Multi-way valve control method
By optimizing the control method of multi-way valves, reducing the number of self-learning cycles and decoupling control parameters, the problems of precision position control and parameter coupling in multi-way valves are solved, extending service life and reducing development costs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511407796.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing control methods for multi-way valves suffer from problems such as difficulty in precise position control, high number of self-learning cycles, and high coupling between control parameters and algorithms, resulting in short service life and high development costs.
A multi-way valve control method is adopted, which includes initialization, self-learning, normal operation and fault handling steps. By reducing the number of self-learning steps and decoupling control parameters and algorithms, the adaptability is improved. Diagnostic services are used to modify parameters to adapt to different valve body changes.
It achieves precise control, extends the service life of multi-way valves, reduces development costs, and improves adaptability and control accuracy.
Smart Images
Figure CN120946833A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of multi-way valve technology, and specifically relates to a multi-way valve control method. Background Technology
[0002] With the development of automobiles, automotive thermal management systems no longer merely serve the traditional cooling of internal combustion engines and air conditioning comfort. They must also efficiently and collaboratively manage the thermal demands of the three core electric components (battery, motor, and electronic control system) of electric vehicles, encompassing multiple complex objectives such as drive system heat dissipation, precise battery pack temperature control, and passenger cabin comfort adjustment. Under these requirements, multi-way valves, with their flexible and precise fluid path control capabilities, have become the core actuators for achieving a highly integrated thermal management architecture.
[0003] However, controlling multi-way valves presents several challenges, including: 1. Precise position control and stability: Due to cost constraints, Hall effect sensors are currently commonly used for valve body position feedback, making precise position control difficult. 2. Before each operation, the multi-way valve requires self-learning to calibrate its position, significantly increasing the number of invalid runs and reducing the actual lifespan of the valve components. 3. The control method is highly coupled with the valve's parameters; when the valve body is iterated and updated, the software also needs to be updated synchronously, making management difficult. Therefore, a new control method is needed to accurately control the position of the multi-way valve and extend its lifespan. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention aims to provide a multi-way valve control method that, while ensuring precise control, significantly reduces the number of valve self-learning cycles, increases valve lifespan, and decouples control parameters from the algorithm, resulting in higher adaptability. Parameters can be modified through diagnostic services, allowing the software to adapt to more valves without requiring continuous software adaptation based on valve body changes, thus reducing development costs.
[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:
[0006] A multi-way valve control method includes the following steps:
[0007] S1. Initialization: After the controller is powered on, it enters the initialization state, reads the abnormal power-down / mode switching multiple times flag bit. When the flag bit is 1, it enters the self-learning state. When the flag bit is 0, it enters the normal working state.
[0008] S2, Self-learning: When entering the self-learning state, if the self-learning is successful, it will enter the normal working state; if the self-learning fails, it will enter the abnormal state.
[0009] S3, Normal Operation: Detects whether a stall occurs during normal operation. If a stall occurs, it enters an abnormal state.
[0010] S4. Fault Handling: When a fault occurs, wait for the self-learning instruction to be re-learned.
[0011] Preferably, in step S1, after the controller starts running, it enters the initialization state and reads the abnormal power-down / mode switching multiple times flag bit from the EEPROM;
[0012] When the flag bit is 1, it enters the self-learning state and reads the parameters of the multi-way valve from the EEPROM;
[0013] When the flag bit is 0, the current position information is read from the EEPROM and the system enters normal operation.
[0014] More preferably, in step S1, when entering the initialization state, the abnormal power-down / mode switching flag bit is read from the EEPROM 100 to 1000 times. For example, when entering the initialization state, the abnormal power-down / mode switching flag bit is read from the EEPROM 500 times.
[0015] Preferably, in step S2, after entering the self-learning state, the forward drive motor runs. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than the stall current judgment value, the counter starts timing. When the timing value reaches the stall time, it is determined that the motor has reached the left stop point, stops, and waits for the first time.
[0016] When the waiting time reaches the first time, the reverse drive motor runs and the number of Hall effect sensors passed by the motor is calculated. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than or equal to the normal operating current value, the current Hall effect sensor number X is read, where X is the Hall effect sensor value for commutation compensation. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than the stall current judgment value, the counter starts counting. When the counting value reaches the stall time, it is determined that the motor has reached the right stop point, and the motor stops and waits for the second time.
