Coolant distribution system for vehicle battery and method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling liquid distribution system and method for a vehicle battery, the cooling liquid distribution system comprises a plurality of sensor groups and a controller, and each branch corresponds to one sensor group; the sensor group is used for acquiring the cooling liquid flow and the cooling liquid temperature of the corresponding branch and transmitting target information to the controller, and the target information is used for representing the cooling liquid flow and the cooling liquid temperature; the controller is used for adjusting the flow of the cooling liquid input into the multiple branches according to the target information. Through the application, reasonable distribution of the cooling liquid in different application scenes can be realized, and the situation that in the prior art, the cooling liquid flow of each branch is fixed in advance, so that an existing vehicle power battery cooling system can only adapt to a single application scene is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular to a coolant distribution system and method for a vehicle battery. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the water circuit of the vehicle power battery cooling system in the prior art, such as Figure 1 As shown in the figure, each water channel branch is controlled by a manual butterfly valve. Each manual butterfly valve is adjusted under the temperature and test conditions before leaving the factory, and the opening is finally set to a fixed value. However, the existing power battery cooling system cannot meet the increasingly intelligent demand of the vehicle industry because the coolant is distributed in a fixed ratio, which is mainly reflected in the following points:

[0003] 1. Matching is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Due to the different distribution of power batteries in various vehicle models, the series and parallel connection of coolant pipelines, and the direction, length, inner diameter and other factors of the pipelines, even if the same set of power battery configuration is applied to different models, there will be differences in the requirements for the cooling system, and the cooling system needs to be adjusted more finely, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. In addition, for the same model, when mass-produced, each vehicle needs to reset the opening of the manual butterfly valve due to individual differences, which is a lot of work. Moreover, this setting is only based on the experience of the ambient temperature and operating conditions during vehicle production. There is no enforceable unified standard, quality control cannot be done well, or it is possible that it will not be set, and each branch is opened to the maximum opening.

[0004] 2. Unable to meet the cooling distribution requirements of different temperatures and working conditions, high energy consumption. After the manual butterfly valve opening is set, the cooling system must always run at full power to meet the most difficult branch in the pipeline in order to meet the operation of each ambient temperature and working condition of the vehicle. The coolant cannot be accurately delivered, and the cooling system power is always maintained at a state higher than the actual demand. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a coolant distribution system and method for vehicle batteries to solve the problem in the prior art that the coolant flow rate of each branch is fixed in advance, resulting in the existing vehicle power battery cooling system being able to adapt to only a single application scenario.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a coolant distribution system for a vehicle battery, wherein the vehicle battery comprises a plurality of branches; the coolant distribution system comprises a plurality of sensor groups and a controller, each branch corresponding to a sensor group; the sensor group is used to obtain the coolant flow and coolant temperature corresponding to the branch, and transmit the target information to the controller, wherein the target information is used to characterize the coolant flow and the coolant temperature; the controller is used to adjust the coolant flow input into the plurality of branches according to the target information.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present application provides a coolant distribution method based on the system described in the first aspect, the method comprising: the sensor group acquires the coolant flow and coolant temperature corresponding to the branch, and transmits target information to the controller, wherein the target information is used to characterize the coolant flow and the coolant temperature; the controller adjusts the coolant flow input into the multiple branches according to the target information.

[0008] The above technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application has the following advantages compared with the prior art: in the embodiment of the present application, a corresponding sensor group is set in each branch to obtain the coolant flow and coolant temperature of the corresponding branch, and the target information is transmitted to the controller, and then the controller adjusts the coolant flow to achieve reasonable distribution of the coolant in different application scenarios, instead of fixing the coolant flow of each branch in advance as in the prior art, resulting in the existing vehicle power battery cooling system can only adapt to a single application scenario. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0011] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by pictures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

[0012] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a water circuit of a vehicle power battery cooling system in the prior art;

[0013] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a coolant distribution system for a vehicle battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 3 An optional structural schematic diagram of a coolant distribution system for a vehicle battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 4 A flow chart of a coolant dispensing method for a coolant dispensing system for a vehicle battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an intelligent coolant distribution system provided for a specific implementation of an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship in a specific implementation of an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution 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 part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0019] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples to implement different structures of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the parts and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present invention. In addition, the present invention can repeat reference numbers and / or letters in different examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and does not itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a coolant distribution system for a vehicle battery provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the vehicle battery includes a plurality of branches; Figure 2 As shown, the coolant distribution system includes a plurality of sensor groups 21 and a controller 22, and each branch corresponds to a sensor group;

[0021] The sensor group 21 is used to obtain the coolant flow rate and coolant temperature of the corresponding branch, and transmit the target information to the controller 22, wherein the target information is used to characterize the coolant flow rate and coolant temperature;

[0022] The controller 22 is used to adjust the coolant flow rate input into the multiple branches according to the target information.

