Method and temperature control system for controlling temperature of drive unit and battery of at least partially electrically drivable vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling the temperature of a drive unit and a battery of an at least partially electrically driven vehicle using a temperature control system having a first temperature control medium circuit, which comprises the drive unit, and a second temperature control medium circuit, which comprises the drive unit, the first temperature control medium circuit comprises a first temperature control medium, the second temperature control medium circuit comprises a battery, the first temperature control medium circuit and the second temperature control medium circuit can be coupled with each other to form a common temperature control medium circuit, and the method comprises the following steps: acquiring a first temperature control requirement of the driving unit; acquiring a second temperature adjustment demand related to the battery; comparing the first temperature control demand with the second temperature control demand; the first temperature control medium circuit and the second temperature control medium circuit are coupled according to the result of the comparison so as to form a common temperature control medium circuit. The invention further relates to a corresponding temperature control system and to a computing unit and to a computer program for carrying out such a method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for temperature control of a drive unit and a battery of a vehicle that can be driven at least partially electrically, as well as a computing unit and a computer program for carrying out the method and a corresponding temperature control system. Background Art

[0002] The batteries, in particular the driving batteries, of (partially) electrically driven vehicles, such as battery electric vehicles (BEV) or hybrid vehicles, are often based on lithium-ion cells, which for operation should be operated in a temperature window, in particular depending on the respective operating mode, so that the cells are not damaged by overvoltage or overcurrent. For this purpose, special electrical heating elements can be used to heat the battery to a minimum operating temperature. Furthermore, the battery can be integrated into a cooling system, which, for example, also cools the drive train of the vehicle, so that a maximum temperature is not exceeded. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to the invention, a method for temperature control of a drive unit and a battery of a vehicle that can be driven at least partially electrically, as well as a computing unit and a computer program for carrying out the method and a corresponding temperature control system are proposed with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims and the following description.

[0004] The drive unit includes at least one electric machine for driving the vehicle, power electronics for energizing the electric machine(s) and possibly further components (eg a transmission). In the case of a hybrid vehicle, the internal combustion engine can also be included in the drive unit.

[0005] The present invention relates to a temperature control system, which has a first temperature control medium circuit and a second temperature control medium circuit, the first temperature control medium circuit including a drive unit, and the second temperature control medium circuit including a battery. The first temperature control medium circuit and the second temperature control medium circuit can be coupled to each other to form a common temperature control medium circuit. Therefore, the waste heat from the drive unit can be used to heat the battery, and in the case where the battery needs to be cooled, the cooler (for example, a heat exchanger, which can realize the heat exchange between the first temperature control medium circuit and the environment surrounding the vehicle) of the first temperature control medium circuit used to conduct heat from the drive unit to the surrounding environment in the normal operating mode can also be used to conduct heat from the battery. This can be particularly advantageous in the following operating modes, such as in the framework of the fast charging mode, in which the drive unit only generates less or even no waste heat. In general, the efficiency of the temperature control system can be improved because the temperature control measures that are respectively completed with the minimum energy consumption to achieve the temperature control purpose to be achieved can be realized. Therefore, in some operating modes, in particular, the use of a refrigerant compressor for conducting excess heat from the battery can be omitted. Furthermore, in some operating modes in which the drive unit generates sufficient waste heat, the use of a heating element, which may be provided, for heating the battery can be dispensed with.

[0006] In detail, the method according to the invention comprises: obtaining a first temperature control requirement for the drive unit; obtaining a second temperature control requirement for the battery; comparing the first temperature control requirement with the second temperature control requirement; and coupling the first temperature control medium circuit with the second temperature control medium circuit in accordance with the result of the comparison in order to form a common temperature control medium circuit. It is therefore possible to connect the two temperature control medium circuits in particular if this makes sense from an energetic point of view, but to keep the two temperature control medium circuits separate from one another if the temperature control requirements cannot at least partially compensate one another. In other words, if the drive unit must be cooled but the battery must be heated, it makes sense to connect the two temperature control medium circuits to one another in order to relieve the load on other heat sources that would otherwise be used to heat the battery. It is also advantageous to operate the two temperature control medium circuits in a coupled manner if the battery must be cooled and the temperature of the drive unit is low enough so that the temperature control medium leaving the drive unit can still absorb heat from the battery, because this then relieves the load on the heat sink that would otherwise be used to cool the battery.

