On-board thermal management system, thermal management system group and electric aircraft system
By designing an on-board thermal management system, the plug disconnection and cut-off function prevents heat exchange media from leaking and reduces flow resistance, the problem of leakage during connection of electric aircraft thermal management and external systems is solved, achieving more efficient thermal management and longer battery life.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411911754.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-25
AI Technical Summary
The heat generated by electric vehicles during operation cannot be effectively managed, resulting in the impact of normal functions and endurance, and the problem of heat exchange media leakage is prone to occur when the external heat management system is connected.
An on-board thermal management system is designed, including thermal management objects, cooling devices, pumps, switch valves and two plugs, forming a main circuit and branch circuit, preventing leakage through the disconnection and cut-off function of the plug and reducing flow resistance.
It effectively prevents the leakage of heat exchange media when the electric aircraft is connected to the external heat management system, reduces system energy consumption, extends the service life of the male and female plug sets, and improves the battery life of the electric aircraft.
Smart Images
Figure CN119503131A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of thermal management of electric aircraft, and in particular to an onboard thermal management system, a thermal management system group and an electric aircraft system. Background Art
[0002] As the technology of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft gradually matures, it can be applied to many fields such as low-altitude sightseeing, urban passenger transport, regional passenger transport, cargo transportation, personal use and emergency medical rescue. The power system and battery system of electric aircraft will generate a lot of heat during operation. If this heat cannot be effectively managed and dissipated, it may seriously affect the normal function and operating performance of the electric aircraft. Relying solely on the thermal management device of the electric aircraft to dissipate heat will consume the power of the electric aircraft, thereby affecting the endurance of the electric aircraft.
[0003] The inventor is aware of a thermal management technology for electric aircraft that uses an external thermal management system connected to the electric aircraft to perform thermal management on heat-generating devices such as the battery pack of the electric aircraft. When the external thermal management system is connected to the electric aircraft, the flow of the heat exchange medium is involved. If the flow path is not properly controlled, problems such as leakage of the heat exchange medium are likely to occur. It is urgent to design a reliable thermal management system to meet the working requirements of the above-mentioned external thermal management method. Summary of the invention
[0004] This application is made in view of the above-mentioned state of the prior art. The purpose of this application is to provide an onboard thermal management system, which is applicable to external thermal management technology and can prevent leakage of heat exchange medium when an electric aircraft is connected to an external onboard thermal management system.
[0005] The present application also provides a thermal management system group and an electric aircraft system including the above-mentioned on-board thermal management system.
[0006] The present application provides an onboard thermal management system for thermal management of electric aircraft, which includes a thermal management object, a cooling device, a pump, a switch valve and two plugs.
[0007] The heat management object, the cooling device, the pump and the switch valve are connected to form a main loop, and a heat exchange medium can flow in the main loop so that the heat exchange medium can exchange heat with the heat management object.
[0008] The switch valve can cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium in the main circuit.
[0009] The two plugs are connected to the upstream and downstream of the thermal management object via a section of pipeline, respectively, to form two branches connected to the main circuit for connecting to an external thermal management system.
[0010] The two plugs have a disconnection cut-off function to cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium in the branch when the plugs are not connected.
[0011] The plug is a male plug or a female plug.
[0012] In at least one possible embodiment, the onboard thermal management system further includes a heating device, which is disposed in the main circuit and is used to heat the heat exchange medium.
[0013] In at least one possible implementation manner, at least one of the two branches is provided with a flow meter for monitoring flow information in the branch.
[0014] In at least one possible embodiment, corresponding plugs and stop valves are provided at the ends of the two branches for cutting off or opening the flow of the heat exchange medium in the branches.
[0015] The two plugs are respectively connected to the two corresponding plugs to form the male-female plug set, and the heat exchange medium can flow through the male-female plug set.
[0016] In at least one possible implementation, the thermal management object is one or more of a battery system, a power system, and an air-conditioning system.
[0017] In at least one possible implementation, the cooling device is an air cooling device or a liquid cooling device.
[0018] The present application also provides a thermal management system group, which includes the above-mentioned on-board thermal management system; and an external thermal management system,
[0019] The external thermal management system includes an external thermal management device and two external plugs respectively connected to the upstream and downstream of the external thermal management device.
[0020] The two external plugs can be connected to the two plugs of the onboard thermal management system to form two male and female plug sets.
[0021] The two male and female plug sets, the thermal management object and the external thermal management device can form an external loop, and the heat exchange medium can flow in the external loop so that the heat exchange medium can exchange heat with the thermal management object.
[0022] In at least one possible implementation, the external plug has a disconnection and cut-off function.
[0023] The heat exchange medium flows through the heat management object in the main circuit and the external circuit in the same direction.