[0017] When the waiting time reaches the second time, it is determined whether the total number of detected Hall effect sensors H satisfies (total travel Hall effect value - self-learning time limit error) ≤ H ≤ (total travel Hall effect value + self-learning time limit error). If the condition is met, it is determined that the self-learning is successful and enters the normal operation state. If the condition is not met, it is determined that the self-learning is failed and enters the abnormal state.
[0018] More preferably, in step S2, the first time is 0.001 to 0.5 s, and the second time is 0.001 to 0.5 s. For example, the first time is 0.1 s, and the second time is 0.1 s.
[0019] Preferably, in step S3, during normal operation, it is determined whether the received mode signal is a valid mode request. If it is an invalid request, no processing is performed. If it is a valid request, the corresponding target position lap number is obtained according to the mode, and the running direction is determined based on the target position lap number and the current position lap number.
[0020] More preferably, in step S3, the running direction is determined based on the relationship between the number of revolutions at the target position and the number of revolutions at the current position, and then compared with the previous running direction to determine whether a reversal has occurred;
[0021] If a reversing action occurs, the number of rotations is calculated as follows: Number of rotations = Target number of rotations - Current number of rotations + Braking compensation + Reversing compensation; Braking compensation is dynamically calculated by software logic and refers to the compensation for the number of rotations taken from the issuance of the stop command to the actual stop.
[0022] If no reversing action occurs, the number of rotations is calculated as follows: Number of rotations = Target number of rotations - Current number of rotations + Brake compensation.
[0023] More preferably, in step S3, the update method for the current number of revolutions is determined according to the running direction. When the running direction is forward, the updated number of revolutions = current number of revolutions + q. When the running direction is reverse, the updated number of revolutions = current number of revolutions - q. Here, q is the number of Hall revolutions of the motor in each cycle. The current number of revolutions refers to the number of Hall revolutions corresponding to this position when no rotation occurs. After rotation occurs, the current number of revolutions is added or subtracted according to the rotation direction to obtain the new position, i.e., the updated number of revolutions.
[0024] Calculate the difference Err between the current number of revolutions and the target number of revolutions, and drive the motor according to the running direction;
[0025] When the absolute value of Err is ≤ 2 revolutions, the target mode is determined, the motor is stopped, the number of revolutions during the stopping process is obtained, and the current position information is stored in EEPROM.
[0026] Preferably, in step S4, after a fault occurs, a fault timer is started. After the timer reaches the third time, the fault is confirmed, the system enters a fault state, stops running, and waits for a relearning instruction.
[0027] More preferably, the third time is 1 to 5 seconds. For example, the third time is 2 seconds.
[0028] Beneficial effects:
[0029] This invention significantly reduces the number of valve self-learning cycles and increases valve lifespan while ensuring precise control. It also decouples control parameters from the algorithm, resulting in higher adaptability. Parameters can be modified through diagnostic services, allowing the software to adapt to more valves without constantly adapting the software to changes in the valve body, thus reducing development costs. Attached Figure Description
[0030] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a flowchart of the process of this invention;
[0031] Figure 2 The diagram shown is the initialization flowchart;
[0032] Figure 3 The diagram shown is a self-learning flowchart.
[0033] Figure 4 The diagram shown is a flowchart of normal operation.
[0034] Figure 5 The diagram shown is a flowchart of the fault operation process. Detailed Implementation
[0035] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.
[0036] Multi-port valves, as intelligent flow hubs in automotive thermal management, achieve precise temperature control (such as battery temperature control and motor cooling) in electrification scenarios, seamless switching between multiple heat pump modes (cooling / heating / waste heat recovery), and multi-heat source systems (battery-cabin-drive system linkage) by dynamically reconfiguring refrigerant / coolant paths. Integrated designs based on multi-port valves can reduce system complexity and improve energy efficiency. The control method is crucial to multi-port valves; its accuracy directly determines the performance of the entire system. Existing multi-port valve control methods are relatively simple, with core algorithms typically determining the valve's movement direction and stroke by acquiring the current and target Hall effect counts, and requiring a self-learning process each time power is applied. This invention proposes a novel control method to address these issues.
