Thermal management integrated structure and vehicle thermal management system

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of vehicle manufacturing, and particularly relates to a heat management integrated structure and a vehicle heat management system. The heat management integrated structure comprises a compressor assembly, a gas-liquid separator and a solenoid valve. The compressor assembly is provided with a compressor refrigerant inlet; the gas-liquid separator is located on a circumferential side of the compressor assembly and is provided with a gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet and a gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet, and the gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet is connected to the compressor refrigerant inlet; and the solenoid valve is arranged on the gas-liquid separator and is communicated with the gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet. The compressor assembly, the gas-liquid separator and the solenoid valve in the application can all be component members of the vehicle heat management system. The heat management integrated structure at least integrates the compressor assembly, the gas-liquid separator and the solenoid valve together, can reduce the number of parts of the vehicle heat management system, reduce assembly difficulty, improve assembly efficiency, and is beneficial to optimizing the layout of parts in the engine compartment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of vehicle manufacturing technology, and in particular relates to an integrated thermal management structure and a vehicle thermal management system. Background Technology

[0002] With the trends of electrification, intelligence, and convenience in modern automobiles, motors, power batteries, and passenger compartment air conditioning systems all require different water systems to achieve heat distribution. Electric vehicle thermal management systems add components such as electric compressors, electric water pumps, heat exchangers, water pipes, gas-liquid separators, and solenoid valves, all of which need to be housed within the engine compartment.

[0003] As the number of components in the engine compartment increases, the arrangement of these components becomes more and more difficult; this also increases the difficulty of assembling the entire vehicle and reduces assembly efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides an integrated thermal management structure and a vehicle thermal management system to solve the technical problem that the existing vehicle thermal management system uses a decentralized layout to install some components in the engine compartment, resulting in a large number of dispersed parts in the engine compartment, which increases the difficulty of vehicle assembly and reduces efficiency.

[0005] According to one aspect of this application, a thermal management integrated structure is provided, including a compressor assembly, a gas-liquid separator, and a solenoid valve. The compressor assembly has a compressor refrigerant inlet; the gas-liquid separator is located on one circumferential side of the compressor assembly and has a gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet and a gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet, the gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet being connected to the compressor refrigerant inlet; the solenoid valve is disposed in the gas-liquid separator and connected to the gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet.

[0006] In an optional embodiment of this application, the compressor assembly includes a compressor and a mounting bracket, with the compressor having a refrigerant inlet; both the compressor and the gas-liquid separator are mounted on the mounting bracket.

[0007] In an optional embodiment of this application, a heater is also included, which is disposed on the compressor and located on the opposite side of the mounting bracket.

[0008] In an optional embodiment of this application, the heater has a medium inlet connector and a medium outlet connector; the medium inlet connector and the medium outlet connector are located on the same side of the heater, and the compressor refrigerant inlet is located between the medium inlet connector and the medium outlet connector.

[0009] In an optional embodiment of this application, a controller is also included, which is connected to the heater and the compressor.

[0010] In an optional embodiment of this application, the controller integrates a compressor control unit and a heater control unit; the compressor control unit is used to control the compressor, and the heater control unit is used to control the heater.

[0011] In an optional embodiment of this application, the controller includes a first connector and a second connector, the first connector and the second connector being located on the same side as the gas-liquid separator; the first connector is used to connect a power cable, and the second connector is used to connect a signal cable.

[0012] In an optional embodiment of this application, the compressor assembly further includes multiple vibration damping pads connected to the mounting bracket.

[0013] In an optional embodiment of this application, a connecting pipe is also included, through which the refrigerant outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the refrigerant inlet of the compressor.

[0014] According to another aspect of this application, a vehicle thermal management system is provided, including the above-described thermal management integrated structure; a compressor, a gas-liquid separator, and a solenoid valve are used in the refrigerant circuit of the vehicle thermal management system; and a heater in the thermal management integrated structure is used in the coolant circuit of the vehicle thermal management system.

[0015] In summary, the integrated thermal management structure and vehicle thermal management system provided in this application have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The compressor assembly, gas-liquid separator, and solenoid valve mentioned in this application can all be components of a vehicle thermal management system. This integrated thermal management structure integrates at least the compressor assembly, gas-liquid separator, and solenoid valve together, which can reduce the number of parts in the vehicle thermal management system, reduce assembly difficulty, improve assembly efficiency, and facilitate the optimization of the layout of parts in the engine compartment.

