Thermal management device for a vehicle, control method therefor, and vehicle

Abstract

This application relates to the field of vehicle thermal management technology, and discloses a vehicle thermal management device and its control method, as well as a vehicle, comprising: a heat pipe body with a valve body and a fluid disposed inside; an evaporator assembly disposed at a first end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, and at least partially disposed within the intake manifold of the engine system; and a condenser assembly disposed at a second end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, and connected to the low-pressure side pipeline of the air conditioning circuit. When the valve body controls the heat pipe body to be open, the evaporator assembly absorbs heat from the intake manifold to evaporate the internal fluid into vapor. The vapor is then introduced into the condenser assembly through the heat pipe body, and the condenser assembly releases heat to the low-pressure side pipeline through the vapor to condense the vapor. Therefore, by realizing heat exchange between the intake air in the intake manifold and the refrigerant in the low-pressure side pipeline of the air conditioning system through the thermal management device, the intake air temperature of the intake manifold can be effectively reduced, thereby improving combustion efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle thermal management technology, specifically to a vehicle thermal management device and its control method, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] A vehicle's engine takes in air through the intake manifold, and the intake air temperature in the manifold significantly affects the engine's combustion efficiency. In high-temperature vehicle environments, lowering the intake air temperature can significantly improve the engine's combustion efficiency.

[0003] In related technologies, the intake manifold temperature is generally reduced through structural design, such as using heat insulation structures to keep the intake manifold away from high-temperature areas, or through intake manifold designs with variable lengths or cross-sections to optimize airflow velocity and temperature. Therefore, these technologies do not involve using the vehicle's thermal management system to reduce the intake manifold temperature. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, this application provides a vehicle thermal management device and control method, and a vehicle, which realizes heat exchange between the intake air in the intake manifold and the refrigerant in the low-pressure side pipeline of the air conditioning through the thermal management device, which can effectively reduce the intake air temperature of the intake manifold and thus improve combustion efficiency.

[0005] The first aspect of this application provides a thermal management device for a vehicle, comprising: a heat pipe body with a valve body and a fluid disposed therein; an evaporator assembly disposed at a first end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, at least a portion of which is disposed within the intake manifold of an engine system; and a condenser assembly disposed at a second end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, the condenser assembly being connected to a low-pressure side pipe of an air conditioning circuit; wherein, when the valve body controls the heat pipe body to be open, the evaporator assembly is used to absorb heat from the intake manifold to evaporate the internal fluid to form vapor, the vapor in the evaporator assembly is introduced into the condenser assembly through the heat pipe body, and the condenser assembly is used to release heat to the low-pressure side pipe through the vapor, so that the vapor introduced into the evaporator assembly condenses.

[0006] In some specific embodiments, the evaporator assembly includes a first evaporator tube and a second evaporator tube, both of which are connected to the first end of the heat pipe body. One end of the first evaporator tube and the second evaporator tube is disposed inside the intake manifold to absorb heat from the intake manifold.

[0007] In some specific embodiments, the evaporator assembly includes a liquid inlet pipe, an exhaust pipe, and a heat exchanger. One end of the liquid inlet pipe and one end of the exhaust pipe are connected to one end of the heat pipe body, and the other end of the liquid inlet pipe and the exhaust pipe are connected to the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is disposed inside the intake manifold to absorb heat from the intake manifold.

[0008] In some specific embodiments, the condenser assembly includes a coaxial tube, the inner tube of which is connected to a low-pressure side pipeline to transmit refrigerant, and the outer tube of which is connected to the second end of a heat pipe body. The heat pipe body is used to transfer vapor to the outer tube so that the vapor in the outer tube releases heat to the refrigerant.

[0009] In some specific embodiments, the vehicle's thermal management device further includes a bypass pipe, with a first end connected to the heat pipe body via a valve body and a second end connected to the condenser assembly; wherein, when the valve body controls the heat pipe body to be turned off, the portion of the heat pipe body located on the side of the valve body closer to the condenser assembly is connected to the bypass pipe; or when the valve body controls the heat pipe body to be turned on, the portion of the heat pipe body located on the side of the valve body closer to the evaporator assembly is connected to the bypass pipe.

