Control system, method for controlling a thermometer management system of a vehicle, computer-readable storage medium and vehicle

Abstract

Control system (100) for a thermal management system (10) of a vehicle (1), in particular an at least partially electrically driven vehicle (1), comprising: • a determination unit (101) which is designed to determine a necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement (104, 105) for at least one target outlet temperature (107) at at least one heat exchanger (110), e.g. an evaporator (14) and / or a heating condenser (13), as well as a current heat source power (106); • a computing unit (102) designed to determine at least one target refrigerant mass flow (108) taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement (104, 105) and the current heat source power (106); • a control unit (103) which is designed to control at least one refrigerant compressor (11), in particular a freely controllable refrigerant compressor (11), e.g. an electrically or hydraulically controllable refrigerant compressor (11), to the calculated target refrigerant mass flow (108), wherein the determination unit (101) is further designed to determine at least one power premium from the target outlet temperature (107) for a chiller (15) and / or evaporator (14), wherein the determination unit (101) is further designed to take the at least one power premium into account when controlling the evaporator (14) and / or chiller (15).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a control system for a thermal management system of a vehicle, in particular of an at least partially electrically driven vehicle, a method for controlling a thermometer management system of a vehicle, in particular of an at least partially electrically driven vehicle, a computer-readable storage medium and a vehicle.

[0002] Vehicle air conditioning, especially of the interior, is an important component of vehicle design and a significant purchasing criterion for customers. Current technology utilizes both heating systems and air conditioning units for this purpose. Conventional systems heat the interior using waste heat from the combustion engine or, in cold-start situations, possibly also using auxiliary heating systems. The heating circuit and cooling circuit are usually two completely separate systems. Current technology includes a controllable component, a refrigerant compressor. Heating energy is typically available in the form of process waste heat from the combustion engine.

[0003] Modern thermal management systems of at least partially electrically powered vehicles use heat pumps to heat and cool the vehicle interior as well as a battery used, for example a high-voltage battery.

[0004] In such heat pump systems, a refrigerant circuit—also referred to as a refrigeration circuit—is used not only to cool the vehicle interior, but also for heating. For this purpose, refrigerant-guided systems incorporate an air-side evaporator and an air-side heating condenser in the air conditioning unit. Furthermore, in addition to the interior, temperature control of the installed batteries must also be ensured.

[0005] This results in systems that include a chiller, an evaporator, a refrigerant compressor, a heating condenser, an ambient air heat exchanger (e.g., a condenser or evaporator), and corresponding expansion valves, as well as a series of shut-off valves. By using the shut-off valves and a corresponding control system, different operating modes can be set, for example, a cooling mode, a heating mode, or a dehumidification mode. Such systems and their functionality are generally known to those skilled in the art.

[0006] These systems replace conventional refrigeration circuits for pure indoor air conditioning. In such systems with heat pump functionality, the efficient use of available heat resources and (electrical) energy is becoming increasingly important. In addition to the efficient use of existing resources, the demands on air conditioning and heating systems have also increased. For example, the hardware components of thermal management systems, such as refrigerant compressors, expansion valves, shut-off and changeover valves, or water pumps, are also electrified, enabling and also necessitating an efficient control and regulation strategy across the entire application range.

[0007] Furthermore, the number of control units required in modern vehicles should be drastically reduced. Whereas in the past, a separate control unit was provided for each individual component, for cost and complexity reasons, it is now necessary to provide complex tasks via a few control units designed to interact with a multitude of system components.

[0008] Furthermore, refrigeration and cooling circuit systems in modern vehicles are highly interconnected, whereby these different objectives influence each other and thus require highly complex control strategies.

[0009] Due to the complexity of the interaction between the various vehicle components, it is also necessary to design the control and regulation of corresponding thermal management systems in a reusable manner, i.e., so that individual subsystems and / or system components can be used in different vehicles and control concepts. It is desirable to simplify the replacement of individual components.

[0010] DE 601 06 658 T2 describes a freezing or cooling circuit. In it, the temperature of an evaporator is set to a target temperature. This temperature setting can be achieved by setting a target flow rate, e.g., by controlling the displacement of a compressor.

[0011] DE 10 2009 054 270 A1 describes a circuit of a vehicle air conditioning system. The solution in DE 10 2009 054 270 A1 calculates a refrigerant flow rate based on a control current. The control current is electrical current, which is used, for example, to control a compressor.

[0012] Against this background, the object of the invention is to improve the thermal management of a vehicle. It is particularly the object of the invention to efficiently utilize existing resources, for example, heat resources or energy resources. It is further particularly the object of the invention to enable increased reusability of a control or regulation of a thermal management system in different vehicles. It is further particularly the object of the invention to enable the simple replacement of individual hardware components, if necessary also with other products of the same component type, without the control or regulation having to be modified.

[0013] The object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. In particular, the object is achieved by a control system for a thermal management system of a vehicle, in particular an at least partially electrically powered vehicle, comprising: • a determination unit which is designed to determine a necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement for at least one target outlet temperature at at least one heat exchanger, e.g. an evaporator and / or a condenser, as well as a current heat source power; • a computing unit designed to determine at least one target refrigerant mass flow taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement and the current heat source power; • a control unit which is designed to control at least one refrigerant compressor, in particular a freely controllable refrigerant compressor, e.g. an electrically or hydraulically controllable refrigerant compressor, to the calculated target refrigerant mass flow.

[0014] A core of the invention is to provide a power-controlled control / regulation. First, the currently available heat source power is determined. Using the respective heat source power available and a cooling and / or heating power requirement, a target refrigerant mass flow is determined. A refrigerant compressor is then pre-controlled to the target refrigerant mass flow. It is therefore important that the relevant control variable is the refrigerant mass flow and not a technical variable such as an outlet temperature at a heat exchanger. A current refrigerant mass flow does not have to be measured by a sensor. Instead, an indirect analysis can be carried out, e.g. via a temperature delta at the at least one heat exchanger between the inlet and outlet temperature, which in turn can be converted into a power requirement.This power requirement can then specify the target refrigerant mass flow, or the computing unit can be configured to perform the corresponding conversion. This power-based approach has several advantages.

[0015] The system described above opens up the possibility of meeting the necessary heating or cooling power requirements regardless of the specific components used in a given vehicle. Furthermore, it enables a holistic approach that takes into account all relevant boundary conditions and parameters for thermal management. Furthermore, by considering the refrigerant mass flows and power requirements, it is possible to respond more quickly to changes in requirements, as there is no need to wait for a temperature change.

[0016] The target outlet temperature can be specified on the secondary or primary side. The primary side of a heat exchanger can indicate the side through which the refrigerant is passed, and the secondary side can indicate the side through which the medium to be cooled, e.g., air or cooling water, is passed.

[0017] It is particularly advantageous if the target outlet temperature specifies an outlet temperature on the secondary side. The target outlet temperature can be specified by external components, e.g., by a vehicle's climate control system, which receives a user request for an interior temperature and uses this to determine a target outlet temperature at an evaporator or heating condenser. It is also conceivable that the target outlet temperature corresponds to a target temperature of a battery to be cooled or heated.

[0018] It is further conceivable that the at least one target outlet temperature can specify a plurality of target temperatures, e.g., a target outlet temperature for each or a subset of the heat exchangers in the thermal management system. For this purpose, the at least one target outlet temperature can be configured, for example, as a vector or any other multidimensional data structure.

[0019] The at least one heat exchanger is also called a heat exchanger.

[0020] In one embodiment, the computing unit may further be configured to determine at least two target partial refrigerant mass flows and, taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement and the at least two target partial refrigerant mass flows, to determine a target total refrigerant mass flow as the at least one target refrigerant mass flow.

[0021] The embodiment described above makes it possible to provide not only so-called single operating modes but also several dual operating modes. For example, in addition to pure heating or cooling, any combination of such operating modes can also be provided, e.g. heating a vehicle interior and cooling a battery, in particular simultaneously. For this purpose, at least two target partial refrigerant mass flows can be determined, taking into account a target total refrigerant mass flow is determined as the target refrigerant mass flow. Depending on the complexity of the system, in further embodiments, three, four, five or any number of further target partial refrigerant mass flows can of course also be determined, which can then form the target total refrigerant mass flow. In a particularly preferred embodiment, two or three target partial refrigerant mass flows are determined.

