Cooling system and method of power battery, electronic equipment and readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a power battery cooling system and method, electronic equipment and a readable storage medium, a battery management device sends a thermal runaway alarm signal to a vehicle control unit when determining that a thermal runaway condition occurs in a power battery, and the vehicle control unit sends the thermal runaway alarm signal to the power battery after receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal. The current position information of the water valve is detected according to the received position signal, and after it is determined that the water valve is located at the target position, a control signal is sent to the water pump, the water pump is controlled to rotate according to the rotating speed corresponding to the control signal, and the spraying water amount is controlled to cool the power battery. The vehicle control unit accurately controls the spraying water amount towards the power battery by controlling the position of the water valve and the rotating speed of the water pump, and the spraying water amount is accurately controlled while the power battery is cooled in time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of power batteries, and in particular to a cooling system, method, electronic device and readable storage medium for power batteries. Background Art

[0002] A power battery is a power source that provides power for tools, for example, batteries that power electric cars, electric trains, electric bicycles, golf carts, etc.

[0003] Among them, with the continuous increase in new energy users, power battery fire accidents caused by various reasons are increasing. How to ensure that the power battery does not catch fire or explode when thermal runaway occurs has become an urgent problem that the industry needs to solve. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present application is to provide a cooling system, method, electronic device and readable storage medium for a power battery. In the event of thermal runaway of the power battery, the vehicle controller accurately controls the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery by controlling the position of the water valve and the speed of the water pump, thereby accurately controlling the amount of water sprayed while cooling the power battery in a timely manner.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cooling system for a power battery, the cooling system comprising a battery management device, a vehicle controller, a water pump, and a water valve; the battery management device, the water pump, and the water valve are electrically connected to the vehicle controller, respectively;

[0006] The battery management device is used to generate a thermal runaway alarm signal and send it to the vehicle controller when it is determined that the power battery has thermal runaway;

[0007] The vehicle controller is configured to determine the current position of the water valve based on the received position signal after receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, and generate a control signal to send to the water pump after determining that the water valve is at a target position or adjusting the water valve to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller;

[0008] The water valve is used to send a position signal to the vehicle controller, and after receiving a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller, adjust the interface connection mode in the water valve to a target position;

[0009] The water pump is used to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal after receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, so as to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner, the battery management device is used to determine that thermal runaway occurs in the power battery through the following steps:

[0011] Acquiring the collected temperature and pressure inside the power battery;

[0012] If the pressure in the power battery is greater than a preset pressure threshold, and / or the temperature in the power battery is greater than a preset temperature threshold, it is determined that thermal runaway occurs in the power battery.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the water valve is an electromagnetic four-way valve; when the water valve is in the target position, the first interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the fourth interface; and the second interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the third interface.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner, the vehicle controller is used to determine that the current position of the water valve is at the target position through the following steps:

[0015] Receiving a PWM duty cycle in a position signal sent by the water valve;

[0016] If the PWM duty cycle is a preset duty cycle threshold, it is determined that the current position of the water valve is at the target position.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner, the vehicle controller is used to determine that the water valve is adjusted to a target position based on a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller through the following steps:

[0018] Receiving a position signal sent by the water valve in real time;

[0019] If the PWM duty cycle in the position signal is adjusted to within a preset duty cycle range, it is determined that the water valve is adjusted to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner, the vehicle controller is further used for:

[0021] If the PWM duty cycle in the position signal cannot be adjusted to within the preset duty cycle range, a signal for maintaining the current position is sent to the water valve to maintain the water valve operating in the current position and the current working mode.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the water pump is used to:

[0023] After receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, the vehicle continues to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal within a preset working time to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, the vehicle controller is further used for:

[0025] After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, the system does not enter the sleep mode, but continues to send the position adjustment signal to the water valve based on the position information of the water valve and sends a control signal to the water pump until the battery management device sends a thermal runaway release signal.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the power battery includes a main water inlet and a main water outlet; the cooling system further includes a water tank; one end of the water tank is connected to the main water inlet of the power battery through a water cooling pipe; the other end is connected to the water valve through a water cooling pipe; one end of the water pump is connected to the main water outlet of the power battery through a water cooling pipe; the other end of the water pump is connected to the water valve through a water cooling pipe, forming a battery cooling circuit of the cooling system;

[0027] The power battery, the water valve and the water pump are respectively connected to the vehicle controller through a low-voltage wiring harness to form a vehicle cooling circuit of the cooling system.

