Multi-channel cooling water valves, thermal management systems and vehicles

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-channel cooling water valve, comprising a valve body and a valve core rotatably mounted on the valve body. The valve body has four ports, and the valve core is configured to selectively connect one port to another port or simultaneously connect one port to two other ports. This multi-channel cooling water valve can meet the switching requirements of eight operating modes of a thermal management system, satisfy the performance requirements of the vehicle, and also save on vehicle costs and layout space. This invention also discloses a thermal management system and a vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automotive technology. Specifically, this invention relates to a multi-channel cooling water valve, a thermal management system, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the battery heating system in range-extended vehicles and the heating system in passenger cars generally use a high-voltage electric heater or engine to heat the coolant. The coolant valve adjusts the direction or ratio of the valve core according to the system control to heat the relevant components in the system to meet the performance and comfort requirements of the whole vehicle.

[0003] When the range extender vehicle's heating operation requires eight different modes, please refer to the appendix for details. Figure 10 The existing single cooling water valve cannot meet the usage requirements of 8 working modes, or in order to meet the usage requirements of these 8 working modes, it is necessary to achieve this through the combination of multiple water valves and pipeline connections. However, the layout space of such a multi-water valve arrangement and pipeline connection system brings great challenges and also greatly increases the cost of the whole vehicle.

[0004] Chinese Patent Application No. 202321952803.8 discloses a novel thermal management electronically controlled cooling valve, belonging to the field of automotive parts technology. It includes a housing, a dynamic sealing ring, a ball valve, a control valve shaft seal, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe. The ball valve connects the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe, and a dynamic sealing ring connects the ball valve and the outlet pipe. A control valve shaft seal is located above the ball valve. The housing is located outside the inlet and outlet pipes, and both the inlet and outlet pipes are tightly bonded to the housing via laser welding. This novel thermal management electronically controlled cooling valve uses an EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) skeleton oil seal, which effectively prevents oil leakage during machine operation. Furthermore, the rubber joint has good static pressure and can withstand high temperatures, allowing the machine parts to operate normally. The housing of this novel thermal management electronically controlled cooling valve is laser-welded to the inlet and outlet pipes via injection molding, ensuring product precision and consistency through the mold.

[0005] The goal is to provide an improved multi-channel cooling water valve, particularly regarding how to switch between eight operating modes of the thermal management system, thereby saving on overall vehicle costs and layout space. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention provides a multi-channel cooling water valve, designed to meet the switching requirements of eight operating modes of the thermal management system, thereby saving vehicle costs and vehicle layout space.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a multi-channel cooling water valve, including a valve body and a valve core rotatably disposed on the valve body, the valve body being provided with four ports, and the valve core being configured to selectively connect one port to another port and simultaneously connect one port to the other two ports.

[0008] An actuator is installed on the valve body, and the actuator is connected to the valve core.

[0009] The present invention also provides a thermal management system, including the aforementioned multi-channel cooling water valve, air conditioning system, cooler, first water pump, and heat exchanger; the multi-channel cooling water valve is connected to the air conditioning system, cooler, first water pump, engine, and heat exchanger.

[0010] The valve body has four ports, namely the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port. The first port is connected to the engine, the second port is connected to the air conditioning system, the third port is connected to the first water pump, and the fourth port is connected to the heat exchanger.

[0011] The heat exchanger is connected to the battery cooling circuit. When the first port is connected to the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the first working mode. The coolant heated by the engine enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery.

[0012] When the first port is connected to the second port, the thermal management system is in the second working mode. The coolant of the air conditioning system enters the engine through the multi-channel cooling water valve and enters the air conditioning system after being heated by the engine.

[0013] When the first port is simultaneously connected to the second port and the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the third working mode. The coolant heated by the engine enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery. At the same time, the coolant of the air conditioning system enters the engine through the multi-channel cooling water valve and enters the air conditioning system from the engine-heated coolant.

