Thermal management system of vehicle and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a thermal management system of a vehicle and a control method thereof. A thermal management system of a vehicle may include: an air conditioning system including a refrigerant line circulating a refrigerant; the battery thermal management system comprises a battery cooling liquid pipeline for circulating cooling liquid, a pump arranged on the battery cooling liquid pipeline and a chiller, and the chiller is also arranged on the refrigerant pipeline so as to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipeline and the cooling liquid in the battery cooling liquid pipeline; and a first control unit configured to control a rotational speed of the pump to adjust a cooling speed of the battery according to a thermal load of a vehicle cab, an ambient temperature, a vehicle speed, and a battery temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal management system for a vehicle and a control method thereof, which can adaptively adjust the rotation speed of a pump of a battery thermal management system according to the thermal load of a vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed and the battery temperature. Background Art

[0002] Vehicles with high-voltage batteries are provided with a battery thermal management system to manage the temperature of the battery. In order to keep the battery at an optimal operating temperature, the battery thermal management system is usually provided with a chiller, which can cool the coolant by heat exchange between the coolant and the refrigerant of the vehicle's air-conditioning system, thereby cooling the battery with the cooled coolant. In this case, the chiller of the battery thermal management system and the evaporator of the air-conditioning system are arranged in parallel. Therefore, when the battery thermal management system uses the chiller to cool the battery, the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system and the working efficiency of the compressor are easily affected by the cooling speed of the battery.

[0003] An expansion valve is arranged upstream of the chiller so that the refrigerant enters the chiller in an expanded state, thereby absorbing the heat of the coolant in the chiller. The expansion valve arranged upstream of the chiller can be a mechanical expansion valve instead of an electronic expansion valve to save costs.

[0004] When charging the battery quickly in a high temperature environment, the cooling speed of the battery is required to be high. For this reason, the mechanical expansion valve installed upstream of the chiller usually has a large flow rate. However, since the flow rate of the mechanical expansion valve cannot be actively controlled, the flow rate of the refrigerant in the battery thermal management system using a mechanical expansion valve is much larger than that of the battery thermal management system using an electronic expansion valve. Accordingly, the battery thermal management system using a mechanical expansion valve will have a significant impact on the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system and the working efficiency of the compressor.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to study a vehicle thermal management system that can reduce the impact of a battery thermal management system using a mechanical expansion valve on the cooling effect of an air-conditioning system and the working efficiency of a compressor.

[0006] The information contained in this Background section of the present invention is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information constitutes the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0007] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to solving the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and through the following detailed description of the specification, those skilled in the art will clearly understand other technical problems not mentioned herein.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, on the one hand, the present invention provides a vehicle thermal management system, which may include: an air-conditioning system, a battery thermal management system and a first control unit, wherein the air-conditioning system may include a refrigerant pipeline for circulating refrigerant; the battery thermal management system may include a battery coolant pipeline for circulating coolant, a pump and a chiller arranged on the battery coolant pipeline, wherein the chiller is also arranged on the refrigerant pipeline to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipeline and the coolant in the battery coolant pipeline; the first control unit may be configured to control the speed of the pump according to the heat load of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed and the battery temperature to adjust the cooling speed of the battery.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the thermal load of the vehicle cabin may include an operating mode of the air conditioning system, a blower gear and a damper position of the air conditioning system.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the air conditioning system may further include a second control unit, which may be configured to receive a blower gear and a damper position of the air conditioning system, and send the received blower gear and damper position of the air conditioning system to the first control unit. The first control unit may be configured to determine a heat load level of the vehicle cabin according to an operating mode of the air conditioning system and the received blower gear and damper position of the air conditioning system.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the thermal management system of the vehicle may further include: an ambient temperature sensor for measuring ambient temperature and a vehicle speed sensor for measuring vehicle speed.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the thermal management system of the vehicle may further include: a third control unit, the third control unit may be configured to receive the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed, and send the received ambient temperature and the vehicle speed to the first control unit. The first control unit may be configured to determine the ambient temperature level according to the received ambient temperature, and determine the vehicle speed level according to the received vehicle speed.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the thermal management system of the vehicle may further include: a battery temperature sensor, which may be used to measure the battery temperature. The first control unit may be configured to determine the battery temperature level according to the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature sensor.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first control unit can be configured to calculate the battery cooling level based on the determined thermal load level of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature level, the vehicle speed level and the battery temperature level, and control the pump speed based on the calculated battery cooling level to adjust the cooling speed of the battery.