[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, this invention proposes a multi-way valve control method, including initialization, self-learning, normal operation, and fault handling, as follows:
[0038] S1. Initialization: After the controller is powered on and running, it enters the initialization state, reads the abnormal power-down / mode switching multiple times flag bit, when the flag bit is 1, it enters the self-learning state, when the flag bit is 0, it enters the normal working state.
[0039] S2, Self-learning: When entering the self-learning state, if the self-learning is successful, it will enter the normal working state; if the self-learning fails, it will enter the abnormal state.
[0040] S3, Normal Operation: Detects whether a stall occurs during normal operation. If a stall occurs, it enters an abnormal state.
[0041] S4. Fault Handling: When a fault occurs, wait for the self-learning instruction to be re-learned.
[0042] The specific steps of this invention are as follows:
[0043] S1. Initialization: such as Figure 2 As shown, after the controller starts running, it enters the initialization state and reads the abnormal power-down / mode switching multiple times flag from the EEPROM;
[0044] When the flag bit is 1, it enters the self-learning state and reads the multi-way valve parameters such as the Hall number of each mode, the Hall number of reversing compensation, and the Hall number of total stroke from the EEPROM.
[0045] When the flag bit is 0, the current position information is read from the EEPROM and the system enters normal operation.
[0046] Preferably, in step S1, upon entering the initialization state, the abnormal power-down / mode switching flag bit (100-1000 times) is read from the EEPROM. The abnormal power-down / mode switching flag bit (500 times) is also read from the EEPROM.
[0047] S2, Self-learning: such as Figure 3 As shown, the forward drive motor runs. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than the stall current judgment value, the counter starts counting. When the count value reaches the stall time, it is determined that the motor has reached the left stop point, stops and waits for the first time. The left stop point is the left limit on the valve body structure, which means the maximum position of the valve body to the left. After reaching this limit, the motor will stall and cannot rotate.
[0048] After the first waiting time is reached, the reverse drive motor runs and the number of Hall effect sensors passed by the motor is calculated. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than or equal to the normal operating current value, the current Hall effect sensor value X is read, where X is the Hall effect sensor value for commutation compensation. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than the stall current judgment value, the counter starts counting. When the count value reaches the stall time, it is determined that the motor has reached the right stop point, stops, and waits for the second time. The right stop point is the left limit on the valve body structure, which means the maximum position where the valve body can rotate to the right. After reaching this limit, the motor will stall and cannot rotate.
[0049] After the second waiting period, it is determined whether the total number of detected Hall effect sensors H satisfies the condition (total travel Hall effect value - self-learning time limit error) ≤ H ≤ (total travel Hall effect value + self-learning time limit error). If the condition is met, self-learning is considered successful, and the system enters normal operation. If the condition is not met, self-learning is considered failed, and the system enters an abnormal state. The motor generates two edge pulses per revolution. Since the number of revolutions from the left dead center to the right dead center is essentially fixed, the total number of pulses generated is also fixed. Figure 3 The total number of pulses is used to characterize the accuracy of the displacement throughout the entire stroke.
[0050] Preferably, in step S2, the first time interval is 0.1s and the second time interval is 0.1s. For example, the first time interval is 0.1s and the second time interval is 0.1s.
[0051] S3, Normal Operation: (e.g.) Figure 4 As shown, it determines whether the received mode signal is a valid mode request. If it is an invalid request, no processing is performed. If it is a valid request, the corresponding target position lap number is obtained according to the mode.
[0052] Based on the relationship between the number of revolutions at the target position and the number of revolutions at the current position, the running direction is determined. Then, it is compared with the previous running direction to determine whether a reversal has occurred. If a reversal has occurred, the number of revolutions is calculated as follows: Number of revolutions = Target number of revolutions - Current number of revolutions + Braking compensation + Reversal compensation. If no reversal has occurred, the number of revolutions is calculated as follows: Number of revolutions = Target number of revolutions - Current number of revolutions + Braking compensation. Braking compensation is dynamically calculated by software logic and refers to compensating for the number of revolutions taken from the issuance of the stop command to the actual braking stop.