[0028] In a possible implementation manner, the cooling system includes a normal cooling mode and a thermal runaway cooling mode; when the cooling system is in the normal cooling mode, the coolant circulates in the battery cooling circuit to cool the power battery;

[0029] When the cooling system is in the thermal runaway cooling mode, the vehicle controller sends a control signal to the water valve and the water pump via the vehicle cooling circuit to cool the power battery.

[0030] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for cooling a power battery, which is applied to a cooling system as described in any one of the first aspects; the cooling method comprises:

[0031] Controlling the battery management device to generate a thermal runaway alarm signal and send it to the vehicle controller when determining that the power battery has thermal runaway;

[0032] Controlling the vehicle controller to determine the current position of the water valve based on the received position signal after receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, and after determining that the water valve is at the target position or adjusting to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller, generating a control signal to send to the water pump;

[0033] Controlling the water valve to send a position signal to the vehicle controller, and adjusting the interface connection mode in the water valve to a target position after receiving a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller;

[0034] After receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, the water pump is controlled to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

[0035] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, comprising: a processor, a storage medium and a bus, wherein the storage medium stores machine-readable instructions executable by the processor, and when the electronic device is running, the processor communicates with the storage medium via the bus, and the processor executes the machine-readable instructions to perform the power battery cooling method as described in the second aspect.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for cooling the power battery as described in the second aspect is executed.

[0037] The power battery cooling system, method, electronic device and readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of the present application, when the battery management device determines that the power battery has thermal runaway, the battery management device sends a thermal runaway alarm signal to the vehicle controller. After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal, the vehicle controller detects the current position information of the water valve according to the received position signal, and after determining that the water valve is in the target position, sends a control signal to the water pump to control the water pump to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal, and controls the amount of spraying water to cool the power battery. In this way, when the power battery has thermal runaway, the vehicle controller controls the position of the water valve and the speed of the water pump to accurately control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery, thereby accurately controlling the amount of spraying water while timely cooling the power battery.

[0038] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are specifically cited below and described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cooling system for a power battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a power battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the circuit structure of a cooling system for a power battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 A flow chart of a method for cooling a power battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Icons: 100-cooling system; 110-battery management device; 120-vehicle controller; 130-water valve; 140-water pump; 200-power battery; 210-battery box; 220-battery module; 230-water cooling branch; 240-pressure sensor; 250-battery cover; 260-explosion-proof valve; 270-main water inlet; 280-main water outlet; 310-water cooling pipe; 320-water tank; 500-electronic equipment; 510-processor; 520-memory; 530-bus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] To make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application usually described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the application claimed for protection, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, each other embodiment obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative work belongs to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0047] First, the application scenarios to which the present application is applicable are introduced. The present application can be applied in the field of power battery technology.

[0048] A power battery is a power source that provides power for tools, for example, batteries that power electric cars, electric trains, electric bicycles, golf carts, etc.

[0049] Among them, with the continuous increase in new energy users, power battery fire accidents caused by various reasons are increasing. How to ensure that the power battery does not catch fire or explode when thermal runaway occurs has become an urgent problem that the industry needs to solve.

[0050] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a cooling system for a power battery to precisely control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery, thereby accurately controlling the amount of water sprayed while timely cooling the power battery.

[0051] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a cooling system for a power battery provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the cooling system 100 of the power battery provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a battery management device 110, a vehicle controller 120, a water valve 130 and a water pump 140; the battery management device 110, the water valve 130 and the water pump 140 are electrically connected to the vehicle controller 120 respectively.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the power battery is a power source that provides power for the tool, for example, a storage battery that provides power for electric cars, electric trains, electric bicycles, golf carts, etc.

