Temperature control module

Abstract

A temperature control module 100 for a vehicle comprises a fluid heater 102; fluid heater circuitry 104 connected to the fluid heater and configured to control operation of the fluid heater; and cooli

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a temperature control module. Aspects of the invention relate to a temperature control module, a temperature control system, a vehicle, a method for controlling a temperature control module, and computer readable instructions. BACKGROUND It is known to provide a fan to cool a component by blowing air over the component in a vehicle. It is known to use a heater to heat fluid and transport that heated fluid to another location for the purposes of providing heating at that location in a vehicle. As demands on cooling and heating requirements in vehicles evolve, improvements to such temperature control systems would be beneficial. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a temperature control module, a temperature control system, and a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a module for a vehicle, the module comprising: a heater configured to heat fluid in a fluid circuit, and a fan control circuit configured to control operation of a fan and arranged to dissipate heat to the fluid circuit. Advantageously, previously separate temperature control components can be combined for centralised control and simplification of manufacture. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a temperature control module for a vehicle, the temperature control module comprising: a fluid heater; fluid heater circuitry connected to the fluid heater, the fluid heater circuitry configured to control operation of the fluid heater; and cooling fan circuitry configured to connect to a cooling fan located externally to the temperature control module, the cooling fan circuitry configured to control operation of the cooling fan; wherein the temperature control module is configured to dissipate heat generated by the cooling fan circuitry and by the fluid heater to a fluid circuit. As fans become capable of higher power operation they also increase in size, which is undesirable with limited available packaging space for the fans e.g. under the vehicle bonnet. The claimed invention advantageously allows for the physical cooling fan (i.e. blades / spindle) to be located externally to the cooling fan circuitry. The physical fan can be located where required in a region of limiting packaging space, and the temperature control module having the fan circuitry can be located elsewhere in the vehicle with less stringent packaging limitations and connect electrically to the physical fan to control and power it. The fluid heater circuitry comprises electrical circuitry, such a printed circuit board (PCB) and conductive wires. The cooling fan circuitry comprises electric circuitry, such a printed circuit board (PCB) and conductive wires. The fluid heater circuitry and the cooling fan circuitry may be connected to form a common control circuitry. Advantageously, commonisation of the drive circuitry of both the cooling fan and the fluid heater may provide a simpler electronic system to be manufactured. For example, the common control circuitry may be formed on a single PCB. Furthermore, a common circuitry may be simpler to electronically controlled for operation, since operation of the fluid heater and the cooling fan is often mutually exclusive. Furthermore, the cooling fan circuitry and the fluid heater are located as part of a common temperature control module which can be cooled by a common fluid circuit, thereby allowing a single fluid circuit to provide fluid cooling to two systems. This simplifies the cooling system in the vehicle and allows for fluid cooling of the cooling fan electronics which, as fan power increases, can benefit from fluid cooling. That is, as power demands on cooling fans increase, liquid cooling the electronics controlling the cooling fan can help prevent the electronics from becoming too hot. Advantageously, the claimed invention allows for a common fluid circuit to be used to allow for fluid cooling of both the cooling fan electronics and for heating of the fluid by a fluid heater for use in cabin climate control (for example in electric vehicles which do not have a combustion engine to use in providing in-vehicle heating). The temperature control module may be configured to receive a fluid conduit of the fluid circuit, and dissipate heat generated by the cooling fan circuitry and by the fluid heater to the fluid conduit. Advantageously the cooling provided by the same fluid conduit can also cool the circuitry driving the fluid heater. The temperature control module may also be configured to dissipate heat generated by the fluid heater circuitry to fluid flowing through the fluid conduit, thereby also advantageously allowing for fluid cooling of the fluid heater electronics by the same common fluid cooling conduit used to cool the cooling fan circuitry and heated by the fluid heater. The temperature control module may further comprise the fluid conduit of the fluid circuit, the fluid conduit configured to transport fluid to the temperature control module and transport heated fluid away from the temperature control module. Therefore advantageously, the fluid conduit may be a part of the temperature control module and arranged to transport fluid heated by the temperature control module away from the temperature control module. Advantageously the fluid conduit may be located with the temperature control module for common fluid cooling of the temperature control module components. The fluid circuit may be configured to transport heated fluid away from the temperature control module to provide heating of the vehicle interior. Advantageously, particularly in electric vehicles which do not have an internal combustion engine present to provide in-cabin heating of the vehicle, the heated fluid from the fluid heater can be transported to provide heat from the heated fluid to the vehicle cabin for climate control. The fluid circuit may comprise: an inflow portion; a heat exchange portion configured to receive fluid from the inflow portion and configured to receive heat dissipated by the temperature control module; and an outflow portion configured to transport heated fluid away from the heat exchange portion I from the temperature control module. Advantageously, for example, the temperature control module may comprise the heat exchange portion of the fluid circuit, and the heat exchange portion may connect to the inflow portion and the outflow portion to form the fluidly connected fluid circuit. The temperature control module may comprise a fluid pump in cooperative connection with the fluid circuit, the fluid pump configured to control flow of fluid along the fluid