[0014] When the first water pump is connected to the PTC heater and the third port is connected to the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the fourth working mode. The coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery.

[0015] When the third port is connected to the second port, the thermal management system is in the fifth working mode, and the coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the air conditioning system to achieve heating of the vehicle passenger compartment;

[0016] When the third port is simultaneously connected to both the second port and the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the sixth operating mode.

[0017] When the engine is turned off, the control system connects the third port to the second port and the first port to the fourth port. The thermal management system is in the seventh working mode. The coolant heated by the engine waste heat enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery.

[0018] Meanwhile, the coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the air conditioning system to heat the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0019] The present invention also provides a vehicle including the aforementioned thermal management system.

[0020] The multi-channel cooling water valve of the present invention can meet the switching requirements of eight working modes of the thermal management system, meet the performance requirements of the whole vehicle, and also save the cost of the whole vehicle and save the layout space of the whole vehicle. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the multi-channel cooling water valve of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valves in their first operating mode.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valves in the second operating mode.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valves in the third operating mode.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a status diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valve in the fourth operating mode.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a status diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valve in the fifth working mode;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a status diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valve in the sixth operating mode;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a status diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valve in the seventh operating mode.

[0029] Figure 9This is a status diagram of the thermal management system and multi-channel cooling water valve in the eighth working mode;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the eight working modes of the thermal management system;

[0031] The markings in the above figures are as follows: 1. Sealing gasket; 2. Bushing; 3. Valve core; 4. Valve body; 5. Spline; 6. Shaft seal; 7. End cover; 8. Actuator; 9. Screw; 10. Engine; 11. Power battery; 12. First water pump; 13. Second water pump; 14. Heater core; 15. Cooler; 16. Heat exchanger. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more comprehensive description of the present invention will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described in the text. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and complete.

[0033] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly associated with those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the specification of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a multi-channel cooling water valve, including a valve body 4 and a valve core 3 rotatably disposed on the valve body 4. The valve body 4 is provided with four ports, and the valve core 3 is configured to selectively connect one port to another port and simultaneously connect one port to two other ports.

[0036] Specifically, the valve body 4 has four ports: port 1, port 2, port 3, and port 4. This multi-channel coolant valve is used in the vehicle's thermal management system, which has eight operating modes. The thermal management system is in the first operating mode, with port 1 and port 4 connected. The thermal management system is in the second operating mode, with port 1 and port 2 connected. The thermal management system is in the third operating mode, with port 1 connected to both port 2 and port 4. The thermal management system is in the fourth operating mode, with port 3 and port 4 connected. The thermal management system is in the fifth operating mode, with port 3 and port 2 connected. The thermal management system is in the sixth operating mode, with port 3 connected to both port 2 and port 4. The thermal management system is in the seventh operating mode, with port 3 and port 2 connected, and port 1 and port 4 also connected. The thermal management system is in the eighth operating mode, with port 3 and port 4 connected, and port 1 and port 2 also connected.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, an actuator 8 is mounted on the valve body 4, and the actuator 8 is connected to the valve core 3. The actuator 8 is used to control the rotation of the valve core 3. The multi-channel cooling water valve also includes gaskets and end caps, etc.

[0038] The multi-channel coolant valve is connected to the vehicle controller via a single wiring harness for receiving and transmitting signals (such as LIN communication). When the controller receives a signal, the valve adjusts the valve core angle according to the system control requirements, causing coolant to flow out from different outlets to meet the coolant flow distribution needs of the system.

[0039] like Figure 10 As shown, when actuator 8 receives vehicle command 1, valve core 3 rotates to 140°, connecting the first port and the fourth port;

[0040] When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 2, valve core 3 rotates to 200° to connect the first port and the second port;

[0041] When the actuator 8 receives the vehicle command 3, the valve core 3 rotates to 140°~200°, so that the first port can be connected to the second port and the fourth port at the same time and the corresponding proportional adjustment can be achieved.

