Cooling control device and method for delaying thermal runaway of battery

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling control device and method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery. A cooling control apparatus for delaying thermal runaway of a battery includes a thermal runaway diagnosis unit configured to diagnose a thermal runaway state of the battery, and a controller configured to drive a chiller when the chiller for cooling the battery can be driven in response to diagnosing the thermal runaway state of the battery.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0110547, filed on August 19, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to a cooling control device and method for delaying thermal runaway of batteries. Background Technology

[0004] Thermal runaway in a battery refers to the phenomenon where the power loss and conversion of components into heat cause the temperature to rise, thereby increasing the current and further raising the temperature, leading to thermal instability and ultimately damaging the components.

[0005] When thermal runaway occurs in the high-voltage battery used in vehicles (e.g., environmentally friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)), the thermal runaway is addressed by suppressing additional short circuits through circuit interruption of the high-voltage battery (disconnection of the main relay). Alternatively, to delay thermal runaway, hardware improvements / modifications (e.g., reinforcing busbars, adding heat-resistant pads, and / or applying vent valves to release high-temperature gases) have been implemented.

[0006] However, in the case of conventional technology, when thermal runaway of the battery occurs, the battery power is cut off (the main relay is disconnected), which prevents the chiller, which is the most effective way to delay heat transfer, from operating. Therefore, there is a problem of insufficient delay in the thermal runaway of the battery.

[0007] The descriptions in this background section are intended only to enhance the understanding of the background technology of this application and should not be construed as an admission that the content corresponds to prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This application is made in view of the above problems, and the purpose of this application is to provide a cooling control device and method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery by driving a cooler when thermal runaway of the battery occurs.

[0009] Another objective of this application is to provide a cooling control device and method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery by driving a cooler and an electric water pump (EWP) when the cooler can be driven during the occurrence of thermal runaway.

[0010] A further objective of this application is to provide a cooling control device and method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery by driving an EWP when the cooler cannot be driven during thermal runaway.

[0011] The purpose of this application is not limited to the purposes mentioned above, and other purposes and advantages not mentioned in this application will be understood from the following description and will become apparent from the examples in this application. It should also be understood that the purposes and advantages of this application can be achieved by the means set forth in the claims and combinations thereof.

[0012] The following description of the invention provides a brief summary of certain features. This description is not a comprehensive overview and is not intended to illustrate key or important elements.

[0013] Systems, apparatuses, and methods for cooling control devices and methods to delay thermal runaway of batteries are described. A cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery may include: a thermal runaway diagnostic calculation device configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery; and a controller configured to, in response to the diagnosis of the thermal runaway state of the battery, drive the cooler to cool the battery based on a determination that a battery-powered cooler can be driven.

[0014] Alternatively, a cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery may include: a thermal runaway diagnostic unit configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery; and a controller configured to control the cooling of the battery based on the diagnosed thermal runaway state, wherein the cooling of the battery is controlled in a first cooling mode based on a determination that a cooler for cooling the battery can be driven, or in a second cooling mode based on a determination that a cooler cannot be driven.

[0015] Alternatively, a cooling control method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery may include: diagnosing the thermal runaway state of the battery; and driving the cooler to cool the battery based on a determination that the battery-powered cooler is capable of being driven.

[0016] Alternatively, a cooling control method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery may include: diagnosing the thermal runaway state of the battery; and controlling the cooling of the battery based on the diagnosed thermal runaway state, wherein the cooling of the battery is controlled in a first cooling mode based on a determination that a cooler for cooling the battery can be driven, or the cooling of the battery is controlled in a second cooling mode based on a determination that the cooler cannot be driven.

[0017] The vehicle may include a cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of the vehicle's battery. The cooling control device may be as disclosed herein and / or may be configured to perform one or more functions of the methods disclosed herein.

[0018] These and other features and advantages will be described in more detail below. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this application will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a cooling control device for delaying battery thermal runaway, according to an example of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a cooling control method for delaying battery thermal runaway, according to an example of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow paths of a first cooling mode (battery-only cooling mode) and a second cooling mode (battery / power electric (PE) integrated cooling mode) according to an example of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] In the following description, examples of this application will be referenced in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, identical or similar elements will be indicated by the same reference numerals, even if they are depicted in different drawings, and therefore redundant descriptions will be omitted. In the following description of the examples, suffixes such as “module” and “section” are provided merely for ease of writing or are used interchangeably, and have no distinguishing meaning or function from each other. In the following description of the examples of this application, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations contained herein will be omitted where such detailed descriptions might make the subject matter of this application quite unclear. Furthermore, illustrative drawings will be provided to describe examples of this application and should not be construed as limiting to the examples set forth herein. It should be understood that the examples of this application are provided merely to fully disclose this application and cover modified, equivalent, or alternative embodiments falling within the scope and technical range of this application.

