Vehicle battery cooling system in fast charging system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery cooling system for a vehicle in a rapid charging system. The present invention comprises: a high-speed power supply that supplies power to an electric vehicle battery connected via a charging plug during rapid charging; a cooler that provides a cooling fluid for cooling the electric vehicle battery during rapid charging; a cooling fluid controller that, during rapid vehicle charging by the charging plug, supplies the cooled cooling fluid to a cooling module of the electric vehicle battery via the charging plug to cool the battery, and then recovers the cooling fluid that cooled the electric vehicle battery to the cooler upon completion of charging; and a charging plug comprising a power connection part having a plurality of power terminals connected to the high-speed power supply to supply power, and a cooling connection part having a plurality of cooling fluid pipes that deliver the cooling fluid supplied from the cooler to the electric vehicle battery cooling module.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for cooling a vehicle battery in a rapid charging system. Background Technology

[0002] In conventional electric vehicle fast charging, the biggest problem in reducing charging time was the heat generated by the increased current required to shorten the charging time.

[0003] Since heat generation is proportional to the square of the current, in order to reduce the rapid charging time, there is bound to be a limit when rapid charging for more than a certain amount of time because heat generation proportional to the square is generated.

[0004] To address the issues associated with rapid charging, there are various methods, including cooling by blowing air, utilizing water cooling when significantly more heat is generated, and directly exchanging heat with the battery cells using a refrigerant.

[0005] In the case of a conventional rapid charging system (patent registration KR 10-2137758 B1), a large blower is simply used at the bottom of the vehicle for cooling during charging.

[0006] However, in the case of conventional technology, in order to reduce the rapid charging time during rapid charging, a device to remove more heat was required inside the vehicle.

[0007] As a result, the device is not used 100% during operation, but mounting it on the vehicle increases the vehicle's weight, leading to problems such as reduced efficiency in fuel consumption.

[0008] In addition, since the heat generated by the battery during rapid charging increases rapidly in proportion to the square of the current, the amount of heat generated during charging becomes much greater as the rapid charging time decreases, and to solve this, the problem of exponentially increasing the cooling system in the vehicle arises. The problem to be solved

[0009] The present invention is devised to solve conventional problems and aims to provide a battery cooling system for a vehicle in a rapid charging system capable of rapidly cooling the heat generated in the battery during rapid charging by providing a cooling fluid from a cooler of a charging plug to the electric vehicle battery during rapid charging of an electric vehicle.

[0010] The objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objectives will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0011] A battery cooling system of a vehicle in a rapid charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises: a high-speed power supply that supplies power to an electric vehicle battery connected via a charging plug during rapid charging; a cooler that provides a cooling fluid for cooling the electric vehicle battery during rapid charging; a cooling fluid controller that supplies the cooled cooling fluid to a cooling module of the electric vehicle battery via the charging plug during rapid charging of the vehicle via the charging plug to cool the battery, and then recovers the cooling fluid that cooled the electric vehicle battery to the cooler upon completion of charging; and a charging plug comprising a power connection part having a plurality of power terminals connected to the high-speed power supply to supply power, and a cooling connection part having a plurality of cooling fluid pipes that deliver the cooling fluid supplied from the cooler to the electric vehicle battery cooling module.

[0012] The above charging plug includes: a power supply cable connected to a power terminal of the electric vehicle charging plug so that power supplied from the high-speed power supply is supplied to the electric vehicle battery when connected to the electric vehicle charging plug; a cooling fluid supply pipe that delivers a cooling fluid cooled by the cooler to the battery through the electric vehicle charging plug when connected to the electric vehicle charging plug; and a cooling fluid recovery pipe that recovers the cooling fluid that has cooled the electric vehicle battery.

[0013] The charging plug of the electric vehicle described above includes an electric vehicle-side cooling fluid supply pipe and a cooling fluid return pipe, which are connected to the cooling module of the electric vehicle battery, and a cooling fluid return pipe of the charging plug of the fast charging system.

[0014] The charging plug of the electric vehicle further includes a switching module that changes the path of the cooling fluid supplied to the battery cooling module depending on whether the charging plug of the rapid charging system is connected.

[0015] Meanwhile, the above switching module can switch the path of the cooling fluid according to the temperature of the battery.

[0016] The above charging plug is formed to have a structure in which the power connection part protrudes more than the cooling connection part. Effects of the invention

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, by utilizing a cooler outside the electric vehicle, a cooling fluid cooled in the external cooler moves into the battery cooling module during rapid charging, thereby resolving the heat generated during rapid charging, and thus providing the effect of reducing the weight of the electric vehicle and minimizing the cooler.