[0053] The update method for determining the current number of revolutions based on the direction of operation is as follows: when the direction of operation is forward, the updated number of revolutions = current number of revolutions + q; when the direction of operation is reverse, the updated number of revolutions = current number of revolutions - q. Here, q is the number of Hall revolutions that the motor runs in each cycle; the current number of revolutions refers to the number of Hall revolutions corresponding to this position when no rotation has occurred. After rotation occurs, the current number of revolutions is added to or subtracted according to the direction of rotation to obtain the new position, which is the updated number of revolutions.
[0054] Calculate the difference Err between the current number of revolutions and the target number of revolutions, and drive the motor according to the running direction;
[0055] When the absolute value of Err is ≤ 2 revolutions, the target mode is determined to have been reached, the motor stops, and the number of revolutions during the stopping process is obtained and the current position information is stored in EEPROM. When the absolute value of Err is greater than 2, it is determined that the target position has not yet been reached. At this time, the motor will continue to rotate and Err will be updated until the absolute value of Err is less than 2, at which point the motor stops.
[0056] S4. Troubleshooting: such as Figure 5 As shown, when a fault occurs, a fault timer begins. After the timer reaches 1 to 5 seconds, for example, after the timer reaches 2 seconds, the fault is confirmed, the system enters a fault state, stops running, and waits for a relearning instruction.
[0057] This invention decouples control parameters from algorithms, inputting parameters such as Hall effect count, minimum side reserve (i.e., left dead center reserve value), maximum side reserve (right dead center reserve value), reversing compensation value, elastic deformation value, total stroke Hall effect value (ALL HALL), stall time, stall current judgment value, self-learning time limit error, part number, and reserves into the system. This results in higher adaptability, and parameters can be modified through diagnostic services, allowing the software to adapt to more valves without constantly adapting the software based on changes in the valve body.
[0058] The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with specific embodiments.
[0059] The specific scenario of this embodiment is a thermal management system for new energy vehicles.
[0060] The thermal management system of pure electric / hybrid new energy vehicles needs to meet the following requirements simultaneously:
[0061] Battery temperature control: Maintain the cell temperature between 20-40℃ (optimal operating range), and the temperature difference should be controlled within ±2℃.
[0062] Motor / Electrical Control Heat Dissipation: Rapid heat dissipation under high power conditions (such as continuous output >150kW).
[0063] Cabin comfort: Efficient distribution of heating (heat pump) in winter and cooling (compressor) in summer.
[0064] Energy recovery: Utilize the waste heat of the motor to improve winter driving range (e.g., recovery efficiency > 30%).
[0065] Extreme operating conditions: instantaneous thermal shock caused by fast charging (charging to 80% in 30-60 minutes), low temperature cold start (-30℃), etc.
[0066] Traditional solutions rely on mechanical three-way valves or multi-way independent solenoid valves, which have problems such as slow response (>100ms), low control accuracy (±5℃), and high energy consumption (frequent compressor start-stop).
[0067] Multi-way valves achieve dynamic flow distribution by integrating multiple fluid channels (typically 4-6) and programmable control logic.
[0068] Example 1
[0069] This embodiment concerns fast charging thermal management. During 400kW supercharging, the local temperature of the battery cell rises sharply (>45℃), leading to reduced power or safety hazards.
[0070] This embodiment calculates the heat load of each battery cell in real time and dynamically adjusts the opening of the multi-way valve based on the control method of this invention (e.g., allocating twice the cooling flow rate to the high-temperature region compared to the low-temperature region). It also predicts the charging curve using the charging protocol (e.g., CCS1 / GB / T) and activates the cooling channels in advance. This keeps the battery cell temperature difference within ±1.5℃ and reduces charging time by 20%.
[0071] Example 2
[0072] This example pertains to cold starts at low temperatures. The battery cannot be charged at -30°C and requires rapid warm-up.
[0073] Based on the control method of this invention, switching to "waste heat recovery mode" redirects waste heat from the motor / electronic control system to the battery pack (through a reverse circulation via a multi-way valve). Combined with a PTC heater, a segmented heating strategy is employed (e.g., full-power heating for the first 5 minutes, followed by constant temperature maintenance). This achieves a battery heating rate of 3°C / min, reducing range loss by 40%.
[0074] Example 3
[0075] This embodiment concerns the synergy of the heat pump system. The CO2 heat pump experiences a sharp drop in COP (<1.5) at low temperatures.