[0022] In one embodiment, determining the at least one target refrigerant mass flow may comprise converting the cooling and / or heating power requirement into a refrigerant mass flow to be provided by the at least one refrigerant compressor, ie the target refrigerant mass flow, to meet the cooling and / or heating power requirement.

[0023] The embodiment described above offers a simple way to determine the refrigerant mass flow to be provided, i.e., the target refrigerant mass flow. It is thus conceivable to define a mapping of heating power demand to refrigerant mass flow of the refrigerant compressor using a so-called "look-up table" (LUT) or a mathematical function.

[0024] In one embodiment, the control unit can be configured to control the refrigerant compressor with respect to the target refrigerant mass flow. In other words, the control unit can be configured to adjust the specific refrigerant mass flow to be provided by means of the refrigerant compressor.

[0025] In one embodiment, the at least one heat exchanger, the refrigerant compressor and / or at least one valve, in particular an expansion valve, can be specified by means of a component description, wherein a component description can in particular specify a physical behavior of a component, e.g. of the refrigerant compressor, the heat exchanger and / or the at least one valve, and wherein the control unit can be designed to use the component description in the control of the at least one refrigerant compressor, a control of the at least one heat exchanger and / or the at least one valve. An embodiment is conceivable in which one or each component of the thermal management system is described via a component description. It is also conceivable that only a subset of the components of the thermal management system is specified by means of a component description.

[0026] The control system therefore makes it possible to describe the components used or controlled by the thermal management system in more detail using a component description. Using an appropriate component description achieves a number of goals. Firstly, it makes it possible to provide an abstraction of the components actually used, so that the components used can be easily replaced with other components without having to change or adapt a control or regulation strategy, i.e. only the component description needs to be replaced or adapted. Furthermore, a component description can specify the technical limitations of the described component, which should be taken into account when controlling and / or regulating the system or the corresponding components.

[0027] A component description can specify the physical behavior of the described component, e.g. a mass flow rate, a power consumption as a function of the cooling and / or heating capacity, a maximum or minimum speed, a control signal scaling (speed to percentage value), a hysteresis behavior, start-up and shutdown limitations, an emergency running behavior and / or an emergency stop function. In addition, the component description can specify a mapping of a temperature delta between the target temperature (outlet temperature) and the actual temperature (inlet temperature) at the at least one heat exchanger to a volume flow on an air or water side. The computing device can then be designed to convert the volume flow into a mass flow, e.g. a refrigerant mass flow, which can be used to implement the control or regulation based on the target refrigerant mass flow.

[0028] For example, a component description of a refrigerant compressor can also be used to specify a mapping of refrigerant mass flow and refrigerant suction pressure or suction density, i.e. the density of the sucked-in refrigerant, to a compressor speed.

[0029] In one embodiment, the component description can thus be designed as a software component, for example as a specific data structure, such as a look-up table. It is also conceivable for the component description to be stored as part of a database structure. In one embodiment, it is further conceivable for the component description to be specified by a plurality of different data structures. For example, part of the component description can be designed as a “look-up table” (LUT) or a similar data structure, wherein a second part of the component description can provide an interface by means of which the component specified by the component description can be controlled. In a particularly efficient embodiment, the component description can be designed at least partially as a hash table.HashTables have an average access complexity of O(1), so stored values ​​can be queried very quickly.

[0030] In one embodiment, the control unit can be configured to use a component description to control the refrigerant mass flow by means of the at least one refrigerant compressor. Preferably, the control unit can be configured to determine a rotational speed of the refrigerant compressor using the component description and the target refrigerant mass flow. In this embodiment, the component description can be configured to specify a compressor rotational speed for the target refrigerant mass flow, which can be used to control the refrigerant compressor. Optionally, more than one parameter can also be taken into account when determining the compressor rotational speed, e.g., target refrigerant mass flow and refrigerant suction pressure.

[0031] Furthermore, it makes it possible to standardize the interfaces of the components used. For example, the component description can specify an interface description through which the corresponding components can be controlled, which can be specified in the component description.

[0032] Furthermore, in other embodiments, it is conceivable for the component description to describe the behavior of multiple components in their functional relationships. This allows the description of complex functionality of different components that are interconnected. It is therefore not necessary for a component description to describe only a single (hardware) component. Rather, it is conceivable for a component description to describe the behavior of multiple interacting technical components that together can provide a function within the thermal management system, e.g., a heat exchanger in combination with an expansion valve and the associated sensors.

[0033] Using a component description thus allows for easy interchangeability of components without the need to adapt the control system. Only the component description needs to be adapted to the components used in the event of a component replacement, provided the new component differs from the previously used component.

[0034] In one embodiment, the computing unit can be designed to determine the target refrigerant mass flow, the target total refrigerant mass flow and / or the target partial refrigerant mass flows using at least one component description, in particular the component description of the refrigerant compressor and / or the expansion valves.

[0035] The component description can now be used by the computing unit to determine a refrigerant mass flow, for example, the target refrigerant mass flow, the target total refrigerant mass flow, and / or the target partial refrigerant mass flows. This provides an efficient determination of the refrigerant mass flows. In particular, by using the component description, it is not necessary to change the control and regulation algorithms for determining the refrigerant mass flows when replacing individual components.

[0036] In one embodiment, the control unit may be configured to switch between a cooling operating mode, a heating operating mode, and / or a dehumidification operating mode by switching at least one valve.

[0037] The control unit can be in communicative connection with different components. For example, it is conceivable that the control unit can switch valves in a control system, for example the thermal management system, which are in fluid communication with one another. By controlling the valves, it is possible to switch between a wide variety of operating modes. For example, the valves can be arranged in the thermal management system in such a way that fluid flows, in particular of refrigerant, are redirected by switching the valves. The valves can be, for example, pure shut-off valves or multi-way valves. Preferably, by switching the at least one valve, a mass flow of refrigerant is controlled between an evaporator, a chiller, a heating condenser and / or an ambient air heat exchanger, e.g. a condenser.

[0038] In one embodiment, the at least one heat exchanger may be designed as a chiller arranged upstream of the refrigerant compressor, wherein the target outlet temperature may be designed as a cooling water outlet temperature at the chiller.

[0039] A chiller, i.e., a cooling water-refrigerant heat exchanger, can be designed as a device that can be configured to provide cooling below an ambient temperature. In one embodiment, a chiller is designed as a heat exchanger through which refrigerant flows on the primary side and cooling water on the secondary side. This results in a direct coupling of the refrigeration circuit and the cooling circuit. With the chiller, the cooling water of a cooling circuit, e.g., the battery circuit, can thus be "actively" cooled by the refrigeration circuit. This makes it possible to cool the cooling water even below the currently prevailing ambient temperature.

[0040] The chiller can be designed, in particular, to cool a high-voltage battery. The target outlet temperature can indicate how much the high-voltage battery needs to be cooled to reach an optimal operating point. The design described above can thus ensure optimal operation of a high-voltage battery.

[0041] In one embodiment, the at least one heat exchanger may be designed as an evaporator arranged upstream of the refrigerant compressor, wherein the target outlet temperature may indicate an air outlet temperature at the evaporator.

[0042] An evaporator can be designed to evaporate refrigerant, so that an air stream (ambient air) is cooled via a surface of the evaporator and passed over the evaporator. The evaporator can be used, for example, to efficiently cool the interior of a vehicle.

[0043] In one embodiment, the computing unit can be designed to determine an inlet and outlet enthalpy at the evaporator and / or chiller, in particular on a primary side and / or secondary side, e.g. a refrigerant side, cooling water side and / or air side, of the evaporator and / or chiller, and the target refrigerant partial mass flow for the chiller or evaporator using the difference between the corresponding inlet and outlet enthalpy.

[0044] As is well known, enthalpy is a measure of the energy of a thermodynamic system. By determining the inlet and outlet enthalpies at the heat exchanger, for example, at the evaporator and / or chiller, the target refrigerant mass flow required to achieve the corresponding cooling or heating capacity can be determined for the corresponding component.