circuit. Advantageously the fluid circuit may have the flow of fluid through it controlled by the fluid pump. The fluid pump in turn may be controlled by a pump control module, which in some examples may be a part of the temperature control module to provide a centrally controlled temperature control system. The temperature control module may further comprise a housing, wherein the cooling fan circuitry, the fluid heater circuitry and the fluid heater are located within the housing. Advantageously the circuitry and the fluid heater may be co-located in a housing which is cooled by fluid passing through the common fluid circuit, thereby both the cooling fan circuitry and fluid heater system can be cooled by a common coolant fluid circuit. A fluid conduit of the fluid circuit may be received on an external surface of the housing. A fluid conduit of the fluid circuit may be received on and / or within the housing. Advantageously the conduit may pass along an outer surface of the housing, and / or be located within the housing, to be heated by heat dissipated by a component or components within the housing. The temperature control module may further comprise an electrical input connection connected to the cooling fan circuitry and the fluid heater circuitry, the electrical input configured to connect to a power supply bus of the vehicle. Advantageously the temperature control module may be connected to the power supply bus of the vehicle allowing for both the cooling fan and the fluid heater to be powered through the common connection, simplifying the electronics architecture compared with separate dedicated power supply connections. The temperature control module may further comprise an electrical output connection connected to the cooling fan circuitry, the electrical output connection configured to connect to phase windings of the external cooling fan. Advantageously the temperature control module may be connected to an external cooling fan allowing for increased flexibility in locating the temperature control module and the separate, electrically connected, cooling fan itself to be located in the vehicle according to the packaging constraints. The temperature control module may further comprise a communications control module configured to: receive temperature control instructions from a temperature controller of the vehicle; and control the cooling fan circuitry and the control the fluid heater circuitry in dependence on the received temperature control instructions. The communications control module may comprise one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a temperature control signal from a temperature signalling module of the vehicle; determine a cooling fan operating signal and a fluid heater operating signal in dependence on the temperature control signal; and output the cooling fan operating signal to the cooling fan circuitry of the temperature control module and output the fluid heater operating signal to the fluid heater circuitry of the temperature control module. The communications control module may comprise one or more controllers collectively comprising at least one electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving an input signal; and at least one memory device electrically coupled to the at least one electronic processor and having instructions stored therein; and wherein the at least one electronic processor is configured to access the at least one memory device and execute the instructions thereon so as to: determine a cooling fan operating signal and a fluid heater operating signal in dependence on a temperature control signal received from a temperature signalling module of the vehicle; and output the cooling fan operating signal to the cooling fan circuitry of the temperature control module and output the fluid heater operating signal to the fluid heater circuitry of the temperature control module. Advantageously the temperature control module can be controlled by a communications control module of the vehicle, so the temperature control module may be separate from and in communication with a temperature controller via the communications control module. The temperature controller may receive temperature sensor measurements from the vehicle, and communicate these to the temperature control module to control the cooling fan and fluid heater according to the temperature measurements. The temperature control module therefore need not have a direct communication channel with the vehicle to receive sensor information, which allows for the communication protocols and signalling to be handled separately by the communications control module. The temperature control module may further comprise a sensor control module, the sensor control module configured to: receive a sensor signal indicative of one or more of: a phase output of the fan motor; a temperature of the fluid heater; a temperature of the temperature control module; and a temperature of the fluid in the fluid circuit; receive a control signal indicative of a desired operation of at least one of the cooling fan and the fluid heater; determine, in dependence on the sensor signal and control signal, a control parameter configured to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater; and output the control parameter to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater according to the desired operation of the fan and the fluid heater. The sensor control module may comprise one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a sensor signal indicative of one or more of: a phase output of the fan motor; a temperature of the fluid heater; a temperature of the temperature control module; and a temperature of the fluid in the fluid circuit; receive a control signal indicative of a desired operation of at least one of the cooling fan and the fluid heater; determine, in dependence on the sensor signal and control signal, a control parameter configured to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater; and output the control parameterto control the operation ofthe at least one of the fan and the fluid heater according to the desired operation ofthe fan and the fluid heater. The sensor module may comprise one or more controllers collectively comprising at least one electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving an input signal; and at least one memory device electrically coupled to the at least one electronic processor and having instructions stored therein; and wherein the at least one electronic processor is configured to access the at least one memory device and execute the instructions thereon so as to: determine, in dependence on a received sensor signal and a received control signal, a control parameter configured to control the operation ofthe at least one ofthe fan and the fluid heater, wherein the sensor signal is indicative of one or more of: a phase output ofthe fan motor; a temperature ofthe fluid heater; a temperature ofthe temperature control module; and a temperature ofthe fluid in the fluid circuit, and wherein the control signal is indicative of a desired operation of at least one ofthe cooling fan and the fluid heater; and output the control parameterto control the operation ofthe at least one ofthe fan and the fluid heater according to the desired operation ofthe fan and the fluid heater. Advantageously the cooling fan and the fluid heater may be controlled by the sensor control module providing sensor input from elsewhere in the vehicle such as components ofthe cooling fan and fluid heater system for which the control of those components depend on the temperature or desired operation of those components. The cooling fan circuitry may comprise a plurality of pairs of cooling fan switches, and each ofthe pairs may be configured to control a corresponding phase winding ofthe external cooling fan. The fluid heater circuitry may comprise a fluid heater switch configured to control the operation ofthe fluid heater. Advantageously the cooling fan circuitry may comprise a series of electronic switches for controlling the operation ofthe fan, and these switches may be fluid cooled by fluid in the fluid conduit. Advantageously the fluid heater circuitry may comprise one or more electronic switches for controlling the operation ofthe fluid heater, and this switch or switches may be fluid cooled by fluid in the fluid conduit. The circuitry for the cooling fan and the fluid heater may be a common circuit in some examples, for example a PCB. At least one of the switches may be a MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor). According to an aspect ofthe present invention there is provided a temperature control system comprising: a temperature control module as disclosed herein, and the external cooling fan located remotely from the cooling fan circuitry, externally to the temperature control module and in electrical connection with the cooling fan circuitry. Advantageously the fan itself (i.e. fins / blades and motor) is separate from the cooling fan circuitry. The cooling fan circuitry may be cooled by fluid coolant passing through a fluid coolant conduit adjacent the cooling fan circuitry, and this part of the fan assembly can then be located separately from the fan itself to provide increased possible configurations for locating the fan itself and the fan circuitry in the vehicle in potentially limited packing space within the vehicle body. In particular this is advantageous for more powerful fans, e.g. operating above 1 kW power, which may be larger than less powerful fans, and generate more heat which is beneficially dissipated using cooling such as fluid colling via a coolant conduit. The temperature control system may comprising one or more of: the phase output sensor configured to sense the phase output of the fan motor; the fluid heater temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the fluid heater; the circuitry module temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the circuitry module; and the fluid conduit temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the fluid in the fluid conduit. Advantageously the sensors may report values to the sensor control module for control of the fluid heater and cooling fan. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle comprising any temperature control module or temperature control system disclosed herein. Advantageously the cooling fan and the fluid heater for a vehicle may be arranged for improved space-saving in the vehicle to house the fan. For a more powerful fan >kW in power may otherwise be challenging to locate in the vehicle body as fan size, including circuitry, increases as power output increases. Furthermore, the circuitry for the cooling fan and the fluid heater may be combined for provide for more straightforward manufacturing. Further, the coolant conduit supplying cooling to the cooling fan electronic circuitry may be the same as the coolant conduit supplying fluid to be heated by the fluid heater, for example for use in vehicle cabin climate control, thereby allowing for a common cooling conduit system to be employed for simpler manufacturing. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for controlling any temperature control module disclosed herein, the method comprising: receiving, as sensor input, one or more of: a phase output of the fan motor; a temperature of the fluid heater; a temperature of the circuitry module; and a temperature of the fluid in the fluid conduit; receiving, as control input, a control signal indicative of a desired operation of at least one of the cooling fan and the fluid heater; determining, in dependence on the sensor input and control input, a control parameter configured to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater; and outputting the control parameter to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater according to the desired operation of the fan and the fluid heater. Advantageously, the cooling fan and the fluid heater may be controlled according to a sensed temperature to provide cooling by the fan or heating by the fluid heater. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, are arranged to perform any method disclosed herein. The computer readable instructions may be stored on a non-transient computer-readable medium. Advantageously, the method may be implemented as computer code, such as a computer on board the vehicle, and operate with existing technology such as temperature sensors used with a fluid heater, or temperature sensors used to determine when and how to operate a cooling fan. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in anyway and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1A and 1B each show a temperature control module in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a temperature control module in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figures 3A to 3D illustrate an example of adapting a cooling fan to be used in conjunction with a fluid heater in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 shows a system comprising a temperature control module in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 shows an example electrical circuit of a temperature control module in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 shows an example system comprising a temperature control module in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 shows an example method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 8 shows an example vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is known to provide a fan to cool a component by blowing air over the component in a vehicle. In examples where the fan is controlled electronically, the electronic circuitry controlling