Thermal management control methods and control systems

Abstract

This application provides a thermal management control method and system. The method is used for equipment that needs to monitor the inlet and outlet temperature difference. The method includes: acquiring a shutdown signal of the equipment, wherein the equipment in the working state starts to shut down after receiving the shutdown signal; acquiring a start signal of the equipment, wherein the equipment in the shutdown state starts to work after receiving the start signal; obtaining the shutdown duration of the equipment based on the acquisition time of the shutdown signal and the start signal; activating a temperature difference fault monitoring system when the shutdown duration is longer than a first preset duration; temporarily shutting down the temperature difference fault monitoring system when the shutdown duration is shorter than the first preset duration, and then collecting the inlet and outlet temperatures of the equipment in real time, and determining whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system based on the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and the working time after the equipment stops and restarts. The method and system provided by this application can reduce the probability of false alarms and have high security.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of thermal management control technology for battery temperature, specifically to control methods and control systems for thermal management. Background Technology

[0002] Some automotive equipment, such as solid oxide fuel cells, hydrogen fuel cells, and other high-precision instruments, has extremely stringent requirements for the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet. During stable operation, water pumps, cooling fans, and cooling media provide stable thermal management, ensuring that the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet remains within a stable threshold range.

[0003] However, when the equipment stops running after a period of time, uneven heat dissipation occurs due to differences in the internal and external cooling system structures, as well as the influence of ambient temperature. When restarting after a period of shutdown, the uneven heat dissipation caused by ambient temperature and equipment structure results in a temperature difference between the equipment's inlet and outlet exceeding a threshold, causing the system to report an error and exit the normal operating procedure. At this point, the equipment may not be experiencing a genuine malfunction; the abnormal temperature difference will not affect the equipment and is considered a false alarm, impacting the user experience. Related technologies typically avoid false alarms caused by uneven heat dissipation during shutdown by adding an insulation system around the equipment. However, this increases the complexity, cost, and maintenance difficulty of the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To at least partially solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of this application, embodiments of this application provide a thermal management control method for a device that needs to monitor the inlet and outlet temperature difference. The device has a temperature difference fault monitoring system for monitoring inlet and outlet temperature difference faults. The method includes:

[0005] Step S1: Obtain the shutdown signal of the equipment. When the equipment in operation receives the shutdown signal, it begins to shut down.

[0006] Step S2: Obtain the device's start signal. The device in the shutdown state will start working after receiving the start signal.

[0007] Step S3: Based on the acquisition time of the stop signal and start signal, obtain the downtime of the equipment;

[0008] Step S4: When the downtime exceeds the first preset time, start the temperature difference fault monitoring system;

[0009] Step S5: When the downtime is less than the first preset time, temporarily shut down the temperature difference fault monitoring system, and then collect the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the equipment in real time. Based on the inlet temperature, outlet temperature and the working time after the equipment is restarted, determine whether to start the temperature difference fault monitoring system.

[0010] In some embodiments, the operating duration includes a second preset duration, and determining whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system based on the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and the operating duration after equipment shutdown and restart includes:

[0011] Step S7: Monitor the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature within the second preset time period;

[0012] Step S8: When the temperature difference exceeds the preset threshold within the second preset time period, the second preset time period is restarted.

[0013] Step S9: If the temperature difference does not recover to less than the preset threshold within the second preset time after the re-timing, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will be issued.

[0014] In some embodiments, the operating time further includes a third preset time, which determines whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system based on the inlet temperature, the outlet temperature, and the operating time after the equipment is shut down and restarted. The system also includes:

[0015] Step S10: When the temperature difference is continuously less than the preset threshold within the second preset time period, start timing the third preset time period after the second preset time period has ended.

[0016] Step S11: If the temperature difference remains below the preset threshold for a third preset time period, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will be activated after the third preset time period has elapsed.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0018] Step S12: If the temperature difference recovers to less than the preset threshold within the second preset time period after re-timing, start timing for the third preset time period; then execute step S11.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0020] Step S14: If the temperature difference exceeds the preset threshold within the third preset time period, restart the second preset time period, record the number of abnormal occurrences, and accumulate them.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0022] Step S15: If the temperature difference does not recover to less than the preset threshold after the second preset time is restarted, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will be issued.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0024] Step S16: If the temperature difference recovers to less than the preset threshold within the second preset time period after resetting the timer, and the cumulative number of abnormalities is less than the preset number, then reset the timer for the third preset time period; then execute step S11 and reset the cumulative number to zero, or execute step S14.

[0025] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0026] Step S17: If the cumulative number of abnormalities is greater than or equal to the preset number, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will not be issued after the second preset time is restarted, regardless of whether the temperature difference recovers to less than the preset threshold. At the same time, the cumulative number will be reset to zero.

