Integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles

Abstract

Integrated thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, the integrated thermal management system comprising: a hybrid compressor (100) including a mechanical compression unit (110) driven by a driving force of a drive motor (A) and an electrical compression unit (120) driven by a driving force of a motor (140), an air blower (130) being connected to the electrical compression unit (120); a refrigerant circulation line (101) connected to the hybrid compressor (100), a condenser (150), and an expansion valve (160) so that a refrigerant circulates to the refrigerant circulation line (101); and an indoor air conditioning unit configured to cool or heat air introduced by the air blower (130) and then discharge the air into an interior of the mobility vehicle, and including a cooling core (170) connected to a point of the coolant circulation line (101) downstream of the expansion valve (160) and a heating core (180) connected to an exhaust gas discharge line (201) connected to the drive motor (A), wherein the motor (140) is mounted between the electric compression unit (120) and the air blower (130), and the electric compression unit (120) and the air blower (130) are operated by means of the driving force of the motor (140).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, and more particularly to an integrated thermal management system that performs cooling / heating of a passenger compartment, at least one electronic component, and a battery of a mobility vehicle using a hybrid compressor. Description of the state of the art

[0002] Mobility devices or vehicles refer to all means of transport that transport people or goods and are powered by various methods. The most common method is a combustion engine. Recently, from an environmental perspective, there have been methods using a hybrid drive motor and a lithium-ion battery, a method using only a lithium-ion battery, and an environmentally friendly method using only a hydrogen fuel cell.

[0003] A hybrid mobility vehicle using an internal combustion engine and a battery requires a combination of suitable elements to form a cooling system configured to cool the battery and at least one electronic component and to condition air in a passenger compartment.

[0004] When circuits are configured independently, not only a compressor for cooling and heating an interior space and for cooling the at least one electronic component but also a compressor for cooling the cooling fluid of the battery are required, and a plurality of independent heat exchangers are required, which may be in contact with the ambient air, which causes problems such as an increase in the weight of the hybrid mobility vehicle, a reduction in the driving range of the hybrid mobility vehicle due to the increase in its weight, and an increase in costs.

[0005] The information contained in this Background of the Invention section is provided for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be construed as an acknowledgement or suggestion that this information constitutes prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

[0006] US 2001 / 0 015 070 A1 discloses an air conditioning system for a motor vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine. The system includes an electric motor driven by a battery, a compressor arranged to be driven by at least one of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, and a control unit that controls the drive of the compressor.The control unit is configured to drive the compressor only by the electric motor when the internal combustion engine is idling; to restart the internal combustion engine after a first predetermined time has elapsed from the time of the idling stop, so that the compressor is thereafter driven by both the internal combustion engine and the electric motor; and to stop the drive of the compressor by the electric motor after a second predetermined time has elapsed from the restart of the internal combustion engine, so that the compressor is thereafter driven only by the internal combustion engine.

[0007] Other generic air conditioning systems for motor vehicles are described in US 2004 / 0 250 560 A1, DE 10 2004 023 997 A1 and DE 10 2015 122 736 A1. SHORT SUMMARY

[0008] Various aspects of the present invention relate to providing an integrated thermal management system that holistically controls the environment of a hybrid mobility vehicle employing a turbocharged engine.

[0009] According to various aspects of the present invention, the above and other objects can be achieved by providing an integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to claim 1. Further aspects of the invention are subject of the dependent claims, the drawings, and the following description of embodiments.

[0010] The cooling core may include a first evaporator configured to cool air supplied by the air blower to a passenger compartment inside the mobility vehicle, and a second evaporator configured to cool air supplied by the air blower to at least one electronic component inside the mobility vehicle.

[0011] An electric heater may be provided in the indoor air conditioning unit, and the electric heater may be operated when a temperature of the heater core is below a predetermined value.

[0012] The integrated thermal management system may further include a battery provided inside the mobility vehicle to power the mobility vehicle, a cooling fluid circulation line fluidly connected to the battery so that a cooling fluid circulates to the battery through a water pump, and a first heat exchanger provided on the cooling fluid circulation line to perform heat exchange between the coolant of the coolant circulation line and the cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line.

[0013] The cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line can flow through the battery and then flow into the first heat exchanger via a first control valve, and the first control valve can be opened depending on a temperature of the cooling fluid.