[0024] The present application also provides an electric aircraft system, which includes an electric aircraft, wherein the electric aircraft is provided with the above-mentioned on-board thermal management system.
[0025] In at least one possible implementation, the electric aircraft system further includes ground maintenance equipment, and the ground maintenance equipment includes the aforementioned external thermal management system.
[0026] The onboard thermal management system, thermal management system group and electric aircraft system provided by the present application can be applied to the external thermal management method of electric aircraft. The use of the external thermal management method can reduce the power consumption of the electric aircraft and thus improve the endurance of the electric aircraft. The technical solution of the present application can avoid leakage of the heat exchange medium when the electric aircraft is connected to the external thermal management system. At the same time, it can also avoid increasing the flow resistance due to setting the male and female plug group in the main circuit, thereby increasing the system energy consumption and reducing the service life of the male and female plug group. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal management system known to the inventor.
[0028] Figure 2 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the structure of a male and female plug set known to the inventor.
[0029] Figure 3 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the structure of a male and female plug set known to the inventor.
[0030] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of an onboard thermal management system according to one embodiment of the present application.
[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal management system group according to one embodiment of the present application.
[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the connection structure of a thermal management system group according to one embodiment of the present application.
[0033] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of another structure of a thermal management system group according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0034] Description of Reference Numerals
[0035] 10 Male and Female Plug Set
[0036] 11 Male plug
[0037] 12 Female plug
[0038] 100 Onboard thermal management system
[0039] 110 Thermal Management Objects
[0040] 120 Cooling device
[0041] 130 Heating device
[0042] 140 Pumps
[0043] 150 Switch valve
[0044] 160 Flow Meter
[0045] 170 Stop valve
[0046] 200 External thermal management system
[0047] 210 External thermal management device DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0048] The exemplary embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these specific descriptions are only used to teach those skilled in the art how to implement the present application, and are not intended to exhaust all possible methods of the present application, nor to limit the scope of the present application.
[0049] Figure 1 The figure shows a scheme of an onboard thermal management system for an electric aircraft known to the inventor, which includes a thermal management object 110, a cooling device 120, a heating device 130, a pump 140 and two male and female plug groups 10. And the thermal management object 110, the cooling device 120, the heating device 130, the pump 140 and the two male and female plug groups 10 are all connected to the same circuit, and the two male and female plug groups 10 are respectively set to the upstream and downstream of the thermal management object 110. When the onboard thermal management system is connected to the external thermal management system, it is necessary to disconnect the two male and female plug groups 10, and connect the two male or female plugs connected to the thermal management object to the male or female plugs of the external thermal management system respectively (it can be understood that the male plug and the female plug need to be connected one by one). When the two male and female plug groups of the onboard thermal management system are disconnected, the original circuit of the original onboard thermal management system will be disconnected, and the thermal management object and the external thermal management system will form a new circuit.
[0050] It can be understood that when the above-mentioned technical solution is actually operated, the two male and female plug groups set in its circuit will form a large flow resistance to the flow of liquid (heat exchange medium) in the circuit. The large flow resistance will increase the energy consumption of the thermal management system and further weaken the endurance of the electric aircraft. In actual application, this technical solution needs to disconnect and connect the male and female plug groups many times, which will increase the difficulty of operation, prolong the operation time, and reduce the service life of the male and female plug groups and the overall on-board thermal management system. In addition, the long-term pressure on the male and female plug groups will affect their service life and increase the risk of leakage of the heat exchange medium.
[0051] It should be understood that although the above description Figure 1 Although some disadvantages of the on-board thermal management system are shown, the on-board thermal management system still has certain advantages over some existing technologies. Figure 1 And the above description still constitutes part of the disclosure or implementation mode of this application.
[0052] The embodiments of the present application provide an onboard thermal management system suitable for an electric aircraft (particularly an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, i.e., eVTOL), such as Figure 4 As shown, the onboard thermal management system 100 may include a thermal management object 110, a cooling device 120, a pump 140, a switch valve 150, and two plugs (a male plug 11 or a female plug 12, for example, Figure 4 Both plugs in the embodiment are male plugs 11).