[0017] Furthermore, this integrated thermal management structure also integrates a controller, a heater, and connecting pipes to convert the distributed control scheme used by the compressor and heater into an integrated control scheme, reducing the electrical control failure rate. Moreover, the use of shorter connecting pipes to connect the compressor and the gas-liquid separator can reduce the flow resistance of the pipeline to the refrigerant. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application; those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a thermal management integrated structure provided according to one embodiment of the present application from a single perspective.

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the integrated thermal management structure from another perspective;

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the integrated thermal management structure in the image;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a controller provided according to one embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle thermal management system provided according to one embodiment of this application.

[0024] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0025] 100. Integrated thermal management structure;

[0026] 10. Compressor assembly; 11. Compressor; 12. Mounting bracket; 121. First bracket; 1211. Support plate; 122. Second bracket; 13. Vibration damping pad; 14. Threaded connection; C1. Compressor refrigerant inlet; C2. Compressor refrigerant outlet;

[0027] 20. Gas-liquid separator; D1. Gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet; D2. Gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet;

[0028] 30. Solenoid valve; 31. Solenoid valve controller connector; E1. Solenoid valve refrigerant inlet;

[0029] 40. Heater; 41. Medium inlet connector; 42. Medium outlet connector;

[0030] 50. Controller; 51. Compressor control unit; 52. Heater control unit; 53. First connector; 54. Second connector; 55. Grounding port;

[0031] 60. Connecting pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0032] In this application, features specified with "first" or "second" are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Features specified with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the specified features. The description of "multiple" generally means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0033] In this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0034] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a thermal management integrated structure 100 provided according to one embodiment of the present application from a single perspective. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the thermal management integrated structure 100 from another perspective. Figure 3 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the thermal management integrated structure 100. (See also...) Figures 1 to 3 The thermal management integrated structure 100 includes at least a compressor assembly 10, a gas-liquid separator 20, and a solenoid valve 30.

[0036] The compressor assembly 10 is provided with a compressor refrigerant inlet C1; the gas-liquid separator 20 is located on one circumferential side of the compressor assembly 10 and is provided with a gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet D1 and a gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet D2, the gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet D1 being connected to the compressor refrigerant inlet C1; the solenoid valve 30 is provided on the gas-liquid separator 20 and connected to the gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet D2.

[0037] In this embodiment, the compressor assembly 10 is used to compress the refrigerant to discharge the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant here can refer to the refrigerant commonly used in air conditioners. The refrigerant outlet D1 of the gas-liquid separator 20 is connected to the refrigerant inlet C1 of the compressor assembly 10. The refrigerant must first pass through the gas-liquid separator 20 before entering the compressor assembly 10.

[0038] It should be noted that the gas-liquid separator 20 is used to separate the liquid phase in the refrigerant entering the compressor assembly 10, so as to ensure that the refrigerant entering the compressor assembly 10 is in a gaseous state as much as possible, thereby reducing the risk of liquid slugging in the compressor assembly 10.

[0039] Solenoid valve 30 is installed on gas-liquid separator 20, specifically at the refrigerant inlet D2 of the gas-liquid separator. In one embodiment, solenoid valve 30 has a solenoid valve refrigerant inlet E1, which is connected to the refrigerant inlet D2 of the gas-liquid separator. Exemplarily, the solenoid valve 30 can be a shut-off valve, an expansion valve with a shut-off function, etc., capable of controlling the opening and closing of the refrigerant inlet D2 of the gas-liquid separator.

[0040] It should be noted that the compressor assembly 10, the gas-liquid separator 20, and the solenoid valve 30 can all be components of the vehicle thermal management system. The thermal management integrated structure 100 provided in this application integrates at least the compressor assembly 10, the gas-liquid separator 20, and the solenoid valve 30 together, which can reduce the number of parts in the vehicle thermal management system, reduce assembly difficulty, improve assembly efficiency, and facilitate the optimization of the layout of parts in the engine compartment.

[0041] Furthermore, the thermal management integrated structure 100 also includes a connecting pipe 60, through which the refrigerant outlet D1 of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the refrigerant inlet C1 of the compressor.

[0042] In this embodiment, refrigerant entering the gas-liquid separator 20 is guided into the compressor assembly 10 via a connecting pipe 60. Since the compressor assembly 10 and the gas-liquid separator 20 are arranged together, a relatively short connecting pipe 60 can be used to connect the two.