[0024] In the following description of the example, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to describe various elements, and these elements should not be construed as being limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from other elements.

[0025] When a component or layer is referred to as "connected to" or "attached to" another component or layer, the component or layer may be directly connected to or attached to the other component or layer, or there may be intermediate components or layers. Conversely, when a component or layer is referred to as "directly connected to" or "directly attached to" another component or layer, there may be no intermediate components or layers.

[0026] For the purposes of this application and claims, the exemplary phrases “at least one: A; B; or C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” are used, meaning “at least one A, or at least one B, or at least one C” or “any combination of at least one A, at least one B, and at least one C”. Furthermore, exemplary phrases used herein such as “A, B, and C”, “A, B, or C”, “at least one of A, B, and C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, etc., may mean each of the listed items or all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, “at least one of A or B” may mean (1) at least one A; (2) at least one B; or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0027] Throughout this application, references to components, units, or modules generally refer to items that are logically combined to perform a function or a set of related functions. The same reference numerals are generally intended to refer to the same or similar components. Components, units, and modules can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The components, units, modules, and / or functions described above can be implemented and / or performed by one or more processors. For example, components, units, and / or modules may include processors, microprocessors, graphics processing units, logic circuits, application-specific circuits (ASICs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, and / or other suitable hardware. Components, units, and / or modules may also include, for example, software control modules implemented using processors or logic circuits. Components, units, and / or modules may include or otherwise have access to memory, such as one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., random access memory, read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, flash memory / other storage devices), data registers, databases, and / or other suitable hardware. One or more storage types of media may include any or all tangible memory of a computer, processor, etc., or its associated modules, such as various semiconductor memories, tape drives, disk drives, etc., which can provide non-transitory storage for software programming at any time.

[0028] In the following text, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 3 This application describes in detail the cooling control device and method for delaying battery thermal runaway.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a cooling control device for delaying battery thermal runaway, according to an example of this application.

[0030] Reference Figure 1The cooling control device 100 for delaying battery thermal runaway according to the example of this application may include a thermal runaway diagnostic unit 110, a power management unit 120, a cooler drive unit 130, an electric water pump (EWP) drive unit 140, a controller 150, etc.

[0031] The thermal runaway diagnostic unit 110 can be configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery. For example, the thermal runaway diagnostic unit 110 can diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery (e.g., in real time) based on changes in the battery's state of charge (SoC), changes in the battery's state of safety (SoS), changes in the battery's temperature, changes in the battery's internal resistance, high-temperature gas detection, and / or other thermal runaway diagnostic indicators. The thermal runaway diagnostic unit 110 can be connected to a battery management system (BMS) and / or directly implemented as a BMS.

[0032] The power management unit 120 can manage the power supply to one or more components of the vehicle, such as the ignition system, vehicle control unit (VCU), vehicle platform controller (VPC), fully automatic temperature controller (FATC), and / or battery.

[0033] For example, the power management unit 120 can determine (e.g., based on information from the ignition device) the power state of the ignition device (e.g., on / off state). The power management unit 120 can control (e.g., by sending control information to the VCU, VPC, FATC, battery, etc.) the power supply (on / off) of the VCU, VPC, FATC, battery, etc.

[0034] The cooler drive unit 130 can drive a cooler (e.g., an air conditioner) to cool the battery. The cooler drive unit 130 can drive the cooler under the control of the controller 150. For example, when (e.g., based on) receiving a control signal from the controller 150 for maximum drive of the cooler, the cooler drive unit 130 can drive the cooler to its maximum value to maximize battery cooling.

[0035] EWP drive unit 140 can drive EWP to cool the battery. EWP drive unit 140 can drive EWP under the control of controller 150. For example, when (e.g., based on) receiving a control signal for maximum drive of EWP from controller 150, EWP drive unit 140 can drive EWP to the maximum value to maximize battery cooling.