[0027] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0028] Step S18: When either the inlet temperature or the outlet temperature is abnormal, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will not be issued.

[0029] According to a second aspect of this application, embodiments of this application also provide a thermal management control system for performing the method of any embodiment of the first aspect of this application.

[0030] The thermal management control method and control system provided in the embodiments of this application temporarily shut down the temperature difference fault monitoring system when the shutdown time is less than a first preset time after the equipment is shut down and restarted. This prevents false alarms caused by temperature differences due to equipment structure and ambient temperature during short-term shutdowns. Furthermore, after temporarily shutting down the temperature difference fault monitoring system, the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and operating time are still monitored in real time to prevent failures from being detected in time when the equipment actually malfunctions, thus ensuring the safe operation of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0031] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a logic block diagram of the thermal management control method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0034] It should be understood that the dimensions of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Furthermore, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The preferred embodiments of this application will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0036] The terms "first," "second," and similar words used in this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different parts. Words such as "including" or "contains" mean that the element preceding the word encompasses the element listed after it, and do not exclude the possibility of encompassing other elements as well. Terms such as "above," "below," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, this relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the device can be a battery device such as a solid oxide fuel cell or hydrogen fuel cell in a vehicle, or other high-precision instrument equipment, or it can be a non-automotive device; this application does not limit this. Taking a solid oxide fuel cell or hydrogen fuel cell as an example, during operation, the device requires a water pump, a cooling fan, and a cooling medium to provide stable thermal management so that the temperature difference between the inlet temperature T1 and the outlet temperature T2 can be stably maintained within a threshold range. However, due to the significant difference in heat dissipation capacity between the internal components of the equipment and the cooling system, under the influence of ambient temperature, the cooling medium in the cooling system (near point B) can dissipate heat more quickly, while the cooling medium inside the equipment (near point A) has difficulty dissipating heat, resulting in uneven heat dissipation. The temperature at point A may be much higher than at point B, causing a large temperature difference between the internal components of the equipment and the cooling system. When the equipment is stopped and restarted, the cooling medium resumes its flow. The lower-temperature cooling medium in the cooling system flows from point B to the inlet, resulting in a lower inlet temperature T1, while the higher-temperature cooling medium inside the equipment flows from point A to the outlet, resulting in a higher outlet temperature T2. This causes the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet to exceed the threshold. If the temperature difference fault monitoring system is activated at this time, it may report a fault, but this temperature difference is not caused by a system malfunction and is a false alarm, affecting the user experience. The above false alarms mostly occur in spring and autumn. In winter, the low external temperature allows the equipment to cool down quickly, and in summer, the high external temperature makes heat dissipation difficult, both of which can keep the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the system smaller.

[0038] like Figure 2As shown, in order to at least partially solve the above problems, according to the first aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a thermal management control method. The method is used for equipment that needs to monitor the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet, such as battery equipment such as solid oxide fuel cells and hydrogen fuel cells in automobiles, or other high-precision instruments and equipment. The equipment has a temperature difference fault monitoring system for monitoring inlet and outlet temperature difference faults. When the inlet and outlet temperature difference is greater than a preset value, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will alarm. The method includes: step S1, obtaining a shutdown signal of the equipment, wherein the equipment in the working state starts to shut down after receiving the shutdown signal; Step S2: Obtain the device's start signal. The device in a stopped state will begin operation upon receiving the start signal. Step S3: Calculate the device's stop time based on the acquisition times of the stop and start signals. Step S4: When the stop time t1 is greater than a first preset time, activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system. Step S5: When the stop time t1 is less than the first preset time, temporarily shut down the temperature difference fault monitoring system, then collect the device's inlet and outlet temperatures in real time. Determine whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system based on the inlet and outlet temperatures and the operating time after the device restarts. When executing the method provided in this embodiment, the device can switch from an operating state to a stopped state and then back to an operating state, i.e., a stop-and-start condition. The first preset time can be set based on empirical values, typically determined by the time required for the temperature difference between the cooling medium inside and outside the device to decrease to less than or equal to a threshold. Therefore, when the downtime exceeds the first preset duration, the temperature of the cooling medium inside and outside the equipment is considered not to trigger the alarm of the temperature difference fault monitoring system under normal equipment conditions. Thus, the temperature difference fault monitoring system can be activated normally to monitor possible faults during subsequent operation. However, when the downtime is less than the first preset duration, there may be false alarms. In this case, the temperature difference fault monitoring system is first turned off, and then the inlet and outlet temperatures are collected in real time. The equipment operating time after shutdown and restart is recorded. Based on the inlet and outlet temperatures and the operating time after equipment shutdown and restart, it is determined whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system. Thus, without directly issuing an alarm, a comprehensive judgment is made to determine whether a fault alarm or the activation of the temperature difference fault monitoring system is necessary.