[0053] Among them, with the continuous increase in new energy users, power battery fire accidents caused by various reasons are increasing. How to ensure that the power battery does not catch fire or explode when thermal runaway occurs has become an urgent problem that the industry needs to solve.

[0054] In one possible implementation, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the power battery provided in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the power battery 200 includes a battery case 210, a battery module 220, a water cooling branch 230, a battery management device 110, a pressure sensor 240, a battery cover 250, and an explosion-proof valve 260; the function of the pressure sensor 240 is to provide a thermal runaway alarm signal to the battery management device 110 when thermal runaway occurs, and the function of the explosion-proof valve 260 is to discharge the gas in the battery pack of the power battery in time when thermal runaway occurs.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the battery management device 110 is arranged in the power battery 200 to collect temperature information and pressure information in the power battery 200 in real time. When it is determined that the power battery has thermal runaway, the thermal runaway alarm signal is sent to the vehicle controller 120. After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal, the vehicle controller 120 detects the current position information of the water valve 130 according to the received position signal, and after determining that the water valve 130 is in the target position, sends a control signal to the water pump 140 to control the water pump 140 to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal, and controls the amount of water sprayed to cool the power battery.

[0056] Specifically, the battery management device 110 is used to generate a thermal runaway alarm signal and send it to the vehicle controller 120 when it is determined that the power battery has thermal runaway.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the battery management device 110 is disposed inside the power battery to intelligently manage and maintain each battery cell, monitor the battery status, and prevent the battery from being overcharged and over-discharged, thereby extending the battery life.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the battery management device 110 can determine whether thermal runaway occurs in the current power battery through pressure information collected by a pressure sensor and temperature information collected (which can be obtained by the battery management device itself or by a temperature sensor installed inside the power battery).

[0059] Specifically, the battery management device is used to determine whether the power battery has thermal runaway through the following steps:

[0060] a1: Acquire the collected temperature and pressure inside the power battery.

[0061] a2: If the pressure inside the power battery is greater than a preset pressure threshold, and / or the temperature inside the power battery is greater than a preset temperature threshold, it is determined that thermal runaway occurs in the power battery.

[0062] In a possible implementation, if thermal runaway occurs in the power battery, the pressure and temperature inside the power battery will change abnormally. Therefore, a preset pressure threshold and a preset temperature threshold may be set to detect abnormal pressure and temperature in the power battery.

[0063] Among them, the preset pressure threshold and the preset temperature threshold can be determined according to the temperature and pressure values ​​in the power battery under various circumstances where abnormalities occur in the power battery in the historical process. The preset pressure threshold and the preset temperature threshold corresponding to different models of power batteries may be different.

[0064] In a possible implementation, determining that thermal runaway occurs in the power battery may be determining that the pressure in the battery is greater than a preset pressure threshold, or determining that the temperature in the battery is greater than a preset temperature threshold, or determining that the pressure in the battery is greater than the preset pressure threshold and the temperature in the battery is greater than a preset temperature threshold. In order to ensure the accuracy of determining the thermal runaway of the power battery, it is preferred to determine whether thermal runaway occurs in the power battery by simultaneously determining that the pressure in the battery is greater than the preset pressure threshold and the temperature in the battery is greater than the preset temperature threshold.

[0065] Furthermore, after determining that the power battery has thermal runaway, the battery management device 110 sends a thermal runaway signal to the vehicle controller 120. The vehicle controller 120 determines the control mode based on the current position information of the water valve 130, and then controls the water pump 140 to rotate and spray a certain amount of cooling water to cool the power battery.

[0066] Specifically, the vehicle controller 120 is used to determine the current position of the water valve 130 based on the received position signal after receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device 110, and after determining that the water valve 130 is in the target position or is adjusted to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller 120, generate a control signal and send it to the water pump 140.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the water valve is an electromagnetic four-way valve; when the water valve is in the target position, the first interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the fourth interface; and the second interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the third interface.