[0010] A second aspect of this application provides a control method for a vehicle's thermal management device. The method is applied to the thermal management device of any of the aforementioned vehicles, comprising: if the current ambient temperature is higher than a preset temperature, acquiring the current intake air temperature of the intake manifold and the current refrigerant temperature of the low-pressure side pipeline; determining a first temperature difference between the current intake air temperature and a target intake air temperature, determining a second temperature difference between the current refrigerant temperature and the target refrigerant temperature, determining the cooling capacity corresponding to the first temperature difference and the heat load corresponding to the second temperature difference, determining the current heat dissipation capacity of the thermal management device based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature; determining an adjustment coefficient based on the relationship between the cooling capacity, the heat load, and the current heat dissipation capacity, and adjusting the current opening degree of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient.

[0011] In some specific embodiments, the step of determining an adjustment coefficient based on the relationship between cooling capacity, heat load, and current heat dissipation capacity, and adjusting the current opening degree of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient, includes: if the smaller of cooling capacity and heat load is less than the current heat dissipation capacity, then determining the adjustment coefficient as a first adjustment coefficient; if the smaller of cooling capacity and heat load is greater than or equal to the current heat dissipation capacity, then determining the adjustment coefficient as a second adjustment coefficient; adjusting the current opening degree of the valve body based on the first adjustment coefficient or the second adjustment coefficient; wherein, the first adjustment coefficient is used to decrease the current opening degree of the valve body, and the second adjustment coefficient is used to increase the current opening degree of the valve body.

[0012] In some specific embodiments, before the step of adjusting the current opening of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient, the steps include: determining a first influence coefficient based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature, determining a second influence coefficient based on the cooling capacity and the heat load, and determining a target influence coefficient based on the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient; determining the initial opening of the valve body based on the target influence coefficient, the cooling capacity, and the heat load; and adjusting the current opening of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient, which includes: using the product of the initial opening and the adjustment coefficient as the target opening, and adjusting the current opening of the valve body to the target opening.

[0013] In some specific embodiments, the steps of determining a first influence coefficient based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature, determining a second influence coefficient based on the cooling capacity and the heat load, and determining a target influence coefficient based on the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient include: determining the first influence coefficient based on the current intake air temperature, the current refrigerant temperature, and a first preset relationship; determining the second influence coefficient based on the cooling capacity, the heat load, and a second preset relationship; and taking the larger of the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient as the target influence coefficient; and determining the initial opening degree of the valve body based on the target influence coefficient, the cooling capacity, and the heat load, including: multiplying the larger of the cooling capacity and the heat load by the target influence coefficient, and taking the product as the initial opening degree of the valve body.

[0014] A third aspect of this application provides a vehicle, the vehicle including the thermal management device of any of the above-mentioned vehicles and a controller, the controller being used to execute the control method of the thermal management device of any of the above-mentioned vehicles.

[0015] The present application possesses at least the following beneficial technical effects: Based on the vehicle thermal management device and control method provided in this application, and the vehicle, the vehicle thermal management device includes: a heat pipe body with a valve body, and a fluid disposed within the heat pipe body; an evaporator assembly disposed at a first end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, at least a portion of which is disposed within the intake manifold of the engine system; and a condenser assembly disposed at a second end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, and connected to the low-pressure side pipeline of the air conditioning circuit. When the valve body controls the heat pipe body to be open, the evaporator assembly absorbs heat from the intake manifold to evaporate the internal fluid and form vapor. The vapor in the evaporator assembly is introduced into the condenser assembly through the heat pipe body. The condenser assembly releases heat to the low-pressure side pipeline through the vapor, causing the vapor introduced into the evaporator assembly to condense. Therefore, by realizing heat exchange between the intake air in the intake manifold and the refrigerant in the low-pressure side pipeline of the air conditioning system through the thermal management device, the intake air temperature of the intake manifold can be effectively reduced, thereby improving combustion efficiency.

[0016] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of the embodiments of this application and to implement them in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of this application more obvious and understandable, specific implementation methods of this application are described below. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: vehicle thermal management device 10, heat pipe body 11, valve body 111, evaporator assembly 12, first evaporator pipe 121, second evaporator pipe 122, condenser assembly 13, inner pipe 131, outer pipe 132, bypass pipe 14, intake manifold 20. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0020] If the embodiments of this application involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Furthermore, if the word "and / or" appears throughout the text, it means including three parallel solutions. For example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution that simultaneously satisfies A and B. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0021] The first aspect of this application provides a thermal management device 10 for a vehicle. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the vehicle thermal management device 10 provided in this application.