[0023] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, a corresponding sensor group is set in each branch to obtain the coolant flow and coolant temperature of the corresponding branch, and the target information is transmitted to the controller, and then the controller adjusts the coolant flow to achieve reasonable distribution of the coolant in different application scenarios, instead of fixing the coolant flow of each branch in advance as in the prior art, resulting in the existing vehicle power battery cooling system can only adapt to a single application scenario.

[0024] In an optional implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if Figure 3 As shown, the sensor group in the embodiment of the present application includes a temperature sensor 211 and a flow sensor 212; wherein the temperature sensor 211 is used to obtain the temperature of the coolant in the branch; and the flow sensor 212 is used to obtain the flow of the coolant in the branch.

[0025] The temperature sensor 211 and the flow sensor 212 can accurately obtain the temperature and flow of the coolant in each corresponding branch, so that the coolant in the branch can be promptly reported to the controller for adjustment. For example, if the current temperature is high and the coolant flow is low, the controller can control the coolant flow of the branch to be higher in the next cycle of coolant to reduce the temperature of the battery and reach a normal operating temperature. Of course, if the temperature of a branch is low and the coolant flow is high, the controller can control the coolant flow of the branch to be reduced to restore it to a normal temperature.

[0026] In an optional implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if Figure 3 As shown, the coolant distribution system in the embodiment of the present application also includes an electrically controlled flow regulating valve 23; one sensor group corresponds to one electrically controlled flow regulating valve; wherein the electrically controlled flow regulating valve 23 is used to receive a flow adjustment instruction sent by the controller, and adjust the flow of the corresponding branch based on the flow adjustment instruction.

[0027] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the coolant flow rate of each branch can be controlled by the electronically controlled flow regulating valve 23, thereby realizing real-time and accurate control of the coolant flow rate. For example, if the current temperature is high and the coolant flow rate is low, the controller can control the electronically controlled flow regulating valve in the next cycle of coolant to increase the coolant flow rate of the branch, so as to reduce the temperature of the battery and reach a normal operating temperature. Of course, if the temperature of a branch is low and the coolant flow rate is high, the controller can control the electronically controlled flow regulating valve to reduce the coolant flow rate of the branch to restore it to a normal temperature.

[0028] In an optional implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if Figure 3 As shown, the coolant distribution system in the embodiment of the present application further includes a display 24; wherein the display 24 is used to display the flow rate and temperature of the coolant in multiple branches.

[0029] The display shows the flow rate and temperature of the coolant in each branch, so that the current status of each branch can be intuitively obtained, that is, whether it needs to be adjusted or maintained as it is.

[0030] In an optional implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if Figure 3 As shown, the coolant distribution system in the embodiment of the present application also includes: a water cooling unit 25 and an expansion water tank 26; wherein the water cooling unit 25 is used to cool the coolant input from multiple branches from a high temperature state to a low temperature state, and return the coolant in the low temperature state to the expansion water tank 26; the expansion water tank 26 is used to input the coolant in the low temperature state to multiple branches.

[0031] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the coolant is recycled, that is, the coolant will heat up after cooling the battery, so it is necessary to cool the high-temperature coolant to a low-temperature state in a water cooling unit, and then return the coolant to the expansion water tank for recycling.

[0032] Combined with the above Figure 2 and Figure 3 The coolant distribution system for the vehicle battery in the embodiment of the present application is based on the coolant distribution method of the coolant distribution system, such as Figure 4 As shown, the method includes:

[0033] Step 401, the sensor group obtains the coolant flow rate and coolant temperature of the corresponding branch, and transmits target information to the controller, wherein the target information is used to characterize the coolant flow rate and coolant temperature;

[0034] Step 402: The controller adjusts the coolant flow rate input into the multiple branches according to the target information.