[0007] In at least one embodiment, the comparison includes determining whether the second temperature control requirement can be at least partially implemented when the first temperature control requirement is at least partially implemented. Based on the comparison, it can be determined whether a synergistic effect is produced by coupling the two temperature control medium circuits.

[0008] In particular, the second temperature control requirement can be determined based on the current temperature of the battery and / or based on the necessary heat to be absorbed or output by the battery in order to reach a target temperature of the battery. As an alternative or in addition, the first temperature control requirement can be determined based on the current temperature of the drive unit and / or based on the necessary heat to be absorbed or output by the drive unit in order to reach a target temperature of the drive unit. It is thus possible to precisely determine to what extent the two temperature control medium circuits can or should be coupled to each other in the current operating state in order to enable the use of synergistic effects. In particular, it can be provided that, before the two temperature control medium circuits are coupled to each other, the first temperature control medium circuit is first adapted to the temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit. On the other hand, if the temperature control requirements are not (anymore) adapted relative to each other, the temperature control medium circuits can be separated from each other (again). During operation, the drive unit may reach temperatures that are higher than those tolerable by the battery, and therefore, during further operation of the common temperature control medium circuit, an increased cooling requirement will occur in order to cool the temperature control medium to a tolerable temperature level before it enters the battery (for example, when using the mentioned refrigerant compressor and a corresponding heat exchanger). If, in such a case, the temperature control medium circuits are instead operated separately from one another, the overall temperature control effort can be reduced.

[0009] In at least one embodiment, the first temperature control medium circuit comprises a first heat exchanger, which is used for heat exchange between the first temperature control medium circuit and the environment surrounding the vehicle. Therefore, if necessary, the drive unit can (also) be temperature-controlled independently of the battery or other components of the second temperature control medium circuit. In addition, in the coupled state of the two temperature control medium circuits, the first heat exchanger can also be used to control the temperature of the battery. Therefore, compared with conventional solutions, a higher flexibility is obtained in general with regard to the distribution of the thermal loads that occur for temperature control purposes.

[0010] In at least one embodiment, the second temperature control medium circuit includes a second heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the second temperature control medium circuit and the refrigerant circuit, wherein the method further includes operating the refrigerant circuit to temperature control a passenger compartment of the vehicle. The passenger compartment and / or possibly other components of the refrigerant circuit can thus be used as a heat sink and / or heat source for temperature control of the battery.

[0011] In at least one embodiment, the method includes: determining a difference between a current temperature of the first temperature control medium circuit and a current temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit, and comparing the difference with a difference threshold value. The first temperature control medium circuit is coupled to the second temperature control medium circuit (especially only) when the difference is less than the difference threshold value. This ensures that excessive temperature differences do not affect the battery, thereby protecting the battery from damage.

[0012] In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises: if the difference is greater than or equal to a difference threshold value, controlling the first temperature control medium circuit to adapt its current temperature to the current temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit. Thus, even if the temperature difference is detected as being too high, provision can be made for coupling the two temperature control medium circuits.

[0013] In particular, the method can additionally include, after controlling the first temperature control medium circuit to adapt to its current temperature, checking whether the difference has dropped to a value below a difference threshold value and executing measures as a function of the result of the check. It is thereby possible to estimate the effectiveness of the preparation for the coupling and, if necessary, to react accordingly. If the difference has dropped sufficiently, coupling the two temperature control medium circuits is particularly considered as a measure. Another possible measure is to block the coupling (or the method in general) in particular for a predeterminable duration (blocking duration), which can, for example, depend on the acquired difference. Since a debounce mechanism is established accordingly in the case of unsuccessful temperature adaptation, the computing power required for the method can be limited.

[0014] A computing unit according to the present invention, for example a control unit of a motor vehicle, is configured, in particular in terms of programming, to carry out the method according to the present invention.

