, combined with real-time and historical data from the data storage and management modules. Specifically, it includes a control strategy for the battery pack cooling / heating module, a control strategy for the passenger compartment cooling / heating module, and a control strategy for the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module.

[0091] 1) The specific control strategy for the battery pack cooling / heating module is as follows: Real-time calculations of battery pack heat generation, state of charge (SOC), and temperature field are performed using data collected and processed from various sensors at the battery pack, and compared with the preset optimal temperature. When the battery pack temperature is higher than the preset temperature, the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module are adjusted, along with the water pump speed of the battery pack cooling / heating module, to cool the battery pack and optimize its temperature uniformity, taking into account both SOH and temperature uniformity. When the battery pack temperature is lower than the preset temperature, the four-way valve is adjusted to connect the electric drive / control cooling / waste heat recovery module and the battery pack cooling / heating module via a pipeline, utilizing the waste heat from the electric drive / control coolant to heat the battery pack and reduce thermal management power consumption. Simultaneously, the power of the PTC heater is adjusted to heat the battery pack, keeping it within its optimal operating temperature range and optimizing battery capacity decay.

[0092] 2) The specific control strategy of the passenger cabin cooling / heating module is as follows: Based on the collected and calculated data from various sensors installed in the passenger cabin, the current three-dimensional temperature field of the passenger cabin and the passenger cabin PMV are calculated. With human comfort as the goal, the three-dimensional temperature field of the passenger cabin is controlled by adjusting the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module and adjusting the fan speed of the passenger cabin system to keep the passenger cabin at a suitable temperature and meet the comfort of passengers in different positions in the passenger cabin.

[0093] 3) The control strategy for the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module is as follows: When the temperature of the electric drive and electronic control exceeds its optimal operating temperature, the water pump speed and radiator fan speed in the module are adjusted to keep the electric drive and electronic control system within a suitable operating temperature range. When the vehicle is operating in cold conditions, the four-way valve is adjusted to connect the coolant circulation of the electric drive and electronic control system with the coolant circulation of the battery pack, utilizing the waste heat of the coolant in the electric drive and electronic control system to heat the battery pack, thereby reducing the vehicle's thermal management power consumption.

[0094] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A digital twin architecture for an electric vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that: This includes the physical space and digital space of the thermal management system. The physical space of the thermal management system includes: a physical vehicle, the sensing devices mounted on the physical vehicle, and the terminal thermal management control center mounted on the physical vehicle; the digital space of the thermal management system includes: a digital twin and a digital twin engine. The digital twin is a thermal management model in a digital space that corresponds to the physical vehicle, constructed using digital twin technology. It includes a digital twin of the battery pack cooling / heating module, a digital twin of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module, a digital twin of the passenger compartment cooling / heating module, and a digital twin of the heat pump / cooling module. The digital twin of the battery pack cooling / heating module includes a battery pack sub-digital twin, realizing a digital mapping of the physical vehicle's battery pack cooling / heating module; the digital twin of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module includes a motor sub-digital twin, realizing a digital mapping of the physical vehicle's electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module; the digital twin of the passenger compartment cooling / heating module includes a passenger compartment sub-digital twin, realizing a digital mapping of the physical vehicle's passenger compartment cooling / heating module; the digital twin of the heat pump / cooling module includes a compressor sub-digital twin, realizing a digital mapping of the physical vehicle's heat pump / cooling module. The sensing device is used to collect operating data that characterizes the real-time operating status of the physical vehicle and upload it to the digital twin engine through the terminal thermal management control center. At the same time, the terminal thermal management control center receives the thermal management control strategy issued by the digital twin engine. The digital twin is used to realize the digital spatial mirroring of the electric vehicle thermal management system in the physical space. The digital twin engine is used to realize the real-time connection and synchronization between the physical space and the digital space.

2. The digital twin architecture of an electric vehicle thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital twin of the battery pack cooling / heating module also includes four models, which specifically include: A battery pack model that simulates the response relationships between various state variables during the operation of the battery pack. The first water pump model simulates the physical characteristics of a real vehicle's water pump during the battery pack cooling process. A water-cooled plate model is used to simulate the relationship between coolant circulation and heat exchange in the battery pack during the cooling process. In addition, a PTC model is used to simulate the auxiliary heating process of the PTC heater on the battery pack under cold operating conditions.

3. The digital twin architecture of an electric vehicle thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital twin of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module also includes three models. The model specifically includes: An electric drive and control model simulates the temperature changes and heat generation characteristics of the power drive system and drive control system during the operation of a physical vehicle. A radiator model that simulates the heat dissipation process between the coolant and the outside air in an electric drive and control system. In addition, a second water pump model was developed to simulate the characteristics of a physical vehicle water pump during the electric drive and electronic control cooling process.