[0045] The inlet and / or outlet enthalpy can be determined by estimation. In one embodiment, the enthalpy of the refrigerant at the evaporator inlet can be determined via the prevailing pressure upstream of an associated expansion valve, which can be determined, for example, via a pressure sensor, and an assumed subcooling or subcooling measured by at least one sensor at the inlet of the expansion valve. The enthalpy at the inlet can then be specified by a characteristic curve, which can be provided, for example, by a component description, where the pressure and the assumed subcooling represent input parameters and the enthalpy can represent the output.

[0046] In one embodiment, the enthalpy of the refrigerant at the evaporator outlet can be determined via the pressure prevailing there, which can be determined or measured, for example, using at least one pressure sensor, and a target or actual superheat at the evaporator outlet, which can also be determined using at least one sensor. To determine the enthalpy, a characteristic curve can be provided, which can preferably be specified by a component description, whereby the pressure and the target superheat can specify parameters for querying the enthalpy.

[0047] In one embodiment, the enthalpy of the refrigerant at the chiller inlet can be specified by the enthalpy of a refrigerant at the evaporator inlet. This can be the case in particular when the chiller and evaporator are arranged in parallel, i.e. the same enthalpy prevails at the chiller inlet and at the evaporator inlet. In one embodiment, the enthalpy of the refrigerant at the chiller outlet can be determined via the pressure and the refrigerant outlet temperature at the chiller using a characteristic curve, e.g., a LUT, e.g., by the computing unit. In one embodiment, the enthalpy can therefore again be specified via a component description of the chiller.

[0048] The determination may include a prediction of the enthalpy difference at the inlet and outlet of the different heat exchangers, so that the determination provides an efficient way to determine the target refrigerant partial mass flows.

[0049] In one embodiment, the computing unit may be configured to determine a first target partial refrigerant mass flow for the evaporator and a second target partial refrigerant mass flow for the chiller and to determine the target total refrigerant mass flow as the sum of the target partial refrigerant mass flows.

[0050] The target total refrigerant mass flow can be determined as the sum of the target partial refrigerant mass flows. This makes it possible to provide a performance-based controller for the refrigerant compressor, thus enabling efficient thermal management control for a vehicle. In one embodiment, the target partial refrigerant mass flows can be specified by performance requirements of the at least one heat exchanger. This means that the at least one heat exchanger, e.g., the chiller, the evaporator, and / or the ambient air heat exchanger, can specify which target partial refrigerant mass flow is necessary to provide the required performance.

[0051] In one embodiment, the control unit can further be designed to control at least one first valve, in particular an expansion valve, to the at least one target refrigerant mass flow and / or to at least one of the two target refrigerant partial mass flows, wherein the control to at least one of the two target refrigerant partial mass flows can comprise controlling a mass flow distribution between at least two heat exchangers, e.g. between the evaporator and the chiller.

[0052] The valve allows the refrigerant mass flow between individual components of the thermal management system to be controlled, particularly between different heat exchangers, such as chillers and evaporators. By controlling the mass flow, the cooling or heating capacity provided can be adjusted more precisely.

[0053] In one embodiment, the control unit can be designed to control a second valve, in particular an expansion valve, arranged upstream, preferably immediately upstream, with respect to the evaporator, in particular on the primary side, ie on the refrigerant side, to a target superheat value after the evaporator, which can indicate a target superheat after the evaporator, wherein the control unit can be designed to control and, if necessary, readjust the target refrigerant mass flow using a superheat after the evaporator.

[0054] In one embodiment, the superheat can be determined by the difference between a temperature measured at a sensor or probe at the outlet of the heat transfer device, e.g., an evaporator and / or chiller, and an evaporation temperature of the fluid passing through, e.g., the refrigerant. The evaporation temperature can be determined, for example, via a pressure at the outlet of the heat transfer device, e.g., an evaporator and / or chiller.

[0055] The determination unit is further configured to determine at least one power premium from the target outlet temperature for the chiller and / or evaporator, wherein the determination unit is further configured to take the at least one power premium into account when controlling the evaporator and / or chiller. A deviation of the target outlet temperature from a current outlet temperature can also be taken into account during the determination.

[0056] In addition to (pre-)controlling the target refrigerant mass flow, a power premium is used to regulate the evaporator and / or chiller. This allows for initial pre-control of the target refrigerant mass flow, followed by fine-tuning control to ensure that the target refrigerant mass flow is achieved through the system. The power premium can have a positive or negative sign. Control with the power premium ensures that the target refrigerant mass flow is achieved with particular precision. Adjustment during operation is also possible in the event of changes to other parameters, such as ambient temperature. The power premium can be taken into account when controlling at least one valve, in particular an expansion valve and / or the refrigerant compressor.In one embodiment, the computing device can be configured to determine the deviation using a component description of the corresponding component, i.e., evaporator and / or chiller, into a volume flow on the air or water side of the evaporator and / or chiller. The volume flow can then be converted into a mass flow, so that, as a result, the mass flow can again be controlled or regulated.

[0057] In one embodiment, the at least one heat exchanger may be designed as a heating condenser arranged downstream of the refrigerant compressor, wherein the target outlet temperature may be designed as an air outlet temperature at the heating condenser.

[0058] The heating condenser can, for example, be designed to heat the interior of a vehicle. A fan can also be provided for this purpose, which directs ambient air over the heating condenser so that the heat is released into the ambient air. This also allows the interior of a vehicle cabin to be heated.

[0059] In one embodiment, the computing unit can be designed to determine a minimum permissible air outlet temperature at an external ambient air heat exchanger arranged downstream of the refrigerant compressor, e.g. a condenser, taking into account a dew point temperature of an ambient air, wherein the determining unit can be designed to determine the heat source power using the secondary-side enthalpy difference at the ambient air heat exchanger in such a way that, in particular, icing of the secondary-side surface of the condenser is prevented.

[0060] The (external) ambient air heat exchanger is preferably located outside a vehicle cabin. Icing can occur on the ambient air heat exchanger, for example, if the surface temperature on the secondary side of the ambient air heat exchanger falls below the dew point of the air and the system is operated below 0°C. The secondary-side enthalpy difference, i.e., the side of the medium to be cooled, can be determined by the computing unit by calculating the difference between the inlet and outlet enthalpies. By taking the minimum permissible air outlet temperature into account, ice formation can be prevented, and the components of the thermal management system can be effectively protected.

[0061] In one embodiment, the computing unit may further be configured to determine an expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor taking into account a heating power for the target outlet temperature at the heating condenser, wherein the control unit may in particular be configured to use the expected power consumption when controlling the at least one refrigerant compressor.

[0062] By determining the expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor, which is influenced by the heating capacity of the heating condenser, the control of the refrigerant compressor can be carried out even more precisely. This is particularly due to the fact that the refrigerant compressor also produces waste heat that corresponds to the power consumption. The refrigerant compressor can therefore also serve as a heat source. This allows the control system to be designed even more efficiently.

[0063] In one embodiment, the determination unit may further be configured to determine at least one power premium from the target outlet temperature for the heating condenser, wherein the determination unit may further be configured to take the at least one power premium into account when determining the necessary heating power requirement.

[0064] By determining a power premium from the target outlet temperature for the heating condenser, a power-based control of the heating output can be provided that takes the current conditions into account. As already explained above with regard to the power premium from the target outlet temperature for the chiller and / or evaporator, a power-based control is implemented with the power premium. The power premium can have a positive or negative sign.

[0065] In one embodiment, the determination unit can be designed to determine a quantity of heat to be extracted by the evaporator from the ambient air of the evaporator, wherein the computing unit can be designed to use the quantity of heat in determining the at least one target refrigerant mass flow.

[0066] It is also possible to determine the potential of heat sources in order to further improve the determination of the target refrigerant mass flow.

[0067] In one embodiment, the computing unit can be designed to determine an expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor to cover the target refrigerant mass flow, wherein the expected power consumption can be used in determining a heat source power to cover the necessary heating power requirement.