[0014] The integrated thermal management system may further include a second heat exchanger provided on the cooling fluid circulation line to perform heat exchange between the exhaust gas of the exhaust discharge line and the cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line, and when a temperature of the battery needs to be increased, the cooling fluid may be heated by means of the second heat exchanger to increase the temperature of the battery.

[0015] A second control valve may be provided on the exhaust gas discharge line, and opening of the second control valve may be controlled when increasing the temperature in the battery is required.

[0016] The methods and apparatus of the present invention have additional features and advantages which will be apparent from or set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following detailed description, which together serve to explain certain basic principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic view exemplifying the configuration of a hybrid compressor according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a refrigerant circulation line and an indoor air conditioner to which the hybrid compressor according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is applied; and Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of an integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] It is understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale and present a somewhat simplified representation of the various features illustrating the basic principles of the present invention. The specific design features of the present invention as incorporated herein, such as specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and environment of use.

[0018] In the figures, reference numerals refer to the same or equivalent portions of the present invention in the different figures of the drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present invention(s) to these exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention(s) are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of well-known functions and configurations incorporated herein is omitted when doing so might rather obscure the subject matter of the present invention.

[0021] Fig. 1 is a schematic view exemplifying the configuration of a hybrid compressor according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a refrigerant circulation line and an indoor air conditioner to which the hybrid compressor according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is applied, and Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of an integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] In order to achieve the above-described objects, an integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention includes a hybrid compressor 100 including a mechanical compression unit 110 driven using the driving force of a drive motor A and an electrical compression unit 120 driven using the driving force of a motor 140, and configured such that an air blower 130 is connected to the electrical compression unit 120, a coolant circulation line 101 connected to the hybrid compressor 100, a condenser 150, and an expansion valve 160 so that a coolant circulates thereto, and an indoor air conditioning unit configured to circulate air introduced by the air blower 130.to cool or heat and then expel the air into the interior of a mobility vehicle, and which includes a cooling core 170 connected to a point downstream of the expansion valve 160 and a heating core 180 connected to an exhaust gas discharge line 201 of the drive motor A.

[0023] With reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrates Fig. 1 shows the detailed configuration of the hybrid compressor 100. The hybrid compressor 100 includes the mechanical compression unit 110, which is driven by receiving the rotational force of a shaft of the drive motor A, and the electric compression unit 120, which is driven using the driving force of the motor 140. Both the mechanical compression unit 110 and the electric compression unit 120 are configured to compress the refrigerant in the mobility vehicle. That is, the refrigerant flows along the refrigerant circulation line 101 while repeatedly compressing into a high-temperature and high-pressure state by the hybrid compressor 100, condensing into a low-temperature and high-pressure state by dissipating heat by the condenser 150, and expanding into a low-temperature and low-pressure state by the expansion valve 160.

[0024] Here, the motor 140 is connected not only to the hybrid compressor 100, but also to the air blower 130. Referring to Fig. 2, air is also pressurized and supplied into the interior of the mobility vehicle by means of the air blower 130, and an interior air of the mobility vehicle can be conditioned by heat exchange between the pressurized air and the coolant.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of an integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and with reference to Fig. 3 describes a control process for air conditioning of interior air using waste heat from exhaust gas of the drive engine A.

[0026] Mixing of fuel and intake air, combustion of the mixture, and air blowout are repeated in the engine A, and high-temperature exhaust gas is generated. When the high-temperature exhaust gas is supplied to the heater core 180 and air pressurized by the air blower 130 is transferred to the heater core 180, the pressurized air is heated by heat exchange between the exhaust gas and the pressurized air, and is thus configured to heat the interior of the mobility vehicle.

[0027] Using the engine 140, air can be pressurized to condition interior air, the coolant can be circulated by means of the hybrid compressor 100 so that the pressurized air can cool the interior of the mobility vehicle, and when the interior of the mobility vehicle needs to be heated, waste heat from the exhaust gas from the drive engine A can be used to condition the interior air.

[0028] Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that an additional condenser may be provided on an interior side to heat the interior of the mobility vehicle.