[0039] The thermal management control method and control system provided in the embodiments of this application temporarily shut down the temperature difference fault monitoring system when the shutdown time is less than a first preset time after the equipment is shut down and restarted. This prevents false alarms caused by temperature differences due to equipment structure and ambient temperature during short-term shutdowns. Furthermore, after temporarily shutting down the temperature difference fault monitoring system, the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and operating time are still monitored in real time to prevent failures from being detected in time when the equipment actually malfunctions, thus ensuring the safe operation of the equipment.

[0040] In some embodiments, the operating time includes a second preset time. The decision to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system is based on the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and the operating time after equipment shutdown and restart. This includes: Step S7, monitoring the temperature difference ΔT between the inlet and outlet temperatures within the second preset time (the timing start point is the moment the equipment restarts after shutdown); Step S8, when the temperature difference exceeds a preset threshold within the second preset time, resetting the timing for the second preset time (the timing start point is the moment the temperature difference exceeds the preset threshold); Step S9, if the temperature difference does not recover to below the preset threshold within the re-timing second preset time, the temperature difference fault monitoring system is not activated, and a system fault warning is issued. In this embodiment, when the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet temperatures exceeds the preset threshold, no alarm is issued temporarily. Instead, the timing for the second preset time is reset, and the inlet and outlet temperature difference is monitored. Only when the temperature difference fails to recover to within the preset threshold after the re-timing second preset time ends is a fault alarm issued. This further reduces false alarms while also considering the actual occurrence of faults, preventing missed alarms, and increasing the system's reliability and robustness.

[0041] In some embodiments, the operating time further includes a third preset time. The determination of whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system is based on the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and the operating time after equipment shutdown and restart. This further includes: step S10, when the temperature difference remains below a preset threshold for a second preset time, starting the third preset time after the second preset time has elapsed; step S11, if the temperature difference remains below the preset threshold for a third preset time, activating the temperature difference fault monitoring system after the third preset time has elapsed. In this embodiment, after the second preset time has elapsed, the third preset time is also elapsed. The temperature difference fault monitoring system is only activated after the third preset time has elapsed and no inlet / outlet temperature difference exceeds the preset threshold, further preventing missed fault detections and increasing system security. In this application, both the second preset time t2 and the third preset time t3 can be determined based on empirical values.

[0042] In some embodiments, the method further includes: step S12, if the temperature difference recovers to less than a preset threshold within a second preset time period after re-timing, start timing for a third preset time period (the timing start point is the moment when the temperature difference recovers to less than the preset threshold); then execute step S11. In this embodiment, step S12 can be executed after step S8. When the temperature difference recovers to less than the preset threshold within the second preset time period after re-timing, start timing for a third preset time period to perform stability verification (the timing start point of the third preset time period is the moment when the temperature difference returns to normal), to prevent the temperature difference from increasing again, and to further increase safety. If no abnormal temperature difference occurs within the second and third preset time periods after re-timing, the equipment can be considered fault-free, and the temperature difference fault monitoring system can be activated.

[0043] In some embodiments, the method further includes: step S14, if the temperature difference exceeds a preset threshold within a third preset time period, the second preset time period is reset, and the number of abnormal occurrences is recorded and accumulated. In this embodiment, when a temperature difference abnormality occurs within the third preset time period, an alarm is not triggered directly, but the second preset time period is reset to prevent false alarms. At the same time, the number of occurrences of this situation is counted to facilitate fault diagnosis.

[0044] In some embodiments, the method further includes: step S15, if the temperature difference still does not recover to below a preset threshold after a second preset time period is re-timing, then the temperature difference fault monitoring system is not activated and a system fault warning is issued. If the temperature difference still does not recover to the normal range after the second preset time period is re-timing, a fault is considered to have occurred, and an alarm can be issued, increasing the system's safety.

[0045] In some embodiments, the method further includes: step S16, if the temperature difference recovers to less than a preset threshold within a second preset time period after re-timing, and the accumulated number of abnormalities (i.e. Figure 2 If the number of times the accumulated count is less than the preset number, the third preset time is restarted; then step S11 is executed and the accumulated count is reset to zero, or step S14 is executed. In this embodiment, the system's safety is increased by combining the temperature difference range and the accumulated number of abnormalities. For example, the preset number can be 3.

[0046] In some embodiments, the method further includes: step S17, if the accumulated number of abnormalities is greater than or equal to a preset number, then after the temperature difference is re-timed for a second preset period, regardless of whether it recovers to below a preset threshold, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will not be issued, and the accumulated number will be reset to zero. In this embodiment, when the accumulated number of abnormalities is too high, it can be considered that the system has a fault, and a system fault warning will be issued directly, which increases the system's security.