[0042] When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 4, valve core 3 rotates to 80°, connecting the third port and the fourth port;

[0043] When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 5, valve core 3 rotates to 20°, connecting the third port and the second port;

[0044] When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 6, valve core 3 rotates to 20°~80°, so that the third port can be connected to the second and fourth ports at the same time and the corresponding proportional adjustment can be achieved.

[0045] When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 7, valve core 3 rotates to 260°, enabling connection between the first port and the fourth port, as well as between the third port and the second port;

[0046] When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 8, valve core 3 rotates to 260°, enabling connection between the first and second ports, as well as between the third and fourth ports.

[0047] The multi-channel cooling water valve of the present invention is a type of water valve used in the cooling circulation system of range-extended vehicles. The multi-channel cooling water valve realizes the reversal and proportional adjustment of the cooling circulation system according to the direction of the valve core 3 controlled by the system, and is used to heat the heater core 14 or the power battery 11 in the cooling system to meet the relevant performance and comfort requirements of the vehicle.

[0048] The present invention also provides a thermal management system, including a multi-channel cooling water valve with the above-described structure, an air conditioning system, a cooler 15, a first water pump 12, and a heat exchanger 16; the multi-channel cooling water valve is connected to the air conditioning system, the cooler 15, the first water pump 12, the engine 10, and the heat exchanger 16. The specific structure of this multi-channel cooling water valve can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 1 The details will not be elaborated further here. Since the thermal management system of this embodiment includes the multi-channel cooling water valve described in the above embodiments, it possesses all the advantages of the aforementioned multi-channel cooling water valve.

[0049] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the first port on the valve body 4 is connected to the engine 10, the second port is connected to the air conditioning system, the third port is connected to the first water pump 12, and the fourth port is connected to the heat exchanger 16. The air conditioning system includes a blower, a heater core 14, and an evaporator. The heater core 14 is connected to the heat exchanger 16 and the second port of the multi-channel cooling water valve. The heater core 14 is located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

[0050] like Figure 2As shown, the heat exchanger 16 is connected to the battery cooling circuit, which includes a second water pump 13 and a cooler 15. One end of the second water pump 13 is connected to the power battery 11, and the other end of the second water pump 13 is connected to one end of the cooler 15. The other end of the cooler 15 is also connected to the power battery 11. In winter, when the engine 10 is running, the heat from the engine 10 is used to heat the battery. When the actuator 8 receives the vehicle command 1, the valve core 3 rotates to 140°, connecting the first and fourth ports of the multi-channel cooling water valve. The thermal management system is in its first operating mode. The coolant heated by the engine 10 enters the heat exchanger 16 and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit. The heated coolant in the heat exchanger 16 flows to the power battery 11, heating the power battery 11 and ensuring that the power battery 11 performs optimally at a suitable temperature.

[0051] In winter, when the engine 10 is running, the heat from the engine 10 is used to heat the heater core 14, such as... Figure 3 As shown, when the actuator 8 receives the vehicle command 2, the valve core 3 rotates to 200°, the first port of the multi-channel cooling water valve is connected to the second port, the thermal management system is in the second working mode, the air conditioning system coolant enters the engine 10 through the multi-channel cooling water valve, and the coolant heated by the engine 10 enters the air conditioning system heater core 14, so that the passengers in the passenger cabin feel the most suitable temperature under the blowing of the blower.