[0015] On the other hand, the present invention provides a control method for a thermal management system of a vehicle. The thermal management system of the vehicle may include: an air-conditioning system, a battery thermal management system and a first control unit. The air-conditioning system includes a refrigerant pipeline for circulating refrigerant; the battery thermal management system includes: a battery coolant pipeline for circulating coolant, a pump and a chiller arranged on the battery coolant pipeline, wherein the chiller is also arranged on the refrigerant pipeline to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipeline and the coolant in the battery coolant pipeline; the control method may include: controlling the speed of the pump through the first control unit according to the heat load of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed and the battery temperature to adjust the cooling speed of the battery.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the thermal management system of a vehicle may further include: receiving the blower gear and damper position of the air-conditioning system through the second control unit of the air-conditioning system, and sending the received blower gear and damper position of the air-conditioning system to the first control unit; and determining the thermal load level of the vehicle cockpit according to the operating mode of the air-conditioning system and the received blower gear and damper position of the air-conditioning system through the first control unit.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the thermal management system of a vehicle may further include: measuring the ambient temperature by an ambient temperature sensor; and measuring the vehicle speed by a vehicle speed sensor.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the thermal management system of a vehicle may further include: receiving the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed through a third control unit, and sending the received ambient temperature and vehicle speed to the first control unit; determining the ambient temperature level according to the received ambient temperature, and determining the vehicle speed level according to the received vehicle speed through the first control unit.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the thermal management system of the vehicle may further include: measuring the battery temperature by a battery temperature sensor; and determining the battery temperature level according to the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature sensor by a first control unit.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the thermal management system of a vehicle may further include: calculating, by a first control unit, a battery cooling level based on the determined thermal load level of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature level, the vehicle speed level, and the battery temperature level, and controlling the speed of the pump based on the calculated battery cooling level to adjust the cooling speed of the battery.

[0021] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] 1) No hardware device needs to be added and / or replaced in the existing vehicle thermal management system, so the cost is low;

[0023] 2) When the heat load of the vehicle cockpit is high, the comfort of the vehicle cockpit can be improved by appropriately reducing the speed of the electric pump;

[0024] 3) The speed of the electric pump can be adjusted according to the vehicle speed to match the working efficiency of the compressor, thereby saving energy.

[0025] The systems and methods of the present invention have other features and advantages that will be apparent from, or will be described in detail in, the accompanying drawings and subsequent detailed descriptions incorporated herein, which together serve to explain the specific principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 A control block diagram showing a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the relationship between the rotation speed of a pump of a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and the vehicle speed;

[0030] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] It should be understood that the terms "vehicle" or "vehicle-based," or other similar terms used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including various boats, ships, aircraft, etc., and include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from non-petroleum energy sources).

[0032] Although the exemplary embodiments are described as utilizing multiple units to perform the exemplary processes, it will be appreciated that the exemplary processes may also be performed by one module or multiple modules. In addition, it will be appreciated that the term control unit / control unit represents a hardware device including a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store the modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to complete one or more processes described further below.

[0033] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further understandably, when the words "include" and / or "comprise" are used in this specification, the stated features, values, steps, operations, elements and / or components exist, but the presence or additional presence of one or more other features, values, steps, operations, elements, components and / or and combinations thereof are not excluded. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and / or all combinations of one or more related enumeration items.

[0034] Hereinafter, a thermal management system of a vehicle and a control method thereof according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Figure 1 2 is a schematic diagram showing a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 A control block diagram illustrating a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] A thermal management system for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include an air conditioning system 10 and a battery thermal management system 20 .