[0015] The temperature control system according to the invention is designed to control the temperature of a drive unit and a battery of a vehicle that can be driven at least partially electrically, and, as already mentioned at the beginning, comprises a first temperature control medium circuit and a second temperature control medium circuit. The first temperature control medium circuit comprises a first heat exchanger, which is used for heat exchange between the first temperature control medium circuit and the environment surrounding the vehicle. The second temperature control medium circuit comprises a battery and a second heat exchanger, which is used to remove heat from the second temperature control medium circuit. The first temperature control medium circuit can be coupled to the second temperature control medium circuit in order to form a common temperature control medium circuit. The temperature control system is therefore basically designed to carry out the method according to the invention that has been explained and therefore benefits from the advantages of the method in a similar manner.

[0016] In at least one embodiment, the temperature control system comprises two four-way valves, by means of which the first temperature control medium circuit and the second temperature control medium circuit can be coupled to each other to form a common temperature control medium circuit. These four-way valves are readily available components on the market and they fulfill the desired purpose well. It should be emphasized here that other multi-way valves can also be used to couple the first temperature control medium circuit to the second temperature control medium circuit and are also provided in alternative embodiments of the invention.

[0017] Advantageously, the temperature control system is configured to carry out one or more of the variants of the method according to the invention described here. In particular, the temperature control system can include a computing unit according to the invention for this purpose.

[0018] A vehicle comprising the embodiment of the temperature control system according to the invention is likewise advantageous and represents a further aspect of the invention.

[0019] The implementation in the form of a computer program or computer program product with a program code for executing all method steps according to the method of the present invention is also advantageous, because this causes particularly low costs, especially if the controller implemented is also used for other purposes and therefore originally exists. Finally, a machine-readable storage medium is provided, which has a computer program as described above stored thereon. Suitable storage media or data carriers for providing computer programs are especially magnetic, optical and electrical memories, such as hard disks, flash memory, EEPROM, DVD, etc. It is also feasible to download programs via computer networks (Internet, intranet, etc.). Such downloading can be realized here either wired or wired or wirelessly (e.g., via WLAN networks, 3G, 4G, 5G or 6G connections, etc.). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Further advantages and embodiments of the invention are apparent from the description and the drawings.

[0021] The present invention is schematically shown based on the exemplary embodiments in the drawings and is described below with reference to the drawings. In particular:

[0022] Figure 1 The temperature control system according to one design of the present invention is schematically shown in a first operating mode.

[0023] Figure 2 Shown from Figure 1 The temperature control system is in the second operating mode.

[0024] Figure 3 Shown from Figure 1 The temperature control system is in the third operating mode.

[0025] Figure 4 One embodiment of the method according to the invention is explained with the aid of a simplified flow chart. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] exist Figures 1 to 3, the same design of the temperature control system according to the invention in different operating modes is schematically shown in each case and is denoted overall by 100. In the respective operating mode, the active medium guide is shown as a solid arrow. The existing lines, which are not circulated in the respective operating mode, are shown as dash-dotted lines.

[0027] Temperature control system 100 comprises the first temperature control medium loop 15, and this first temperature control medium loop comprises the first temperature control medium, and this first temperature control medium for example can be based on water and can especially comprise antifreeze, for example organic salt or inorganic salt and / or one or more organic and / or inorganic polar compounds.Glycerine, ethanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, silicate and / or phosphate for example can be used as antifreeze.Alternatively, the first temperature control medium also can be based on oil, and wherein, dielectric fluid can especially be used as the first temperature control medium, and this dielectric fluid typically has lower electrical conductivity and therefore provides the advantage of operational safety compared to the temperature control medium based on water.In addition, the temperature control medium based on oil can not corrode usually, thereby can save the additive for anticorrosion.

[0028] The first temperature control medium circuit 15 comprises a first heat exchanger 125 and at least one electric drive unit 120 which is designed to drive the vehicle and which is designed to transfer heat between the first temperature control medium and the environment surrounding the vehicle. The electric drive unit comprises at least one electric motor and power electronics, such as, for example, an inverter and optionally a transmission.