4. The digital twin architecture of an electric vehicle thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital twin of the crew cabin cooling / heating module also includes two models. The model specifically includes: The passenger compartment model simulates the temperature, humidity changes, and heat load of the passenger compartment during the actual operation of the vehicle. In addition, a fan model to simulate the fan characteristics in the crew cabin cooling / heating module.

5. The digital twin architecture of an electric vehicle thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital twin of the heat pump / cooling module also includes five models. The model specifically includes: A compressor model that simulates the compression, suction, and circulation characteristics of a compressor in a heat pump / refrigeration module; A condenser model to simulate the characteristics of the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant condensation and heat dissipation process; An expansion valve model is used to simulate the characteristics of the refrigerant throttling and pressure reduction process. An evaporator model to simulate the characteristics of the refrigerant evaporation and heat absorption process; In addition, a water-cooled heat exchanger model was developed to simulate the cooling effect of the refrigerant evaporation process on the coolant.

6. The digital twin architecture of an electric vehicle thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital twin engine includes an intelligent computing module and a data storage and management module. The intelligent computing module uses data from the data storage and management module in combination with intelligent optimization algorithms to obtain the optimal control strategy for the current operating condition thermal management system, and then distributes it to the physical space terminal thermal management control center. The data storage and management module receives data collected by sensing devices in the physical space, processes the data, and then stores it.

7. An intelligent control method for an electric vehicle thermal management system based on the digital twin architecture described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1: Using the vehicle entity that requires thermal management as the physical entity, and using digital twin technology to construct a digital twin in the digital space; S2: Through sensing devices, data representing the operating state of physical entities are collected, and calculated data representing their operating state is obtained in real time through these collected data. The collected and calculated data are uploaded to the data storage and management module of the digital twin engine; S3: Using the data stored in the digital twin engine, combined with intelligent optimization algorithms, the model parameters of the digital twin established in step S1 are identified, and finally, the accurate two-way mapping between the digital twin and the physical entity and the real-time update of the running status are realized. S4: When the operating conditions change, the intelligent computing module of the digital twin engine receives the real-time operating parameters updated by the data management and storage module, uses the intelligent optimization algorithm to determine the thermal management control variables to be optimized in the control strategy, calculates the control strategy of vehicle thermal management in real time, and transmits the control strategy to the digital twin. S5: The data management and storage module receives the real-time operating parameters from the digital twin again and passes them to the intelligent computing module to update the control variables of the thermal management to be optimized; then repeat step S5 until the optimal control strategy is reached. S6: The terminal thermal management control center receives control strategies and parameter information from the intelligent computing module, and uses the control strategies and parameter information to complete one cycle of vehicle thermal management control.

8. The intelligent control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control strategies include a battery pack cooling / heating module control strategy, a passenger compartment cooling / heating module control strategy, and an electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module control strategy.

9. The intelligent control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The specific control strategy for the battery pack cooling / heating module is as follows: using the collected and calculated data obtained from the sensors at the battery pack, the heat generation, SOC, and temperature field of the battery pack are calculated in real time and compared with the preset optimal temperature of the battery pack. When the battery pack temperature is higher than the preset temperature, adjust the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module, and adjust the water pump speed in the battery pack cooling / heating module. When the battery pack temperature is lower than the preset temperature, adjust the four-way valve to connect the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module with the battery pack cooling / heating module through a pipe. Use the waste heat of the electric drive and electronic control coolant to heat the battery pack, and at the same time adjust the power of the PTC heater to heat the battery pack. The specific control strategy of the passenger cabin cooling / heating module is as follows: the current three-dimensional temperature field and passenger cabin PMV of the passenger cabin are calculated based on the collected data and calculation data obtained by the sensors at the passenger cabin. With human comfort as the goal, the three-dimensional temperature field of the passenger cabin is controlled by adjusting the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module and adjusting the fan speed of the passenger cabin system. The control strategy of the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module is as follows: when the temperature of the electric drive and electronic control exceeds its optimal operating temperature, the water pump speed and radiator fan speed in the module are adjusted to keep the electric drive and electronic control system in a suitable operating temperature range; when the vehicle is operating in cold conditions, the four-way valve is adjusted to connect the coolant circulation of the electric drive and electronic control system with the coolant circulation of the battery pack, and the waste heat of the coolant in the electric drive and electronic control system is used to heat the battery pack, thereby reducing the vehicle's thermal management power consumption.

10. The intelligent control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The thermal management control variables to be optimized include the compressor speed and electronic expansion valve opening in the heat pump / cooling module, the PTC power and water pump speed in the battery pack cooling / heating module, the water pump speed and radiator fan speed in the electric drive and electronic control cooling / waste heat recovery module, and the fan speed in the passenger compartment cooling / heating module.

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