[0037] The air conditioning system 10 may include: a refrigerant pipeline 11 for circulating refrigerant, a compressor 12 arranged on the refrigerant pipeline, a condenser 13, an evaporator 14, and an expansion valve V1 arranged upstream of the evaporator. In addition, the air conditioning system 10 may also include: a blower 15 for introducing air and a damper 17 for adjusting the ratio of cold and hot air entering the vehicle cabin. The expansion valve V1 may be a mechanical expansion valve.

[0038] The air conditioning system 10 is provided with an air conditioning control unit 16 for controlling the operation of the air conditioning system 10. The air conditioning control unit 16 can be electrically connected to the electrical components provided in the air conditioning system to obtain the operating status of the air conditioning system from the electrical components. Specifically, the air conditioning control unit 16 can be electrically connected to the blower 15 and the damper 17 respectively to receive a voltage control signal of the blower from the blower 15 and a voltage control signal of the damper actuator from the damper 17, wherein the voltage control signal of the blower includes a voltage of the blower indicating a blower gear position, and the voltage control signal of the damper actuator includes a voltage of the damper actuator indicating a damper position.

[0039] The battery thermal management system 20 may include: a battery coolant line 21 for circulating coolant, a pump 22 disposed on the battery coolant line, a battery 23, a chiller 24, and an expansion valve V2 disposed upstream of the chiller 24. At the same time, the chiller 24 is also disposed on the refrigerant line 11 to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant line 11 and the coolant in the battery coolant line 21, so as to cool the battery 23. The pump 22 may be an electric pump. Preferably, the expansion valve V2 is a mechanical expansion valve.

[0040] The battery thermal management system 20 is provided with a battery control unit 25 for controlling the operation of the battery thermal management system 20. The battery control unit 25 may be electrically connected to electrical components provided in the battery thermal management system to control the operation of the electrical components. The battery control unit 25 may be electrically connected to the electric pump 22 to control the rotation speed of the electric pump 22. At the same time, the battery control unit 25 may communicate with the air conditioning control unit 16 to receive the thermal load of the vehicle cockpit from the air conditioning control unit 16. The thermal load of the vehicle cockpit may be defined by the operating mode of the air conditioning system, the blower gear position of the air conditioning system, and the damper position, and the thermal load of the vehicle cockpit may at least partially reflect the thermal load of the air conditioning system.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, the evaporator 14 of the air-conditioning system 10 and the chiller 24 of the battery thermal management system 20 are arranged in parallel, and the chiller 24 can use the refrigerant of the air-conditioning system 10 to cool the battery 23. In an exemplary embodiment, the expansion valve V2 arranged upstream of the chiller 24 is a mechanical expansion valve, and generally has a large flow rate to meet the battery cooling requirements when the battery is quickly charged in a high temperature environment. In this case, when the battery thermal management system 20 uses the chiller 24 to cool the battery 23, the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system 10 and the working efficiency of the compressor 12 may be affected by the battery thermal management system 20. The thermal management system of the present invention can adjust the cooling speed of the battery by controlling the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 of the battery thermal management system 20, thereby improving the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system 10 and the working efficiency of the compressor 12.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the thermal management system of the vehicle may further include a vehicle control unit 30 provided in the vehicle. The vehicle control unit 30 may communicate with various sensors provided in the vehicle to obtain the driving state of the vehicle. The sensors provided in the vehicle may include: an ambient temperature sensor 31 for measuring the ambient temperature outside the vehicle and a vehicle speed sensor 32 for measuring the vehicle speed. The vehicle control unit 30 may communicate with the ambient temperature sensor 31 and the vehicle speed sensor 32, respectively, to receive the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed. The battery control unit 25 may communicate with the vehicle control unit 30 to receive the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed from the vehicle control unit 30.

[0043] In addition, the battery thermal management system 20 may further include a battery temperature sensor 26 for measuring the temperature of the battery 23. The battery control unit 25 may be electrically connected to the battery temperature sensor 26 to receive the temperature of the battery 23 from the battery temperature sensor 26.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the air conditioning control unit 16 can obtain the thermal load of the vehicle cockpit and send the obtained thermal load of the vehicle cockpit to the battery control unit 25. Specifically, the air conditioning control unit 16 can receive the voltage control signal of the blower and the voltage control signal of the damper actuator from the blower 15 and the damper 17 respectively, and send the received two voltage control signals together with the working mode of the air conditioning system to the battery control unit 25.