[0035] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, a corresponding sensor group is set in each branch to obtain the coolant flow and coolant temperature of the corresponding branch, and the target information is transmitted to the controller, and then the controller adjusts the coolant flow to achieve reasonable distribution of the coolant in different application scenarios, instead of fixing the coolant flow of each branch in advance as in the prior art, resulting in the existing vehicle power battery cooling system can only adapt to a single application scenario.

[0036] In an optional implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the sensor group involved in the above step 401 obtains the coolant flow rate and coolant temperature of the corresponding branch may further include:

[0037] Step 51, the temperature sensor is used to obtain the temperature of the coolant in the branch;

[0038] Step 52: The flow sensor is used to obtain the flow of the coolant in the branch.

[0039] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the temperature sensor 211 and the flow sensor 212 can accurately obtain the temperature and flow of the coolant in each corresponding branch, so that they can be reported to the controller in time to adjust the coolant in the branch.

[0040] In an optional implementation manner in the embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the controller involved in the above step 403 adjusts the coolant flow rate input into the multiple branches according to the target information may further include:

[0041] Step 61, the controller sends a flow adjustment instruction for receiving to the electronically controlled flow regulating valve;

[0042] Step 62: The electronically controlled flow regulating valve adjusts the flow of the corresponding branch based on the flow adjustment instruction.

[0043] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the coolant flow rate of each branch can be controlled by the electronically controlled flow regulating valve 23, thereby achieving real-time and accurate control of the coolant flow rate.

[0044] In an optional implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, the method of the embodiment of the present application may further include:

[0045] In step 71, the display shows the flow rate and temperature of the coolant in the multiple branches.

[0046] Step 72, the water cooling unit cools the coolant input from the multiple branches from a high temperature state to a low temperature state, and returns the coolant in the low temperature state to the expansion water tank;

[0047] Step 73: The expansion tank inputs the coolant in a low-temperature state into multiple branches.

[0048] It can be seen that the flow rate and temperature of the coolant in each branch displayed on the display can intuitively obtain the current state of each branch, that is, whether it needs to be adjusted or maintained. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the coolant is recycled, that is, the coolant will heat up after cooling the battery, so it is necessary to cool the high-temperature coolant to a low-temperature state in the water cooling unit, so as to return the value expansion tank to recycle the coolant.

[0049] The present application is explained below in conjunction with a specific implementation of an embodiment of the present application. The specific implementation provides an intelligent coolant distribution system, such as Figure 5 As shown, the intelligent coolant distribution system includes: a display 501, a CAN line 502, a controller 503, a temperature sensor 504, a flow sensor 505, an electronically controlled flow regulating valve 506, a sensor mounting seat 507, a wire 508, an expansion tank 601, a cooling water circuit 602, a water pump 603, a power battery 604, a water cooling unit 605, and a battery 606.

[0050] In this specific implementation, the positional relationship among the temperature sensor 504, the flow sensor 505, the electric control flow regulating valve 506, the sensor mounting seat 507, and the wire 508 is as follows: Figure 6 shown.

[0051] In addition, the display 501 is connected to the controller 503 via a wire 508. One end of the CAN line 502 is connected to the vehicle instrument module, and the other end is connected to the controller 503. The controller 503 is connected to the battery 606 via a wire 508. The temperature sensor 504, the flow sensor 505, and the electronically controlled flow regulating valve 506 of each branch are connected to the controller 503 via a wire 508. The temperature sensor 504 and the flow sensor 505 are fixed on the sensor mounting seat 507. The electronically controlled flow regulating valve 506 of each branch is connected in series with the sensor mounting seat 507, and is also connected in series to the cooling water circuit 602.

[0052] In this specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the coolant in the expansion water tank 601 reaches the water pump 603 through the cooling water circuit 602 to obtain a higher pressure, and then continues to be divided into various branches through the cooling water circuit 602 and enters the power battery 604 group on each branch respectively. After passing through the power battery 604, the temperature of the coolant in each branch increases and flows into the respective sensor mounting seat 507 and the electronically controlled flow regulating valve 506. Finally, the coolant in each branch is collected together and enters the water cooling unit 605 through the cooling water circuit 602. The water cooling unit 605 cools the coolant from a high temperature state to a low temperature state, and returns to the expansion water tank 601 through the cooling water circuit 602 to continue the next cycle.