[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the thermal management object 110, the cooling device 120, the pump 140 and the switch valve 150 can be connected to form a main loop, and the heat exchange medium can flow in the main loop to exchange heat for the thermal management object. The thermal management object 110 can be a structure or device on the electric aircraft that needs to exchange heat, specifically, it can be a battery pack (battery system), a power system, an air conditioning system, etc. of the electric aircraft. The cooling device 120 can be an air cooling device or a liquid cooling device, which can cool the heat exchange medium to exchange heat with the thermal management object 110, thereby reducing the temperature of the thermal management object 110. Specifically, the air cooling device can use a fan or other mechanism to use gas flow to dissipate heat for the heat exchange medium to reduce the temperature of the heat exchange medium; the liquid cooling device can use a liquid medium to absorb the heat of the heat exchange medium to reduce the temperature of the heat exchange medium. The pump 140 provides flow power for the heat exchange medium. The switch valve 150 can control the on-off of the main loop of the onboard thermal management system according to instructions, that is, the switch valve 150 can cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium in the main loop. The switch valve 150 can be an electronic switch valve.
[0054] Preferably, the heat exchange medium may be a solution of ethylene glycol and water mixed in a certain proportion, but the type of heat exchange medium is not limited thereto.
[0055] Preferably, the onboard thermal management system may further include a heating device 130, which may be disposed in the main circuit of the onboard thermal management system so that the onboard thermal management system has a heating function for the thermal management object 110. It is understood that the cooling device 120 and the heating device 130 usually do not work at the same time.
[0056] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the two plugs can be connected to the upstream and downstream of the heat management object 110 via a section of pipeline, respectively, to form two branches connected to the main circuit. The two branches can be used to connect an external (not provided on the electric aircraft) heat exchange device (i.e., the external heat management system 200 described later). The male plug 11 or the female plug 12 connected to the main circuit can have a disconnection and cut-off function. The disconnection and cut-off function means that when the male plug 11 and the female plug 12 are correspondingly connected to form a male and female plug group 10, the male and female plug group 10 can be connected so that the heat exchange medium can pass freely. When the male plug 11 or the female plug 12 is not connected, it can be automatically closed to cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium. Preferably, the male plug 11 and the female plug 12 constituting the male and female plug group 10 can both have a disconnection and cut-off function. The plug with a disconnection and cut-off function can effectively prevent heat exchange cut-off leakage.
[0057] When the thermal management system 100 itself assumes the heat exchange function of the thermal management object 110, the heat exchange medium can flow and operate in the main circuit of the thermal management system 100, and the temperature of the heat exchange medium can be adjusted by the cooling device 120 or the heating device 130, and the heat exchange medium then exchanges heat with the thermal management object 110. Due to the disconnection function of the plug, when the thermal management system 100 is not connected to an external heat exchange device (when the plug of the thermal management system is not connected to an external heat exchange device), the heat exchange medium will not flow out from the two branches.
[0058] When the onboard thermal management system 100 is connected to an external heat exchange device (when the plug of the onboard thermal management system is connected to the corresponding plug of the external heat exchange device), the thermal management object 110 can form an external loop with the external heat exchange device via two male and female plug groups, so that the heat exchange medium is regulated by the external heat exchange device before exchanging heat with the thermal management object 110. When the onboard thermal management system 100 is connected to an external heat exchange device, the switch valve 150 can cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium in the main loop according to the connection status information of the onboard thermal management system (automatically or manually by the staff), so that the heat exchange medium only flows in the external loop.
[0059] Preferably, Figure 4As shown, a flow meter 160 can be provided in one of the two branches where the plug is provided. Alternatively, both branches where the plug is provided can be provided with a flow meter 160. The flow meter 160 can be used to monitor the flow information in the branch to feedback the connection status of the branch (whether it is connected to form an external loop). When the two branches are connected in place (an external loop has been formed), the flow meter 160 will feedback that the branch flow has reached a preset flow range (exceeding a threshold value). If the branch is not connected to the external heat exchange equipment (or a connection error occurs such as the plug not being correctly connected), the flow meter 160 will feedback that the branch flow is 0 or the flow does not reach the standard range (equal to or less than the threshold). It can be understood that based on the flow information fed back by the flow meter 160, the staff or the control device of the onboard thermal management system can accurately grasp the connection status of the plug, and can promptly detect situations such as the plug not being correctly connected.
[0060] Preferably, in the main loop and the external loop, the direction in which the heat exchange medium flows through the heat management object 110 may be consistent.
[0061] Preferably, Figure 7 As shown, the plugs of the two branches can be connected to the corresponding plugs to form a male and female plug group 10, and a stop valve 170 is set at the end of the branch (downstream of the male and female plug group). The stop valve 170 can be used to cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium in the branch. It can be understood that although the heat exchange medium in the branch can flow through the connected male and female plug group 10, the stop valve 170 at the end of the branch can prevent the heat exchange medium from overflowing. Here, a stop valve is used instead of an unconnected plug to cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium, which can prevent the disconnection and cutoff structure of the plug from being under pressure for a long time, thereby extending the service life of the plug. When the onboard thermal management system is connected to an external thermal management system, the male and female plug group 10 in the branch can be disconnected first, and then the plug at the upstream end of the branch can be connected to the plug of the external thermal management system.