[0068] Among them, the vehicle controller 120 can determine the connectivity between different interfaces of the current water valve 130 according to the acquired position signal of the water valve 130, and then determine whether the current water valve 130 is in the target position.

[0069] Specifically, the vehicle controller is used to determine that the current position of the water valve is at the target position through the following steps:

[0070] b1: Receive the PWM duty cycle in the position signal sent by the water valve.

[0071] b2: If the PWM duty cycle is a preset duty cycle threshold, it is determined that the current position of the water valve is at the target position.

[0072] In a possible implementation, the position signal of the water valve 130 may include a PWM duty cycle; if the current PWM duty cycle is a preset duty cycle threshold, it is determined that the first interface of the current water valve 130 is connected to the fourth interface, and the second interface is connected to the third interface. At this time, the water valve 130 is in a cooling state. At this time, there is no need to adjust the position of the water valve 130. A control signal can be sent directly to the water pump 140 after a certain delay to control the water pump 140 to rotate.

[0073] The preset duty cycle threshold may be set to 0%.

[0074] In a possible implementation, if the current water valve 130 is not in the target position, it is necessary to adjust the position of the water valve 130 to ensure that the water valve 130 is in the target position so as to cool the power battery.

[0075] Specifically, the vehicle controller 120 is used to determine that the water valve 130 is adjusted to a target position based on a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller 120 through the following steps:

[0076] c1: receiving the position signal sent by the water valve in real time.

[0077] c2: If the PWM duty cycle in the position signal is adjusted to a preset duty cycle range, it is determined that the water valve is adjusted to a target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller.

[0078] In an embodiment of the present application, the position signal sent by the water valve 130 contains information on the PWM duty cycle. When it is determined that the PWM duty cycle is not the preset duty cycle threshold (0%) but is a PWM duty cycle greater than 85% or even a PWM duty cycle of 100%, the position of the water valve 130 needs to be adjusted.

[0079] The water valve 130 is used to send a position signal to the vehicle controller 120, and upon receiving a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller 120, adjust the interface connection mode in the water valve 130 to a target position.

[0080] Among them, when the PWM duty cycle fed back in the position signal fed back by the water valve 130 is greater than or equal to 85%, the first interface of the current water valve 130 is connected to the second interface, and the third interface is connected to the fourth interface. At this time, the water valve 130 is not in a cooling state. At this time, the position of the water valve 130 needs to be adjusted.

[0081] Specifically, when it is determined that the position of the water valve 130 needs to be adjusted, the entire power battery circuit can be cooled by the refrigerant.

[0082] In a possible implementation, during the adjustment of the water valve 130, there may be a certain adjustment difference. As long as it is determined that the PWM duty cycle in the position signal of the current water valve 130 is adjusted to within a preset duty cycle range, it is considered that the current water valve 130 is already in the target position. After a certain delay, a control signal can be sent to the water pump 140 to control the rotation of the water pump.

[0083] The preset duty cycle interval can be set to 0%-5%.

[0084] In another possible implementation, if the position of the water valve 130 cannot be adjusted to within the preset duty cycle range (0%-5%), the water valve 130 may no longer be adjusted and the current state may be maintained unchanged.

[0085] Specifically, the vehicle controller 120 is also used for:

[0086] d1: If the PWM duty cycle in the position signal cannot be adjusted to a preset duty cycle range, a maintain current position signal is sent to the water valve to maintain the water valve operating in the current position and the current working mode.

[0087] In one possible implementation, if the PWM duty cycle in the position signal cannot be adjusted to a preset duty cycle range, the position of the water valve 130 will no longer be adjusted. Instead, the current position of the water valve 130 will be maintained, and the entire cooling system will maintain the current working mode.

[0088] Furthermore, after determining that the water valve 130 is at the target position, the vehicle controller 120 sends a control signal to the water pump 140 to control the water pump to rotate.

