Thermal management system for electrified vehicle

Abstract

A thermal management system for an electrified vehicle having a power providing device includes a cooling plate that has a first port and a second port, and is configured to circulate cooling water and exchange heat with the power providing device, and a solenoid valve that is connected to the first port and the second port of the cooling plate and is configured to redirect a path of the cooling water. The solenoid valve is operable in two modes including a first mode when the solenoid valve is inactivated and a second mode when the solenoid valve is activated. Further, the activation of the solenoid valve is dependent on a temperature difference of the cooling water between the first port and the second port of the cooling plate.

Description

THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIFIED VEHICLEFIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a thermal management system for an electrified vehicle. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the thermal management system for a power providing device in the electrified vehicle.BACKGROUND

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] Recently, high voltage batteries are being widely used in electrified vehicles such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). In particular, with the steady exhaustion of carbon energy and increasing interest in the environment, the demand for the hybrid electric vehicles and the electric vehicles is increasing all over the world. In such hybrid electric vehicles or electric vehicles, the most essential component is a power providing device such as a battery pack that gives driving power to an automobile motor. Because hybrid electric vehicles or electric vehicles are supplied with power for driving the vehicles through charging / discharging of battery packs, they have higher fuel efficiency and can eliminate or lessen the emission of pollutants, and by this reason, the number of users for driving the hybrid electric vehicle or electric vehicle is now increasing.

[0004] Further, the service life and effectiveness as well as the safety of a rechargeable battery for electrified vehicles such as the electric vehicles or the hybrid electric vehicles depend, among other factors, on the temperature of the power providing device such as a battery pack during operation. For this reason, various concepts for the transport arrangements of the media have been suggested for the cooling and / or temperature control of the battery or battery pack. Depending on the ambient temperature, it may be necessary to heat or cool the batteries. For this purpose, the hybrid electric vehicles or electric vehicles are equipped with a temperature control unit that has transport channels through which temperature control liquid can be fed to the cells of the battery in order to control their temperature within a desired temperature.

[0005] In the electrified vehicles, when the high-voltage battery is charged with the electric energy through the charger or the power of the high-voltage battery is converted, a substantial amount of heat is generated from the charger, the battery or battery pack, severalpower conversion components, the motor or the like. Meanwhile, if excessive heat is generated, the risk of accidents may increase due to the malfunction of components, and durability may decrease due to a reduction in performance or deterioration of a component itself, and thus, a cooling system capable of effectively discharging heat generated from the components is required.SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a thermal management system for an electrified vehicle to control the temperature of the battery pack. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the thermal management system for an electrified vehicle having a power providing device includes a cooling plate having a first port and a second port and a solenoid valve connected to the first port and the second port of the cooling plate. The cooling plate is configured to circulate cooling water and exchange heat with the power providing device, and the solenoid valve is configured to redirect a path of the cooling water. Further, the solenoid valve is operable in two modes including a first mode when the solenoid valve is inactivated and a second mode when the solenoid valve is activated. The activation of the solenoid valve is dependent on a temperature difference of the cooling water between the first port and the second port of the cooling plate.

[0007] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the solenoid valve is connected with a first cooling water line to communicate with a chiller, a second cooling water line to communicate with the first port of the cooling plate, a third cooling water line to communicate with the second port of the cooling plate, and a fourth cooling water line to communicate with the chiller.

[0008] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the solenoid valve is inactivated in the first mode when the temperature difference of the cooling water between the first port and the second port is less than a threshold temperature. In the first mode of the solenoid valve, the first cooling water line is communicated with the second cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water from the chiller enters the cooling plate through the first port, and the third cooling water line is communicated with the fourth cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water circulating in the cooling plate exits through the second port of the cooling plate.

[0009] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the solenoid valve is activated in the second mode when the temperature difference of the cooling water between the first port and the second port is over than a threshold temperature. In the second modeof the solenoid valve, the first cooling water line is communicated with the third cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water from the chiller enters the cooling plate through the second port, and the second cooling water line is communicated with the fourth cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water circulating in the cooling plate exits through the first port of the cooling plate.