[0062] The embodiment of the present application also provides a thermal management system group, which includes the above-mentioned on-board thermal management system 100 and an external thermal management system 200. The external thermal management system 200 may include an external thermal management device 210 and two external plugs connected to the upstream and downstream of the thermal management device 210 respectively. The two external plugs can be connected to the two plugs of the on-board thermal management system respectively to form two male and female plug groups 10. The two male and female plug groups 10, the thermal management object 110 and the external thermal management device 210 can form an external loop, and the heat exchange medium can flow in the external loop so that the heat exchange medium can exchange heat with the thermal management object 110. It can be understood that using an external thermal management device to perform thermal management for the thermal management object 110 can effectively reduce the thermal management energy consumption of the electric aircraft itself and increase the endurance of the electric aircraft.
[0063] The embodiment of the present application further provides an electric aircraft system, which may include an electric aircraft and ground maintenance equipment, wherein the electric aircraft may be provided with the above-mentioned onboard thermal management system 100, and the ground maintenance equipment may be provided with the above-mentioned external thermal management system 200.
[0064] The following briefly describes some of the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application.
[0065] The onboard thermal management system, thermal management system group, and electric aircraft system provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the external thermal management method of the electric aircraft. The use of the external thermal management method can reduce the power consumption of the electric aircraft and thus improve the endurance of the electric aircraft. The technical solution of the present application can avoid leakage of the heat exchange medium when the electric aircraft is connected to the external thermal management system. At the same time, it can also avoid increasing the flow resistance due to setting the male and female plug group in the main circuit, thereby increasing the system energy consumption and reducing the service life of the male and female plug group.
[0066] It is understood that in the present application, when the number of parts or components is not particularly limited, the number may be one or more, and the multiple here means two or more. For the case where the number of parts or components shown in the drawings and / or described in the specification is a specific number such as two, three, four, etc., the specific number is usually exemplary and not restrictive, and it can be understood as multiple, that is, two or more, but this does not mean that the present application excludes the case of one.
[0067] It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes to the above embodiments under the guidance of the present application without departing from the scope of the present application.
Claims
1. An onboard thermal management system for thermal management of electric aircraft, characterized in that: The invention comprises a thermal management object (110), a cooling device (120), a pump (140), a switch valve (150) and two plugs. The heat management object (110), the cooling device (120), the pump (140) and the switch valve (150) are connected to form a main loop, and a heat exchange medium can flow in the main loop so that the heat exchange medium can exchange heat with the heat management object (110). The switch valve (150) is capable of cutting off the flow of the heat exchange medium in the main circuit. The two plugs are respectively connected to the upstream and downstream of the thermal management object (110) via a section of pipeline, forming two branches connected to the main circuit, and are used to connect to an external thermal management system (200). The two plugs have a disconnection cut-off function to cut off the flow of the heat exchange medium in the branch when the plugs are not connected. The plug is a male end plug (11) or a female end plug (12).
2. The onboard thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a heating device (130), which is arranged in the main circuit and is used to heat the heat exchange medium.
3. The onboard thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the two branches is provided with a flow meter (160) for monitoring flow information in the branch.
4. The onboard thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ends of the two branches are provided with corresponding plugs and stop valves (170) for cutting off or opening the flow of the heat exchange medium in the branches. The two plugs are respectively connected to the two corresponding plugs to form a male and female plug group (10), and the heat exchange medium can flow through the male and female plug group (10).
5. The onboard thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thermal management object (110) is one or more of a battery system, a power system, and an air conditioning system.
6. The onboard thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling device (120) is an air cooling device or a liquid cooling device.
7. A thermal management system group, characterized in that: An onboard thermal management system (100) comprising any one of claims 1 to 6; and an external thermal management system (200), The external thermal management system (200) comprises an external thermal management device (210) and two external plugs respectively connected to the upstream and downstream of the external thermal management device (210). The two external plugs can be connected to the two plugs of the onboard thermal management system to form two male and female plug sets (10). The two male and female plug sets (10), the thermal management object (110) and the external thermal management device (210) can form an external loop, and the heat exchange medium can flow in the external loop so that the heat exchange medium can exchange heat with the thermal management object (110).
8. The thermal management system assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The external plug has a disconnection and cut-off function. The heat exchange medium flows through the heat management object (110) in the main circuit and the external circuit in the same direction.
9. An electric aircraft system, characterized in that: The invention comprises an electric aircraft provided with an onboard thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
10. The electric aircraft system according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes ground maintenance equipment, which includes the external thermal management system (200) according to claim 7 or 8.