[0022] Combination Figure 1The vehicle's thermal management device 10 includes a heat pipe body 11, an evaporator assembly 12, and a condenser assembly 13. The evaporator assembly 12 and the condenser assembly 13 are respectively disposed at the first end and the second end (opposite ends) of the heat pipe body 11, and both are in communication with the heat pipe body 11. The heat pipe body 11 is provided with a valve body 111 for controlling the opening and closing of the heat pipe body 11. A fluid is disposed inside the heat pipe body 11, which can flow inside the heat pipe body 11 and evaporate through the evaporator assembly 12. The vapor formed by evaporation can be condensed by the condenser assembly 13 and then reformed into fluid.

[0023] It should be understood that a heat pipe is a highly efficient passive heat transfer device that utilizes fluid phase change (evaporation and condensation) and capillary action or gravity to drive circulation, achieving rapid heat transfer. Its heat transfer efficiency can be hundreds of times that of metals, and it is widely used in heat dissipation, temperature homogenization, and other fields. The inner wall of the heat pipe body 11 can be provided with a capillary structure (not shown in the figure). The capillary structure can be, for example, a metal mesh or sintered powder, to drive the fluid in the heat pipe to flow back through capillary force, that is, to drive the fluid in the condenser end assembly 13 to flow towards the evaporator end assembly 12. In order to enable the fluid formed in the condenser end assembly 13 to flow better towards the evaporator end assembly 12, a capillary structure can be provided in the condenser end assembly 13 to provide capillary force.

[0024] Furthermore, at least a portion of the evaporator assembly 12 is disposed within the intake manifold 20 of the engine system, thereby enabling the fluid in the evaporator assembly 12 to exchange heat with the intake air in the intake manifold 20. The condenser assembly 13 is connected to the low-pressure side piping of the air conditioning circuit, thereby enabling the vapor in the condenser assembly 13 to exchange heat with the refrigerant in the low-pressure side piping.

[0025] In accordance with the above, when the vehicle's thermal management device 10 is used for heat conduction, the valve body 111 controls the heat pipe body 11 to be open. At this time, the temperature of the intake air in the intake manifold 20 is higher than the temperature of the fluid. The evaporator assembly 12 absorbs heat from the intake manifold 20 to evaporate the internal fluid and form vapor. The vapor in the evaporator assembly 12 is further introduced into the condenser assembly 13 through the heat pipe body 11. At this time, low-temperature gaseous refrigerant is transported in the low-pressure side pipeline. The condenser assembly 13 releases heat to the refrigerant in the low-pressure side pipeline through the vapor, so that the vapor introduced into the evaporator assembly 12 condenses to form fluid. The condensed fluid is further transported to the evaporator assembly 12 through the heat pipe body 11, thereby realizing fluid circulation and thus realizing the transfer of heat from the intake air in the intake manifold 20 to the refrigerant in the low-pressure side pipeline.

[0026] In summary, based on the vehicle thermal management device 10 provided in the above embodiments, the thermal management device realizes the heat exchange between the intake air in the intake manifold 20 and the refrigerant in the low-pressure side pipeline of the air conditioning system, which can effectively reduce the intake air temperature of the intake manifold 20 and thus improve combustion efficiency.

[0027] Continue to combine Figure 1 In some specific embodiments, the evaporator assembly 12 includes a first evaporator tube 121 and a second evaporator tube 122. Both the first evaporator tube 121 and the second evaporator tube 122 are connected to the first end of the heat pipe body 11. One end of the first evaporator tube 121 and the second evaporator tube 122 is disposed inside the intake manifold 20 to absorb heat within the intake manifold 20. The first evaporator tube 121 and the second evaporator tube 122 are fixed to a specific structure, thereby fixing their position relative to the intake manifold 20.

[0028] Specifically, the first evaporator 121 and the second evaporator 122 are part of the evaporator end assembly 12. Both the first evaporator 121 and the second evaporator 122 are connected to the first end of the heat pipe body 11, so that the evaporator end assembly 12 is located at the first end of the heat pipe body 11. At this time, the fluid will exchange heat with the intake air in the portions of the first evaporator 121 and the second evaporator 122 located inside the intake manifold 20, thereby absorbing heat from the intake manifold 20.

[0029] The number of evaporator tubes is not limited to two. For example, in some embodiments, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the number of evaporator tubes can be four, including a third and a fourth evaporator tube. This arrangement of evaporator tubes allows for heat exchange between the fluid and the intake air through a simple structure, without affecting the intake manifold 20.