[0052] In winter, when the engine 10 is running, the heat from the engine 10 is used to simultaneously heat the power battery 11 and the heater core 14, such as... Figure 4As shown, when actuator 8 receives vehicle command 3, valve core 3 rotates to 170°, and the first port simultaneously connects to the second and fourth ports. The thermal management system is in the third operating mode. The coolant heated by engine 10 enters heat exchanger 16 to exchange heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit, thus heating the power battery 11. Simultaneously, the coolant from the air conditioning system enters engine 10 through a multi-channel cooling water valve, and the coolant heated by engine 10 enters the air conditioning system. During this process, 50% of the coolant heated by engine 10 flows to heat exchanger 16, and the remainder flows to passenger compartment heater core 14, thereby heating the power battery 11 and heater core 14. Then, the coolant from both portions flows back to engine 10 through the multi-channel cooling water valve. This cycle continues, simultaneously meeting the heating needs of the battery and passenger compartment. Furthermore, in this mode, the water valve core 3 can rotate between 140° and 200° as needed, adjusting the opening of the second and fourth ports. The two channels formed within the multi-channel cooling water valve are proportionally adjusted to prioritize meeting the higher heating demands of the power battery 11 or the passenger compartment. When the actuator 8 receives vehicle command 3.1, the valve core 3 rotates to 160°, achieving 70% connectivity between the first and second ports and 30% connectivity between the first and fourth ports. In this mode, 70% of the coolant flows to the heater core 14, prioritizing the higher heating demands of the passenger compartment. When the actuator 8 receives vehicle command 3.2, the valve core 3 rotates to 190°, achieving 70% connectivity between the first and fourth ports and 30% connectivity between the first and second ports. In this mode, 70% of the coolant flows to the heat exchanger 16, and the heating efficiency of the power battery 11 is far greater than that of the heater core 14.

[0053] In pure electric mode, the engine 10 is not running, and the heating needs of the power battery 11 are met by the PTC heater in the system. Figure 5 As shown, the first water pump 12 is connected to the PTC heater. When the actuator 8 receives the vehicle command 4, the valve core 3 rotates to 80°, the third port and the fourth port are connected, the thermal management system is in the fourth working mode, the first water pump 12 and the second water pump 13 start to work, the coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the heat exchanger 16 and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit. The heated coolant in the heat exchanger 16 flows to the power battery 11 to realize the heating of the power battery 11.

[0054] In pure electric mode, engine 10 is not operating. The heating needs of the passenger compartment are met by the PTC heater in the system, which is connected to the heater core 14. Figure 6As shown, when the actuator 8 receives the vehicle command 5, the valve core 3 rotates to 20°, the third port connects with the second port, the thermal management system is in the fifth working mode, the coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the air conditioning system's heating core 14, and under the blowing of the blower, the passengers feel the most suitable temperature perception, thus achieving heating of the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0055] In pure electric mode, the engine 10 is not operating. The heating needs of the power battery 11 and the passenger compartment are met by the PTC heater in the system. Figure 7 As shown, when actuator 8 receives vehicle command 6, valve core 3 rotates to 50°, and the third port simultaneously connects to the second and fourth ports. The thermal management system is in its sixth operating mode, and the heated coolant can flow to the heater core 14 and the power battery 11, simultaneously meeting the heating needs of the power battery 11 and the passenger compartment. During this process, 50% of the coolant heated by the PTC heater flows to the heat exchanger 16, and 50% flows to the passenger compartment heater core 14, thus simultaneously heating the power battery 11 and the heater core 14. Then, the two portions of coolant flow to the PTC heater through the channels formed by the third and second ports, and the channels formed by the third and fourth ports, respectively. This cycle continues, simultaneously meeting the heating needs of the power battery 11 and the passenger compartment. Moreover, in this mode, the water valve core 3 can be rotated between 20° and 80° as needed, adjusting the opening of the second and fourth ports. The two channels formed within the multi-channel cooling water valve are proportionally adjusted to prioritize meeting the higher heating needs of the power battery 11 or the passenger compartment. When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 6.1, valve core 3 rotates to 40°, at which point 70% of the channel formed by the third port and the second port is connected, and 30% of the channel formed by the third port and the fourth port is connected. In this mode, 70% of the coolant flows to the heater core 14, prioritizing the higher heating demand of the passenger compartment. When actuator 8 receives vehicle command 6.2, valve core 3 rotates to 70°, at which point 70% of the channel formed by the third port and the fourth port is connected, and 30% of the channel formed by the third port and the second port is connected. In this mode, 70% of the coolant flows to the heat exchanger 16, and the heating efficiency of the battery is much greater than that of the heater core 14.