[0045] Meanwhile, the vehicle control unit 30 may receive the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed from the ambient temperature sensor 31 and the vehicle speed sensor 32 , respectively, and transmit the received ambient temperature and vehicle speed to the battery control unit 25 .

[0046] Furthermore, the battery control unit 25 may receive the temperature of the battery 23 from the battery temperature sensor 26 .

[0047] Thus, the battery control unit 25 can control the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 according to the received thermal load of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed, and the temperature of the battery 23 to adjust the cooling speed of the battery 23 .

[0048] The battery control unit 25 may include a memory and a processor, and a mapping table including the correspondence between the thermal load of the vehicle cabin and the thermal load level Kcabin of the vehicle cabin, a mapping table including the correspondence between the ambient temperature and the ambient temperature level Kamb, a mapping table including the correspondence between the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed level Kveh, and a mapping table including the correspondence between the temperature of the battery 23 and the battery temperature level Kbat may be pre-stored in the memory of the battery control unit 25.

[0049] The following Tables 1 to 4 respectively show the mapping table between the thermal load of the vehicle cockpit and the thermal load level Kcabin of the vehicle cockpit, the mapping table between the ambient temperature and the ambient temperature level Kamb, the mapping table between the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed level Kveh, and the mapping table between the temperature of the battery 23 and the battery temperature level Kbat.

[0050] Table 1

[0051]

[0052] When the air conditioning system is in cooling mode, a higher blower gear and a damper position closer to the maximum cooling position may indicate that the user in the vehicle cockpit needs the cabin temperature to drop quickly. According to the blower voltage and the damper actuator voltage and the working mode of the air conditioning system, the vehicle cockpit heat load level Kcabin is divided into 2 levels.

[0053] As shown in Table 1, when the following three conditions are met at the same time, the heat load level Kcabin of the vehicle cockpit is 1, and the conditions include: 1) the voltage Vblw of the blower 15 indicating the blower gear is higher than 6V, which is equivalent to the blower gear being above 5 gears, 2) the voltage Vtempdoor of the damper actuator indicating the damper position is lower than 1V, the voltage Vtempdoor of the damper actuator is in the range of 0.5V to 4.5V, the voltage Vtempdoor of the damper actuator at the maximum cooling position is 0.5V, and lower than 1V indicates that the damper position is close to the maximum cooling position, and 3) the air conditioning system 10 is in cooling mode. On the contrary, if one of the above conditions is not met, the heat load level Kcabin of the vehicle cockpit is 0.

[0054] Table 2

[0055] Ambient temperature Kamb ≥30℃ 1 ＜30℃ 0

[0056] At the same speed of the electric pump, the cooling speed of the battery in a low temperature environment is much higher than that in a high temperature environment. Therefore, in a low temperature environment, the speed of the electric pump needs to be reduced, and in a high temperature environment, the speed of the electric pump needs to be increased. As shown in Table 2, when the ambient temperature is greater than or equal to 30°C, the ambient temperature level Kamb is 1; and when the ambient temperature is less than 30°C, the ambient temperature level Kamb is 0.

[0057] Table 3

[0058] Vehicle speed Kveh ≤15kph 1 >15kph 0

[0059] Since the air conditioning system uses external air to dissipate heat, the faster the vehicle speed, the better the heat dissipation performance, and the slower the vehicle speed, the worse the heat dissipation performance. Therefore, the working efficiency of the compressor will be affected by the vehicle speed. As shown in Table 3, when the vehicle speed is less than or equal to 15kph, the vehicle speed level Kveh is 1; and when the vehicle speed is greater than 15kph, the vehicle speed level Kveh is 0.