[0030] In another embodiment of the evaporator assembly 12, the evaporator assembly 12 includes an inlet pipe (not shown), an outlet pipe (not shown), and a heat exchanger (not shown). One end of the inlet pipe and one end of the outlet pipe are connected to one end of the heat pipe body 11, and the other ends of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are connected to the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is located inside the intake manifold 20 to absorb heat from the intake manifold 20.

[0031] Specifically, one end of the liquid inlet pipe can be connected to the side of the heat pipe body 11 located on the valve body 111 near the condenser end assembly 13, that is, it can be connected to the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the left side of the valve body 111, so that the fluid in the heat pipe body 11 can better enter the liquid inlet pipe. One end of the gas outlet pipe can be connected to the side of the heat pipe body 11 located on the valve body 111 away from the condenser end assembly 13, that is, it can be connected to the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the left side of the valve body 111. At this time, the fluid enters the heat exchanger through the liquid inlet pipe, and the fluid in the heat exchanger exchanges heat with the intake air in the intake manifold 20 to absorb the heat in the intake manifold 20.

[0032] Continue to combine Figure 1In some specific embodiments, the condenser assembly 13 includes a coaxial tube, the inner tube 131 of which is connected to a low-pressure side pipeline to transmit refrigerant, and the outer tube 132 of which is connected to the second end of the heat pipe body 11. The heat pipe body 11 is used to transmit vapor to the outer tube 132 so that the vapor in the outer tube 132 releases heat to the refrigerant.

[0033] It should be understood that the inner tube 131 and outer tube 132 of the coaxial tube are coaxially arranged. The inner tube 131 can form part of the low-pressure side pipeline, and thus connect with other low-pressure side pipelines. The low-pressure side pipeline is the pipeline between the evaporator outlet and the compressor inlet in the air conditioning circuit, and this section of pipeline transports gaseous refrigerant. The outer tube 132 of the coaxial tube is connected to the second end of the heat pipe body 11, which can be achieved by connecting the sidewall of the coaxial tube to the second end of the heat pipe body 11. In this case, the vapor in the heat pipe body 11 can be directly introduced into the outer tube 132, thereby allowing the vapor in the outer tube 132 to exchange heat with the gaseous refrigerant in the inner tube 131, so that the vapor releases heat to the refrigerant.

[0034] In order to ensure that the fluid inside the coaxial tube can be well transferred to the heat pipe body 11, a capillary structure can be provided inside the coaxial tube.

[0035] Continue to combine Figure 1 In some specific embodiments, the vehicle's thermal management device 10 further includes a bypass pipe 14. The first end of the bypass pipe 14 is connected to the heat pipe body 11 via a valve body 111, and the second end of the bypass pipe 14 is connected to the condenser assembly 13. In this case, the valve body 111 can be a three-way valve body 111, which has three interconnecting ports. The three ports of the valve body 111 are respectively connected to the two sections of the heat pipe body 11 and the bypass pipe 14.

[0036] Based on the bypass pipe 14, the valve body 111 has the following control methods: Method 1: When the control heat pipe body 11 is turned off by the valve body 111, the part of the control heat pipe body 11 located on the side of the valve body 111 near the condenser end assembly 13 is connected to the bypass pipe 14.

[0037] In some application scenarios, the vehicle's thermal management device 10 does not need to be activated. In this case, it is necessary to close the heat pipe body 11, thereby preventing fluid transfer between the condenser assembly 13 and the evaporator assembly 12. At this time, the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the valve body 111 near the condenser assembly 13 may exchange heat with the vapor in the coaxial tube, causing a change in the vapor temperature within the coaxial tube and thus having a certain impact. Therefore, in this situation, the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the valve body 111 near the condenser assembly 13 is connected to the bypass pipe 14, so that the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the valve body 111 near the condenser assembly 13, the coaxial tube, and the bypass pipe 14 form a loop, achieving thermal circulation and avoiding adverse effects.

[0038] Method 2: When the valve body 111 controls the heat pipe body 11 to be open, the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the side of the valve body 111 near the evaporator assembly 12 is connected to the bypass pipe 14.

[0039] In one application scenario, steam can be transferred to the coaxial tube via the bypass pipe 14, thereby improving the heat exchange effect of the steam within the coaxial tube. At this time, the portions of the heat pipe body 11 located on both the left and right sides of the valve body 111 are conductive, and the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the right side of the valve body 111 is also connected to the bypass pipe 14. Therefore, the portion of the heat pipe body 11 located on the right side of the valve body 111 can directly guide steam to the portion located on the left side and the bypass pipe 14.