[0029] Parts of the mobility vehicle that require air conditioning may include the interior of the mobility vehicle, at least one electronic component, and a battery. If an air conditioning system is installed in each of the three above-mentioned parts to properly cool / heat these parts, the cost and weight of the mobility vehicle increase, thus reducing the range of the mobility vehicle. Therefore, the integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention can minimize the weight and volume of elements responsible for air conditioning of the mobility vehicle using the hybrid compressor 100 and configured to facilitate effective propulsion of the mobility vehicle.That is, the integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention can properly combine waste heat of the exhaust gas generated by the drive motor A and the circulation system of the coolant using the rotational force of the drive motor A, which is configured to control the environment of the mobility vehicle.

[0030] Further, the cooling core 170 may include a first evaporator 171 configured to cool air supplied by the air blower to a passenger compartment inside the mobility vehicle, and a second evaporator 172 configured to cool air supplied by the air blower to at least one electronic component inside the mobility vehicle.

[0031] The first evaporator 171 receives air pressurized by the air blower 130 and performs heat exchange between the pressurized air and the low-temperature refrigerant, being configured to cool a passenger compartment.

[0032] The second evaporator 172 receives the pressurized air and performs heat exchange between the pressurized air and the low-temperature coolant in the same manner as the first evaporator 171, which is configured to cool the at least one electronic component. However, the air supplied to the second evaporator 172 may be supplied by the air blower 130. However, since the air pressure is not very important for cooling the at least one electronic component, air may be supplied to the second evaporator 172 via a separate line. Therefore, since only the pressure of the ram air is sufficient, the air supplied to the second evaporator 172 cannot be pressurized by the air blower 130.

[0033] Fig.3 illustrates a circuit in which air flowing into the second evaporator 172 cools the at least one electronic component through a separate conduit.

[0034] An electric heater 181 is provided in the indoor air conditioning unit, and the electric heater 181 can be operated when the temperature of the heater core 180 is not sufficiently high, for example, when the temperature of the heater core 180 is lower than a predetermined value.

[0035] Specifically, when the heater core 180 is not configured to sufficiently heat air using only the waste heat of the exhaust gas from the drive engine A, the electric heater 181 may be operated to perform additional heating.

[0036] Alternatively, when the drive motor A is not driven, the electric heater 181 alone may heat the air pressurized by the air blower 130 to perform heating, and the heated air may be used to humidify the interior of the mobility vehicle.

[0037] The integrated thermal management system according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may further include a battery B provided inside the mobility vehicle to power the mobility vehicle, a cooling fluid circulation line 301 connected to the battery B so that a cooling fluid circulates to the battery B through a water pump 330, and a first heat exchanger 310 provided on the cooling fluid circulation line 301 to perform heat exchange between the coolant of the coolant circulation line and the cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line.

[0038] Specifically, the mobility vehicle may be a hybrid mobility vehicle that can be driven using electric power or driven by the drive motor A. When the mobility vehicle is driven using electric power, the battery B is heated, and thus the temperature of the battery B increases, and the increased temperature of the battery B can be prevented. Therefore, the integrated thermal management system according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may further include the cooling fluid circulation line 301 in which the cooling fluid configured to circulate to the battery B to cool the battery B flows, and the first heat exchanger 310 configured to perform heat exchange between the low-temperature coolant and the cooling fluid that is heated after cooling the battery B, configured to cool the battery B.

[0039] The cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line 301 can flow through the battery B and then flow into the first heat exchanger 310 via a first control valve 340, and the first control valve 340 can be opened depending on the temperature of the cooling fluid.

[0040] Specifically, a radiator may further be provided on the cooling fluid circulation line 301. The radiator is configured to dissipate the heat of the cooling fluid to the outside. That is, the radiator is configured to cool the heated cooling fluid again. Since the coolant cannot circulate smoothly in the initial phase of starting the mobility vehicle when it is expected that the battery B is not configured to be cooled smoothly, the heat of the cooling fluid must be dissipated through the radiator. If it is difficult to cool the cooling fluid again using only the coolant, the radiator can be used supplementarily to assist the cooling fluid in dissipating heat.

[0041] The opening of the first control valve 340 can be controlled depending on the temperature of the cooling fluid so that the cooling fluid flows as described above.

[0042] A second heat exchanger 320 may be further provided on the cooling fluid circulation line 301 to perform heat exchange between the exhaust gas of the exhaust discharge line and the cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line, and when the temperature of the battery B needs to be increased, the cooling fluid may be heated by means of the second heat exchanger 320 to increase the temperature of the battery B.