the fan operation generates heat in operation. As vehicle cooling demands increase, the electronic circuitry may generate increased levels of heat, and may require external cooling, such as liquid or water cooling. This may be challenging to implement by adding a cooling circuit to cool the fan’s electronic circuitry because as the fan power increases, the size of the fan may increase and there is only limited space available in the vehicle where the fan is to be located, such as under the vehicle bonnet (that is, the package space available in which to locate the fan is limited, and may not be possible when the associated circuitry, and liquid cooling, is also to be located in the same packaging space with the fan). It is known to use a heater to heat fluid and transport that heated fluid to another location for the purposes of providing heating at that location in a vehicle. Such a heater may be called a “fluid heater” or “coolant heater”. The fluid being heated maybe considered to be a coolant, a fluid for transferring heat energy to the surrounding environment, or fluid used for environmental temperature regulation, depending on the circumstances. A fluid heater and a coolant fan are usually separate entities within a typical vehicle. In the art, typically, the fluid heater has dedicated fluid heater electronic control circuitry to control fluid heater operation as well as a fluid circuit having an inlet for fluid to be heated and an outlet for heated fluid. Similarly, the cooling fan has dedicated cooling fan dedicated coolant fan electronic control circuitry to control cooling fan operation, without any fluid cooling. Examples disclosed herein, as exemplified in relation to Figures 3A-3D discussed below, realise that the two temperature control systems can be combined advantageously. Combining the electronic control circuitry for the cooling fan and the fluid heater allows for commonisation of the drivefbircuitry, in particular as usage of each temperature control system is usually mutually exclusive. Furthermore, the coolant fluid circuit / conduit used by the fluid heaterto heat fluid in the circuit / conduit may be arranged to also act as a fluid cooling system to help remove heat from the control electronics of the fan, i.e. to fluid-cool the fan electronics as well as be heated by the fluid heaterto provide in-cabin climate control, thereby serving two purposes and avoiding the need for two separate fluid cooling circuits I conduits, one for the fan and one for the fluid heater, without significant additional circuit / conduit plumbing. Figure 1A shows a temperature control module 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The temperature control module 100 comprises a fluid heater 102, and fluid heater circuitry 104 connected to the fluid heater which is configured to control operation of the fluid heater 102. The temperature control module 100 also comprises cooling fan circuitry 106 configured to connect to a cooling fan 108 located externally to the temperature control module. The cooling fan circuitry 106 is configured to control operation of the cooling fan. The temperature control module is configured to dissipate heat generated by the cooling fan circuitry and by the fluid heaterto a fluid circuit. The fluid heater circuitry is electric circuitry, such as a PCB and conductive wires. The cooling fan circuitry is also electric circuitry, such as a PCB and conductive wires. The temperature control module 100, as shown, may be configured to receive a fluid conduit 112 of a fluid circuit, and dissipate heat 150 generated by the cooling fan circuitry 106 and by the fluid heater 102 to the fluid conduit 112. In some examples, the temperature control module may comprise the fluid conduit 112 of the fluid circuit, as shown in Figure 4. The fluid conduit 112 is configured to transport fluid to the temperature control module 100 and transport heated fluid away from the temperature control module 100. Whether the fluid conduit 112 is part of the temperature control module 100 or separate from and configured to cooperate with the temperature control module 100, the fluid circuit may be configured to transport heated fluid away from the temperature control module to provide heating of the vehicle interior. This is useful in vehicles which do not have another ready source of heating such as a combustion engine, e.g. battery electric vehicles (BEV). Figure 1B shows a temperature control module 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, similar to that of Figure 1A with additional features indicated, one or more of which may be present. The temperature control module 100 comprises a fluid heater 102, fluid heater circuitry 104 connected to the fluid heater for controlling operation of the fluid heater; and cooling fan circuitry 106 configured to connect to a cooling fan 108 located externally to the temperature control module and for controlling operation of the cooling fan, as before. The temperature control module 100 is configured to dissipate heat 150 generated by the cooling fan circuitry 106 and by the fluid heater 102 to a fluid circuit. Heat generated by the fluid heater circuitry 104 may also be dissipated to fluid flowing through the fluid conduit 112. Advantageously the cooling provided by the same fluid conduit 112 can cool the circuitry 104 driving the fluid heater, as well as the circuitry 106 driving the cooling fan 108, and receive heat energy from the fluid heater 102. The fluid heater circuitry 104 and the cooling fan circuitry 106 may be connected to form a common control circuitry 110. Advantageously, commonisation of the drive circuitry 104, 106 of both the cooling fan 108 and the fluid heater 102 provides a simpler electronic system to be manufactured and controlled. The common control circuitry 110 may be formed on a single PCB, for example. The temperature control module 100 may comprise a housing 114. The cooling fan circuitry 106, the fluid heater circuitry 104 and the fluid heater 102 are located within the housing 114. By co-locating the circuitry 104, 106 and the fluid heater 102 in the housing 114 which is cooled by fluid passing through the common fluid conduit 112, both the cooling fan circuitry 106 and fluid heater system 102, 104 can be cooled by a common coolant fluid conduit 112. The fluid conduit 112 of the fluid circuit may be received on an external surface of the housing 114, such as sat within a recess on the outer housing surface or wrapped or coiled around the housing. The fluid conduit 112 of the fluid circuit may be received within the housing 114, for example passing through an inlet aperture in the housing 114 and passing out of an outlet aperture of the housing. The fluid conduit 112 may be arranged in a combination of within the housing and external to the housing, in various arrangements, and