[0029] In principle, in the temperature control system 100 shown in the drawings, the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the second temperature control medium circuit 11 can be connected together to form a common temperature control medium circuit 12. For this purpose, two four-way valves 117 and 119 are provided in the example shown here. However, it should be emphasized here that in alternative designs of the present invention, other possible solutions for the common connection (and therefore also the distribution) of the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the second temperature control medium circuit 11 can also be used if necessary.

[0030] The second temperature control medium circuit 11 or the common temperature control medium circuit 12 is thermally coupled to the refrigerant circuit 13 via a second heat exchanger 115 .

[0031] The refrigerant circuit 13 comprises a refrigerant and includes: a compressor 132 for compressing the refrigerant; a second heat exchanger 115, which is designed to transfer heat between the second temperature control medium circuit 11 or the common temperature control medium circuit 12 and the refrigerant circuit 13 upstream of the compressor 132; and a third heat exchanger 135, which is designed to transfer heat from the compressed refrigerant to the environment surrounding the vehicle. In addition, the refrigerant circuit 13 includes a first passenger compartment heat exchanger 142 and a second passenger compartment heat exchanger 144 for transferring heat from the refrigerant circuit to the passenger compartment 140 (first passenger compartment heat exchanger 142) or for absorbing heat from the passenger compartment 140 (second passenger compartment heat exchanger 144). The refrigerant can be partially or completely condensed downstream of the compression (i.e. on the pressure side of the compressor 132) and (re) evaporated in a heat exchanger on the suction side of the compressor 132 that is designed for absorbing heat. As a result, very different temperature levels can be set, which makes it possible to use the temperature control system 100 very flexibly overall. Propane (R290) and / or carbon dioxide, CO2 (R744) can be used as refrigerant for the refrigerant circuit 13, for example. The refrigerant can be provided in a reservoir 131 on the suction side of the compressor. The reservoir 131 can also serve as a collection point for the refrigerant flow returning toward the compressor 132.

[0032] It should be emphasized here that the refrigerant circuit 13 does not necessarily have to be directly connected to the passenger compartment 140 in every case. Rather, in some embodiments, it can also be provided that heat is transferred between the refrigerant circuit 13 and a further temperature control medium circuit (not shown in the figures) which is provided for temperature control of the passenger compartment 140. This can be advantageous, for example, for safety reasons and / or for better controllability.

[0033] The second temperature control medium circuit 11 comprises a battery to be temperature controlled, for example a vehicle battery 110, and the already explained second heat exchanger 115. When the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the second temperature control medium circuit 11 are connected together to form a common temperature control medium circuit 12 (see Figure 2 , Figure 3 ), all components described here as belonging to one of the two temperature control medium circuits 15, 11 are included in the common temperature control medium circuit 12. In other words, in the example shown, although the relative assignment of the components and in particular the order in which the corresponding temperature control media flow through these components are changed by the four-way valves 117, 119, none of these components are excluded from the temperature control medium circuits 15, 11, 12.

[0034] exist Figure 11 shows a first operating mode, in which the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the second temperature control medium circuit 11 are operated separately. Here, the battery 110 is thermally connected to the refrigerant circuit 15 by means of the second heat exchanger 115 in the second temperature control medium circuit and can then be temperature controlled by means of the compressor 132 and the third heat exchanger 135. The drive unit 120 is temperature controlled, in particular cooled, in this operating mode using the first heat exchanger 125. The thermal power of the first temperature control medium circuit 15 can be set, in particular, by dividing the temperature control medium flow into a sub-flow that flows through the first heat exchanger 125 and a second sub-flow that bypasses the first heat exchanger 125. For this purpose, a three-way valve 123 is provided in the temperature control system 100, which can be controlled, in particular, continuously between 100% bypassing the first heat exchanger 125 and 0% bypassing the first heat exchanger 125. In the case of the three-way valve 123, other valve configurations can also be used in alternative designs of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the use of a dedicated three-way valve. In the embodiment of the present invention, the three-way valve 123 shown here is also integrated into one of the four-way valves 117, 119 shown here (which, as already mentioned, can also be designed differently). In such a case, for example, a five-way valve can be used instead of the three-way valve 123 and instead of one of the four-way valves 117, 119, or all valves of the temperature control medium circuit can be combined into a single seven-way valve if necessary.