[0043] In order to enable the battery B to operate in a suitable temperature range, when the temperature of the battery B is low in the initial phase of starting the mobility vehicle, the temperature of the battery B may be increased. Therefore, in a winter in which the temperature is low, in the initial phase of starting the mobility vehicle, high-temperature exhaust gas may be generated by operating the drive motor A, and the temperature of the battery B may be increased using waste heat of the exhaust gas.

[0044] Specifically, the second heat exchanger 320 configured to heat the cooling fluid by heat exchange between the exhaust gas and the cooling fluid may be further provided on the cooling fluid circulation line 301, and when the battery B reaches a temperature at which the battery B is suitably operable, the mobility vehicle may be driven using the battery B.

[0045] A second control valve 240 may be further provided on the exhaust gas discharge line 201, and opening of the second control valve 240 may be controlled when the temperature of the battery B needs to be increased. In the initial phase of starting the mobility vehicle in winter, in which the temperature of the battery B needs to be increased, the second control valve 240 may be controlled to transfer the exhaust gas to the second heat exchanger 320. The second control valve 240 may adjust the flow rate of the exhaust gas depending on the extent to which the temperature of the battery B needs to be increased, and may transfer all the exhaust gas to the battery B to increase the temperature of the battery B in a situation where the temperature of the battery B needs to be increased quickly.In a situation where the temperature of the battery B does not need to be increased, the second control valve 240 allows the exhaust gas to be discharged in a direction other than that of the second heat exchanger 320.

[0046] As apparent from the above description, an integrated thermal management system for mobility vehicles according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be operated to perform cooling of the interior of the mobility vehicle, cooling of at least one electronic component, and cooling of a battery using energy from a drive motor, and can be operated using a motor to continuously supply ambient air to the interior of the mobility vehicle when the drive motor is not operating. Furthermore, the integrated thermal management system can use waste heat generated by the drive motor to initially heat the battery and to heat the interior of the mobility vehicle.

[0047] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a control unit is connected to at least one of the elements of the integrated thermal management system to control its operation.

[0048] Furthermore, with respect to a control device such as "control unit", "control unit", "control device" or "control module", etc., the term refers to a hardware device including a memory and a processor configured to perform one or more steps interpreted as an algorithm structure. The memory stores algorithm steps, and the processor executes the algorithm steps to perform one or more processes of a method according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.The control device according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by a non-volatile memory configured to store algorithms for controlling the operation of various components of a vehicle or data via software instructions for executing the algorithms, and a processor configured to perform the above-described process using the data stored in the memory. The memory and the processor may be individual chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor may be integrated into a single chip. The processor may be implemented as one or more processors. The processor may include various logic circuits and operational circuits, may process data according to a program provided from the memory, and may generate a control signal according to the processing result.

[0049] The control device may be at least a microprocessor operated by means of a predetermined program which may contain a series of instructions for carrying out the method included in the above-mentioned various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0050] The aforementioned invention may also be embodied in the form of computer-readable code on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium is any data storage device capable of storing data that can subsequently be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable mediums include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state disks (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SDDs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical disks, etc., and implementation as carrier waves (e.g., transmission over the Internet).

[0051] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, each operation described above may be performed by means of a control device, and the control device may be configured by means of a plurality of control devices or an integrated single control device.

[0052] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the control device may be implemented in the form of hardware or software or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0053] For ease of explanation and precise definition in the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "top", "bottom", "upward", "downward", "front", "rear", "back", "inside", "outside", "inside", "outside", "external", "inside", "outside", "internal", "external", "forward", and "backward" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of those features indicated in the figures. It is further understood that the term "connect" or its derivatives refer to both direct and indirect connection.

[0054] Furthermore, the term "fixedly connected" means that fixedly connected elements always rotate at the same speed. Furthermore, the term "selectively connectable" means that "selectively connectable elements rotate separately when the selectively connectable elements are not engaged with each other, rotate at the same speed when the selectively connectable elements are engaged with each other, and are stationary when at least one of the selectively connectable elements is a stationary element and the remaining selectively connectable elements are engaged with the stationary element."