serve the purpose of receiving dissipated heat from the elements of the temperature control module 100. Advantageously the conduit may pass along an outer surface of the housing, and / or be located within the housing, to be heated by heat dissipated by a component or components within the housing. The fluid conduit 112 may comprise a heat exchange portion received by the temperature control module - for example, a portion of the fluid conduit 112 within a housing 114 or in contact and / or proximal to the housing, which receives the heat generated by the elements in the housing. The fluid conduit may then also comprise an inflow portion configured to transport fluid to the heat exchange portion (i.e. to the temperature control module 100) and an outflow portion configured to transport heated fluid away from the heat exchange portion / from the temperature control module 100. For example, the heat exchange portion of the fluid conduit 112 may be integrated with the temperature control module 100 during manufacture of the temperature control module 100 as a component, and the heat exchange portion is configured to connect at one end to the inflow portion of the fluid conduit, and connect at the opposite end to the outflow portion of the fluid conduit later during assembly of the vehicle. The temperature control module 100 may also comprise an electrical input connection 116 connected to the cooling fan circuitry 106 and the fluid heater circuitry 104. The electrical input 116 is configured to connect to a power supply bus of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 4. By connecting the temperature control module 100 to the power supply bus of the vehicle, both the cooling fan 108 and the fluid heater 102 may be powered through the common connection 116, thereby simplifying the electronics architecture compared with separate dedicated power supply connections to a separate fan 108 and fluid heater 102. The temperature control module 100 may comprise an electrical output connection 118 connected to the cooling fan circuitry 106. The electrical output connection 118 is configured to connect to the external cooling fan 108, for example to the phase windings of the external cooling fan 108. Advantageously the temperature control module 100 may be connected to an external cooling fan 108 which can be located remotely from the temperature control module 100, thereby allowing for increased flexibility in locating the temperature control module and the separate, electrically connected, cooling fan itself, which can be located in the vehicle according to the packaging constraints (e.g. in an under bonnet space). The temperature control module 100 may comprise a communications control module 120 configured to receive temperature control instructions from a temperature controller of the vehicle 10, and control the cooling fan circuitry 106 and the control the fluid heater circuitry 104 in dependence on the received temperature control instructions. This is shown in more detail with reference to Figure 6. Advantageously the temperature control module 100 can be controlled by a communications control module of the vehicle, so the temperature control module 100 may be separate from, and in communication with, a temperature controller via the communications control module 120. The communications control module 120 may receive temperature sensor measurements from sensors in the vehicle 10, and communicate these measurements to the temperature control module 100 to control the cooling fan 108 and fluid heater 102 according to the temperature measurements. The temperature control module 100 therefore need not have a direct communication channel with the vehicle to receive sensor information, which allows for the communication protocols and signalling to be handled separately by the communications control module 120. Advantageously the cooling fan 108 and the fluid heater 102 for a vehicle 100 may be arranged for improved space-saving in the vehicle to house the cooling fan 108. For a more powerful fan >1 kW in power, it may otherwise be challenging to locate the fan with the control circuitry for the fan in the vehicle body (e.g. under bonnet) as the fan size, including the fan circuitry, increases as power output of the fan increases. Furthermore, the circuitry 104, 106 for the cooling fan 108 and the fluid heater 102 may be combined in examples such as those described above, to provide for more straightforward manufacturing. Further, the coolant conduit 112 supplying cooling to the cooling fan electronic circuitry 106 may be the same as the coolant conduit 112 supplying fluid to be heated by the fluid heater 102, for example for use in vehicle cabin climate control, thereby allowing for a common cooling conduit system to be employed for simpler manufacturing. Figure 2 shows a temperature control module 100, which may be the module 100 of Figure 1A or 1B, and which further comprises a sensor control module 122. The temperature control module 100 in this example is configured to receive sensor input from one or more sensors 124,126,128,130 of the vehicle 10. The sensor control module 122 may comprise one or more processors collectively configured to perform the functionality of the sensor control module. The temperature control module 100 with the external cooling fan 108, the fluid conduit 112, and / or one or more of the sensors 124,126, 128, 130, may be considered to be a system 200. The sensor control module 122 is configured to receive a sensor signal indicative of: a phase output of the fan motor 124, a sensor signal indicative of a temperature of the fluid heater 126, a sensor signal indicative of a temperature of the temperature control module 128, and / or a sensor signal indicative of a temperature of the fluid in the fluid circuit 130. Other sensor signals may be envisaged from respective sensors and may be received by the sensor control module 122 for the purposes of controlling the cooling fan circuitry 106 and / or the fluid heater circuitry 104. The sensor control module 122 is also configured to receive a control signal 132 indicative of a desired operation of at least one of the cooling fan 108 and the fluid heater 102. The sensor control module 122 may then determine, in dependence on the sensor signal and control signal, a control parameter configured to control the operation of the at least one of the cooling fan and the fluid heater, and output the control parameter to control the operation of the at least one of the cooling fan 108 and the fluid heater 102 according to the desired operation of the fan and the fluid heater. Advantageously the cooling fan 108 and the fluid heater 102 may be controlled by the sensor control module 122 providing sensor input from elsewhere in the vehicle 10 such as components of the cooling fan and fluid heater system for