Thermal management module and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermal management module and a method for manufacturing same. The thermal management module comprises: a manifold, the manifold comprising a manifold runner and a mounting part, the mounting part being provided with at least one manifold interface, and the manifold interface leading to the manifold runner; and at least one heat exchanger, the heat exchanger having a heat exchanger runner and at least one heat exchanger interface, and two sides of the heat exchanger interface respectively leading to the heat exchanger runner and the corresponding manifold interface, wherein the heat exchanger is fixed on the mounting part.

Description

Thermal management module and method for manufacturing the same Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal management module and a method for manufacturing the thermal management module, and more particularly, to a thermal management module with lower cost and more compact structure and a method for manufacturing the thermal management module. Background Art

[0002] The thermal management module consists of a heat exchanger and a manifold. The heat exchanger exchanges heat with the fluid flowing from the manifold to achieve the corresponding thermal management function. In existing thermal management modules, the heat exchanger is first welded to the base plate, and then the base plate and manifold are fixed together using bolts or other methods. This results in high costs and a less compact thermal management module structure.

[0003] Therefore, it is desired to propose a thermal management module to improve the defects in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0004] content

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a thermal management module is proposed, comprising: a manifold, the manifold comprising a main body and a mounting portion, the main body having a manifold flow channel, the mounting portion being provided with at least one manifold interface, the manifold interface being connected to the flow channel; at least one heat exchanger, the heat exchanger having a heat exchanger flow channel and at least one heat exchanger interface, the two sides of the heat exchanger interface being respectively connected to the heat exchanger flow channel and the corresponding manifold interface; wherein the heat exchanger is fixed on the mounting portion.

[0006] According to this solution, a fixed connection between the heat exchanger and the manifold is achieved by fixing the heat exchanger on the mounting portion of the manifold, without the need to first weld the heat exchanger to the base plate and then fix the base plate and the manifold by bolts or the like. This not only reduces the manufacturing cost caused by fasteners such as bolts, but also correspondingly makes the structure of the thermal management module more compact.

[0007] In some solutions, the heat exchanger may include a top plate, the top plate is used to connect with the mounting portion, and the heat exchanger interface is provided on the top plate.

[0008] In some aspects, the mounting portion may have a mounting surface, with the manifold interface formed on the mounting surface.

[0009] According to this solution, the planar mounting portion is easy to process, and it is easy to form a corresponding manifold interface on the mounting plane. At the same time, the manifold interface formed on the mounting plane is also easier to cooperate and communicate with the heat exchanger interface on the heat exchanger.

[0010] In some solutions, a limiting portion may be provided on the mounting plane to limit the relative movement between the heat exchanger and the manifold on the mounting plane.

[0011] According to this solution, the limiting portion on the mounting plane can prevent the heat exchanger and the manifold from sliding relative to each other on the mounting plane during the process of fixing the heat exchanger to the manifold, making the process of fixing the heat exchanger to the manifold more convenient and reliable.

[0012] In some solutions, the limiting portion may be a ridge provided at an edge of the mounting plane, the ridge protruding from the mounting plane toward the heat exchanger to limit relative movement between the heat exchanger and the manifold on the mounting plane.

[0013] In some embodiments, the limiting portion may be a positioning protrusion provided on the mounting plane, and a corresponding positioning hole is provided on the heat exchanger. The positioning protrusion cooperates with the positioning hole to limit the relative movement between the heat exchanger and the manifold on the mounting plane.

[0014] In some aspects, the main body portion and the mounting portion may be integrally formed.

[0015] In some solutions, the thermal management module may further include a cover plate, wherein the cover plate and the mounting portion are respectively located on two sides of the main body, wherein the cover plate is used to close the opening of the manifold flow channel.

[0016] In some solutions, the heat exchanger may be fixed to the mounting portion by welding.

[0017] According to this solution, the welding fixation between the heat exchanger and the mounting portion of the manifold is beneficial to the sealing performance between the heat exchanger interface and the manifold interface.

[0018] In some solutions, the main body may be in a plate-like shape, with the mounting plane being arranged parallel to the plane where the manifold is located.

[0019] According to this solution, the thermal management module has a relatively compact structure, which contributes to the miniaturization of the entire thermal management system.

[0020] In some solutions, the high-pressure refrigerant and / or the low-pressure refrigerant in the manifold flow channel flows into the heat exchanger and may be converted into the low-pressure refrigerant and / or the high-pressure refrigerant respectively after heat exchange in the heat exchanger and then flow out of the heat exchanger.

[0021] In some aspects, the at least one heat exchanger may include one or more of a water-cooled condenser, a battery cooler, or an intermediate heat exchanger.