[0010] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the thermal management system includes a chiller to exchange heat between the cooling water and a refrigerant passing through the chiller.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a thermal management system communicating with an electronic control unit (ECU) of an electrified vehicle includes the steps of providing a battery pack having a cooling plate, providing a solenoid valve to control a path of cooling water to circulate in the cooling plate of the battery pack, detecting a temperature difference of the cooling water between a first port and a second port of the cooling plate, comparing the temperature difference to a threshold temperature, and determining an activation of the solenoid valve to redirect the path of the cooling water to circulate in the cooling plate.

[0012] Further details and benefits will become apparent from the following detailed description of the appended drawings. The drawings are provided herewith purely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an installation example of a thermal management system in an electrified vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the thermal management system with multi-paths of cooling water according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0016] FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a detailed thermal management system in a normal mode of FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a detailed thermal management system in an overheated mode of FIG. 2.

[0017] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure or its application or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows an electrified vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle having a battery pack as one of the power providing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 1 , the vehicle 100 includes a battery pack 12 and a thermal management system 10 for controlling the temperature of the battery pack 12 of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 further includes an electronic control unit (ECU) 101 communicating with the thermal management system 10 such that the thermal management system 10 of the vehicle 100 is configured to control the temperature of the other components such as an air-conditioning system and / or electrical equipment such as a motor, an on-board charger 24, etc. The thermal management system 10 of the vehicle 100 includes at least one water pump 14, at least one valve 16, a battery heater 18, at least one chiller 20, and a radiator 22, which are connected to each other by multiple cooling water lines W. Further, the vehicle 100 includes a compressor 102, a condenser 104, an expansion valve 106, and an evaporator 108, which are each connected by multiple refrigerant lines R to also control the temperature of the cabin air of the vehicle 100 (see FIG. 2).

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle 100 further includes the on-board charger 24 (OBC) configured to supply charging power to the battery pack 12 such that one of the cooling water lines W may be connected to the OBC 24 to manage heat generated from the OBC 24 because the battery pack 12 and the OBC 24 generate heat when the battery pack 12 is charged. In the example of FIG. 1 , the high-capacity battery pack 12 may be installed in an underbody of the vehicle 100, and the OBC 24 may be installed in a trunk area of the vehicle 100. In another approach, the battery pack 12 and / or the OBC 24 may be installed in other locations of the vehicle 100.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a portion of the thermal management system 10 in the electrified vehicle 100. The thermal management system 10 shows the refrigerant lines R and the cooling water lines W, which are each connected to control the temperature of the battery pack 12, the electrical equipment, the cabin air, etc. As shown in an example of FIG. 2, one of the refrigerant lines R is connected to at least one chiller 20 formed as a heat exchanger and one of the cooling water lines W is also connected to the chiller 20 to exchange heat between the cooling water and the refrigerant passing through the chiller 20.In the chiller 20, the low-temperature refrigerant exiting from the condenser 104 cools the cooling water passing the chiller 20. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the cooling water in the thermal management system 10 can cool down the battery pack 12 and / or the electrical equipment such as the OBC 24 by circulating through the cooling water lines W connected to the battery pack 12 and the chiller 20 of the vehicle 100.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant lines R are each connected with the compressor 102, the condenser 104, the expansion valve 106, and the evaporator 108 to circulate the refrigerant for controlling the temperature of the cabin air inside the electrified vehicle 100. In FIG. 2, the refrigerant exiting from the chiller 20 is in a low-pressure gaseous form and drawn into the compressor 102. The compressor 102 puts the gas under pressure and forces it out to the condenser 104 such that the refrigerant enters the condenser 104 as a pressurized gas from the compressor 102. In the condenser 104, air flowing around the tubes of the condenser 104 to cool the refrigerant down until it forms a liquid refrigerant, which is a high-pressure liquid.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, some of the high-pressure liquid refrigerant flows into the expansion valve 106 where it is allowed to expand. This expansion reduces the pressure on the refrigerant, so it can move into the evaporator 108 for the refrigerant to be used in the air-conditioning system of the vehicle 100. Further, the other high-pressure liquid refrigerant exiting from the condenser 104 flows into the chiller 20 to exchange heat with one of the cooling water lines W connected to the chiller 20 such that the cooling water passing the chiller 20 through one of the cooling water lines W is cooled down by the refrigerant passing the chiller 20 and supplied to the battery pack 12 for controlling the temperature of the battery pack 12 in the electrified vehicle 100.