[0035] exist Figure 2 1 shows a second operating mode of the temperature control system 100. In the second operating mode, the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the second temperature control medium circuit 11 are connected together to form a common temperature control medium circuit 12. For this purpose, compared to the first operating mode (see Figure 1 ) to switch the four-way valve 119, resulting in the following connection sequence: drive unit 120 → optionally or partially bypassed first heat exchanger 125 → second heat exchanger 115 → battery 110 → drive unit 120. In this case, most of the waste heat of the drive unit 120 can be conducted away from the temperature control system 100 with the help of the first heat exchanger, and the temperature control medium can be further cooled against the refrigerant using the second heat exchanger 115, in particular to a temperature level below the temperature of the environment surrounding the vehicle, so as to facilitate or efficiently design the heat transfer from the battery 110 to the temperature control medium. Therefore, typically, the second operating mode shown here is used to cool the battery 110. In this case, cooling (as shown here) or heating (in Figure 2 (not shown) passenger compartment 140.

[0036] exist Figure 3, the third operating mode of the temperature control system 100 is shown, in which the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the second temperature control medium circuit 11 are also connected together to form a common temperature control medium circuit 12. However, compared to the second operating mode (see Figure 2 ), a different sequence of components in the common temperature control medium circuit 12 is achieved in that the two four-way valves 117, 119 are switched compared to the second operating mode. This results in the following sequence of components: drive unit 120→optionally or partially bypassed first heat exchanger 125→battery 110→second heat exchanger 115→drive unit 120. The third operating mode can be used in particular to heat the battery 110 using the heat provided by the drive unit 120. Here, the refrigerant circuit 13 can again be operated not only for heating the passenger compartment 140 (e.g. Figure 3 ) and also for cooling the passenger compartment 140 (in Figure 3 In particular, when the refrigerant circuit 13 is used to heat the passenger compartment 140, waste heat can be absorbed from the common temperature control medium circuit 12 by the second heat exchanger 115 and raised to the temperature level required for heating the passenger compartment 140 by means of the compressor 132.

[0037] exist Figure 4 , the embodiment of the method according to the invention is schematically shown in the form of a simplified flow chart and is denoted overall by 200. The method 200 can be used, for example, to operate a temperature control system 100, but is not limited to a specific embodiment of the temperature control system 100. Rather, the method 200 can be used with any temperature control system comprising at least two temperature control medium circuits that can be coupled to one another to form a common temperature control medium circuit. However, the method 200 is described in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiment of the temperature control system 100 already explained here.

[0038] It is assumed that the two temperature control medium circuits 15, 11 are separated from one another or are operated at the beginning of the method 200, for example Figure 1 as shown in .

[0039] In step 210, a first temperature control requirement is determined for the drive unit 120 within the scope of the method 200. For this purpose, for example, the current temperature of the drive unit 120 can be determined and compared with a target temperature of the drive unit. In this case, the thermal mass or thermal capacity of the drive unit 120 can also be taken into account in order to determine the amount of heat to be removed from the drive unit 120 (or, if necessary, also the amount of heat to be supplied to the drive unit 120).

[0040] In step 220, a second temperature control requirement is determined for battery 110 in a manner substantially similar to step 210. In the case of a second temperature control requirement, the current temperature of battery 110 can also be determined for this purpose and compared with a target temperature of battery 110. The thermal mass or thermal capacity of battery 110 can be taken into account in order to determine the amount of heat (positive or negative) required to achieve the target temperature.

[0041] The temperature may be determined within the scope of method 200 partially or completely on a sensor-based and / or model-based basis.