[0068] The above embodiment is based on the consideration that the refrigerant compressor itself also produces waste heat and thus represents a heat source. Therefore, the expected power consumption, which corresponds to the waste heat, can be used to determine the heat source output to cover the necessary heating power requirements, further optimizing the system and making it more energy-efficient.

[0069] In addition to the control system described above, a thermal management system is also explicitly disclosed, which may include all or part of the components described above.

[0070] The object is further achieved in particular by a method for controlling a thermal management system of a vehicle, in particular an at least partially electrically driven vehicle, comprising: • Determining a necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement for at least one target outlet temperature at at least one heat exchanger, e.g. an evaporator and / or a condenser, as well as a current heat source power; • Determining at least one target refrigerant mass flow taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement and the current heat source power; • Controlling at least one refrigerant compressor, in particular a freely controllable refrigerant compressor, e.g. an electrically or hydraulically controllable refrigerant compressor, to the calculated target refrigerant mass flow.

[0071] In one embodiment, the method may comprise: • Determining at least two target refrigerant partial mass flows; and • Determining a target total refrigerant mass flow as the at least one target refrigerant mass flow taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement and the at least two target partial refrigerant mass flows.

[0072] In one embodiment, determining the at least one target refrigerant mass flow may comprise converting the cooling and / or heating power requirement into a refrigerant mass flow to be provided by the at least one refrigerant compressor to meet the cooling and / or heating power requirement, wherein controlling the refrigerant compressor may comprise controlling with respect to the target refrigerant mass flow.

[0073] In one embodiment, the determination of the target refrigerant mass flow, the target total refrigerant mass flow and / or the target partial refrigerant mass flows can be carried out using at least one component description, in particular a component description of the refrigerant compressor and / or the expansion valves.

[0074] In one embodiment, the method may include switching at least one valve that can cause switching between a cooling operating mode, a heating operating mode, and / or a dehumidification operating mode.

[0075] In one embodiment, the at least one heat exchanger may be designed as a chiller arranged upstream of the refrigerant compressor, wherein the target outlet temperature may be designed as a cooling water outlet temperature at the chiller.

[0076] In one embodiment, the at least one heat exchanger may be designed as an evaporator arranged upstream of the refrigerant compressor, wherein the target outlet temperature may indicate an air outlet temperature at the evaporator.

[0077] In one embodiment, the method may comprise: • Determining an inlet and outlet enthalpy at the evaporator and / or chiller, in particular on a primary side and / or secondary side of the evaporator and / or chiller; and • Determine the target partial refrigerant mass flow for the chiller or evaporator using the difference between the corresponding inlet and outlet enthalpy.

[0078] In one embodiment, the method may comprise determining a first target partial refrigerant mass flow for the evaporator and a second target partial refrigerant mass flow for the chiller, wherein determining the target total refrigerant mass flow may comprise adding the target partial refrigerant mass flows.

[0079] In one embodiment, the method may comprise controlling at least one first valve, in particular an expansion valve, to the at least one target refrigerant mass flow and / or to at least one of the two target refrigerant partial mass flows, wherein the controlling to at least one of the two target refrigerant partial mass flows may in particular comprise controlling a mass flow distribution between at least two heat exchangers, e.g. between the evaporator and the chiller.

[0080] In one embodiment, the method may comprise controlling a second valve, in particular an expansion valve, arranged upstream of the evaporator, in particular on the primary side, to a target superheat value after the evaporator, which may indicate a target superheat after the evaporator, wherein controlling the target refrigerant mass flow may comprise controlling using a superheat after the evaporator.

[0081] The procedure also includes: • Determining at least one performance premium from the target outlet temperature for the chiller and / or evaporator, • Control of the evaporator and / or chiller taking into account at least one capacity increase.

[0082] At least one valve, in particular at least one expansion valve, can be controlled with respect to superheating after the evaporator and / or chiller.

[0083] In one embodiment, the at least one heat exchanger can be designed as a heating condenser arranged downstream of the refrigerant compressor, wherein the target outlet temperature can be designed as an air outlet temperature at the heating condenser.

[0084] In one embodiment, the method may comprise: • Determining a minimum permissible air outlet temperature taking into account a dew point temperature of an ambient air at an external ambient air heat exchanger arranged downstream of the refrigerant compressor, • determining a secondary-side enthalpy difference at the ambient air heat exchanger, wherein the heat source power can be determined using the secondary-side enthalpy difference (the exit and entry enthalpy) at the ambient air heat exchanger in such a way that, in particular, icing of the secondary-side surface of the ambient air heat exchanger is prevented.

[0085] In one embodiment, the method may comprise determining an expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor taking into account a heating power for the target outlet temperature at the heating condenser, wherein the control of the at least one refrigerant compressor may be carried out in particular using the determined expected power consumption.

[0086] In one embodiment, the method may comprise determining at least one power premium from the target outlet temperature for the heating condenser, wherein the determination of the necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement may be carried out taking into account the determined at least one power premium.

[0087] In one embodiment, the method may comprise determining an amount of heat to be extracted from the ambient air of the evaporator with the evaporator, wherein the determination of the at least one target refrigerant mass flow may be carried out using the determined amount of heat.

[0088] In one embodiment, the method may comprise determining an expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor to cover the target refrigerant mass flow through the refrigerant compressor, wherein the expected power consumption may be used in determining a heat source power to cover the necessary heating power requirement.

[0089] The object is further achieved in particular by a computer-readable storage medium which contains instructions which cause at least one processor to implement a method as explained above when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor.

[0090] The object is further achieved by a vehicle, in particular an at least partially electrically driven vehicle, preferably an electric car, with a control system and / or a thermal management system as described above.

[0091] Further embodiments emerge from the subclaims. It is explicitly pointed out that the aspects and embodiments described above can be combined with one another. In particular, those aspects that are described only with regard to the control system or the method can be combined with the method or the control system.

[0092] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments. In the following: Fig. 1: a schematic representation of a vehicle; Fig. 2: a schematic representation of a control system; Fig. 3: a flowchart for controlling a thermal management system; Fig. 4: a schematic representation of a control system and a thermal management system; Fig. 5a: a schematic representation of a component description; Fig. 5b: a graph showing data of a component description; Fig. 6: a schematic representation of a control system and a thermal management system for cooling the interior of a vehicle cabin and a high-voltage battery; Fig. 7: a flowchart showing a method for controlling the thermal management system of the Fig. 6 shows; Fig. 8: schematic representation of a control system and a thermal management system for heating an interior of the vehicle cabin using waste heat from the ambient air; Fig. 9: a flowchart showing a method for controlling the thermal management system of the Fig. 8 shows; Fig. 10: schematic representation of a control system and a thermal management system for dehumidifying the air of an interior of the vehicle cabin; Fig. 11: a flowchart showing a method for controlling the thermal management system of the Fig. 10 shows; and Fig. 12: a schematic device adapted to implement a control system of the invention.

[0093] In the following, the same reference numbers are used for identical or equivalent parts.

[0094] The Fig. 1 shows a vehicle 1 with a vehicle cabin 5 arranged in the vehicle 1, as well as drive units 3, 3', 3'', 3''', which in the illustrated embodiment are designed as electric motors. The drive units 3, 3', 3'', 3''' are arranged on wheels (not shown) of the vehicle 1 and allow the vehicle 1 to be driven. To supply the drive units 3, 3', 3'', 3''' with electrical energy, a high-voltage battery 2 is arranged in the vehicle 1 and is electrically connected to the drive units 3, 3', 3'', 3'''. The high-voltage battery 2 heats up when energy is drawn from the drive units 3, 3', 3'', 3''' or other electrical consumers in the vehicle 1. To ensure an optimal operating temperature of the high-voltage battery 2, a chiller 15 is also arranged in the vehicle 1, which is designed to cool the high-voltage battery 2.

[0095] Chiller 15 cools high-voltage battery 2 with cooling water on the secondary side, so that heat is removed from high-voltage battery 2 and dissipated via refrigerant on the primary side. Chiller 15 thus has a cooling water side (secondary side) and a refrigerant side (primary side).