[0024] In the thermal management system 10 of FIG. 2, further, one of the cooling water lines W is also connected to the water pump 14, which is preferably located between the chiller 20 and the battery pack 12 to circulate the cooling water toward the battery pack 12. One of the cooling water lines W may be connected to the heater 18, which is located between the battery pack 12 and the chiller 20. The cooling water may be heated by passing the heater 18 when the temperature of the battery pack 12 needs to be heated in the condition that the outside air temperature is low. For example, when the outside air temperature (i.e., ambient temperature) falls into below a threshold temperature, the temperature of the battery pack 12 may be optimally maintained by controlling the cooling water’s temperature passing the battery pack 12 to improve the efficiency of the battery. In another approach, the location of the water pump 14 or the heater 18 may be located indifferent locations to effectively control the temperature of the battery pack 12 in the electrified vehicle 100.

[0025] Further, the thermal management system 10 includes at least one valve 16 such as 2-way, 3-way, 4-way, 5-way, etc. to connected with the water lines W and / or the refrigerant lines R to redirect the paths of the cooling water and / or the refrigerant according to the ambient temperature or the internal conditions of the thermal management system 10 in the electrified vehicle 100. Due to the valves installed in thermal management system 10 of the vehicle 100, the thermal management system 10 is configured to efficiently control the temperature of the battery pack 12, the cabin air, and the electrical equipment installed in the electrified vehicle100.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling water lines W include a chiller cooling water path 26 and a radiator cooling water path 28. The cooling water cooled in the chiller 20 circulates through the chiller cooling water path 26 to control the temperature of the battery pack 12 and also another cooling water cooled in the radiator 22 circulates through the radiator cooling water path 28. The chiller and radiator cooling water paths 26 and 28 are each connected to the battery pack 12 to control the temperature of the battery pack 12 such that the thermal management system 10 is configured to selectively use the cooling water circulating in the chiller cooling water path 26 and the radiator cooling water path 28.

[0027] In FIG. 2, the chiller cooling water path 26 is connected to the chiller 20, one of the valves 16, the water pump 14, and the battery pack 12 to circulate the cooling water cooled in the chiller 20. The radiator cooling water path 28 is connected to the radiator 22, the valve 16, one of the water pumps 14, and the battery pack 12 to circulate the cooling water cooled in the radiator 22. Further, the valve 16 is configured to control the paths of the cooling water between the chiller cooling water path 26 and the radiator cooling water path 28 such that the thermal management system 10 having the valve 16 is configured to control the temperature of the battery pack 12 by circulating the cooling water in the chiller cooling water path 26 and / or the radiator cooling water path 28. Accordingly, the cooling water circulating in the chiller cooling water path 26 and / or the radiator cooling water path 28 can be used to control the temperature of the battery pack 12 and / or the electrical equipment such as the OBC 24.

[0028] FIGS. 3A and 3B show the detailed view of the chiller cooling water path 26 connected with the battery pack 12, the battery heater 18, the chiller 20, and the water pump 14 including the valve 16. Further, the thermal management system 10 includes a 4-way solenoid valve 30 located next to the battery pack 12 to redirect the cooling water circulatingin the chiller cooling water path 26. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the solenoid valve 30 may be an electrical actuator or a pneumatic actuator having four ports such that the solenoid valve 30 is configured to change the flow direction of the cooling water according to the temperature of the batter pack 12. Further, the battery pack 12 is formed with a cooling plate 32 having a first port 34 and a second port 36 to communicate with the chiller cooling water path 26. For example, in FIG. 3A, the first port 34 of the cooling plate 32 receives the cooling water cooled from the chiller 20 and the cooling water exits through the second port 36 after circulating in the cooling plate 32. Accordingly, the cooling water enters the cooling plate 32 through the first port 34, circulates in the cooling plate 32 for exchanging heat with the battery cells, and exits through the second port 36. In another approach, for example, the cooling water may enter the cooling plate 32 through the second port 36, circulate in the cooling plate 32, and exit through the first port 34 (see FIG. 3B).