[0040] The second aspect of this application provides a control method for a vehicle thermal management device, the method being applied to the vehicle thermal management device 10 in any of the above embodiments. Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application, combined with... Figure 2 This method includes the following steps: S101: If the current ambient temperature is higher than the preset temperature, obtain the current intake temperature of the intake manifold and the current refrigerant temperature of the low-pressure side pipeline.

[0041] It should be understood that when the ambient temperature is high, users will turn on the air conditioning system to cool the vehicle's passenger compartment. At this time, since the intake air temperature in the intake manifold is determined to some extent by the ambient temperature, it will be relatively high and needs to be lowered. Furthermore, the air conditioning system will be more effective at this time, so by transferring some heat from the intake manifold to the gaseous refrigerant, the air conditioning system can effectively dissipate the heat through the air conditioning circuit without affecting its cooling function.

[0042] The preset temperature can be a relatively high temperature. When the current ambient temperature is higher than the preset temperature, it indicates that the current ambient temperature is high, and it is suitable for the vehicle's thermal management device to transfer heat from the intake manifold to the air conditioning system for dissipation. Therefore, when the current ambient temperature is higher than the preset temperature, the relevant control methods for the vehicle's thermal management device are executed. This step first obtains the current intake air temperature of the intake manifold and the current refrigerant temperature of the low-pressure side pipeline. Both the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature can be detected in real time by sensors or calculated in real time using other parameters.

[0043] S102: Determine the first temperature difference between the current intake air temperature and the target intake air temperature, determine the second temperature difference between the current refrigerant temperature and the target refrigerant temperature, determine the heat load corresponding to the first temperature difference and the cooling capacity corresponding to the second temperature difference, and determine the current heat dissipation capacity of the thermal management device based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature.

[0044] The target intake air temperature and target refrigerant temperature are preset according to actual needs. For example, the target intake air temperature can be determined within the range of 35℃ to 40℃, and the target refrigerant temperature can be determined within the range of 5℃ to 10℃. After determining the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature, the corresponding first temperature difference and second temperature difference can be directly calculated.

[0045] It should be understood that cooling capacity represents the amount of heat that can be transferred per second (1 kW = 1 kJ / s). The amount of cooling capacity mainly depends on the temperature difference requirement; the greater the temperature difference between the target temperature and the ambient temperature, the higher the required cooling capacity. For example, cooling in the hot summer requires more cooling capacity than in spring and autumn. Heat load is a similar concept, representing the total amount of heat exchanged between the system and the environment per unit time. Its main influencing factor is also the temperature difference between the target temperature and the ambient temperature. Therefore, cooling capacity actually reflects the ability of the refrigerant in the low-pressure side piping to exchange heat with the outside environment, while heat load reflects the ability of the intake air in the intake manifold to exchange heat with the outside environment.

[0046] In some application scenarios, cooling capacity Q1 = C1 m1 ▲1, where C1 represents the specific heat capacity of the refrigerant, m1 represents the refrigerant flow rate, and ▲1 represents the second temperature difference. Heat load Q2 = C2 m2 ▲2, where C2 represents the specific heat capacity of the intake air, m2 represents the intake air flow rate, and ▲2 represents the first temperature difference. The heat dissipation capacity (i.e., heat exchange capacity) of the thermal management device is also limited. Therefore, the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature are needed to determine the current heat dissipation capacity of the thermal management device, which is equivalent to determining its current heat exchange capacity. In this case, the current heat dissipation capacity is primarily determined by the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature.

[0047] In some application scenarios, the heat dissipation capacity of the thermal management device is Q=kA(T_h-T_c) / L, where Q is the heat flow rate, k is the thermal conductivity, A is the effective heat dissipation cross section of the heat pipe, T_h is the current temperature, T_c is the current refrigerant temperature, and L is the length of the heat pipe.

[0048] S103: Determine the adjustment coefficient based on the relationship between cooling capacity, heating load and current heat dissipation capacity, and adjust the current opening degree of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient.

[0049] In summary, both cooling capacity and heat load represent heat exchange capacity, while current heat dissipation capacity represents the heat exchange capacity of the thermal management device. During the heat exchange process of the thermal management device, a balance must be achieved among these three factors. Specifically, a degree of heat exchange needs to be determined by the relationship between cooling capacity, heat load, and current heat dissipation capacity. At this degree of heat exchange, all three factors can be balanced simultaneously, achieving a good reduction in intake air temperature. If the current valve opening is not suitable at this degree of heat exchange, then the current valve opening needs to be adjusted. The adjustment coefficient for the current opening can be determined by this degree of heat exchange, i.e., the adjustment coefficient is determined by the relationship between cooling capacity, heat load, and current heat dissipation capacity.