[0018] According to another embodiment of the present invention, when rapidly charging an electric vehicle battery, the battery is not cooled through an internal cooler of the electric vehicle, but is automatically cooled along with charging using a cooling fluid supplied from a charging system, thereby having the effect of resolving the heat generated by the electric vehicle battery during rapid charging. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a battery cooling system of a vehicle in a rapid charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining the charging plug of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a reference diagram for explaining the operation of a vehicle battery cooling system in a rapid charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a reference diagram for explaining the structure of the electric vehicle battery of Figure 3. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a battery cooling system of a vehicle in a rapid charging system according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a graph predicting the amount of cell heat generated according to the rapid charging time in one embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph predicting the lower and upper limits of the required cooling performance, the lower and upper limits of the amount of heat generated, and the required charger capacity. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0020] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Meanwhile, the terms used in this specification are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless specifically stated otherwise in the text. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" as used in this specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, actions, and / or elements in addition to the mentioned components, steps, actions, and / or elements.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a battery cooling system of a vehicle in a rapid charging system according to the present invention.

[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 1, in a rapid charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery cooling system of a vehicle includes a high-speed power supply (110), a cooler (120), a cooling fluid controller (130), and a charging plug (140).

[0023] The high-speed power supply (110) supplies power to the connected electric vehicle battery (260) during rapid charging.

[0024] The cooler (120) provides a cooling fluid to the battery cooling module (250) through the charging plug (140) to cool the electric vehicle battery (260) during rapid charging. This cooler (120) may utilize a standard air conditioning system and preferably includes a known chiller, condenser, compressor, and pump.

[0025] The cooling fluid controller (130) supplies the cooled cooling fluid to the battery cooling module (250) through the charging plug (140) during rapid charging to cool the battery (260), and then recovers the cooling fluid that cooled the electric vehicle battery (260) to the cooler (120) when charging ends. It is preferable that this cooling fluid controller (130) operates when it is confirmed that the charging plug (140) of the charging system and the charging connector (240) of the electric vehicle are connected.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the charging plug (140) includes a power connection part (141) having a plurality of power terminals connected to a high-speed power supply (110) to supply power, and a cooling connection part (143) having a plurality of cooling fluid pipes (not shown) that deliver cooling fluid supplied from the cooler (120) to the battery cooling module (250).

[0027] A power connection portion (141) of a charging plug (140) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply cable connected to a power terminal of a charging connector of an electric vehicle so that when connected to a charging connector of an electric vehicle, power supplied from a high-speed power supply (110) is supplied to the electric vehicle battery.

[0028] And, the cooling connection part (143) of the charging plug (140) includes a cooling fluid supply pipe (1431) that delivers a cooling fluid cooled by the cooler (120) to a cooling module of the battery through the charging connector of the electric vehicle when connected to the charging connector (240) of the electric vehicle, and a cooling fluid recovery pipe (1433) that recovers the cooling fluid that has cooled the electric vehicle battery.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention, by utilizing a cooler outside the electric vehicle, a cooling fluid cooled in the external cooler moves into the battery cooling module during rapid charging, thereby resolving the heat generated during rapid charging, and thus providing the effect of reducing the weight of the electric vehicle and minimizing the cooler.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a reference diagram for explaining the operation of a vehicle battery cooling system in a rapid charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] An electric vehicle (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a charging connector (240), a battery cooling module (250), and a battery (260).

[0033] The charging connector (240) of the electric vehicle is equipped with a power connection part (2411) for receiving power corresponding to the power connection part (141) of the charging plug (140) of the rapid charging system, similar to a charging plug of a conventional vehicle, and includes an electric vehicle-side cooling fluid supply pipe (not shown) and a cooling fluid recovery pipe (not shown) connected to the cooling fluid supply pipe (1431) and cooling fluid recovery pipe (1433) provided in the charging plug (140) of the rapid charging system.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, the battery cooling module (250) is connected to the battery (260) and connected to the electric vehicle side cooling fluid supply pipe and cooling fluid return pipe, and cools the battery using the refrigerant fluid flowing in from the charging system (100) through the charging plug (140). At this time, it is preferable that the battery cooling module (250) is independently provided with a fluid transfer pipe for flowing the refrigerant fluid supplied from the electric vehicle cooler (230) and a fluid transfer pipe for moving the refrigerant fluid supplied from the charging system (100).

[0035] At this time, the electric vehicle side cooling fluid supply pipe and cooling fluid return pipe are connected to the cooling fluid supply port (2431) and cooling fluid return port (2433) of the battery cooling module (250) as shown in FIG. 4.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a battery cooling system of a vehicle in a rapid charging system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 5, in another embodiment of the present invention, the charging connector (240) of the electric vehicle further includes, in addition to the configuration of one embodiment, a switching module (241) that changes the path of the cooling fluid supplied to the cooling module (250) of the battery (260) depending on whether the charging plug (140) of the rapid charging system is connected.