[0096] In addition to cooling the high-voltage battery 2, the vehicle 1 requires the vehicle cabin 5 to be either heated and / or cooled, depending on user requirements. To accommodate user requirements, the vehicle cabin 5 has an air conditioning control unit 4, via which the user can adjust a temperature and / or a fan speed or air flow rate.

[0097] To heat and cool the vehicle cabin 5 to the set temperature, the vehicle 1 has an ambient air heat exchanger 12, a refrigerant compressor 11, a heating condenser 13 and an evaporator 14. The function of the individual elements is described in detail in connection with the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Heated or cooled air is blown into the interior of the vehicle cabin 5 via a fan 6 so that the set temperature is reached.

[0098] The structure described above contains a number of heat sources. All active elements, such as the drive units 3, 3', 3'', 3''', the evaporator 14, the heating condenser 13, and the ambient air heat exchanger 12, generate heat as waste heat from their operation. Furthermore, the high-voltage battery 2 heats up considerably during vehicle operation, so intensive cooling may be necessary under certain circumstances.

[0099] Since the available energy is limited in electrically powered vehicles, such as vehicle 1, it is necessary to take all existing heat sources and sinks into account when air conditioning vehicle 1.

[0100] Of course, the vehicle 1 described above can also additionally have an internal combustion engine, which can be used additionally or alternatively to drive the vehicle 1, so-called hybrid vehicle.

[0101] The Fig. 2 shows a control system 100 for efficiently controlling a thermal management system 10.

[0102] The control system 100 has a determination unit 101, which is designed to determine a necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement 104, 105. For this purpose, the determination unit 101 uses a target outlet temperature 107 at at least one heat exchanger 110. The target outlet temperature 107 is provided in the embodiment shown by an air conditioning control unit 111, which in turn determines the target outlet temperature 107 from a predetermined interior temperature, which is determined by an air conditioning control unit 4 (e.g. the air conditioning control unit of the Fig. 1). Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, an actual outlet temperature 107' can be provided to the determination unit 101 by the heat exchanger 110 or an associated sensor. From the difference between the target and actual temperature, a volume flow can be determined that is to be passed through the at least one heat exchanger in order to compensate for the difference. In addition, the determination unit 101 determines a current heat source power 106. This means that the determination unit 101 is designed to indicate, in particular at any time, which heat sources provide which amount of heat. For example, a high-voltage battery 2 can provide a large amount of heat, which can then be used to heat a vehicle cabin 5 of a vehicle 1. Other heat sources are, for example, electric motors 3, 3', 3'', 3''' or other active elements of the vehicle 1 that produce waste heat.

[0103] A computing unit 102 is configured to determine a target refrigerant mass flow 108 taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement 104, 105 and the current heat source power 106. The target refrigerant mass flow 108 corresponds to the heating and / or cooling power requirement 104, 105, taking into account the available heat. This means that, for example, the target refrigerant mass flow can be determined from the above-mentioned volume flow.

[0104] Furthermore, a control unit 103 is provided, which is designed to control a refrigerant compressor 11 to the calculated target refrigerant mass flow 108. By controlling the refrigerant compressor 11, the temperature provided via a connected thermal management system 10 is adjusted.

[0105] The Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method 300 that implements the functionality described above.

[0106] The method 300 starts with a determination 301 of a necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement 104, 105 for a target outlet temperature 107 and a current heat source power 106.

[0107] Subsequently, in a determining step 302, a target refrigerant mass flow 108 is determined taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement 104, 105 and the current heat source power 106.

[0108] In a control step 303, a refrigerant compressor 11 is now controlled to the calculated target refrigerant mass flow 108.

[0109] The Fig. Figure 4 shows a more detailed, although still schematic, representation of a control system 100 and a thermal management system 10, both of which are incorporated in the vehicle 1 of the Fig. 1 can be integrated. In the control system 100 of the Fig. 4 can be, for example, the control system 100 of the Fig. 2 act.

[0110] The thermal management system 10 of the Fig. 4 has a closed refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant circuit has a refrigerant compressor 11, which is designed to compress gaseous fluid, i.e., gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant compressor 11 is designed as an electrically responsive refrigerant compressor 11. This means that a rotational speed and thus the mass flow passed through the refrigerant compressor 11 can be freely adjusted, e.g., by the control system 100.

[0111] By compression in the refrigerant compressor 11, the refrigerant is heated so that it heats ambient air 20 of the heating condenser 13 via a heating condenser 13 arranged downstream of the refrigerant compressor 11 in the flow direction 21. The heating condenser 13 is designed to liquefy, i.e., condense, the compressed refrigerant. During the phase transition from gaseous to liquid, heat is released, which is then transferred to the ambient air 20. For this purpose, a fan is also arranged on the heating condenser 13, which fan draws in cold ambient air 20 from the vehicle cabin 5 or from outside the vehicle cabin 5 and releases it in a heated state into the vehicle cabin 5. The fan is arranged at the inlet of the air path and draws in fresh air from outside or recirculated air from the vehicle interior, or a mixture of both. The air path runs over the evaporator 14 and the heating condenser 13.Furthermore, a temperature sensor (not shown) is arranged at the air-side outlet of the heating condenser 13, which measures a current temperature at the air-side outlet of the heating condenser 13 and makes it available to the control system 100 for further processing.

[0112] Downstream of the heating condenser 13, an electrically addressable expansion valve 16' is also arranged, which adjusts the flow of refrigerant to a downstream ambient air heat exchanger 12. The electrically addressable expansion valve 16' can thus be freely addressed, i.e., the mass flow passed through the expansion valve 16' can be freely adjusted, e.g., by the control system 100.

[0113] The ambient air heat exchanger 12 serves as a heat exchanger or heat exchanger for ambient air and the refrigerant. The ambient air heat exchanger 12 is arranged in the vehicle 1 such that ambient air 7 flows over a surface of the ambient air heat exchanger 12.

[0114] The ambient air heat exchanger 12 can act as an evaporator or a condenser, depending on the operating mode. Thus, the refrigerant can be cooled by the flow of the ambient air 7 over the surface of the ambient air heat exchanger 12. Alternatively, the refrigerant can be heated, e.g., if the temperature of the ambient air 7 is significantly higher than the temperature of the refrigerant. If the refrigerant is heated, it evaporates.

[0115] Arranged parallel to the ambient air heat exchanger 12 is a valve 17' which can bypass the ambient air heat exchanger 12. The valve 17' can be a shut-off valve, for example. By virtue of the arrangement parallel to the ambient air heat exchanger 12, it is possible, on the one hand, to control the temperature of the refrigerant downstream of the ambient air heat exchanger 12, i.e., by mixing the refrigerant that is passed through the ambient air heat exchanger 12 and that that is passed past the ambient air heat exchanger 12. On the other hand, the valve 17' can prevent bypassing the ambient air heat exchanger 12, so that all of the refrigerant is passed through the ambient air heat exchanger 12.

[0116] Downstream of the valve 17' and the ambient air heat exchanger 12, a check valve 18 is arranged such that a backflow of refrigerant to the ambient air heat exchanger 12 is prevented.

[0117] Downstream of the valve 17' and the check valve 18, the refrigerant is directed to a second electric expansion valve 16. The expansion valve 16 is connected upstream of an evaporator 14, in which introduced (partially) liquid refrigerant is evaporated, i.e., in this case, the ambient air heat exchanger 12 acts as a condenser that does not evaporate the refrigerant. The expansion valve 16 thus controls the amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 14. The evaporator 14, like the heating condenser 13, is arranged such that ambient air 20 from the vehicle cabin 5 is directed over the surface of the evaporator 14, in particular using a fan. As the refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 14, the refrigerant becomes colder, and the ambient air 20 flowing over the surface of the evaporator 14 is cooled.A temperature sensor (not shown) is arranged at the air-side outlet of the evaporator 14, which measures the air-side outlet temperature at the evaporator 14. The temperature sensor can optionally be the same temperature sensor that is also used to measure the temperature at the air-side outlet of the heating condenser 13.

[0118] The now gaseous refrigerant is fed back to the refrigerant compressor 11 after flowing through the evaporator 14.