[0055] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and, of course, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the present invention and their practical application in order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. The scope of the present invention is to be defined by means of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

[1] Integrated thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, the integrated thermal management system comprising: a hybrid compressor (100) including a mechanical compression unit (110) driven by a driving force of a drive motor (A) and an electrical compression unit (120) driven by a driving force of a motor (140), an air blower (130) being connected to the electrical compression unit (120); a coolant circulation line (101) connected to the hybrid compressor (100), a condenser (150) and an expansion valve (160) so that a coolant circulates to the coolant circulation line (101); and an interior air conditioning unit configured to cool or heat air introduced by the air blower (130) and then discharge the air into an interior of the mobility vehicle, and including a cooling core (170) connected to a point of the coolant circulation line (101) downstream of the expansion valve (160) and a heating core (180) connected to an exhaust gas discharge line (201) connected to the drive motor (A), wherein the motor (140) is mounted between the electric compression unit (120) and the air blower (130), and the electric compression unit (120) and the air blower (130) are operated by means of the driving force of the motor (140). [2] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling core (170) includes a first evaporator (171) fluidly connected to the coolant circulation line (101) and fluidly connected to the air blower (130) to receive the air pressurized by the air blower (130) and configured to perform heat exchange between the pressurized air and the coolant of the coolant circulation line (101) to cool a passenger compartment of the mobility vehicle. [3] The integrated thermal management system of claim 2, wherein the heater core (180) is fluidly connected to the first evaporator (171). [4] The integrated thermal management system of claim 3, wherein an electric heater (181) is fluidly connected to the heater core (180), and the electric heater (181) is configured to operate when a temperature of the heater core (180) is lower than a predetermined value. [5] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 2, wherein an electric heater (181) is fluidly connected to the first evaporator (171), and the electric heater (181) is configured to be operated when a temperature of the heater core (180) is lower than a predetermined value. [6] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling core (170) includes a second evaporator (172) fluidly connected to the coolant circulation line (101) and configured to cool the air supplied from the air blower (130) to at least one electronic component in an interior of the mobility vehicle by performing heat exchange between the air and the coolant of the coolant circulation line (101). [7] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein an electric heater (181) is provided in the indoor air conditioning unit, and the electric heater (181) is configured to be operated when a temperature of the heater core (180) is lower than a predetermined value. [8] Integrated thermal management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a battery (B) provided inside the mobility vehicle to power the mobility vehicle; a cooling fluid circulation line (301) which is fluidly connected to the battery (B), so that a cooling fluid circulates through the cooling fluid circulation line (301) by means of a pump (330) to the battery (B); and a first heat exchanger (310) provided on the cooling fluid circulation line (301) and fluidly connected to the coolant circulation line (101) to perform heat exchange between the coolant of the coolant circulation line (101) and the cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line (301). [9] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 8, wherein the cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line (301) flows through the battery (B) and then flows into the first heat exchanger (310) via a first control valve (340), and the first control valve (340) is configured to be opened according to a temperature of the cooling fluid. [10] The integrated thermal management system of claim 9, wherein a radiator is mounted on the cooling fluid circulation line (301) and the first control valve (340) is configured to control a flow of the cooling fluid to selectively bypass the radiator. [11] Integrated thermal management system according to claim 8, further comprising: a second heat exchanger (320) provided on the cooling fluid circulation line (301) and fluidly connected to the exhaust gas discharge line (201) to perform heat exchange between an exhaust gas of the exhaust gas discharge line (201) and the cooling fluid of the cooling fluid circulation line (301), wherein, when a temperature of the battery (B) needs to be increased, the cooling fluid is heated by means of the second heat exchanger (320) to increase the temperature of the battery (B). [12] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 11, wherein the cooling fluid circulation line (301) connects the battery (B), the first heat exchanger (310), the second heat exchanger (320) and the pump (330) in a closed circuit. [13] An integrated thermal management system according to claim 11, wherein a second control valve (240) is provided on the exhaust gas discharge line (201), and opening of the second control valve (240) is controlled when increasing the temperature in the battery (B) is required. [14] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 13, wherein the second control valve (240) is provided on the exhaust gas discharge line (201) between the second heat exchanger (320) and the drive motor (A). [15] The integrated thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical compression unit (110) and the electrical compression unit (120) are fluidly connected to the refrigerant circulation line (101) in parallel, and the condenser (150) and the expansion valve (160) are fluidly connected to the refrigerant circulation line (101) in series.

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