[0089] Specifically, the water pump 140 is used to rotate according to the rotation speed corresponding to the control signal after receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller 120, so as to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

[0090] In one possible implementation, when it is determined that the water valve 130 is in the target position, a control signal may be sent to the water pump 140 after 20 seconds to control the water pump 140 to rotate according to the control signal; after it is determined that the water valve 130 is adjusted to the target position, a control signal may be sent to the water pump 140 after 10 seconds to control the water pump 140 to rotate according to the control signal.

[0091] Specifically, the water pump 140 is used for:

[0092] After receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller 120, the vehicle controller 120 continues to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal within a preset working time to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

[0093] In a possible implementation, the control signal may include signals with different PWM duty cycles, and the rotation speed of the water pump 140 is adjusted by using the different PWM duty cycle signals in the transmitted control signal, thereby controlling the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery.

[0094] Exemplarily, when the control signal includes an 85% PWM duty cycle signal, the water pump 140 is controlled to continuously rotate at the maximum speed.

[0095] In a possible implementation, after the water pump 140 is turned on, the water pump 140 may continue to work within a preset working time.

[0096] Among them, the preset working time can be 20 minutes, and the preset working time corresponding to different models of water pumps may be different.

[0097] In a possible implementation, if the water pump 140 reaches the preset working time and the power battery still needs to be cooled, the vehicle controller 120 can send a control signal to the water pump 140 again after a certain delay to control the water pump 140 to work.

[0098] In a possible implementation, in order to ensure that the water valve 130 is continuously in the target position, the vehicle controller 120 is kept in a non-sleeping state during the process of determining that thermal runaway of the power battery occurs and adjustments need to be made.

[0099] Specifically, the vehicle controller is also used for:

[0100] e1: After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, the system does not enter the sleep mode, but continues to send the position adjustment signal to the water valve based on the position information of the water valve and sends a control signal to the water pump until the battery management device sends a thermal runaway release signal.

[0101] In one possible implementation, in the event of thermal runaway of the power battery, the vehicle controller 120 is forced to not sleep and is prohibited from exiting the thermal runaway processing of the power battery, to ensure that the vehicle controller 120 can continuously control the water valve 130 to be in the target position to cool the power battery until the battery management device sends a signal that the thermal runaway situation has been resolved.

[0102] In one possible implementation, see Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the cooling system of the power battery provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, the cooling system 100 includes a power battery 200 , a water pump 140 , a water cooling pipe 310 , a water tank 320 , a water valve 130 , a vehicle controller 120 , and a main water inlet 270 and a main water outlet 280 arranged on the power battery 200 .

[0103] In a possible implementation, one end of the water tank 320 is connected to the main water inlet 270 of the power battery 200 through a water cooling pipe 310; the other end is connected to the water valve 130 through a water cooling pipe 310; one end of the water pump 140 is connected to the main water outlet 280 of the power battery 200 through a water cooling pipe 310; the other end of the water pump 140 is connected to the water valve 130 through a water cooling pipe 310, forming a battery cooling circuit of the cooling system.

[0104] The power battery 200 , the water valve 130 , and the water pump 140 are respectively connected to the vehicle controller 120 via a low-voltage wiring harness to form a vehicle cooling circuit of the temperature reduction system.

[0105] The water tank may be an expansion tank, and the water valve 130 may be an electromagnetic four-way valve.

[0106] In a possible implementation, the cooling system includes a normal cooling mode and a thermal runaway cooling mode; when the cooling system is in the normal cooling mode, the coolant circulates in the battery cooling circuit to cool the power battery; when the cooling system is in the thermal runaway cooling mode, the vehicle controller sends a control signal to the water valve and the water pump via the vehicle cooling circuit to cool the power battery, and in the thermal runaway cooling mode, the motor circuit and the remaining circuits do not need to be controlled in the normal working mode.

[0107] Among them, when cooling the power battery in the thermal runaway cooling mode, the coolant of the vehicle thermal management system configured inside the vehicle is used as the cooling medium, without adding additional costs and components.