which the control of those components depend on the temperature or desired operation of those components. Advantageously, this method may be implemented as computer code, such as a computer on-board the vehicle, and operate with existing technology such as temperature sensors used with a fluid heater, or temperature sensors used to determine when and how to operate a cooling fan. The communications control module 120 and the sensor control module 122 may each comprise one or more controllers, each comprising processing means and memory means. The processing means may be one or more electronic processing device which operably executes computer-readable instructions. The memory means may be one or more memory device. The memory means is electrically coupled to the processing means. The memory means is configured to store instructions, and the processing means is configured to access the memory means and execute the instructions stored thereon. Each controller of the communications control module 120 and the sensor control module 122 may comprise an input means and an output means. The input means may comprise an electrical input of the controller. The output means may comprise an electrical output of the controller. The input is arranged to receive a signal from a sensor. The output is arranged to output a control signal to control operation of the temperature control module 100. Figures 3A to 3D illustrate a schematic example of adapting a known arrangement of a cooling fan 308 to be used in conjunction with a fluid heater 302 in an arrangement, shown in Figure 3D, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Figure 3A shows a cooling fan 308 connected to and controlled by fan control and power circuitry 306, powered by electrical energy supplied by a cable 326. The fan control and power circuitry 306 comprises the control electronics as well as the fan motor to drive the fan blade motion. As fans become capable of higher power operation they also increase in size. Having a larger size of fan is undesirable with limited available packaging space for the fans e.g. under the vehicle bonnet. Further, more powerful fans generate more heat from the fan control circuitry 306 than less powerful fans, and the fan control and power circuitry 306 may benefit from being cooled by e.g. watercooling or other fluid cooling using a fluid conduit 312 to pass cooling fluid near the fan control and power circuitry 306 to aid heat dissipation from the fan control and power circuitry 306, as shown in Figure 3E3. Fluid conduits 112 are also used in fluid heating systems whereby a fluid is intentionally heated to allow for transport of the heated fluid to a region of the vehicle which is to be warmed, such as the passenger cabin. Therefore, the same coolant fluid conduit 112 may be used to fluid-cool the fan control and power circuitry 306 as well as be heated by a fluid heater 302. Figure 3C shows that the fluid heater 302 may be co-located with the fan control and power circuitry 306 to share the fluid conduit 112. However, this arrangement leads to a larger sized device than the fan alone. As illustrated schematically in Figure 3D, in embodiments, the cooling fan and motor 108 are external to the cooling fan circuitry (as part of the temperature control module 100) and connected by cabling 310, so the physical fan 108 can be located where required in a region of limiting packaging space. The temperature control module 100 having the fan circuitry can be located elsewhere in the vehicle with less stringent packaging limitations. Furthermore, the cooling fan circuitry and the fluid heater are located as part of a common temperature control module 100 which can be cooled by a common fluid conduit 112, thereby allowing a single fluid conduit 112 to providing fluid cooling to two systems. This arrangement simplifies the cooling system in the vehicle and allows for fluid cooling of the cooling fan electronics. The arrangement in Figure 3D may be considered to be a temperature control system 200 comprising a temperature control module 100 as disclosed herein, and the external cooling fan 108 located remotely from the cooling fan circuitry, externally to the temperature control module 100 and in electrical connection with the cooling fan circuitry. Figure 4 shows a temperature control system 400 comprising a temperature control module 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Arrows shown in hatched lines 412 represent powertransmission, arrows shown in dotted shading 414 represent heat flow, and arrows shown with no shading 416 represent communication control. The temperature control module 100 is as described in relation to Figure 1A for example, comprising a fluid heater 102, fluid heater circuitry 104 and cooling fan circuitry 106. The cooling fan circuitry 106 is connected to an external cooling fan 108. There is an electrical output connection (not shown) connected to the cooling fan circuitry 106, which is configured to connect to phase windings of the external cooling fan 108. The external cooling fan 108 is located remotely from the cooling fan circuitry 106, externally to the temperature control module 100, and in electrical connection with the cooling fan circuitry 106. Also illustrated is the fluid conduit 112 of the fluid circuit which is received in the temperature control module 100 in this example. Heat 414 generated by the cooling fan circuitry 106, the fluid heater circuitry, and the fluid heater 102, is dissipated to the fluid conduit 112. In some examples there may be a fluid pump 410 either within the temperature control system 400 or external from it within the fluid circuit to drive the movement of fluid through the fluid circuit. The fluid pump 410 may be described as being in connection with the fluid conduit 112 and configured to control flow of fluid along the fluid conduit 112. Also illustrated in Figure 4 is a vehicle communications module 402 configured to communicate with a powerstage controller 406. The vehicle communications module 402 transmits control instructions to the powerstage controller 406 which in turn controls operation of the fluid heater circuitry 104 and the cooling fan circuitry 106 to provide cooling via the fan 108 and / or heating by the fluid heater 102 as instructed. In some examples the powerstage controller 406 may be external to the temperature control system. The powerstage controller 406 is an example of a communications control module which is configured to receive temperature control instructions from a temperature controller 402 of the vehicle, and control the cooling fan circuitry 106 and the control the fluid heater circuitry 104 in dependence on the received temperature control instructions. The powerstage controller 406 may operate in one or more control modes. For example, there may be a Mode A in which the powerstage