[0043] Thus, the vehicle thermal management system of the thermal management integrated structure 100 can reduce the length of the pipeline, and reduce the flow resistance of the refrigerant in the pipeline caused by the length of the pipeline by integrating part of the pipeline, thereby relatively increasing the suction pressure of the compressor assembly 10.

[0044] In some alternative embodiments, the compressor assembly 10 includes a compressor 11 and a mounting bracket 12, the compressor 11 having a compressor refrigerant inlet C1, and both the compressor 11 and the gas-liquid separator 20 being mounted on the mounting bracket 12.

[0045] In this embodiment, the compressor 11 and the gas-liquid separator 20 are both integrated on the mounting bracket 12, which provides support for both. The compressor 11 is the actuator used to compress the refrigerant in the compressor assembly 10.

[0046] In one optional embodiment, the compressor 11 is arranged horizontally, and the gas-liquid separator 20 is arranged vertically. In another optional embodiment, at least a portion of the casing of the compressor 11 is cylindrical, with a compressor refrigerant inlet C1 formed on the circumferential side of one axial end of the cylindrical casing, and a compressor refrigerant outlet C2 formed at the axial end of the cylindrical casing away from the compressor refrigerant inlet C1. The gas-liquid separator 20 is arranged close to the compressor refrigerant inlet C1, and the compressor refrigerant outlet C2 is used to discharge high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. It should be noted that the "axial" direction mentioned in the description of this application refers to the direction of the centerline of the cylindrical casing.

[0047] In one optional embodiment, the mounting bracket 12 includes a first bracket 121 and a second bracket 122, which are spaced apart and located on opposite sides of the compressor 11. A support plate 1211 extends outward from the first bracket 121, on which the gas-liquid separator 20 is placed.

[0048] In this embodiment, the mounting bracket 12 consists of two spaced-apart first brackets 121 and second brackets 122, which are fixed to opposite sides of the compressor 11 by screws 14. Furthermore, the first bracket 121 has a supporting plate 1211 for placing the gas-liquid separator 20.

[0049] In some alternative embodiments, the compressor assembly 10 also includes a plurality of damping pads 13 connected to the mounting bracket 12.

[0050] In this embodiment, multiple vibration damping pads 13 are installed below the mounting bracket 12, specifically between the mounting bracket 12 and the beams in the nacelle, to reduce vibration transmission when the compressor assembly 10 is in operation.

[0051] In one embodiment, the number of vibration damping pads 13 is 4, with 2 vibration damping pads 13 each matched to the first bracket 121 and the second bracket 122. Of course, the number of vibration damping pads 13 is not limited to this.

[0052] In a further optional embodiment, the thermal management integrated structure 100 also includes a heater 40 disposed on the compressor 11 and located on the opposite side of the mounting bracket 12.

[0053] In this embodiment, the thermal management integrated structure 100 further integrates a heater 40 to further improve the degree of integration, and the heater 40 and the mounting bracket 12 are located on opposite sides of the compressor 11.

[0054] In one embodiment, the heater 40 and the mounting bracket 12 are located on opposite sides of the compressor 11 in a circumferential direction. In an alternative embodiment, at least a portion of the housing of the heater 40 is integrally formed with at least a portion of the housing of the compressor 11.

[0055] In a further optional embodiment, the thermal management integrated structure 100 also includes a controller 50 connected to the heater 40 and the compressor 11.

[0056] In this embodiment, the thermal management integrated structure 100 further integrates a controller 50 to further improve the level of integration. The controller 50 is used to control the operation of the heater 40 and the compressor 11, such as starting and stopping, the motor speed in the compressor 11, and the temperature of the medium to be heated by the heater 40.

[0057] In one optional embodiment, the controller 50 and the compressor refrigerant outlet C2 are located on the same axial side of the compressor 11. In another optional embodiment, at least a portion of the housing of the controller 50, at least a portion of the housing of the heater 40, and at least a portion of the housing of the compressor 11 are integrally formed.

[0058] As can be seen, the thermal management integrated structure 100 integrates at least the compressor 11, gas-liquid separator 20, solenoid valve 30, controller 50 and connecting pipe 60, which integrates the scattered parts into a whole, making vehicle assembly convenient, improving assembly efficiency, optimizing the internal layout of the engine compartment, and the shortening of the pipeline can also reduce the flow resistance of the pipeline to the refrigerant.