[0050] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application.

[0051] Combination Figure 3 In some specific embodiments, the step of determining an adjustment coefficient based on the relationship between cooling capacity, heat load, and current heat dissipation capacity, and adjusting the current opening degree of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient, i.e., step S103 above, includes: S201: If the smaller of the cooling load and the heating load is less than the current heat dissipation capacity, then the adjustment coefficient is determined as the first adjustment coefficient.

[0052] It should be understood that during the heat exchange process between the condenser and evaporator components, to achieve a larger and more suitable degree of heat exchange, the smaller of the two can be used as the heat exchange capacity. If the smaller of the cooling capacity and the heating load is less than the current heat dissipation capacity, it indicates that the current heat exchange capacity of the thermal management device is in surplus. In this case, the heat exchange capacity of the thermal management device needs to be reduced. Therefore, the determined first adjustment coefficient is used to reduce the current opening of the valve body, thereby reducing the heat exchange capacity of the thermal management device.

[0053] S202: If the smaller of the cooling load and the heating load is greater than or equal to the current heat dissipation capacity, then the adjustment coefficient is determined as the second adjustment coefficient.

[0054] If the smaller of the cooling capacity and the heating load is greater than or equal to the current heat dissipation capacity, it means that the current heat dissipation capacity of the thermal management device is insufficient to meet the maximum heat exchange between the condenser and evaporator components. In this case, the heat exchange capacity of the thermal management device needs to be increased. Therefore, the second adjustment coefficient is used to increase the current opening of the valve body.

[0055] S203: Adjust the current opening degree of the valve body based on the first adjustment coefficient or the second adjustment coefficient.

[0056] After obtaining the first adjustment coefficient and the second adjustment coefficient, the current opening degree of the valve body can be adjusted to increase or decrease the current opening degree of the valve body.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application.

[0058] Combination Figure 4 In some specific embodiments, prior to the step of adjusting the current opening degree of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient, the following steps are included: S301: Determine the first influence coefficient based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature, determine the second influence coefficient based on the cooling capacity and the heating load, and determine the target influence coefficient based on the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient.

[0059] It should be understood that when the thermal management device is first started, an initial opening degree needs to be determined so that the valve body opening degree is the initial opening degree when the thermal management device starts to operate.

[0060] The intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature significantly influence the valve opening. For example, when the intake air temperature is high and the refrigerant temperature is low, the valve opening can be set higher to transfer more heat from the intake manifold to the low-pressure side piping. A first preset relationship exists between the current intake air temperature, the current refrigerant temperature, and a first influence coefficient. In this first preset relationship, if the current refrigerant temperature remains constant, a higher intake air temperature results in a larger first influence coefficient.

[0061] Similarly, in another dimension, cooling capacity and heat load also significantly affect the valve opening. At this point, there is a second preset relationship between cooling capacity, heat load, and the second influence coefficient. In this second preset relationship, if the cooling capacity remains constant, a higher heat load may correspond to a higher second influence coefficient.

[0062] Both the first and second influence coefficients can reflect the desired valve opening degree well. At this point, a relevant strategy can be preset to determine the comprehensive target influence coefficient by combining the first and second influence coefficients.

[0063] S302: Based on the target influence coefficient, cooling capacity, and heat load, determine the initial opening degree of the valve body and control the valve body opening degree to the initial opening degree.

[0064] Among them, the preset relationship between the target influence coefficient, cooling capacity, heating load and initial opening degree can be preset, and then the initial opening degree can be determined through these parameters and preset relationships.

[0065] It should be understood that after obtaining the initial opening degree, the valve opening degree of the thermal management device can be controlled to the initial opening degree so that the thermal management device can start to operate and carry out heat exchange between the condenser end component and the evaporator end component.

[0066] Based on the above, the steps for adjusting the current opening degree of the valve body according to the adjustment coefficient include: The product of the current opening degree and the adjustment coefficient is used as the target opening degree, and the current opening degree of the valve body is adjusted to the target opening degree.

[0067] In this process, after the valve body of the thermal management device operates at its initial opening, the initial opening can be adjusted according to the adjustment coefficient during subsequent valve opening adjustments. This is the initial adjustment process for the valve body. In subsequent processes, the product of the current opening and the adjustment coefficient is used as the target opening.

[0068] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the control method for the vehicle thermal management device provided in this application.