controller 406 controls cooling fan operation; a Mode B in which the powerstage controller 406 performs split operation of the cooling fan and the coolant heater, and a Mode C in which the powerstage controller 406 control fluid heater operation. Other modes or mode combinations may be configured in other examples. Also illustrated in Figure 4 is a power supply bus 408 (e.g. a 12V bus or 48V bus) which provides power to the fluid heater circuitry 104 and the cooling fan circuitry 106 so the fluid heater circuitry 104 can in turn power the motor / phase windings of the external fan 108, and the cooling fan circuitry 106 can provide power to the fluid heater 102. The power supply bus 408 is itself electrically connected to power cabling 404 from the vehicle. The temperature control module 100 in this example comprises an electrical input connection (not shown) connected to the cooling fan circuitry 106 and the fluid heater circuitry 104, the electrical input configured to connect to a power supply bus 408 of the vehicle. Figure 5 shows an example electrical circuit 500 of a temperature control module. In this example, the fluid heater circuitry 504 and the cooling fan circuitry 506 are connected to form a common control circuitry 510, and may be formed on a common PCB. The fluid heater circuitry 504 comprises a fluid heater switch 514 configured to control the operation of the fluid heater 102. The cooling fan circuitry 506 comprises a plurality of pairs 512U, 512V, 512W of cooling fan switches, and each of the pairs 512U, 512V, 512W is configured to control a corresponding phase winding of the external cooling fan (not shown). The electrical circuit 500 may therefore utilise, for a three-phase fan motor, six switches paired into three switch pairs, controlling three respective phase windings (U,V,W). The circuit (as shown, an H-Bridge) is extended by the addition of an additional switch 514 to facilitate fluid heater operation as well as control fan operation. The cooling fan circuitry 510 therefore comprises a series of electronic switches 512U, 512V, 512W, for controlling the operation of the fan, and these switches may be fluid cooled by fluid in the fluid conduit described above. The fluid heater circuitry 504 therefore comprises one or more electronic switches 514 for controlling the operation of the fluid heater, and this switch or switches may be fluid cooled by fluid in the fluid conduit described above. One or more of the switches may be a MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor), or other FET or other electronic switch. Figure 6 schematically shows an example system 600 comprising a temperature control module 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As in Figure 5, the cooling fan circuitry comprises a plurality of pairs 512U, 512V, 512W of cooling fan switches configured to control corresponding phase windings of the external cooling fan motor 630. An additional switch 514 is also present to control operation of the fluid heater 102. A temperature sensor 622 is located proximal to the cooling fan switches 512U, 512V, 512W (and the fluid heater switch 514) and configured to detect the temperature of the electrical circuitry 510. A temperature sensor 620 is located proximal to the fluid heater 102 and configured to detect the temperature of the fluid from the fluid heater 102 entering the fluid circuit. The detected temperatures from the sensors 620, 622 are transmitted to a controller 624. A vehicle communications module 602 is configured to transmit control instructions to the controller 624 to control the fluid heater 102 and the fan motor 630. The controller 624 is configured to control the operation of the control circuitry 510 in response to signalling from the vehicle communications module 602 and from the temperature sensors 620, 622. Figure 7 shows an example method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The method 700 is a method for controlling a temperature control module as disclosed herein. The method 700 comprises: receiving 702, as sensor input, one or more of: a phase output of the fan motor; a temperature of the fluid heater; a temperature of the circuitry module; and a temperature of the fluid in the fluid conduit; receiving 704, as control input, a control signal indicative of a desired operation of at least one of the cooling fan and the fluid heater; determining 706, in dependence on the sensor input and control input, a control parameter configured to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater; and outputting 708 the control parameter to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater according to the desired operation of the fan and the fluid heater. Advantageously, the cooling fan and the fluid heater may be controlled according to a sensed temperature to provide cooling by the fan or heating by the fluid heater. The method may be implemented by computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, are arranged to perform the method. The computer readable instructions may be stored on a non-transient computer readable medium. Figure 8 shows an example vehicle 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The vehicle 10 comprises the control modules 100, systems 200, 400, 600, or circuitry 500 discussed herein. Advantageously, examples disclosed herein provide for reduced quantities of cabling, reducing manufacturing costs and reducing packing space requirements. There are also advantageously reduced requirements of cooling fluid conduit I hose as the same coolant fluid circuit I conduits can be used both to cool the fan circuitry and be heated by the fluid heater allowing for a simpler system to manufacture and further saving on package space requirements. Furthermore, combining the control electronics for the fan and the fluid heater allows for simpler electronic manufacturing, simpler control of the electronics, and reduced manufacturing costs, tooling, package space, and weight. The use of the fluid circuit to cool the fan electronics also helps to improve fan performance by reducing unwanted circuit heating effects. This can also help improve the fluid heater system by similarly by reducing unwanted circuit heating effects. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A temperature control module for a vehicle, the temperature control module comprising:a fluid heater;fluid heater circuitry connected to the fluid heater, the fluid heater circuitry configured to control operation of the fluid heater; andcooling fan circuitry configured to connect to a cooling fan located externally to the temperature control module, the cooling fan circuitry configured to control operation of the cooling fan;wherein the temperature control module is configured to dissipate heat generated by the cooling fan circuitry and by the fluid heater to a fluid circuit.