[0060] Table 4

[0061] Battery temperature Kbat Tbat<32℃ 0 32℃≤Tbat<34℃ 1 34℃≤Tbat<36℃ 2 36℃≤Tbat<38℃ 3 38℃≤Tbat<40℃ 4 40℃≤Tbat 6

[0062] When the battery temperature is much higher than the optimal operating temperature, the battery performance will drop significantly. As shown in Table 4, as the battery temperature Tbat increases, the battery temperature level Kbat increases. Each of the other three parameters shown in Tables 1 to 3 is divided into only 2 levels, with a maximum value of only 1, while the battery temperature is divided into 6 levels, with a maximum value of up to 6. The maximum value is set to 6 to ensure that when the battery temperature is above 40°C, the electric pump can be operated at a high speed first. In other words, the primary factor to be considered when controlling the speed of the electric pump is the battery temperature.

[0063] The battery control unit 25 can determine the corresponding vehicle cockpit thermal load level Kcabin, ambient temperature level Kamb, vehicle speed level Kveh and battery temperature level Kbat through the above Tables 1 to 4 based on the received vehicle cockpit thermal load, ambient temperature, vehicle speed and battery 23 temperature.

[0064] Next, the battery control unit 25 may calculate the battery cooling level Kcoolstep through the following equation according to the determined heat load level Kcabin of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature level Kamb, the vehicle speed level Kveh, and the battery temperature level Kbat.

[0065] Equation:

[0066] Kcoolstep=Kbat+Kamb-Kcabin-Kveh

[0067] It can be seen from the above equation that the battery cooling level Kcoolstep is set to increase with the increase of the battery temperature and the ambient temperature, and to decrease with the increase of the thermal load of the vehicle cabin and the vehicle speed.

[0068] A mapping table of the battery cooling level Kcoolstep and the rotation speed (RPM) of the electric pump 22 may be further pre-stored in the memory of the battery control unit 25 .

[0069] Table 5

[0070]

[0071] As shown in Table 5, as the battery cooling level Kcoolstep increases, the speed of the electric pump 22 increases. As the speed of the electric pump 22 increases, the flow rate of the coolant flowing through the chiller 24 increases, and accordingly, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the chiller 24 increases, while the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 14 decreases. As a result, the cooling speed of the battery becomes faster, while the cooling performance of the air conditioning system decreases.

[0072] The current battery thermal management system only considers the battery temperature to control the speed of the electric pump, but does not consider the heat load of the air-conditioning system. Therefore, when the battery thermal management system uses refrigerant to cool the battery, it is easy to affect the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system and the working efficiency of the compressor.

[0073] In order to meet the requirements of the cooling speed of the battery and avoid affecting the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system and the working efficiency of the compressor, the battery thermal management system 20 of the present invention not only considers the battery temperature, but also considers the ambient temperature, the heat load of the vehicle cockpit and the vehicle speed when controlling the rotation speed of the electric pump 22. Thus, when the requirement for the cooling speed of the battery is high (for example, the battery temperature is high and the ambient temperature is high), and the requirement for the cooling speed of the air-conditioning system is low (for example, the heat load of the vehicle cockpit is low and the vehicle speed is high), the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 is increased. When the requirement for the cooling speed of the battery is low (for example, the battery temperature is low), and the requirement for the cooling speed of the air-conditioning system is high (for example, the heat load of the vehicle cockpit is high and the vehicle speed is low), the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 is reduced. As a result, the cooling speed of the battery is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 of the battery thermal management system 20, thereby improving the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system 10 and the working efficiency of the compressor 12.

[0074] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rotation speed of a pump of a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and the vehicle speed.

[0075] like Figure 3 As shown, the horizontal axis represents the vehicle speed, interval A represents the vehicle speed is 0, interval B represents a lower vehicle speed (for example, less than or equal to 15 kph), interval C represents a higher vehicle speed (for example, greater than 15 kph), and the vertical axis represents the rotation speed of the electric pump 22.

[0076] In interval A, after starting the vehicle outdoors in summer, due to the high temperature in the vehicle cockpit, the user in the vehicle cockpit usually sets the air conditioning temperature to a lower level and the blower gear to a higher level, resulting in a higher thermal load in the vehicle cockpit. In order to prevent the compressor from operating under excessive load, the speed of the electric pump 22 can be set to a medium speed to improve the comfort of the vehicle cockpit.