[0076] This embodiment uses a method to dynamically adjust the opening of the multi-way valve, utilizing battery waste heat (40-50℃) as a heat source for the heat pump, and optimizes evaporator / condenser efficiency through refrigerant flow distribution. This embodiment increases the heat pump COP to 2.8 and increases winter operating range by 8%.
[0077] The embodiments provided by the present invention have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the core ideas of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for controlling a multi-way valve, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Initialization: After the controller is powered on, it enters the initialization state, reads the abnormal power-down / mode switching multiple times flag bit. When the flag bit is 1, it enters the self-learning state. When the flag bit is 0, it enters the normal working state. S2, Self-learning: When entering the self-learning state, if the self-learning is successful, it will enter the normal working state; if the self-learning fails, it will enter the abnormal state. S3, Normal Operation: Detects whether a stall occurs during normal operation. If a stall occurs, it enters an abnormal state. S4. Fault Handling: When a fault occurs, wait for the self-learning instruction to be re-learned.
2. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, after the controller starts running, it enters the initialization state and reads the abnormal power-down / mode switching multiple times flag bit from the EEPROM; When the flag bit is 1, it enters the self-learning state and reads the parameters of the multi-way valve from the EEPROM; When the flag bit is 0, the current position information is read from the EEPROM and the system enters normal operation.
3. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S1, when entering the initialization state, the abnormal power-down / mode switching 100 to 1000 times flag bit is read from the EEPROM.
4. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, after entering the self-learning state, the forward drive motor runs. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than the stall current judgment value, the counter starts timing. When the timing value reaches the stall time, it is determined that the motor has reached the left stop point, stops and waits for the first time. When the waiting time reaches the first time, the reverse drive motor runs and the number of Hall effect sensors passed by the motor is calculated. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than or equal to the normal operating current value, the current Hall effect sensor number X is read, where X is the Hall effect sensor value for commutation compensation. When the motor running current is detected to be greater than the stall current judgment value, the counter starts counting. When the counting value reaches the stall time, it is determined that the motor has reached the right stop point, and the motor stops and waits for the second time. When the waiting time reaches the second time, it is determined whether the total number of detected Hall effect sensors H satisfies (total travel Hall effect value - self-learning time limit error) ≤ H ≤ (total travel Hall effect value + self-learning time limit error). If the condition is met, it is determined that the self-learning is successful and enters the normal operation state. If the condition is not met, it is determined that the self-learning is failed and enters the abnormal state.
5. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, In step S2, the first time is 0.001 to 0.5 s, and the second time is 0.001 to 0.5 s.
6. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, during normal operation, it is determined whether the received mode signal is a valid mode request. If it is an invalid request, no processing is performed. If it is a valid request, the corresponding target position revolution number is obtained according to the mode, and the running direction is determined based on the target position revolution number and the current position revolution number.
7. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S3, the running direction is determined based on the relationship between the number of revolutions at the target position and the number of revolutions at the current position. Then, it is compared with the previous running direction to determine whether a change of direction has occurred. If a reversing action occurs, the number of rotations is calculated as follows: Number of rotations = Target number of rotations - Current number of rotations + Braking compensation + Reversing compensation; If no reversing action occurs, the number of rotations is calculated as follows: Number of rotations = Target number of rotations - Current number of rotations + Brake compensation.
8. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S3, the update method for the current number of revolutions is determined according to the running direction. When the running direction is forward, the updated number of revolutions = current number of revolutions + q. When the running direction is reverse, the updated number of revolutions = current number of revolutions - q. Where q is the number of Hall revolutions of the motor in each cycle. Calculate the difference Err between the current number of revolutions and the target number of revolutions, and drive the motor according to the running direction; When the absolute value of Err is ≤ 2 revolutions, the target mode is determined, the motor is stopped, the number of revolutions during the stopping process is obtained, and the current position information is stored in EEPROM.
9. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, after a fault occurs, a fault timer is started. After the timer reaches the third time, the fault is confirmed, the system enters a fault state, stops running, and waits for a relearning instruction.
10. The multi-way valve control method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The third time interval is 1 to 5 seconds, with a preferred interval of 2 seconds.