[0047] In some embodiments, the method further includes: step S18, where the temperature difference fault monitoring system is not activated and a system fault warning is not issued when either the inlet temperature or the outlet temperature is abnormal. In this embodiment, the inlet temperature or outlet temperature is monitored in real time, and a fault warning is issued directly when either the inlet temperature or the outlet temperature deviates from the normal range, further increasing the system's safety.

[0048] Additionally, it should be noted that in some embodiments of this application, no further explanation is given for the case where the two are equal when determining the size. This is because the case where the two are equal can be classified as greater than or less than the case according to actual needs. However, it is understood that in either case, there is no substantial impact on the implementation and effect of this technical solution, so it will not be explained separately.

[0049] According to a second aspect of this application, embodiments of this application also provide a thermal management control system for performing the method of any embodiment of the first aspect of this application.

[0050] The thermal management control method and control system provided in the embodiments of this application can effectively avoid false alarms of system failure caused by uneven heat dissipation due to structure and external environment during system startup and operation. It can effectively improve the reliability and robustness of the system and is applicable to various complex environments. It can be implemented without additional costs, using only existing components, making it simple to implement and greatly reducing cost investment.

[0051] Based on the various embodiments of this application described above, in the absence of explicit denial or conflict, the technical features of one embodiment may be advantageously combined with one or more other embodiments.

[0052] While specific embodiments of this application have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments or equivalent substitutions can be made to some technical features without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A thermal management control method, the method being used in equipment requiring monitoring of the inlet and outlet temperature difference, the equipment having a temperature difference fault monitoring system for monitoring inlet and outlet temperature difference faults, characterized in that, The method includes: Step S1: Obtain the shutdown signal of the device, wherein the device in the working state starts to shut down after receiving the shutdown signal; Step S2: Obtain the start signal of the device, wherein the device in the shutdown state starts working after receiving the start signal; Step S3: Based on the acquisition time of the shutdown signal and the start signal, obtain the shutdown duration of the equipment; Step S4: When the downtime exceeds the first preset time, the temperature difference fault monitoring system is activated. The first preset time is determined based on the time required for the temperature difference between the cooling medium inside and outside the equipment to decrease to less than or equal to the threshold. Step S5: When the downtime is less than the first preset time, temporarily shut down the temperature difference fault monitoring system, and then collect the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the equipment in real time. Based on the inlet temperature, the outlet temperature and the working time after the equipment is restarted, determine whether to start the temperature difference fault monitoring system.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The operating time includes a second preset time, and the determination of whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system is based on the inlet temperature, the outlet temperature, and the operating time after the equipment is stopped and restarted, including: Step S7: Monitor the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature within the second preset time period; Step S8: When the temperature difference exceeds a preset threshold within the second preset time period, the second preset time period is restarted. Step S9: If the temperature difference does not recover to less than the preset threshold within the second preset time after the re-timing, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will be issued.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The operating time also includes a third preset time, which determines whether to activate the temperature difference fault monitoring system based on the inlet temperature, the outlet temperature, and the operating time after the equipment is stopped and restarted. It also includes: Step S10: When the temperature difference is continuously less than the preset threshold within the second preset time period, after the second preset time period has been completed, start timing the third preset time period. Step S11: If the temperature difference remains less than a preset threshold for a third preset duration, the temperature difference fault monitoring system is activated after the third preset duration has elapsed.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: Step S12: If the temperature difference recovers to less than the preset threshold within the second preset time period after re-timing, start timing for the third preset time period; Then proceed to step S11.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, Also includes: Step S14: If the temperature difference exceeds the preset threshold within the third preset time period, the second preset time period is restarted, and the number of abnormal occurrences is recorded and accumulated.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: Step S15: If, in step S14, the temperature difference still does not recover to less than the preset threshold after the second preset time is reset, then the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will be issued.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: Step S16: If, in step S14, the temperature difference recovers to less than the preset threshold within the second preset time period after re-timing, and the cumulative number of abnormalities is less than the preset number, then the third preset time period is re-timing. Then execute step S11 and reset the cumulative count to zero, or execute step S14.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: Step S17: If the cumulative number of abnormalities in step S14 is greater than or equal to the preset number, then after the temperature difference is re-timed for the second preset duration, regardless of whether it recovers to less than the preset threshold, the temperature difference fault monitoring system will not be activated and a system fault warning will not be issued, and the cumulative number will be reset to zero.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Step S18: When either the inlet temperature or the outlet temperature is abnormal, the temperature difference fault monitoring system shall not be activated and a system fault warning shall not be issued.

10. A thermal management control system, characterized in that, The system is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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