2. The temperature control module of claim 1, wherein the fluid heater circuitry and the cooling fan circuitry are connected to form a common control circuitry.

3. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, configured to receive a fluid conduit of the fluid circuit, and dissipate heat generated by the cooling fan circuitry and by the fluid heater to the fluid conduit.

4. The temperature control module of claim 3, further comprising the fluid conduit of the fluid circuit, the fluid conduit configured to transport fluid to the temperature control module and transport heated fluid away from the temperature control module.

5. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, wherein the fluid circuit is configured to transport heated fluid away from the temperature control module to provide heating of the vehicle interior.

6. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, further comprising a housing, wherein: the cooling fan circuitry, the fluid heater circuitry and the fluid heater are located within the housing.

7. The temperature control module of claim 6, wherein a fluid conduit of the fluid circuit is received one or more of:on an external surface of the housing; and within the housing.

8. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, further comprising an electrical input connection connected to the cooling fan circuitry and the fluid heater circuitry, the electrical input configured to connect to a power supply bus of the vehicle.

9. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, further comprising an electrical output connection connected to the cooling fan circuitry, the electrical output connection configured to connect to phase windings of the external cooling fan.

10. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, further comprising a communications control module configured to:receive temperature control instructions from a temperature controller of the vehicle; andcontrol the cooling fan circuitry and the control the fluid heater circuitry in dependence on the received temperature control instructions.

11. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, further comprising a sensor control module, the sensor control module configured to:receive a sensor signal indicative of one or more of: a phase output of the fan motor; a temperature of the fluid heater; a temperature of the temperature control module; and a temperature of the fluid in the fluid circuit;receive a control signal indicative of a desired operation of at least one of the cooling fan and the fluid heater;determine, in dependence on the sensor signal and control signal, a control parameter configured to control the operation of the at least one of the fan and the fluid heater; andoutput the control parameterto control the operation ofthe at least one of the fan and the fluid heater according to the desired operation ofthe fan and the fluid heater.

12. The temperature control module of any preceding claim, wherein one or more of:the cooling fan circuitry comprises a plurality of pairs of cooling fan switches, and each ofthe pairs is configured to control a corresponding phase winding ofthe external cooling fan; andthe fluid heater circuitry comprises a fluid heater switch configured to control the operation ofthe fluid heater.

13. A temperature control system comprising:the temperature control module of any preceding claim, andthe external cooling fan located remotely from the cooling fan circuitry, externally to the temperature control module and in electrical connection with the cooling fan circuitry.

14. The temperature control system of claim 13, comprising one or more of:a phase output sensor configured to sense the phase output ofthe fan motor;a fluid heater temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature ofthe fluid heater;a circuitry module temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature ofthe circuitry module; anda fluid conduit temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature ofthe fluid in the fluid conduit.

15. A vehicle comprising the temperature control module of any of claims 1 to 14.17

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