[0056] After engine 10 is turned off, from the perspective of reducing energy consumption, the waste heat of engine 10 can be used to heat the battery, such as... Figure 8As shown, when actuator 8 receives vehicle command 7, valve core 3 rotates to 260°, connecting the third port with the second port and the first port with the fourth port. The thermal management system is in its seventh operating mode, and the second water pump 13 operates. The coolant heated by the waste heat of engine 10 enters heat exchanger 16 to exchange heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit. The heated coolant in heat exchanger 16 flows to the power battery 11, thus heating the power battery 11. Simultaneously, the first water pump 12 operates, and the coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the heating core 14 of the air conditioning system to heat the passenger compartment, thus achieving heating for the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0057] Because the vehicle's cooling system is complex, all channels need to be opened during after-sales refilling. Therefore, an additional refilling mode has been added to prevent air from being incompletely removed from the system, which could affect vehicle performance and energy consumption. Figure 9 As shown, when actuator 8 receives vehicle command 8, valve core 3 rotates to 260°, connecting the third port and the fourth port and the first port and the second port, and the thermal management system is in the eighth working mode. During manual refilling, both the battery circulation system and the heating circulation system are turned on to ensure sufficient coolant flow. Then, the air conditioning system is turned on to run the water pump. At this time, the battery circulation system and the heating circulation system will discharge the gas into the expansion tank through the degassing pipe in the system.

[0058] In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 16 is a plate heat exchanger.

[0059] The present invention also provides a vehicle including a thermal management system with the above-described structure. Since the vehicle of the present invention includes the thermal management system described above, it possesses all the advantages of the aforementioned thermal management system.

[0060] The present invention has been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-described manner. Any non-substantial improvements made using the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention to other occasions without modification, are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal management system, characterized in that: Includes multi-channel cooling water valves, air conditioning system, cooler, first water pump, and heat exchanger; The multi-channel cooling water valve includes a valve body and a valve core that is rotatably mounted on the valve body. The valve body has four ports, and the valve core is configured to allow one port to connect with another port or to allow one port to connect with two other ports simultaneously. An actuator is installed on the valve body and is connected to the valve core; The multi-channel cooling water valve is connected to the air conditioning system, cooler, first water pump, engine, and heat exchanger. The valve body has four ports, namely the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port. The first port is connected to the engine, the second port is connected to the air conditioning system, the third port is connected to the first water pump, and the fourth port is connected to the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is connected to the battery cooling circuit. When the first port is connected to the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the first working mode. The coolant heated by the engine enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery.

2. The thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the first port is connected to the second port, the thermal management system is in the second working mode. The coolant of the air conditioning system enters the engine through the multi-channel cooling water valve and enters the air conditioning system after being heated by the engine.

3. The thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the first port is simultaneously connected to the second port and the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the third working mode. The coolant heated by the engine enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery. At the same time, the coolant of the air conditioning system enters the engine through the multi-channel cooling water valve and enters the air conditioning system from the engine-heated coolant.

4. The thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the first water pump is connected to the PTC heater and the third port is connected to the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the fourth working mode. The coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery. When the third port is connected to the second port, the thermal management system is in the fifth working mode, and the coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the air conditioning system to achieve heating of the vehicle passenger compartment; When the third port is simultaneously connected to both the second port and the fourth port, the thermal management system is in the sixth operating mode.

5. The thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the engine is turned off, the control system connects the third port to the second port and the first port to the fourth port. The thermal management system is in the seventh working mode. The coolant heated by the engine waste heat enters the heat exchanger and exchanges heat with the coolant in the battery cooling circuit to heat the power battery. Meanwhile, the coolant heated by the PTC heater enters the air conditioning system to heat the vehicle's passenger compartment.

6. A vehicle, characterized in that: Includes the thermal management system described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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