[0042] Based on the acquired temperature control requirements, it is acquired in step 230 whether it is meaningful or advantageous in terms of temperature control of the components, i.e. the drive unit 120 or the battery 110, to connect or combine the separate temperature control medium circuits 15 and 11 together. For this purpose, the acquired temperature control requirements are compared with each other in particular as follows: whether the second temperature control requirement can be at least partially operated when the first temperature control requirement is at least partially operated. In other words, it is acquired in the framework of step 230 whether the two temperature control requirements can at least partially compensate for each other, that is, whether the temperature control requirements can be at least partially met by transferring heat from the temperature control medium circuit to the other temperature control medium circuit. If this is not the case, the method can return to step 210 or 220 in order to obtain other results of step 230 at a later time point if necessary.

[0043] If, on the other hand, it is determined in step 230 that the coupling of the temperature control medium circuits 15, 11 would in principle be advantageous, the method continues with step 235 in which the difference between the current temperature of the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the current temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit 11 is determined. For this purpose, in particular the current temperatures of the components, namely the drive unit 120 or the battery 110, determined in steps 210 and 220, can be taken into account.

[0044] In step 240 , the difference value obtained in step 235 is compared with a difference threshold value.

[0045] If the detected difference is below the difference threshold, the method 200 continues with step 260, in which the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the second temperature control medium circuit 11 are connected together or connected to form a common temperature control medium circuit 12. For this purpose, in particular one of the four-way valves 117, 119 can be switched in order to implement a heating mode with respect to the battery 110, in particular according to the second temperature control requirement (see third operating mode; Figure 3 ) or cooling mode (see second operating mode; Figure 2After the coupling 260 of the previously separated temperature control medium circuits 15 , 11 , the method 200 can return to steps 210 , 220 in order to further monitor the temperature control system 100 thermally.

[0046] If, on the other hand, it is determined in step 240 that the difference value determined in step 235 is not less than the difference threshold value, the method 200 in the example shown continues with step 250, in which the first temperature control medium circuit 15 is controlled so that its temperature approaches the current temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit 11. For this purpose, for example, the distribution ratio of the subflow of the temperature control medium flowing through the first heat exchanger 125 and the subflow bypassing the first heat exchanger 125 can be appropriately set by means of the valve 123. As an alternative or in addition, the drive unit 120 can be controlled so that more or less waste heat is generated, if the current operating state of the vehicle permits this. The drive unit 120 can be controlled, for example, in a targeted manner to reduce the efficiency in order to increase the temperature of the first temperature control medium circuit 15. In the case of a necessary temperature drop, for example, the torque that can be provided by the drive unit 120 for driving the vehicle can be reduced in order to limit the heat input from the drive unit 120 to the first temperature control medium circuit 15.

[0047] In step 255, it is checked whether the temperature has been successfully adapted, that is, whether the difference between the temperature of the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit 11 has fallen below a difference threshold value. For this purpose, a predeterminable time period can be waited after the start of step 250 before executing step 255, or for this purpose step 255 can be executed within a predeterminable time period. If sufficient adaptation to the temperature is determined within this time period, the method 200 continues with coupling the two temperature control medium circuits 15, 11 (step 260).

[0048] However, if sufficient adaptation to the temperature has not been achieved within the time period, the method 200 continues in the example shown here with step 280, which is represented by a debounce step. Step 280 includes blocking the method 200 for a predeterminable blocking time period before the method 200 returns to steps 210, 220. As explained at the outset, such a debounce step 280 can save computing power.

[0049] The purpose of adapting the temperature of the first temperature control medium circuit 15 and the temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit 11 is to avoid thermal stress, in particular with respect to the battery 110. In the case of an excessively high temperature difference between the temperature control medium and the component to be temperature controlled (e.g. the battery 110), thermal stresses may occur in the material of the component to be temperature controlled, which may reduce the service life or durability of the relevant component or may temporarily or permanently impair the performance of the component. Such damages can be completely or at least partially prevented or reduced by using the method 200. By appropriately selecting the difference threshold value, on the one hand, the maximum thermal stress to be expected can be influenced or determined, and on the other hand, the possibility or time range of the common or coupled operation of the temperature control medium circuits 15, 11 can be influenced or determined.