[0039] Accordingly, the switching module (241) cools the battery (260) of the electric vehicle by switching the refrigerant fluid provided by the vehicle cooler (230) to be supplied to the battery cooling module (250) through the switching module (241) when the electric vehicle is in operation, and cools the battery (260) of the electric vehicle by switching the cooling fluid provided by the charging system (100) through the charging plug (140) to be supplied to the battery cooling module (250) when fast charging.

[0040] Accordingly, according to another embodiment of the present invention, when rapidly charging the battery (260) of an electric vehicle, the battery is not cooled through an internal cooler of the electric vehicle, but is automatically cooled along with charging using a cooling fluid supplied from a charging system, thereby having the effect of resolving the heat generated by the battery of the electric vehicle during rapid charging.

[0042] A switching module according to another embodiment of the present invention may switch the path of a cooling fluid according to the temperature of the battery of an electric vehicle.

[0043] In this way, since the switching module is switched according to the battery temperature of the electric vehicle, it has the effect of preventing cooling fluid from being unnecessarily supplied from the charging system even when no heat is generated in the electric vehicle battery. Meanwhile, the switching module may be provided in the charging system (100) to switch the inflow of refrigerant fluid.

[0045] In another embodiment of the present invention, unlike in one embodiment, the power connection part (141) is formed to protrude more than the cooling connection part (143).

[0046] At this time, as in another embodiment of the present invention, when the power connection portion of the charging plug (140) of the charging system (100) has a structure that protrudes more than the cooling connection portion, it is preferable that the electric vehicle side charging connector (240) has the opposite structure.

[0047] According to another embodiment of the present invention, if the power connection part is formed with a structure protruding more than the cooling connection part, it has the effect of enabling compatibility with an electric vehicle having a general charging system that does not have a cooling connection part.

[0049] Figure 6 is a graph predicting the amount of cell heat generated according to the rapid charging time in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the amount of heat generated by an electric vehicle battery can be controlled as predicted by the lower and upper limits of the required cooling performance, the lower and upper limits of the amount of heat generated, and the required charger capacity according to the rapid charging performance (12 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 60 minutes) of the electric vehicle.

[0052] Although the configuration of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, this is merely illustrative, and it is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited to the aforementioned embodiments but should be determined by the description in the following claims.

Claims

Claim 1 A high-speed power supply that supplies power to an electric vehicle battery connected via a charging plug during rapid charging; a cooler that provides a cooling fluid for cooling the electric vehicle battery during rapid charging; a cooling fluid controller that, during rapid charging of a vehicle via the charging plug, supplies the cooled cooling fluid to a cooling module of the electric vehicle battery via the charging plug to cool the battery, and then recovers the cooling fluid that cooled the electric vehicle battery to the cooler upon termination of charging; and a charging plug comprising a power connection part having a plurality of power terminals connected to the high-speed power supply and supplying power, and a cooling connection part having a plurality of cooling fluid pipes that deliver the cooling fluid supplied from the cooler to the electric vehicle battery cooling module, and a power supply cable connected to the power terminals of the charging plug of the electric vehicle such that when connected to the charging plug of the electric vehicle, power supplied from the high-speed power supply is supplied to the electric vehicle battery. A battery cooling system for a vehicle in a rapid charging system, comprising: a cooling fluid supply pipe that delivers a cooling fluid cooled by the cooler to a battery through the charging plug of the electric vehicle when connected to the charging plug of the electric vehicle, and a cooling fluid recovery pipe that recovers the cooling fluid that has cooled the electric vehicle battery; wherein the charging plug of the electric vehicle includes an electric vehicle-side cooling fluid supply pipe and a cooling fluid recovery pipe in which the cooling fluid supply pipe and the cooling fluid recovery pipe of the charging plug of the rapid charging system are connected to a cooling module of the electric vehicle battery; wherein the charging plug of the electric vehicle includes a switching module that selectively changes the path of the cooling fluid to either a vehicle cooler or a battery cooling module depending on whether the charging plug of the rapid charging system is connected; and wherein the switching module forms a flow path so that the cooling fluid supplied from the rapid charging system during rapid charging is supplied directly to the battery cooling module without passing through electrical components within the vehicle. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A battery cooling system of a vehicle in a rapid charging system, characterized in that, in claim 1, the switching module controls the battery temperature by switching the flow rate or supply path of a cooling fluid flowing in from the rapid charging system according to the battery temperature while the charging plug is connected. Claim 6 A battery cooling system for a vehicle in a rapid charging system, characterized in that, in claim 1, the charging plug is formed such that the power connection portion protrudes more than the cooling connection portion.

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