[0069] In some specific embodiments, the steps of determining a first influence coefficient based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature, determining a second influence coefficient based on the cooling capacity and the heating load, and determining a target influence coefficient based on the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient, namely step S301 above, include: S401: Determine the first influence coefficient based on the current intake air temperature, the current refrigerant temperature and the first preset relationship, and determine the second influence coefficient based on the cooling capacity, the heating load and the second preset relationship, and take the larger of the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient as the target influence coefficient.

[0070] The relationship between the current intake air temperature, the current refrigerant temperature, and the first influence coefficient is a first preset relationship. Therefore, after obtaining the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature, the first influence coefficient can be determined based on the first preset relationship. Similarly, the relationship between the cooling capacity, the heating load, and the second influence coefficient is a second preset relationship. Therefore, after obtaining the cooling capacity and the heating load, the second influence coefficient can be determined based on the second preset relationship.

[0071] In some application scenarios, when the current intake air temperature remains constant, the lower the current refrigerant temperature, the higher the first influence coefficient; conversely, when the current refrigerant temperature remains constant, the higher the current intake air temperature, the higher the first influence coefficient. When the cooling capacity remains constant, the higher the heat load, the higher the second influence coefficient; when the heat load remains constant, the higher the cooling capacity, the higher the second influence coefficient; or, the higher the smaller of the cooling capacity and heat load, the higher the second influence coefficient.

[0072] It should be understood that the larger of the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient is taken as the target influence coefficient, so that the initial opening determined by the target influence coefficient can achieve a better heat exchange effect based on the system's heat exchange capacity, so as to better reduce the intake air temperature in the intake manifold.

[0073] The steps for determining the initial valve opening based on the target influence coefficient, cooling capacity, and heating load include: S402: Multiply the larger of the cooling load and the heating load by the target influence coefficient, and use the product as the initial opening of the valve body.

[0074] After obtaining the target influence coefficient, the final initial opening degree is further obtained based on the cooling capacity and heating load. Multiplying the larger of the cooling capacity and heating load by the target influence coefficient results in a larger initial opening degree, which can reduce the intake air temperature to a greater extent.

[0075] A third aspect of this application provides a vehicle, which includes a thermal management device and a controller as described in any of the above embodiments. The controller is used to execute the control method of the thermal management device in any of the above embodiments. For a detailed description of the controller's execution of the above method, please refer to the relevant content of the above embodiments.

[0076] In summary, based on the vehicle thermal management device and control method provided in this application, and the vehicle, the vehicle thermal management device includes: a heat pipe body with a valve body, and a fluid disposed within the heat pipe body; an evaporator assembly disposed at a first end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, at least a portion of which is disposed within the intake manifold of the engine system; and a condenser assembly disposed at a second end of the heat pipe body and connected to the heat pipe body, connected to the low-pressure side pipe of the air conditioning circuit. When the valve body controls the heat pipe body to be open, the evaporator assembly absorbs heat from the intake manifold to evaporate the internal fluid, forming vapor. The vapor in the evaporator assembly is introduced into the condenser assembly through the heat pipe body. The condenser assembly releases heat to the low-pressure side pipe through the vapor, causing the vapor introduced into the evaporator assembly to condense. Therefore, by achieving heat exchange between the intake air in the intake manifold and the refrigerant in the low-pressure side pipe of the air conditioning system through the thermal management device, the intake air temperature of the intake manifold can be effectively reduced, thereby improving combustion efficiency.

[0077] The above description is merely a preferred exemplary embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily make corresponding modifications or alterations based on the main concept and spirit of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of protection claimed in the claims.

Claims

1. A thermal management device for a vehicle, characterized by, include: A heat pipe body is provided with a valve body, and fluid is disposed inside the heat pipe body; An evaporator assembly is disposed at the first end of the heat pipe body and communicates with the heat pipe body, and at least a portion of the evaporator assembly is disposed in the intake manifold of the engine system. A condenser end assembly is disposed at the second end of the heat pipe body and communicates with the heat pipe body. The condenser end assembly is connected to the low-pressure side pipeline of the air conditioning circuit. When the valve body controls the heat pipe body to be open, the evaporation end assembly is used to absorb heat in the intake manifold to evaporate the internal fluid to form steam. The steam in the evaporation end assembly is introduced into the condensation end assembly through the heat pipe body. The condensation end assembly is used to release heat to the low-pressure side pipeline through the steam, so that the steam introduced into the evaporation end assembly is condensed. The vehicle's thermal management device also includes a bypass pipe, the first end of which is connected to the heat pipe body through the valve body, and the second end of which is connected to the condenser assembly. When the valve body controls the heat pipe to shut off, the portion of the heat pipe located on the side of the valve body closer to the condenser end assembly is connected to the bypass pipe; or when the valve body controls the heat pipe to open, the portion of the heat pipe located on the side of the valve body closer to the evaporator end assembly is connected to the bypass pipe.