Claims

1. A method (200) for temperature control of a drive unit (120) and a battery (110) of a vehicle that can be driven at least partially electrically, using a temperature control system (100), the temperature control system having a first temperature control medium circuit (15) and a second temperature control medium circuit (11), the first temperature control medium circuit comprising the drive unit (120) and the second temperature control medium circuit comprising the battery (110), wherein: The first temperature control medium circuit (15) and the second temperature control medium circuit (11) can be coupled to each other to form a common temperature control medium circuit (12), wherein the method (200) comprises: obtaining a first temperature adjustment requirement (210) for the drive unit (120), obtaining a second temperature adjustment requirement (220) for the battery (110), comparing the first temperature adjustment requirement with the second temperature adjustment requirement (230), and Depending on the result of the comparison, the first temperature control medium circuit (15) is coupled (260) to the second temperature control medium circuit (11) in order to form the common temperature control medium circuit (12).

2. The method (200) according to claim 1, wherein: The comparison includes determining (230) whether the second thermostatic requirement can be at least partially implemented if the first thermostatic requirement is at least partially implemented.

3. The method (200) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The second temperature control requirement is obtained based on the current temperature of the battery (110) and / or based on the amount of heat required to be absorbed or output by the battery in order to reach a target temperature of the battery, and / or The first temperature control requirement is obtained based on the current temperature of the drive unit (120) and / or based on the required heat to be absorbed or output by the drive unit in order to reach a target temperature of the drive unit.

4. The method (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The first temperature control medium circuit (15) comprises a first heat exchanger (125) for exchanging heat between the first temperature control medium circuit (15) and an environment surrounding the vehicle.

5. The method (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The second temperature control medium circuit (11) comprises a second heat exchanger (115) for exchanging heat between the second temperature control medium circuit (11) and a refrigerant circuit (13), wherein the method (200) further comprises operating the refrigerant circuit (13) to temperature control a passenger compartment (140) of the vehicle.

6. The method (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: Acquiring (235) a difference between a current temperature of the first temperature control medium circuit (15) and a current temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit (11); The difference is compared with a difference threshold value (240), wherein if the difference is smaller than the difference threshold value, the first temperature control medium circuit (15) is coupled to the second temperature control medium circuit (11) (260).

7. The method (200) according to claim 6, further comprising: If the difference is greater than or equal to the difference threshold, the first temperature control medium circuit (15) is controlled (250) to adapt the current temperature of the first temperature control medium circuit to the current temperature of the second temperature control medium circuit (11).

8. The method (200) according to claim 7, further comprising: After controlling (250) the first temperature control medium circuit (15) to adapt its current temperature, it is checked (255) whether the difference has fallen below the difference threshold value and measures (260, 280) are carried out depending on the result of the check (255).

9. A computing unit configured to carry out all method steps of the method (200) according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. A temperature control system (100) configured to control the temperature of a drive unit (120) and a battery (110) of a vehicle that can be driven at least partially electrically, the temperature control system comprising a first temperature control medium circuit (15) and a second temperature control medium circuit (11), wherein: The first temperature control medium circuit (15) comprises the drive unit (120) and a first heat exchanger (125) for exchanging heat between the first temperature control medium circuit (15) and an environment surrounding the vehicle, wherein the second temperature control medium circuit (11) comprises the battery (110) and a second heat exchanger (115) for removing heat from the second temperature control medium circuit (11), and wherein the first temperature control medium circuit (15) can be coupled to the second temperature control medium circuit (11) to form a common temperature control medium circuit (12).

11. The temperature control system (100) according to claim 10 comprises two four-way valves (117, 119), by means of which the first temperature control medium circuit (15) and the second temperature control medium circuit (11) can be coupled to each other to form a common temperature control medium circuit (12).

12. The temperature control system (100) according to any one of claims 10 or 11, which is configured to carry out the method (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The temperature control system (100) comprises, in particular, a computing unit according to claim 9.

13. A computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes a computer of a temperature control system, in particular according to claim 12, to carry out all method steps of the method (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

14. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon the computer program according to claim 13.

Images