[0053] In addition, the temperature sensor 504 and flow sensor 505 of each branch transmit the temperature and flow sensor to the controller 503 through the wire 508, and the controller 503 converts the temperature and flow signal into an electrical signal and pushes it to the display 501. At the same time, the controller 503 compares the temperature and flow information of each branch and calculates internally to determine which branch needs to increase the flow and which branch can reduce the flow, and dynamically adjusts the electronically controlled flow regulating valve 506 of each branch to finally achieve a balanced state of coolant distribution. The CAN line 502 is used for interaction with the whole vehicle, and can interact with the water cooling unit 605 message to determine the mutual correlation and avoid conflicting operations.

[0054] It can be seen that through the intelligent coolant distribution system in the specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the coolant status information of each branch is collected by installing flow sensors and temperature sensors in each branch. The controller coordinates and controls the electronically controlled flow regulating valves of each branch to adjust the coolant flow rate through mutual comparison and internal calculation based on the collected information, so as to accurately deliver the coolant, abandoning the method of adjusting the branch flow rate by a fixed ratio of manual butterfly valve in the prior art, thereby achieving the goals of energy saving and emission reduction, reducing labor costs, improving quality, and improving work efficiency.

[0055] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, wherein 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 modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0056] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each implementation method can be implemented by means of software plus a general hardware platform, and of course, by hardware. Based on this understanding, the above technical solution is essentially or the part that contributes to the relevant technology can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, a disk, an optical disk, etc., including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment or some parts of the embodiments.

[0057] It should be understood that the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific example embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "an" and "said" as used herein may also be meant to include plural forms. The terms "include", "comprise", "contain", and "have" are inclusive, and therefore specify the existence of stated features, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not interpreted as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the specific order described or illustrated, unless the execution order is clearly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0058] The foregoing is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, which enables those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A coolant distribution system for a vehicle battery, characterized in that: The vehicle battery includes a plurality of branches; the coolant distribution system includes a plurality of sensor groups and a controller, each of the branches corresponds to a sensor group; The sensor group is used to obtain the coolant flow rate and the coolant temperature corresponding to the branch, and transmit the target information to the controller, wherein the target information is used to characterize the coolant flow rate and the coolant temperature; The controller is used to adjust the coolant flow rate input into the multiple branches according to the target information.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The sensor group includes a temperature sensor and a flow sensor; The temperature sensor is used to obtain the temperature of the coolant in the branch; The flow sensor is used to obtain the flow of the coolant in the branch.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The coolant distribution system also includes an electrically controlled flow regulating valve; one sensor group corresponds to one electrically controlled flow regulating valve; The electrically controlled flow regulating valve is used to receive a flow adjustment instruction sent by the controller, and adjust the flow of the corresponding branch based on the flow adjustment instruction.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The coolant dispensing system also includes a display; The display is used to display the flow rate of the coolant and the temperature of the coolant in the multiple branches.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The coolant distribution system also includes: a water cooling unit and an expansion water tank; The water cooling unit is used to cool the coolant input from the multiple branches from a high temperature state to a low temperature state, and return the coolant in the low temperature state to the expansion water tank; The expansion water tank is used to input the coolant in a low-temperature state into the multiple branches.

6. A method for distributing coolant based on the system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method comprises: The sensor group acquires the coolant flow rate and the coolant temperature corresponding to the branch, and transmits target information to the controller, wherein the target information is used to characterize the coolant flow rate and the coolant temperature; The controller adjusts the coolant flow rate input into the plurality of branches according to the target information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The sensor group acquires the coolant flow and coolant temperature corresponding to the branch, including: The temperature sensor is used to obtain the temperature of the coolant in the branch; The flow sensor is used to obtain the flow of the coolant in the branch.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The controller adjusts the coolant flow rate input into the plurality of branches according to the target information, including: The controller sends a flow adjustment instruction for receiving to the electronically controlled flow regulating valve; The electronically controlled flow regulating valve adjusts the flow of the corresponding branch based on the flow adjustment instruction.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The display displays the flow rate of the coolant in the plurality of branches and the temperature of the coolant.

10. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The water cooling unit cools the coolant input from the multiple branches from a high temperature state to a low temperature state, and returns the coolant in the low temperature state to the expansion water tank; The expansion water tank inputs the coolant in a low-temperature state into the multiple branches.

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