[0077] In interval B, when the vehicle speed is low, the compressor's operating efficiency is low due to poor heat dissipation performance, and the battery's discharge power is also low, so the battery temperature is also low. The speed of the electric pump 22 can be set to a low speed to reduce the load on the compressor and improve the compressor's operating efficiency.

[0078] In interval C, when the vehicle speed is high, the compressor has a higher operating efficiency due to better heat dissipation performance, and the battery discharge power is also high, so the battery temperature is also high. The speed of the electric pump 22 can be set to a high speed to complete battery cooling as quickly as possible.

[0079] In addition, in terms of the relationship between the rotation speed of the electric pump and the ambient temperature, the cooling speed of the battery in a low temperature environment is higher than that in a high temperature environment. In a low temperature environment, the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 can be set to a low speed to save energy. In a high temperature environment, the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 can be set to a high speed to complete the battery cooling as quickly as possible.

[0080] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0081] The control method of the thermal management system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a thermal management system of a vehicle having a structure in which a battery is cooled by a chiller provided in parallel with an evaporator and an expansion valve provided upstream of the chiller is a mechanical expansion valve.

[0082] In step S101, the air-conditioning control unit 16 of the air-conditioning system 10 receives the voltage control signal of the blower 15 and the voltage control signal of the damper actuator from the blower 15 and the damper of the air-conditioning system respectively, and sends the two received voltage control signals and the operating mode of the air-conditioning system to the battery control unit 25 of the battery thermal management system 20.

[0083] In step S102 , the battery control unit 25 may determine the thermal load level Kcabin of the vehicle cockpit according to the two received voltage control signals and the working mode of the air conditioning system through a mapping table of the thermal load of the vehicle cockpit and the thermal load level Kcabin of the vehicle cockpit.

[0084] In step S103 , the ambient temperature is received from the ambient temperature sensor 31 by the vehicle control unit 30 , and the received ambient temperature is transmitted to the battery control unit 25 .

[0085] In step S104 , the battery control unit 25 may determine the ambient temperature level Kamb according to the received ambient temperature by using a mapping table between the ambient temperature and the ambient temperature level Kamb.

[0086] In step S105 , the vehicle speed is received from the vehicle speed sensor 32 by the vehicle control unit 30 , and the received vehicle speed is transmitted to the battery control unit 25 .

[0087] In step S106 , the battery control unit 25 may determine the vehicle speed level Kveh according to the received vehicle speed by using a mapping table between the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed level Kveh.

[0088] In step S107 , the battery temperature is received from the battery temperature sensor 26 by the battery control unit 25 .

[0089] In step S108 , the battery control unit 25 may determine the battery temperature level Kbat according to the received battery temperature by using a mapping table between the battery temperature and the battery temperature level Kbat.

[0090] In step S109 , the battery control unit 25 may calculate a battery cooling level Kcoolstep according to the determined heat load level Kcabin of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature level Kamb, the vehicle speed level Kveh, and the battery temperature level Kbat.

[0091] In step S110 , the battery control unit 25 may determine the rotation speed of the pump 22 according to the calculated battery cooling level Kcoolstep by using a mapping table between the battery cooling level Kcoolstep and the rotation speed of the electric pump 22 .

[0092] In step S111 , the battery control unit 25 may control the electric pump 22 according to the determined rotation speed of the electric pump 22 , thereby adjusting the cooling speed of the battery.

[0093] In step S112, the battery control unit 25 may determine whether the vehicle is turned off. When the vehicle is not turned off (step S112: No), the process may return to step S101.

[0094] The order of the above steps is only exemplary, and the above steps may be performed in a different order or simultaneously.

[0095] The thermal management system of a vehicle and the control method thereof according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention adjust the cooling speed of the battery by controlling the rotation speed of the electric pump of the battery thermal management system, thereby improving the refrigeration effect of the air-conditioning system and the working efficiency of the compressor, and has the following beneficial effects:

[0096] 1) No hardware device needs to be added and / or replaced in the existing vehicle thermal management system, so the cost is low;

[0097] 2) When the heat load of the vehicle cockpit is high, the comfort of the vehicle cockpit can be improved by appropriately reducing the speed of the electric pump;

[0098] 3) The speed of the electric pump can be adjusted according to the vehicle speed to match the working efficiency of the compressor, thereby saving energy.