[0119] In addition to the path via the evaporator 14, the thermal management system 10 has a parallel path downstream from the ambient air heat exchanger 12 and the valve 17'. This path conducts the refrigerant via a further electric expansion valve 16'' to a chiller 15, which is designed to cool a high-voltage battery 2 of the vehicle 1. The expansion valve 16'' of the chiller 15 controls the mass flow of refrigerant, which is conducted via the chiller 15. The chiller 15 acts as a heat exchanger from the refrigerant to cooling water, which is used to cool the high-voltage battery 2. The chiller 15, like the evaporator 14, leads to a cooling of the refrigerant and an evaporation of the refrigerant, i.e., the phase changes from liquid to gaseous.

[0120] Finally, the thermal management system 10 provides an additional path from the ambient air heat exchanger 12 to the refrigerant compressor 11. A further shut-off valve 17 is arranged in this path. Thus, refrigerant evaporated by the ambient air heat exchanger 12 can be fed directly to the refrigerant compressor 11, ie, in the case where the ambient air heat exchanger 12 acts as an evaporator.

[0121] The control system 100 is now designed to control or regulate the refrigerant compressor 11, the expansion valves 16, 16', 16'', the shut-off valves 17, 17' and any fans on the ambient air heat exchanger 12, the evaporator 14 and / or the heating condenser 13.

[0122] In the case where only one heat exchanger 12, 13, 14 is active, i.e., in a single operating mode, the superheat at the outlet of the corresponding evaporator is controlled. In an operating mode where more than one heat exchanger 12, 13, 14 is active, i.e., a dual operating mode, the superheat of the refrigerant at the evaporator outlet is controlled at the leading evaporator, and the expansion valve of the second, i.e., the non-leading evaporator, controls the mass flow distribution between the two evaporators. Thus, the expansion valves 16, 16', 16'' control or regulate the mass flow made available to the downstream ambient air heat exchanger 12, the evaporator 14, and the chiller 15.

[0123] In order to provide performance-related control, the components controlled or regulated by the control system 100 are specified by a component description 30.

[0124] Fig. 5a shows a schematic representation of a component description 30. The component description 30 provides, on the one hand, standardized interfaces 31 that can be used to control the components specified by the component description 30. Thus, a specific component, e.g., a specific refrigerant compressor 11, is abstracted. This abstraction makes it possible to easily replace components without the need for complex adaptation of the control system to the new component.

[0125] In addition, component description 30 provides a Fig. which describes the physical behavior of the described component. Fig. For one or more properties of the described component, the corresponding mass flow is specified. Fig. be used to provide the necessary settings of the described component for a target refrigerant mass flow 108.

[0126] This shows the Fig. 5b shows an example of a component description of the refrigerant compressor 11. On the coordinate axis X of the Fig. Figure 5b shows the compressor speed of the refrigerant compressor 11, and the refrigerant suction pressure is shown on the Y coordinate axis. From these two parameters, the refrigerant mass flow achieved with corresponding parameter values ​​can now be determined using the component description 30. It is also conceivable that the component description specifies a mapping of a temperature difference, i.e., the difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature, to a volume flow required to compensate for the temperature difference. The volume flow can then, in turn, be used to determine a corresponding mass flow required to compensate for the temperature difference.

[0127] Component description 30 can now be used to determine the required compressor speed and refrigerant suction pressure for a target refrigerant mass flow. This enables performance-related control in which the refrigerant mass flow, rather than the compressor speed of a specific component, represents the relevant control variable.

[0128] A component description is also provided for the expansion valves 16, 16', 16'', which regulate the superheating after the corresponding heat exchangers 12, 14, 15 and the refrigerant mass flows.

[0129] With the Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, an operating mode is described below by way of example in which the interior of the vehicle cabin 5 and a high-voltage battery 2 of a vehicle 1 are cooled.

[0130] The one in the Fig. 6 essentially corresponds to the structure of the Fig. 4. In the structure of the Fig. 6, however, to allow cooling of the interior of the vehicle cabin 5 and the high-voltage battery 2, the shut-off valve 17 is closed. Furthermore, the shut-off valve 17' is also closed.

[0131] The functionality of the Fig. 6 shown structure will now be explained in connection with the flow chart of the Fig. 7, which shows a method 400 for controlling power.

[0132] Method 400 begins with setting an operating mode, in this case, a "cool interior and high-voltage battery" operating mode. The operating mode selection can be executed implicitly, e.g., by a high load on the high-voltage battery 2 and a user setting that the interior should be cooled, e.g., by setting a temperature via the climate control unit 4.

[0133] By selecting the operating mode, in the subsequent valve closing step 402 the shut-off valves 17, 17' are closed as described above for Fig. 6 described, closed.

[0134] The required cooling capacity in the interior is now determined in step 403. Sensor values ​​from a temperature sensor 23 can be evaluated for this purpose.

[0135] In the next step 404, the required cooling capacity for the high-voltage battery 2 is determined. For this purpose, a temperature sensor 23' can also be arranged on the high-voltage battery 2, which can indicate the current temperature. The cooling water outlet temperature at the chiller is relevant for this step.

[0136] Now, in step 405, the inlet and outlet enthalpy at the evaporator 14 and the chiller 15 is determined in order to determine corresponding target refrigerant mass flows 24, 24' so that the necessary cooling capacity is provided.

[0137] The inlet enthalpy of the refrigerant is determined at the evaporator 14 via the pressure upstream of the expansion valve 16 and an assumed or measured subcooling at the inlet of the expansion valve 16 via a characteristic curve provided as part of a component description 30. The outlet enthalpy of the refrigerant at the outlet of the evaporator 14 is determined via the pressure at the outlet and a target superheat at the outlet of the evaporator 14 via a characteristic curve, which is also provided as part of the component description 30.

[0138] The required target partial refrigerant mass flow 24 is now determined, which is to be passed through the evaporator 14 and thus must be provided. The target partial refrigerant mass flow 24 for the evaporator 14 is determined from the enthalpy difference across the evaporator 14 and the capacity of the evaporator 14 (i.e., the cooling capacity for the interior).

[0139] Furthermore, in step 405, a target partial refrigerant mass flow 24' is determined for the chiller 15. For this purpose, an enthalpy difference across the chiller 15 is first determined.

[0140] The inlet enthalpy of the refrigerant at the inlet of the chiller 15 is equal to the enthalpy of the refrigerant at the inlet of the evaporator 14, as can be seen from Fig. 6. The enthalpy of the refrigerant at the outlet of the chiller 15 is determined via the pressure and the refrigerant outlet temperature at the chiller 15, with the refrigerant outlet temperature being determined via a temperature sensor, e.g., a combined pressure and temperature sensor. A characteristic curve, which is also part of a corresponding component description 30, can be used to infer the enthalpy via a corresponding mapping of pressure and refrigerant outlet temperature.

[0141] The target partial refrigerant mass flow 24' is now determined from the determined power of the chiller 15 (i.e. the cooling power for the high-voltage battery 2) and the enthalpy difference across the chiller 15.

[0142] In the subsequent step 406, the required total refrigerant mass flow is determined, i.e., the target total refrigerant mass flow 25 required to meet the cooling requirements is determined. The target total refrigerant mass flow 25 results from the sum of the two determined target partial refrigerant mass flows 24, 24' for the evaporator 14 and the chiller 15.

[0143] Subsequently, in step 407, the expansion valves 16 and 16" for the evaporator 14 and the chiller 15 are pre-controlled to the corresponding target refrigerant mass flows 24, 24'. The refrigerant compressor 11 is pre-controlled to provide the required target total refrigerant mass flow 25.

[0144] In control step 408, the expansion valve 16 can now be adjusted to the setpoint for superheating.

[0145] Furthermore, in control step 409, the expansion valve 16'' of the chiller 15 is controlled to the target partial refrigerant mass flow of the evaporator 14.

[0146] In the two subsequent steps 410 and 411 of method 400, a surcharge on the calculated capacity of evaporator 14 is first determined in step 410. This surcharge can be determined by calculating the deviation of the capacity of evaporator 14 from the required cooling capacity. By continuously monitoring this deviation, a control of the evaporator capacity is then implemented.