2. The vehicle thermal management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporator assembly includes a first evaporator tube and a second evaporator tube. Both the first evaporator tube and the second evaporator tube are connected to the first end of the heat pipe body. One end of the first evaporator tube and the second evaporator tube is disposed inside the intake manifold to absorb heat from the intake manifold.

3. The vehicle thermal management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporator assembly includes a liquid inlet pipe, an exhaust pipe, and a heat exchanger. One end of the liquid inlet pipe and one end of the exhaust pipe are connected to one end of the heat pipe body. The other ends of the liquid inlet pipe and the exhaust pipe are connected to the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is disposed inside the intake manifold to absorb heat from the intake manifold.

4. The vehicle thermal management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condenser assembly includes a coaxial tube, the inner tube of which is connected to the low-pressure side pipeline to transmit refrigerant, and the outer tube of which is connected to the second end of the heat pipe body. The heat pipe body is used to transmit vapor to the outer tube so that the vapor in the outer tube releases heat to the refrigerant.

5. A control method of a thermal management device of a vehicle, characterized by, The method is applied to the thermal management device of the vehicle according to any one of claims 1-4, comprising: If the current ambient temperature is higher than the preset temperature, then obtain the current intake temperature of the intake manifold and the current refrigerant temperature of the low-pressure side pipeline. A first temperature difference between the current intake air temperature and the target intake air temperature is determined, a second temperature difference between the current refrigerant temperature and the target refrigerant temperature is determined, the heat load corresponding to the first temperature difference and the cooling capacity corresponding to the second temperature difference are determined, and the current heat dissipation capacity of the thermal management device is determined based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature. An adjustment coefficient is determined based on the relationship between the cooling capacity, the heat load, and the current heat dissipation capacity, and the current opening degree of the valve body is adjusted based on the adjustment coefficient.

6. The control method for the vehicle thermal management device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of determining an adjustment coefficient based on the relationship between the cooling capacity, the heat load, and the current heat dissipation capacity, and adjusting the current opening degree of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient, includes: If the smaller of the cooling capacity and the heating load is less than the current heat dissipation capacity, then the adjustment coefficient is determined as the first adjustment coefficient; If the smaller of the cooling capacity and the heating load is greater than or equal to the current heat dissipation capacity, then the adjustment coefficient is determined as the second adjustment coefficient; The valve body's current opening degree is adjusted based on either the first adjustment coefficient or the second adjustment coefficient; wherein the first adjustment coefficient is used to decrease the valve body's current opening degree, and the second adjustment coefficient is used to increase the valve body's current opening degree.

7. The control method for the vehicle thermal management device according to claim 5, characterized in that, Before the step of adjusting the current opening of the valve body based on the adjustment coefficient, the following steps are included: A first influence coefficient is determined based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature; a second influence coefficient is determined based on the cooling capacity and the heat load; and a target influence coefficient is determined based on the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient. Based on the target influence coefficient, the cooling capacity, and the heat load, the initial opening degree of the valve body is determined, and the opening degree of the valve body is controlled to be the initial opening degree.

8. The control method for the vehicle thermal management device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The steps of determining a first influence coefficient based on the current intake air temperature and the current refrigerant temperature, determining a second influence coefficient based on the cooling capacity and the heat load, and determining a target influence coefficient based on the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient include: A first influence coefficient is determined based on the current intake air temperature, the current refrigerant temperature, and a first preset relationship. A second influence coefficient is determined based on the cooling capacity, the heat load, and a second preset relationship. The larger of the first influence coefficient and the second influence coefficient is taken as the target influence coefficient. The step of determining the initial opening degree of the valve body based on the target influence coefficient, the cooling capacity, and the heat load includes: The larger of the cooling load and the heating load is multiplied by the target influence coefficient, and the product is used as the initial opening of the valve body.

9. A vehicle characterized by comprising: The vehicle includes a thermal management device for the vehicle as described in any one of claims 1-4 and a controller, the controller being used to execute the control method of the thermal management device for the vehicle as described in any one of claims 5-8.

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