[0029] In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the chiller cooling water path 26 of thermal management system 10 has a first cooling water line W1 disposed between the water pump 14 and the solenoid valve 30 to communicate between the chiller 20 and the solenoid valve 30, a second cooling water line W2 disposed between the solenoid valve 30 and the cooling plate 32 to communicate between the first port 34 of the cooling plate 32 and the solenoid valve 30, a third cooling water line W3 disposed between the cooling plate 32 and the solenoid valve 30 to communicate between the second port 36 of the cooling plate 32 and the solenoid valve 30, and a fourth cooling water line W4 disposed between the solenoid valve 30 and the chiller to communicate between the solenoid valve 30 and the chiller 20.

[0030] In FIG. 3A, when the temperature difference between a first temperature T 1 of the cooling water at the first port 34 and a second temperature T2 of the cooling water at the second port 36 is less than a threshold temperature Tt, which is, for example, typically 5°C, but it is not limited to the specific temperature above, the solenoid valve 30 is not activated (i.e. , inactivated) and the cooling water in the first cooling water line W1 passes through the solenoid valve 30, and enters the first port 34 of the cooling plate 32 through the second cooling water line W2, which is defined as a first mode of the solenoid valve 30 (i.e., normal mode). In the first mode, accordingly, the first cooling water line W1 is connected to the second cooling water line W2 through the solenoid valve 30 such that the cooling water enters the cooling plate 32 through the first port 34, circulates to exchange heat with the battery cells in the cooling plate 32, and exits through the second port 36 of the cooling plate 32. In another approach, the threshold temperature Tt may be different temperature value(e.g., between 2° - 15°) according to the condition of the thermal management system 10 in the electrified vehicle 100.

[0031] In FIG. 3B, when the temperature difference between the first temperature T1 of the cooling water at the first port 34 and the second temperature T2 of the cooling water at the second port 36 is over (i.e., more than) the threshold temperature Tt, which is 5°C, the solenoid valve 30 is activated and the cooling water in the first cooling water line W1 passes through the solenoid valve 30, and enters the second port 36 of the cooling plate 32 through the third cooling water line W3, which is defined as a second mode of the solenoid valve 30 (i.e., overheated mode). Accordingly, in the second mode of the solenoid valve 30, the first cooling water line W1 is connected to the third cooling water line W3 through the solenoid valve 30 such that the cooling water enters the cooling plate 32 through the second port 36, circulates to exchange heat with the battery cells in the cooling plate 32 and exits through the first port 34 of the cooling plate 32. As shown in FIG. 3B, the second mode is also defined as a reversing mode of the solenoid valve 30 (i.e., activated mode of the solenoid valve 30) to redirect the cooling water such that the cooling water enters the cooling plate 32 through the second port 36 and exits through the first port 34.

[0032] In the second mode (i.e., overheated mode) of the solenoid valve 30, which is compared to the first mode (i.e., normal mode), the first and second ports 34 and 36 are switched to receive the cooling water transporting from the chiller 20 for exchanging heat with the battery cell. Further, when the temperature difference between the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2 is changed to be less than the threshold temperature Tt, the solenoid valve 30 is deactivated to redirect the path of the cooling water (i.e., the solenoid valve 30 is moved in the normal mode) such that the first cooling water line W1 is reconnected to the second cooling water line W2, and the cooling water from the first cooling water line W1 passes through the solenoid valve 30 and enters the cooling plate 32 through the first port 34. Accordingly, due to the solenoid valve 30, the thermal management system 10 of the present disclosure utilizes the cooling water cooled from the chiller 20 to control the temperature of the battery pack 12 such that the efficiency of the battery pack 12 in the electrified vehicle 100 is improved.

[0033] The methods, devices, processors, modules, engines, and logic described above may be implemented in many different ways and in many different combinations of hardware and software. For example, all or parts of the implementations may be circuitry that includes an instruction processor such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), microcontroller, or a microprocessor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Programmable LogicDevice (PLD), or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA); or circuitry that includes discrete logic or other circuit components, including analog circuit components, digital circuit components or both; or any combination thereof. The circuitry includes discrete interconnected hardware components and / or is combined on a single integrated circuit die, distributed among multiple integrated circuit dies, or implemented in a Multiple Chip Module (MCM) of multiple integrate circuit dies in a common package, as examples.