[0108] In the cooling system for the power battery provided in the embodiment of the present application, when the battery management device determines that the power battery has thermal runaway, the battery management device sends a thermal runaway alarm signal to the vehicle controller. After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal, the vehicle controller detects the current position information of the water valve according to the received position signal, and after determining that the water valve is in the target position, sends a control signal to the water pump to control the water pump to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal, and controls the amount of spraying water to cool the power battery. In this way, when the power battery has thermal runaway, the vehicle controller accurately controls the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery by controlling the position of the water valve and the speed of the water pump, thereby accurately controlling the amount of spraying water while timely cooling the power battery.

[0109] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a cooling method for a power battery applied to a cooling system for a power battery. Since the principle of solving the problem by the method in the embodiment of the present application is similar to that of the cooling system for the power battery in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the implementation of the method can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0110] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flow chart of a power battery cooling method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to the power battery cooling system described above. Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the cooling method of the power battery provided in the embodiment of the application includes:

[0111] S401. When determining that a thermal runaway condition occurs in a power battery, the battery management device is controlled to generate a thermal runaway alarm signal and send it to the vehicle controller.

[0112] In an embodiment of the present application, the battery management device can determine whether the current power battery has thermal runaway through pressure information collected by the pressure sensor and temperature information collected (which can be obtained by the battery management device itself or temperature information collected by a temperature sensor installed inside the power battery).

[0113] If thermal runaway occurs in the power battery, the pressure and temperature inside the power battery will change abnormally. Therefore, a preset pressure threshold and a preset temperature threshold may be set to detect abnormal pressure and temperature in the power battery.

[0114] S402, controlling the vehicle controller to determine the current position of the water valve based on the received position signal after receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, and after determining that the water valve is in the target position or adjusting it to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller, generating a control signal and sending it to the water pump.

[0115] In one possible implementation, after determining that the power battery has thermal runaway, the battery management device sends a thermal runaway signal to the vehicle controller. The vehicle controller determines the control mode based on the current position information of the water valve, and then controls the water pump to rotate and spray a certain amount of cooling water to cool the power battery.

[0116] S403, controlling the water valve to send a position signal to the vehicle controller, and after receiving the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller, adjusting the interface connection mode in the water valve to the target position.

[0117] In an embodiment of the present application, the position signal sent by the water valve 130 contains information on the PWM duty cycle. When it is determined that the PWM duty cycle is not the preset duty cycle threshold (0%) but is a PWM duty cycle greater than 85% or even a PWM duty cycle of 100%, the position of the water valve needs to be adjusted.

[0118] Among them, when the PWM duty cycle fed back in the position signal fed back by the water valve 130 is greater than or equal to 85%, the first interface of the current water valve is connected to the second interface, and the third interface is connected to the fourth interface. At this time, the water valve is not in a cooling state. At this time, the position of the water valve needs to be adjusted.

[0119] Here, when it is determined that the position of the water valve needs to be adjusted, the entire power battery circuit can be cooled by the refrigerant.

[0120] S404: After receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, the water pump is controlled to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal, so as to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

[0121] In a possible implementation, the control signal may include signals with different PWM duty cycles, and the rotation speed of the water pump is adjusted by using the different PWM duty cycle signals in the sent control signal, thereby controlling the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery.

[0122] Exemplarily, when the control signal includes an 85% PWM duty cycle signal, the water pump is controlled to rotate continuously at the maximum speed.

[0123] In a possible implementation, after the water pump is turned on, the water pump may continue to work within a preset working time.

[0124] Among them, the preset working time can be 20 minutes, and the preset working time corresponding to different models of water pumps may be different.

[0125] In a possible implementation manner, the thermal runaway of the power battery is determined by the following steps:

[0126] Acquiring the collected temperature and pressure inside the power battery;

[0127] If the pressure in the power battery is greater than a preset pressure threshold, and / or the temperature in the power battery is greater than a preset temperature threshold, it is determined that thermal runaway occurs in the power battery.

[0128] In a possible implementation, the water valve is an electromagnetic four-way valve; when the water valve is in the target position, the first interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the fourth interface; and the second interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the third interface.

[0129] In a possible implementation manner, determining that the current position of the water valve is at the target position is performed by the following steps:

[0130] Receiving a PWM duty cycle in a position signal sent by the water valve;

[0131] If the PWM duty cycle is a preset duty cycle threshold, it is determined that the current position of the water valve is at the target position.