[0099] The description presented above of the specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention is for the purpose of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive, or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed, and it is apparent that many modifications and variations can be made according to the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments are selected and described in order to explain certain principles of the present invention and their practical applications, so that other persons skilled in the art can realize and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their different selected forms and modified forms. The scope of the present invention is intended to be limited by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A thermal management system for a vehicle, comprising: an air conditioning system including a refrigerant line for circulating a refrigerant; A battery thermal management system, comprising a battery coolant line for circulating a coolant, a pump and a chiller disposed on the battery coolant line, wherein the chiller is also disposed on the refrigerant line to perform heat exchange between a refrigerant in the refrigerant line and a coolant in the battery coolant line; as well as The first control unit is configured to control the rotation speed of the pump according to the heat load of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed and the battery temperature to adjust the cooling speed of the battery. 2 . The thermal management system of a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal load of the vehicle cockpit comprises an operating mode of an air conditioning system, a blower position of the air conditioning system, and a damper position.

3. The thermal management system of a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the air conditioning system further comprises a second control unit configured to receive a blower gear position and a damper position of the air conditioning system, and send the received blower gear position and damper position of the air conditioning system to the first control unit, The first control unit is configured to determine a thermal load level of the vehicle cabin according to an operating mode of the air-conditioning system and a received blower gear and damper position of the air-conditioning system.

4. The thermal management system of a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising: An ambient temperature sensor, which is used to measure ambient temperature; and Vehicle speed sensor, which is used to measure the vehicle speed.

5. The thermal management system of a vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising: a third control unit configured to receive the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed and send the received ambient temperature and the vehicle speed to the first control unit, The first control unit is configured to determine an ambient temperature level according to the received ambient temperature, and to determine a vehicle speed level according to the received vehicle speed.

6. The thermal management system of a vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising: A battery temperature sensor, which is used to measure the battery temperature; The first control unit is configured to determine a battery temperature level according to a battery temperature measured by a battery temperature sensor.

7. According to the thermal management system of the vehicle according to claim 6, the first control unit is configured to calculate the battery cooling level according to the determined thermal load level of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature level, the vehicle speed level and the battery temperature level, and control the pump speed according to the calculated battery cooling level to adjust the cooling speed of the battery.

8. A method for controlling a thermal management system of a vehicle, the thermal management system of the vehicle comprising: an air conditioning system, a battery thermal management system, and a first control unit, wherein the air conditioning system includes a refrigerant line for circulating a refrigerant; The battery thermal management system comprises: a battery coolant pipeline for circulating coolant, a pump and a chiller arranged on the battery coolant pipeline, wherein the chiller is also arranged on the refrigerant pipeline to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipeline and the coolant in the battery coolant pipeline; the control method comprises: The first control unit controls the rotation speed of the pump according to the heat load of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed and the battery temperature to adjust the cooling speed of the battery.

9. The control method according to claim 8, further comprising: The blower gear position and the damper position of the air conditioning system are received by the second control unit of the air conditioning system, and the received blower gear position and the damper position of the air conditioning system are sent to the first control unit, The heat load level of the vehicle cabin is determined by the first control unit according to the working mode of the air-conditioning system and the received blower gear and damper position of the air-conditioning system.

10. The control method according to claim 9, further comprising: Measuring the ambient temperature through an ambient temperature sensor; The vehicle speed is measured by a vehicle speed sensor.

11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising: receiving the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed through the third control unit, and sending the received ambient temperature and the vehicle speed to the first control unit, By means of the first control unit, an ambient temperature level is determined according to the received ambient temperature, and a vehicle speed level is determined according to the received vehicle speed.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising: Measuring battery temperature via a battery temperature sensor; The battery temperature level is determined by the first control unit according to the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature sensor.

13. The control method according to claim 12, further comprising: The battery cooling level is calculated by the first control unit according to the determined heat load level of the vehicle cabin, the ambient temperature level, the vehicle speed level and the battery temperature level, and the pump speed is controlled according to the calculated battery cooling level to adjust the cooling speed of the battery.

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