[0034] The circuitry further includes or accesses instructions for execution by the circuitry. The instructions is stored in a tangible storage medium that is other than a transitory signal, such as a flash memory, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM); or a magnetic or optical disc, such as a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CDROM), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or other magnetic or optical disk; or in or on another machine-readable medium. A product, such as a computer program product, includes a storage medium, and instructions stored in or on the medium, and the instructions when executed by the circuitry in a device cause the device to implement any of the processing described above or illustrated in the drawings.

[0035] The foregoing description of various forms of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The forms discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various forms and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:1 . A thermal management system for an electrified vehicle having a power providing device, the thermal management system comprising: a cooling plate having a first port and a second port, the cooling plate configured to circulate cooling water and exchange heat with the power providing device; and a solenoid valve connected to the first port and the second port of the cooling plate and configured to redirect a path of the cooling water, wherein the solenoid valve is operable in two modes including a first mode when inactivated and a second mode when activated, and the activation of the solenoid valve is dependent on a temperature difference of the cooling water between the first port and the second port of the cooling plate.

2. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the solenoid valve is connected with a first cooling water line to communicate with a chiller, a second cooling water line to communicate with the first port of the cooling plate, a third cooling water line to communicate with the second port of the cooling plate, and a fourth cooling water line to communicate with the chiller.

3. The thermal management system of claim 2, wherein the solenoid valve is inactivated in the first mode when the temperature difference of the cooling water between the first port and the second port is less than a threshold temperature.

4. The thermal management system of claim 3, wherein, in the first mode of the solenoid valve, the first cooling water line is communicated with the second cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water from the chiller enters the cooling plate through the first port.

5. The thermal management system of claim 3, wherein, in the first mode of the solenoid valve, the third cooling water line is communicated with the fourth cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water circulating in the cooling plate exits through the second port of the cooling plate.

6. The thermal management system of claim 2, wherein the solenoid valve is activated in the second mode when the temperature difference of the cooling water between the first port and the second port is over a threshold temperature.

7. The thermal management system of claim 6, wherein, in the second mode of the solenoid valve, the first cooling water line is communicated with the third cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water from the chiller enters the cooling plate through the second port.

8. The thermal management system of claim 6, wherein, the second mode of the solenoid valve, the second cooling water line is communicated with the fourth cooling water line through the solenoid valve such that the cooling water circulating in the cooling plate exits through the first port of the cooling plate.

9. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal management system includes a chiller to exchange heat between the cooling water and a refrigerant passing through the chiller.

10. A method for controlling a thermal management system communicating with an electronic control unit (ECU) of an electrified vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: providing a battery pack having a cooling plate; providing a solenoid valve to control a path of cooling water to circulate in the cooling plate of the battery pack; detecting a temperature difference of the cooling water between a first port and a second port of the cooling plate; comparing the temperature difference to a threshold temperature; and determining an activation of the solenoid valve to redirect the path of the cooling water to circulate in the cooling plate.11 . The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining the activation of the solenoid valve includes the steps of: inactivating the solenoid valve when the temperature difference is less than the threshold temperature defined as a first mode; andactivating the solenoid valve when the temperature difference is over the threshold temperature defined as a second mode.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thermal management system in the first mode is configured to determine the path of the cooling water such that a first cooling water line is connected to a second cooling line through the solenoid valve and a third cooling water line is connected to a fourth cooling line through the solenoid valve.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, in the first mode of the solenoid valve, the thermal management system is configured to operate the path of the cooling water such that the cooling water enters the cooling plate through the first port communicating with the second cooling line, circulates in the cooling plate, and exits through the second port.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thermal management system in the second mode is configured to determine the path of the cooling water such that a first cooling water line is connected to a third cooling water line through the solenoid valve and a second cooling water line is connected to a fourth cooling water line through the solenoid valve.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein in the second mode of the solenoid valve, the thermal management system is configured to operate the path of the cooling water such that the cooling water enters the cooling plate through the second port communicated with the third cooling water line, circulates in the cooling plate, and exits through the first port.

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