[0132] In a possible implementation manner, the water valve is determined to be adjusted to a target position based on a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller through the following steps:

[0133] Receiving a position signal sent by the water valve in real time;

[0134] If the PWM duty cycle in the position signal is adjusted to within a preset duty cycle range, it is determined that the water valve is adjusted to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the cooling method further includes:

[0136] The vehicle controller is controlled to send a maintain current position signal to the water valve when it is determined that the PWM duty cycle in the position signal cannot be adjusted to a preset duty cycle range, so as to maintain the water valve working in the current position and the current working mode.

[0137] In a possible implementation manner, after receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, the water pump is controlled to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery, including:

[0138] After receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, the water pump is controlled to continuously rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal within a preset working time to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

[0139] In a possible implementation, the cooling method further includes:

[0140] After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, the vehicle controller is controlled not to enter the sleep mode, but to continue to send the position adjustment signal to the water valve based on the position information of the water valve and send a control signal to the water pump until the battery management device sends a thermal runaway release signal.

[0141] In a possible implementation, the power battery includes a main water inlet and a main water outlet; the cooling system further includes a water tank; one end of the water tank is connected to the main water inlet of the power battery through a water cooling pipe; the other end is connected to the water valve through a water cooling pipe; one end of the water pump is connected to the main water outlet of the power battery through a water cooling pipe; the other end of the water pump is connected to the water valve through a water cooling pipe, forming a battery cooling circuit of the cooling system;

[0142] The power battery, the water valve and the water pump are respectively connected to the vehicle controller through a low-voltage wiring harness to form a vehicle cooling circuit of the cooling system.

[0143] In a possible implementation manner, the cooling system includes a normal cooling mode and a thermal runaway cooling mode; when the cooling system is in the normal cooling mode, the coolant circulates in the battery cooling circuit to cool the power battery;

[0144] When the cooling system is in the thermal runaway cooling mode, the vehicle controller sends a control signal to the water valve and the water pump via the vehicle cooling circuit to cool the power battery.

[0145] In the cooling method of the power battery provided in the embodiment of the present application, when the battery management device determines that the power battery has thermal runaway, the battery management device sends a thermal runaway alarm signal to the vehicle controller. After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal, the vehicle controller detects the current position information of the water valve according to the received position signal, and after determining that the water valve is in the target position, sends a control signal to the water pump to control the water pump to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal, and controls the amount of spraying water to cool the power battery. In this way, in the event of thermal runaway of the power battery, the vehicle controller accurately controls the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery by controlling the position of the water valve and the speed of the water pump, thereby accurately controlling the amount of spraying water while timely cooling the power battery.

[0146] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown in , the electronic device 500 includes a processor 510 , a memory 520 and a bus 530 .

[0147] The memory 520 stores machine-readable instructions executable by the processor 510. When the electronic device 500 is running, the processor 510 communicates with the memory 520 via the bus 530. When the machine-readable instructions are executed by the processor 510, the above-mentioned Figure 4 The specific implementation of the steps of the method for cooling the power battery in the method embodiment shown can be found in the method embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0148] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program can execute the above-mentioned Figure 4 The specific implementation of the steps of the method for cooling the power battery in the method embodiment shown can be found in the method embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0149] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0150] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some communication interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0151] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0152] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0153] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium that is executable by a processor. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can essentially be embodied in the form of a software product, or in other words, the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0154] Finally, it should be noted that the above-described embodiments are only specific implementation methods of the present application, which are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. The protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Although the present application is described in detail with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, ordinary technicians in the field should understand that any technician familiar with the technical field can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the above-mentioned embodiments within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, or can easily think of changes, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein; and these modifications, changes or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A cooling system for a power battery, characterized in that: The cooling system includes a battery management device, a vehicle controller, a water pump and a water valve; the battery management device, the water pump and the water valve are electrically connected to the vehicle controller respectively; The battery management device is used to generate a thermal runaway alarm signal and send it to the vehicle controller when it is determined that the power battery has thermal runaway; The vehicle controller is configured to determine the current position of the water valve based on the received position signal after receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, and generate a control signal to send to the water pump after determining that the water valve is at a target position or adjusting the water valve to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller; The water valve is used to send a position signal to the vehicle controller, and after receiving a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller, adjust the interface connection mode in the water valve to a target position; The water pump is used to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal after receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, so as to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery management device is used to determine the thermal runaway of the power battery through the following steps: Acquiring the collected temperature and pressure inside the power battery; If the pressure in the power battery is greater than a preset pressure threshold, and / or the temperature in the power battery is greater than a preset temperature threshold, it is determined that thermal runaway occurs in the power battery.