[0147] Correspondingly, in step 411, a surcharge is determined on the calculated output of chiller 15. This surcharge can be determined by calculating the deviation of chiller 15's output from the required cooling capacity. By continuously monitoring this deviation, chiller output control is now implemented.

[0148] The Fig. Figure 8 shows a schematic representation of a control system 100 and a thermal management system 10, which essentially corresponds to those of Fig. 4 and Fig. 6. The embodiment of the Fig. However, Figure 8 shows an operating mode in which the interior of the vehicle cabin 5 is heated by waste heat from the ambient air.

[0149] In the operating mode of the Fig. 8, the valve 17 is open and the valve 17' and the expansion valves 16, 16'' are closed. Thus, refrigerant flows from the refrigerant compressor 11 to the heating condenser 13 and to the ambient air heat exchanger 12, and from there back to the refrigerant compressor 11.

[0150] In this operating mode, heat is absorbed from the ambient air 7 via the ambient air heat exchanger 12 and released into the interior of the vehicle cabin 5 via the heating condenser 13. In addition, in the exemplary embodiment, the Fig. 8, an auxiliary heating device 27 is provided, which is designed as an active heating element, e.g., as a high-voltage (HV) PTC ("positive temperature coefficient"). Such an auxiliary heating device 27 can provide heat for the interior air conditioning as needed, e.g., in cold-start situations in which no or insufficient heat energy can be provided from the ambient air 7 to meet the heating requirements.

[0151] The Fig. Figure 9 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 500 for controlling the construction of the Fig. 8 explained.

[0152] First, an operating mode is set (setting step 501), in this case an operating mode “heating the interior by heat pump operation from waste heat of the ambient air”.

[0153] In a first determination step 502, the control system 100 determines the heating power required to achieve a target air outlet temperature at the heating condenser 13. To determine the current temperature, a temperature sensor 23 is provided at the air-side outlet (secondary side) of the heating condenser 13. The current temperature can be used to determine the heating power required to meet a user's heating requirements.

[0154] In a next determination step 503, a minimum permissible air outlet temperature downstream of the ambient air heat exchanger 12 is determined, taking into account the dew point temperature of the ambient air 7. From this, the maximum available heat quantity that can be extracted from the ambient air is calculated in the subsequent calculation step 504. The minimum permissible air outlet temperature indicates a temperature below which ice formation occurs on the ambient air heat exchanger 12. This determination is intended to prevent this in order to protect the components.

[0155] If the maximum available heat quantity of the ambient air heat exchanger 12 is not sufficient to provide the required heating output, the auxiliary heating device 27 is used to contribute the missing heat quantity.

[0156] In the subsequent determination step 505, an expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor 11 is determined, as well as the required amount of heat to be absorbed at the ambient air heat exchanger 12 to cover the required heating output of the heating condenser 13.

[0157] In the calculation step 506, a refrigerant-side (primary-side) target outlet temperature 107 at the ambient air heat exchanger 12 is calculated, which is necessary to meet the heating requirement.

[0158] In the estimation step 507, a (future) inlet and outlet enthalpy at the ambient air heat exchanger 12 is estimated, which prevails when providing the required heat output. In the calculation step 508, the required target refrigerant mass flow 108 is then calculated using the enthalpy difference at the ambient air heat exchanger 12, which must be provided by the refrigerant compressor 11 to meet the heating requirements with the heating condenser 13.

[0159] In control step 509, the refrigerant compressor 11 and the expansion valve 16' are now (pre)controlled to the target refrigerant mass flow 108.

[0160] In control step 510, the expansion valve 16' is now controlled to a setpoint value of the superheat after the ambient air heat exchanger 12 (wherein the ambient air heat exchanger 12 acts as an evaporator), which corresponds to the setpoint outlet temperature to be provided at the ambient air heat exchanger 12.

[0161] Finally, in control step 511, a power surcharge on the calculated air-side power at the heating condenser 13 is calculated and used for (continuous) control of the heating condenser 13.

[0162] The Fig. Figure 10 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment in which a “dehumidification” operating state is set. The structure is essentially the same as the structure of Fig. 4. During dehumidification, the cooling function of the evaporator 14 is used to remove moisture from the ambient air 20, which then drips off the evaporator 14 and can thus be transported out of the vehicle cabin 5. The dehumidified ambient air 20 can then be reheated via the heating condenser 13, so that the interior of the vehicle cabin 5 remains warm.

[0163] The Fig. 11 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for controlling and regulating the thermal management system 10 by means of the control system 100 of the Fig. 10 shows.

[0164] First, in a first setting step 601, the "dehumidification" operating mode is set, and the expansion valves 16', 16'' and the valve 17 are closed. Thus, the refrigerant is directed from the refrigerant compressor 11 through the heating condenser 13 to the evaporator 14 and from there back to the refrigerant compressor 11.

[0165] In a next determination step 602, the necessary cooling capacity for a target air outlet temperature at the evaporator 14 is determined. The target air outlet temperature is selected such that the ambient air 20 passed through the evaporator 14 condenses on the evaporator 14.

[0166] In a further determination step 603, the required heating power for the target outlet temperature at the heating condenser 13 is determined. The target outlet temperature at the heating condenser 13 is selected according to a user request, ie, according to a user setting.

[0167] In an evaluation step 604, it is first checked whether a heating capacity surplus is present or expected at the heating condenser 13. If this is the case, excess heat is dissipated to the outside. Such an excess can occur if a large refrigerant mass flow is required to meet the capacity at the evaporator 14.

[0168] In a subsequent calculation step 605, the maximum amount of heat to be extracted from the ambient air 20 via the evaporator 14 is determined, i.e., the sensible and latent heat quantities. This is intended to prevent ice formation on the evaporator.

[0169] In a further evaluation step 606, it is determined whether the auxiliary heating device 27 must be used in addition to the heat pump operation in order to achieve the heating power requirement or the target outlet temperature 107 at the heating condenser 13.

[0170] In a determining step 607, the expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor 11 is determined as well as the required power of the evaporator 14 in order to determine the heating power requirement of the heating condenser 13.

[0171] Subsequently, in a calculation step 608, a target outlet temperature for the evaporator 14 is calculated.

[0172] Subsequently, in an estimation step 609, the inlet and outlet enthalpy at the evaporator 14 is determined and in a calculation step 610, a target refrigerant mass flow 108 is determined using a specific enthalpy difference across the evaporator 14.

[0173] In a control step 611, the expansion valve 16 upstream of the evaporator 14 and the refrigerant compressor 11 are first pre-controlled to the target refrigerant mass flow 108.

[0174] The expansion valve 16 is then controlled to a setpoint value for the superheat after the evaporator 14.

[0175] Finally, in a control step 612, a power premium is calculated on the calculated air-side power at the heating condenser, which is continuously repeated to implement a control.

[0176] Fig. 12 shows an exemplary device 40 configured to implement the control system 100. The device 40 has a processor 41 configured to execute commands stored in a memory device 42 in order to implement the control and regulation of the thermal management system 10. The memory device 42 can further be configured to store at least one component description 30 of the various components of the thermal management system 10. For communication with the thermal management system 10, the device 40 further has a communication interface 43. This can, for example, be configured to communicate with the individual components of the thermal management system 10 via a BUS system. Even if the Fig.12 shows a device which has only one processor 41 and one memory device 42, further embodiments are conceivable in which a plurality of processors and a plurality of memory devices are used, which can be arranged in a distributed manner, e.g. as part of different control units of a vehicle 1. It is also conceivable that in further embodiments component descriptions 30 are stored on a remotely arranged server, which, when required, e.g. when a component is replaced, are automatically loaded from the server into the memory device 42, e.g. via the communication interface 43.