[0036] Controller 150 can be combined with at least one of thermal runaway diagnostic unit 110, power management unit 120, cooler drive unit 130, EWP drive unit 140, etc., to perform cooling control to delay battery thermal runaway. Controller 150 may include communication devices, memory, and / or one or more processors. The communication devices communicate with other controllers and / or sensors to control one or more responsible functions and / or operations. The memory stores the operating system, logic commands, and input / output information. The one or more processors perform the judgments, calculations, and decisions required to control the responsible functions. Controller 150 may include, for example, a processor, central processing unit (CPU), microchip, logic device, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), memory, etc. Controller 150 can manipulate and / or control other components in the system (e.g., a vehicle).

[0037] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a cooling control method for delaying battery thermal runaway, according to an example of this application. For convenience, Figure 2 The steps are described by way of example, with the steps being performed by a processor circuit (e.g., the processor circuit of controller 150). Figure 2 One, some, or all of the steps, or a portion thereof, of the example method may be performed by one or more other circuits. Figure 2 One or more steps in the example method may be omitted, performed in a different order, and / or modified in other ways, and / or one or more additional steps may be added.

[0038] Based on the thermal runaway diagnostic unit 110 diagnosing the thermal runaway state of the battery, the thermal runaway diagnostic unit 110 can notify (e.g., send information indicating the thermal runaway state) the controller 150 (S210) of this state (e.g., the controller 150 can receive information indicating the thermal runaway state of the battery). Based on the notification, the controller 150 can, in conjunction with the power management unit 120, check the power status of the ignition device (e.g., on / off state) (see step S220).

[0039] If the controller 150 determines that the ignition device is in the off state based on a check of the power status (S220 No; for example, when the vehicle is parked), the controller 150 may connect the power supply to the VCU and / or VPC in conjunction with (for example, through) the power management unit 120, and may also connect the power supply to the FATC and / or battery (S230).

[0040] If controller 150 determines that the ignition is on based on a check of the power status (S220: Yes; e.g., the vehicle is moving and / or charging); or after the power source (e.g., battery) is on (S230), controller 150 can confirm (e.g., in conjunction with and / or based on information from the cooler drive unit 130) whether the cooler can be driven normally (e.g., whether the cooler can be driven normally by the battery, e.g., whether the battery has sufficient charge) (S240). For example, controller 150 can confirm / determine that the cooler (e.g., air conditioning compressor) can be driven normally based on information indicating that the battery (e.g., high-voltage battery) associated with the cooler can provide power (e.g., has sufficient charge, etc.).

[0041] If the cooler can be driven normally (S240 is yes), the controller 150 can control the cooling of the battery in a first cooling mode (e.g., battery-only cooling mode) (S250). For example, the controller 150 can form a closed-loop flow path for battery-only cooling by controlling a three-way valve, etc. (see...) Figure 3 (The light gray thick dashed line) sends a control signal for the maximum drive of the cooler to the cooler drive unit 130 to drive the cooler to the maximum value, and sends a control signal for the drive of the EWP to the EWP drive unit 140 to drive the EWP (e.g., sending a maximum drive signal for driving the EWP to the maximum value), thereby maximizing battery cooling by utilizing both the cooler and the EWP.

[0042] When cooling the battery in the first cooling mode (battery-only cooling mode) (S250), the controller 150 can continuously / repeatedly check whether the cooler can be driven normally (e.g., S240). If at any time (e.g., when cooling is driven in the first cooling mode, or before / without driving cooling in the first cooling mode), the controller 150 determines that the cooler cannot be driven normally (S240 is no), the controller 150 can switch to driving cooling in the second cooling mode (S260). If the cooler cannot be driven normally (S240 is no), the controller 150 can control the cooling of the battery in the second cooling mode (battery / PE integrated cooling mode) (S260).

[0043] For example, controller 150 can form a flow path for integrated cooling of the battery / PE by controlling a three-way valve, etc. (see...) Figure 3 (The thick black dashed line), and sends a control signal for driving the EWP to the EWP drive unit 140 to drive the EWP (e.g., a control signal for maximum drive of the EWP to drive the EWP to its maximum value), thereby using the EWP to cool the battery.

[0044] According to one aspect of this application, the above and other objectives can be achieved by providing a cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery, the cooling control device including a thermal runaway diagnostic unit and a controller, the thermal runaway diagnostic unit being configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery, and the controller being configured to activate the cooler when a cooler for cooling the battery is activating in response to diagnosing the thermal runaway state of the battery.