[0059] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a controller 50 provided according to one embodiment of the present application. In a further optional embodiment, the controller 50 integrates a compressor control unit 51 and a heater control unit 52, wherein the compressor control unit 51 is used to control the compressor 11 and the heater control unit 52 is used to control the heater 40.

[0060] In this embodiment, the controller 50 has at least two control units, one of which is a compressor control unit 51 for controlling the operation of the compressor 11, and the other is a heater control unit 52 for controlling the operation of the heater 40. In specific applications, these two control units are integrated on a single circuit board, but they perform separate control functions.

[0061] It should be noted that currently, the compressor 11 and heater 40 are provided by different suppliers, and the compressor 11 and heater 40 each have their own corresponding control components for operation control. That is, the existing solution is a distributed control solution, with the compressor 11 and heater 40 each having their own control components. The production line quality control is distributed among various component suppliers, making it difficult to unify quality control.

[0062] As can be seen from the above, the thermal management integrated structure 100 not only integrates the structure, but also integrates the control. Specifically, it integrates the control function components of the compressor 11, heater 40, etc. to form the controller. This setting facilitates diagnosis and maintenance, reduces the electrical control failure rate, improves reliability, and also facilitates the realization of system intelligence.

[0063] In one optional embodiment, both the compressor control unit 51 and the heater control unit 52 can be microprocessor chips. In another optional embodiment, the controller 50 can be an electric drive unit (EDU). In other words, both the compressor control unit 51 and the heater control unit 52 are integrated into the EDU, which can control the incoming materials and the process as a whole, unify the reliability level, and help reduce electrical control failures.

[0064] In some alternative embodiments, the heater 40 has a medium inlet connector 41 and a medium outlet connector 42. The medium inlet connector 41 and the medium outlet connector 42 are located on the same side of the heater 40, and the compressor refrigerant inlet C1 is located between the medium inlet connector 41 and the medium outlet connector 42.

[0065] In this embodiment, the heater 40 transfers heat energy to the desired location by heating the flowing medium. The medium inlet connector 41 in the heater 40 is used to introduce the medium to be heated, and the medium outlet connector 42 in the heater 40 is used to exit the heated medium. The heater 40 has internal flow channels that can be arranged in a circuitous manner (e.g., S-shaped bends) to facilitate heating of the medium.

[0066] In specific applications, the heater 40 is an electric heater, meaning it heats the flowing medium using electrical energy. For example, it can be a thermistor heater (such as a WPTC), an electroceramic heater, etc. It should be noted that the medium here can be water, water with added antifreeze, etc.

[0067] In practical applications, the medium inlet connector 41 and the medium outlet connector 42 are located on the same side near the compressor refrigerant inlet C1. Both the medium inlet connector 41 and the medium outlet connector 42 extend axially outwards and do not exceed the axial end of the compressor 11, reducing the space occupied by the thermal management integrated structure 100. Furthermore, the medium pipes mating with the two connectors are located on the same side, and the portion of the connecting pipe 60 connected to the compressor refrigerant inlet C1 is located between the two connectors. This facilitates the piping layout within the engine compartment and reduces the space occupied by the piping that mates with the thermal management integrated structure 100.

[0068] In some alternative embodiments, the controller 50 includes a first connector 53 and a second connector 54, which are located on the same side as the gas-liquid separator 20. The first connector 53 is used to connect a power cable, and the second connector 54 is used to connect a signal cable.

[0069] In this embodiment, the power cable is generally a high-voltage cable, mainly providing power to the compressor 11 and heater 40. Since the high-voltage cable transmits high-voltage electricity, the first connector 53 serves as a high-voltage connector. The signal cable is generally a low-voltage cable, mainly transmitting control signals to control the operation of the compressor 11 and heater 40 and provide status feedback. Therefore, the second connector 54 serves as a low-voltage connector.

[0070] The first connector 53 and the second connector 54 are located on the same side of the gas-liquid separator 20, which facilitates the connection of corresponding cables to the same side and is beneficial for the cable layout in the cabin.

[0071] It should be noted that the compressor 11 and heater 40 are functional components in the vehicle thermal management system that require high voltage. Therefore, the thermal management integrated structure 100 actually integrates the main high-voltage components in the vehicle thermal management system.