[0177] At this point it should be noted that all of the parts described above are to be regarded individually - even without additionally described features in the respective context, even if these have not been explicitly identified as optional features in the respective context, e.g. by using: in particular, preferably, for example, e.g., if necessary, round brackets, etc. - and in combination or any sub-combination as independent embodiments or further developments of the invention, as defined in particular in the introduction to the description and the claims. Deviations from this are possible. Specifically, it should be noted that the word in particular or round brackets do not identify any features that are mandatory in the respective context. List of reference symbols: 1 vehicle 2 high-voltage batteries 3, 3', 3'', 3''' drive unit / motor 4 Climate control unit 5 Vehicle cabin 6 fans 7 Ambient air 10 Thermal management system 11 Refrigerant compressors 12 ambient air heat exchangers 13 Heating capacitor 14 evaporators 15 chillers 16, 16', 16'' valve / expansion valve 17, 17' valve / shut-off valve 18, 18' check valve 19 HVAC area 20 Ambient air 21 Flow direction 22 Refrigerant mass flow 23, 23' Temperature sensor 24, 24' Target refrigerant partial mass flow 25 Target total refrigerant mass flow 27 Auxiliary heating device 30 Component description 31 Interface 32 Figure 40 furnishings 41 processor 42 Storage device 43 Communication interface 100 tax system 101 Unit of Determination 102 computing unit 103 Control unit 104 Required cooling capacity 105 Required heating power requirement 106 Current heat source output 107 Target outlet temperature 107' Actual outlet temperature 108 Target refrigerant mass flow 111 Climate control unit X, Y, Z coordinate axis 300 Method for controlling a thermal management system of a vehicle 301, 302 Determine step 303 Tax Step 400 procedures for controlling performance 401 Setting operating mode: Cooling the interior and high-voltage battery 402 Close valves 403 Calculation of interior cooling capacity 404 Calculation of cooling capacity of high-voltage batteries 405 Enthalpy estimation step 406 Total refrigerant mass flow calculation step 407 Control step 408 control step 409 Control step EXV Chiller 410 Calculation of evaporator surcharge 411 Calculation of Chiller Surcharge 500 control procedures 501 Setting step 502, 503, 505 Determine step 504, 506, 508 Calculate step 600 methods for dehumidification 601 Setting step 602, 603, 607 Determine step 604, 606 Evaluation step 605, 608, 610 Calculate step 609 Estimation step 611 Control step 612 Rule Step

Claims

[1] Control system (100) for a thermal management system (10) of a vehicle (1), in particular an at least partially electrically driven vehicle (1), comprising: • a determination unit (101) which is designed to determine a necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement (104, 105) for at least one target outlet temperature (107) at at least one heat exchanger (110), e.g. an evaporator (14) and / or a heating condenser (13), as well as a current heat source power (106); • a computing unit (102) designed to determine at least one target refrigerant mass flow (108) taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement (104, 105) and the current heat source power (106); • a control unit (103) which is designed to control at least one refrigerant compressor (11), in particular a freely controllable refrigerant compressor (11), e.g. an electrically or hydraulically controllable refrigerant compressor (11), to the calculated target refrigerant mass flow (108), wherein the determination unit (101) is further designed to determine at least one power premium from the target outlet temperature (107) for a chiller (15) and / or evaporator (14), wherein the determination unit (101) is further designed to take the at least one power premium into account when controlling the evaporator (14) and / or chiller (15). [2] Control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized byin that the computing unit (102) is further designed to determine at least two target partial refrigerant mass flows (24, 24') and, taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement (104, 105) and the at least two target partial refrigerant mass flows (24, 24'), to determine a target total refrigerant mass flow (25) as the at least one target refrigerant mass flow (108). [3] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized byin that the at least one heat exchanger (110), the refrigerant compressor (11) and / or at least one valve (16, 16', 16'', 17, 17'), in particular an expansion valve (16, 16', 16''), are specified by means of a component description (30), wherein a component description (30) specifies in particular a physical behavior of a component, e.g. of the refrigerant compressor (11), the heat exchanger (110) and / or the at least one valve (16, 16', 16'', 17, 17'), and wherein the control unit (103) is designed to use the component description (30) in the control of the at least one refrigerant compressor (11), the control of the at least one heat exchanger (110) and / or the at least one valve (16, 16', 16'', 17, 17'). [4] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the computing unit (102) is designed to determine the target refrigerant mass flow (108), the target total refrigerant mass flow (25) and / or the target partial refrigerant mass flows (24, 24') using at least one component description (30), in particular the component description (30) of the refrigerant compressor (11) and / or the expansion valves (16, 16', 16'') [5] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the at least one heat exchanger (110) is designed as a chiller (15) arranged upstream of the refrigerant compressor (11), wherein the target outlet temperature (107) is designed as a cooling water outlet temperature at the chiller (15). [6] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the at least one heat exchanger (110) is designed as an evaporator (14) arranged upstream of the refrigerant compressor (11), wherein the target outlet temperature (107) indicates an air outlet temperature at the evaporator (14). [7] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by in that the computing unit (102) is designed to determine an inlet and outlet enthalpy at the evaporator (14) and / or chiller (15), in particular on a primary side and / or secondary side, e.g. a refrigerant side, cooling water side and / or air side, of the evaporator (14) and / or chiller (15), and a target refrigerant partial mass flow (24, 24') for the chiller (15) or evaporator (14) using the difference between the corresponding inlet and outlet enthalpy. [8] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized byin that the computing unit (102) is designed to determine a first target partial refrigerant mass flow (24) for the evaporator (14) and a second target partial refrigerant mass flow (24') for the chiller (15) and to determine a target total refrigerant mass flow (25) as the sum of the target partial refrigerant mass flows (24, 24'). [9] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control unit (103) is further designed to control at least one first valve (16, 16', 16'', 17, 17'), in particular an expansion valve (16, 16', 16''), to the at least one target refrigerant mass flow (108) and / or to at least one of the two target refrigerant partial mass flows (24, 24'), wherein the control to at least one of the two target refrigerant partial mass flows (24, 24') comprises controlling a mass flow distribution between at least two heat exchangers (110), e.g. between the evaporator (14) and the chiller (15). [10] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by in that the control unit (103) is designed to control a second valve (16), in particular an expansion valve (16), arranged upstream of the evaporator (14), in particular on the primary side, to a target superheat value after the evaporator (14), which indicates a target superheat after the evaporator (14), wherein the control unit (103) is designed to control the target refrigerant mass flow (108) using a superheat after the evaporator (14). [11] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the at least one heat exchanger (110) is designed as a heating condenser (13) arranged downstream of the refrigerant compressor (11), wherein the target outlet temperature (107) is designed as an air outlet temperature at the heating condenser (13). [12] Control system (100) according to claim 11, characterized by that the computing unit (102) is further designed to determine an expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor (11) taking into account a heating power requirement (105) for the target outlet temperature (107) at the heating condenser (13), wherein the control unit (103) is in particular designed to use the expected power consumption when controlling the at least one refrigerant compressor (11). [13] Control system (100) according to one of claims 11 or 12, characterized by that the determination unit (101) is further designed to determine at least one power surcharge from the target outlet temperature (107) for the heating condenser (13), wherein the determination unit (101) is further designed to take the at least one power surcharge into account when determining the necessary heating power requirement (105). [14] Control system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized byin that the computing unit (102) is designed to determine an expected power consumption of the refrigerant compressor (11) to cover the target refrigerant mass flow (108), wherein the expected power consumption is used in determining the heat source power (106) to cover the necessary heating power requirement (105). [15] Method (300) for controlling a thermal management system (10) of a vehicle (1), in particular an at least partially electrically driven vehicle (1), comprising: • Determining (301) a necessary cooling and / or heating power requirement (104, 105) for at least one target outlet temperature (107) at at least one heat exchanger (110), e.g. an evaporator (14) and / or a heating condenser (13), as well as a current heat source power (106); • Determining (302) at least one target refrigerant mass flow (108) taking into account the cooling and / or heating power requirement (104, 105) and the current heat source power (106); • Determining at least one power premium from the target outlet temperature (107) for a chiller (15) and / or evaporator (14); • Controlling the evaporator (14) and / or chiller (15) taking into account the at least one performance increase; • Controlling (303) at least one refrigerant compressor (11), in particular a freely controllable refrigerant compressor (11), e.g. an electrically or hydraulically controllable refrigerant compressor (11), to the calculated target refrigerant mass flow (108). [16] A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that cause at least one processor (41) to implement a method according to claim 15 when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor (41). [17] Vehicle (1), in particular an at least partially electrically driven vehicle (1), preferably an electric car, with a control system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 14.

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