[0045] When the cooler is capable of being driven, the controller can drive the cooler and the electric water pump (EWP).

[0046] When the cooler cannot be driven, the controller can drive the EWP.

[0047] The cooling control device may further include a power management unit configured to manage the battery, wherein, under the control of the controller, when the battery is turned off, the power management unit turns on the battery and supplies power to the cooler.

[0048] According to another aspect of this application, a cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery is provided, the cooling control device including a thermal runaway diagnostic unit and a controller, the thermal runaway diagnostic unit being configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery, and the controller being configured to control the cooling of the battery in a first cooling mode when a cooler for cooling the battery is drivable, and to control the cooling of the battery in a second cooling mode when the cooler is not drivable, in response to the diagnosis of the thermal runaway state of the battery.

[0049] The first cooling mode can be the mode that drives the cooler and EWP, and the second cooling mode can be the mode that drives the EWP.

[0050] According to another aspect of this application, a cooling control method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery is provided, the method comprising diagnosing a thermal runaway state of the battery and, in response to diagnosing a thermal runaway state of the battery, activating a cooler for cooling the battery when the cooler is activating.

[0051] The drive cooler may include turning on the battery when the battery is turned off to supply power to the cooler.

[0052] According to another aspect of this application, a cooling control method for delaying thermal runaway of a battery is provided, the method comprising diagnosing a thermal runaway state of the battery, and, in response to diagnosing a thermal runaway state of the battery, controlling the cooling of the battery in a first cooling mode when a cooler for cooling the battery is drivable, and controlling the cooling of the battery in a second cooling mode when the cooler is not drivable.

[0053] The first cooling mode can be the mode that drives the cooler and EWP, and the second cooling mode can be the mode that drives the EWP.

[0054] In this way, unlike conventional techniques that cut off battery power (main relay disconnects) when thermal runaway occurs, this application connects battery power (main relay closes) to drive the cooler and / or EWP to maximum, thereby maximizing battery cooling. Therefore, battery thermal runaway can be delayed as much as possible.

[0055] According to this application, when thermal runaway of the battery occurs, heat transfer is suppressed by using the most effective cooling mode, which has the effect of delaying the occurrence of battery fire.

[0056] Specifically, according to this application, unlike conventional techniques that cut off battery power when thermal runaway occurs (e.g., the main relay disconnects), battery power is switched on (e.g., the main relay closes) to drive the cooler and / or EWP to maximum, thereby maximizing battery cooling. Therefore, it has the effect of delaying battery thermal runaway as much as possible.

[0057] Furthermore, in the event of a battery fire in an environmentally friendly vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and / or a plug-in hybrid vehicle), it has the effect of ensuring safety by maximizing the user's escape time.

[0058] In particular, according to this application, by utilizing (e.g., maximizing) existing cooling systems such as coolers to delay thermal runaway of the battery, it has the effect of reducing the material costs associated with any additional hardware applications for delaying thermal runaway of the battery.

[0059] In the description of this application, the term "described" and similar reference terms may refer to both the singular and the plural. Furthermore, when a scope is stated in this application, the statement includes inventions applying the various values ​​within that scope (unless otherwise stated) and is identical to the statements constituting the various values ​​within that scope in the detailed description of the invention.

[0060] Unless there is a statement or the contrary regarding the explicit order of the steps constituting the method according to this application, these steps may be performed in any suitable order. This application is not necessarily limited to the order of the described steps. Any illustrative or descriptive terms used in this application (e.g., etc.) are merely for the purpose of describing the application in detail, and the scope of this application is not limited by illustrative or descriptive terms unless defined by the claims. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, combinations, and changes can be made according to design conditions and factors within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.

[0061] Therefore, the spirit of this application should not be limited to the examples described above, and the scope of the appended claims, as well as all scopes that are equivalent to or modified from the claims, are within the scope of the spirit of this application.

Claims

1. A cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery, the cooling control device comprising: A thermal runaway diagnostic computing device configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of a battery; as well as The controller is configured to respond to the diagnosis of a thermal runaway state of the battery: Based on the determination that the battery-powered cooler can be driven, the cooler is driven to cool the battery.

2. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to drive the cooler and electric water pump based on a determination that the battery-powered cooler can be driven.

3. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to drive the electric water pump without driving the cooler, based on the determination that the cooler cannot be driven.

4. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 1, further comprising a power management device configured to manage the battery. in, The power management device is configured to turn on the battery to supply power to the cooler based on the battery being turned off and based on control information from the controller.

5. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 4, wherein, The controller is configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery: Check the power status of the ignition device using the power management device; Further inspection revealed that the ignition system was powered off, and the battery was switched on to supply power to the cooler.

6. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 5, wherein, The controller is configured as follows: With the battery connected, confirm whether the cooler can be driven. Based on the ability of the cooler to drive, a cooler and an electric water pump are used to cool the battery, or Since the cooler cannot be driven, an electric water pump is driven to cool the battery without driving the cooler.

7. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 4, wherein, The controller is configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery: Check the power status of the ignition device using the power management device; Since the power supply to the ignition device is on, confirm whether the cooler can be driven. Based on the ability of the cooler to drive, the cooler and electric water pump are used to cool the battery. or Since the cooler cannot be driven, the electric water pump is driven without driving the cooler.

8. A cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery, the cooling control device comprising: Thermal runaway diagnostic unit, configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery; as well as The controller is configured to control the cooling of the battery based on a diagnosis of the battery's thermal runaway state, wherein the battery cooling is controlled in a first cooling mode based on a determination that the cooler used to cool the battery can be driven, or the battery cooling is controlled in a second cooling mode based on a determination that the cooler cannot be driven.

9. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 8, wherein, The first cooling mode is the mode that drives the cooler and the electric water pump. The second cooling mode is a mode in which the electric water pump is driven without driving the cooler.

10. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 8, further comprising a power management device configured to manage the battery. in, The power management device is configured to, under the control of the controller, turn on the battery when it is turned off to supply power to the cooler.

11. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 10, wherein, The controller is configured as follows: Based on the diagnosis of thermal runaway, the power status of the ignition device is checked through the power management device. Further inspection revealed that the ignition system was powered off, and the battery was switched on to supply power to the cooler.

12. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 11, wherein, The controller is configured as follows: With the battery connected, confirm whether the cooler can be driven; Based on the ability of the cooler to drive, a cooler and an electric water pump are used to cool the battery; or Since the cooler cannot be driven, the electric water pump is driven without driving the cooler.

13. The cooling control device for delaying thermal runaway of a battery according to claim 10, wherein, The controller is configured to diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery: Check the power status of the ignition device using the power management device; Since the power supply to the ignition device is on, confirm whether the cooler can be driven. Based on the ability of the cooler to drive, the cooler and electric water pump are used to cool the battery. or Since the cooler cannot be driven, the electric water pump is driven without driving the cooler.

14. A cooling control method for delaying thermal runaway in a battery, the cooling control method comprising: Diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery; Based on the determination that the battery-powered cooler can be driven, the cooler is driven to cool the battery.

15. The cooling control method according to claim 14, wherein, Driving a cooler to cool the battery includes: based on determining that the battery is off, turning the battery on to supply power to the cooler.

16. A cooling control method for delaying thermal runaway in a battery, the cooling control method comprising: Diagnose the thermal runaway state of the battery; Based on the diagnosis of the battery's thermal runaway state, the battery cooling is controlled, wherein the battery cooling is controlled in a first cooling mode based on the determination that the cooler used to cool the battery can be driven, or the battery cooling is controlled in a second cooling mode based on the determination that the cooler cannot be driven.

17. The cooling control method according to claim 16, wherein, The first cooling mode is the mode that drives the cooler and the electric water pump. The second cooling mode is a mode in which the electric water pump is driven without driving the cooler.

18. The cooling control method according to claim 16, wherein, Controlling battery cooling includes: Based on the diagnosis of the battery's thermal runaway state, check the power status of the ignition device; The ignition device is powered off, so the battery is connected.

19. The cooling control method according to claim 18, wherein, Controlling battery cooling further includes: With the battery connected, confirm whether the cooler can be driven. If the cooler is confirmed to be drivable, drive the cooler and electric water pump to cool the battery; or if the cooler is confirmed to be drivable, drive the electric water pump without driving the cooler.

20. The cooling control method according to claim 16, wherein, Controlling battery cooling includes: Based on the diagnosis of the battery's thermal runaway state, check the power status of the ignition device; Based on the fact that the power supply to the ignition device is on, confirm whether the cooler can be driven. If it is confirmed that the cooler can be driven, drive the cooler and the electric water pump; or if it is confirmed that the cooler cannot be driven, drive the electric water pump without driving the cooler.

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