3. The cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water valve is an electromagnetic four-way valve; when the water valve is in the target position, the first interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the fourth interface; and the second interface of the electromagnetic four-way valve is connected to the third interface.

4. The cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is used to determine that the current position of the water valve is at the target position through the following steps: Receiving a PWM duty cycle in a position signal sent by the water valve; If the PWM duty cycle is a preset duty cycle threshold, it is determined that the current position of the water valve is at the target position.

5. The cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is used to determine that the water valve is adjusted to a target position based on a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller through the following steps: Receiving a position signal sent by the water valve in real time; If the PWM duty cycle in the position signal is adjusted to within a preset duty cycle range, it is determined that the water valve is adjusted to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller.

6. The cooling system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is also used for: If the PWM duty cycle in the position signal cannot be adjusted to within the preset duty cycle range, a signal for maintaining the current position is sent to the water valve to maintain the water valve operating in the current position and the current working mode.

7. The cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water pump is used for: After receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, the vehicle continues to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal within a preset working time to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

8. The cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is also used for: After receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, the system does not enter the sleep mode, but continues to send the position adjustment signal to the water valve based on the position information of the water valve and sends a control signal to the water pump until the battery management device sends a thermal runaway release signal.

9. The cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power battery includes a main water inlet and a main water outlet; the cooling system also includes a water tank; one end of the water tank is connected to the main water inlet of the power battery through a water cooling pipe; the other end is connected to the water valve through a water cooling pipe; one end of the water pump is connected to the main water outlet of the power battery through a water cooling pipe; the other end of the water pump is connected to the water valve through a water cooling pipe, forming a battery cooling circuit of the cooling system; The power battery, the water valve and the water pump are respectively connected to the vehicle controller through a low-voltage wiring harness to form a vehicle cooling circuit of the cooling system.

10. The cooling system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cooling system includes a normal cooling mode and a thermal runaway cooling mode; when the cooling system is in the normal cooling mode, the coolant circulates in the battery cooling circuit to cool the power battery; When the cooling system is in the thermal runaway cooling mode, the vehicle controller sends a control signal to the water valve and the water pump via the vehicle cooling circuit to cool the power battery.

11. A method for cooling a power battery, characterized in that: Applicable to the cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 10; the cooling method comprises: Controlling the battery management device to generate a thermal runaway alarm signal and send it to the vehicle controller when determining that the power battery has thermal runaway; Controlling the vehicle controller to determine the current position of the water valve based on the received position signal after receiving the thermal runaway alarm signal sent by the battery management device, and after determining that the water valve is at the target position or adjusting to the target position based on the position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller, generating a control signal to send to the water pump; Controlling the water valve to send a position signal to the vehicle controller, and adjusting the interface connection mode in the water valve to a target position after receiving a position adjustment signal sent by the vehicle controller; After receiving the control signal sent by the vehicle controller, the water pump is controlled to rotate at a speed corresponding to the control signal to control the amount of water sprayed toward the power battery to cool the power battery.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: A processor, a storage medium and a bus, wherein the storage medium stores machine-readable instructions executable by the processor. When the electronic device is running, the processor communicates with the storage medium via the bus, and the processor executes the machine-readable instructions to perform the steps of the power battery cooling method as described in claim 11.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the power battery cooling method according to claim 11 are executed.

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