[0072] In one optional embodiment, the solenoid valve 30 includes a solenoid valve controller interface 31. That is, the control components for the solenoid valve 30 are not integrated into the controller 50. This is mainly to facilitate after-sales maintenance of the solenoid valve 30 and to make it easier to replace the entire solenoid valve 30.

[0073] Furthermore, the controller 50 has a grounding port 55 located on the opposite side of the second connector 54. This grounding port 55 is used to connect a ground wire to ensure electrical safety.

[0074] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle thermal management system according to one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 5 Another aspect of this application provides a vehicle thermal management system, which includes the aforementioned thermal management integrated structure 100. A compressor 11, a gas-liquid separator 20, and a solenoid valve 30 are used in the refrigerant circuit of the vehicle thermal management system. A heater 40 in the thermal management integrated structure 100 is used in the coolant circuit of the vehicle thermal management system.

[0075] In this embodiment, the coolant circuit in the vehicle thermal management system includes a motor cooling circuit, a battery circuit, and a coolant heating circuit. The heater 40 is used in the coolant heating circuit to provide heating for the passenger compartment. The battery circuit, in conjunction with the coolant heating circuit, heats the battery. The battery circuit can also cool the battery. The motor cooling circuit is used to cool the motor.

[0076] The compressor 11, gas-liquid separator 20, and solenoid valve 30 are components of the refrigerant circuit. It should be understood that the refrigerant circuit is used for air conditioning, and the compressor 11, gas-liquid separator 20, and solenoid valve 30 are components of the air conditioning system, which can be used for ordinary air conditioning or heat pump air conditioning.

[0077] It should be noted that the coolant mentioned above is water, water containing antifreeze, etc., and the refrigerant is a working substance used to absorb or release heat, which is widely used in air conditioning systems. No examples will be given here.

[0078] As can be seen, the thermal management integrated structure 100 provided in this application integrates some components of the vehicle thermal management system together, which facilitates the overall vehicle layout, improves the space utilization of the vehicle engine compartment, and also facilitates control integration and reduces the electronic control failure rate.

[0079] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A thermal management integrated structure, characterized in that, include: The compressor assembly (10) is provided with a compressor refrigerant inlet (C1); A gas-liquid separator (20) is located on one circumferential side of the compressor assembly (10) and has a gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet (D1) and a gas-liquid separator refrigerant inlet (D2). The gas-liquid separator refrigerant outlet (D1) is connected to the compressor refrigerant inlet (C1). A solenoid valve (30) is installed in the gas-liquid separator (20) and connected to the refrigerant inlet (D2) of the gas-liquid separator.

2. The integrated thermal management structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The compressor assembly (10) includes a compressor (11) and a mounting bracket (12), wherein the compressor (11) has a compressor refrigerant inlet (C1); Both the compressor (11) and the gas-liquid separator (20) are mounted on the mounting bracket (12).

3. The integrated thermal management structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a heater (40) disposed on the compressor (11) and located on the opposite side of the mounting bracket (12).

4. The integrated thermal management structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The heater (40) is provided with a medium inlet connector (41) and a medium outlet connector (42); The medium inlet connector (41) and the medium outlet connector (42) are located on the same side of the heater (40), and the compressor refrigerant inlet (C1) is located between the medium inlet connector (41) and the medium outlet connector (42).

5. The integrated thermal management structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a controller (50) connected to the heater (40) and the compressor (11).

6. The integrated thermal management structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controller (50) integrates a compressor control unit (51) and a heater control unit (52); The compressor control unit (51) is used to control the compressor (11), and the heater control unit (52) is used to control the heater (40).

7. The integrated thermal management structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controller (50) includes a first connector (53) and a second connector (54), the first connector (53) and the second connector (54) being located on the same side as the gas-liquid separator (20); The first connector (53) is used to connect a power cable, and the second connector (54) is used to connect a signal cable.

8. The integrated thermal management structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The compressor assembly (10) also includes a plurality of damping pads (13), which are connected to the mounting bracket (12).

9. The integrated thermal management structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, It also includes a connecting pipe (60), through which the refrigerant outlet (D1) of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the refrigerant inlet (C1) of the compressor.

10. A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that, Includes the thermal management integrated structure (100) as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; The compressor (11), the gas-liquid separator (20), and the solenoid valve (30) are used in the refrigerant circuit of the vehicle thermal management system; The heater (40) in the thermal management integrated structure (100) is used in the coolant circuit of the vehicle thermal management system.

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