[0022] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a thermal management module according to the first aspect of the present invention is proposed, the method comprising the following steps: first aligning the manifold interface of the manifold with the heat exchanger interface of the heat exchanger; and then welding the heat exchanger to the manifold. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal management module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] FIG2 shows a front view of a manifold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG3 shows a schematic back view of a manifold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG4 shows a front schematic diagram of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of the back side of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG6 shows a cross-sectional view of a high-pressure flow channel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG7 shows a cross-sectional view of a low-pressure flow passage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Reference numerals: 100 thermal management module, 110 manifold, 111 main body, 112 manifold flow channel, 114 mounting portion, 115 mounting plane, 116 manifold interface, 116-1 first manifold interface, 116-2 second manifold interface, 116-3 third manifold interface, 118 ridge, 119 opening, 120 heat exchanger, 121 top plate, 122 heat exchanger flow channel, 123 side plate, 125 fin, 126 heat exchanger interface, 126-1 first heat exchanger interface, 126-2 second heat exchanger interface, 126- 3 third heat exchanger interface, 126-4 fourth heat exchanger interface, 126-5 fifth heat exchanger interface, 214 mounting portion, 215 mounting plane, 216 manifold interface, 216-1 first manifold interface, 216-2 second manifold interface, 216-3 third manifold interface, 216-4 fourth manifold interface, 218 ridge, 220 heat exchanger, 314 mounting portion, 315 mounting plane, 316 manifold interface, 316-1 first manifold interface, 316-2 second manifold interface, 318 ridge, 320 heat exchanger. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the purpose, scheme and advantages of the technical solution of the present invention more clear, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of specific embodiments of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the terms used herein have the common meanings in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same components.

[0032] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal management module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The thermal management module 100 primarily includes a manifold 110 and heat exchangers 120, 220, and 320. Fluid (e.g., coolant) in the manifold 110 flows through the heat exchangers 120, 220, and 320 and undergoes heat exchange in the heat exchangers 120, 220, and 320 to achieve the desired thermal management function. It should be understood that the present invention is not intended to limit the number of heat exchangers 120, 220, and 320. Although FIG1 shows a thermal management module having three heat exchangers 120, 220, and 320, the thermal management module 100 may also have any other suitable number of heat exchangers, such as one, two, or four. Similarly, the present invention is not intended to limit the type of heat exchangers 120, 220, and 320. The heat exchangers may be any other heat exchangers capable of performing heat exchange to achieve thermal management functions, such as water-cooled condensers (WCDS), battery coolers, or intermediate heat exchangers. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, the thermal management module 100 is mainly described by taking the heat exchanger 120 as an intermediate heat exchanger as an example. The features of other types of heat exchangers 220 and 320 are similar to the corresponding features of the heat exchanger 120 .

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the manifold 110 includes a manifold flow channel 112 and a manifold interface 116, and the heat exchanger 120 includes a heat exchanger flow channel 122 and a heat exchanger interface 126. The two sides of the manifold interface 116 are in communication with the flow channel 112 and the heat exchanger interface 126, respectively. The two sides of the heat exchanger interface 126 are in communication with the heat exchanger flow channel 122 and the manifold interface 116, respectively. This allows the fluid (e.g., coolant) in the manifold flow channel 112 to flow into or out of the heat exchanger flow channel 122 via the manifold interface 116 and the heat exchanger interface 126, thereby performing heat exchange in the heat exchanger 120.

[0034] Specifically, taking heat exchanger 120 as an example, as shown in FIG6 , first manifold port 116-1 is connected to first heat exchanger port 126-1, and second manifold port 116-2 is connected to second heat exchanger port 126-2. High-pressure refrigerant in manifold 110 flows from first heat exchanger port 126-1 into heat exchanger 120, undergoes heat exchange in heat exchanger 120, and then flows back to manifold 110 from second heat exchanger port 126-2. The flow path of the high-pressure refrigerant is shown by the arrows in FIG6 . As shown in FIG7 , third manifold port 116-3 is connected to third heat exchanger port 126-3. Low-pressure refrigerant in manifold 110 flows from third heat exchanger port 126-3 into heat exchanger 120, undergoes heat exchange in heat exchanger 120, and then flows out of heat exchanger 120 from fourth heat exchanger port 126-4. The heat exchanger 120 may further include a fifth heat exchanger port 126-5, through which low-pressure refrigerant flows into the heat exchanger 120, undergoes heat exchange in the heat exchanger 120, and then flows out of the heat exchanger 120 through the fourth heat exchanger port 126-4. The flow path of the low-pressure refrigerant is shown by the arrows in FIG7 .

[0035] In existing thermal management modules, the heat exchanger 120 is first welded to the base plate, and then the base plate and the manifold 110 are fixedly connected by bolts or other means. This results in high costs and a less compact structure of the thermal management module. To improve the above-mentioned defects, the manifold 110 of the present invention further includes at least one mounting portion 114, 214, 314, wherein a manifold interface 116, 216, 316 is provided on the corresponding mounting portion 114, 214, 314, and the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 is fixed on the corresponding mounting portion 114, 214, 314. Preferably, each mounting portion 114, 214, 314 may have a respective mounting plane 115, 215, 315, and each manifold interface 116, 216, 316 is formed on the corresponding mounting plane 115, 215, 315. By fixing the heat exchangers 120, 220, 320 on the corresponding mounting portions 114, 214, 314 of the manifold, a fixed connection between the heat exchangers 120, 220, 320 and the manifold 110 is achieved without first welding the heat exchangers 120, 220, 320 to the base plate and then fixing the base plate to the manifold 110 by bolts or the like. This not only reduces the manufacturing cost caused by fasteners such as bolts, but also correspondingly makes the structure of the thermal management module 100 more compact.

[0036] Preferably, a stopper 118, 218, 318 is provided on each mounting surface 115, 215, 315 to limit relative movement between the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 and the manifold 110 on the mounting surface 115, 215, 315. The stopper 118, 218, 318 on the mounting surface 115, 215, 315 can prevent the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 and the manifold 110 from sliding relative to each other on the mounting surface 115, 215, 315 during the process of fixing the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 to the manifold 110, thereby making the process of fixing the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 to the manifold 110 more convenient and reliable.

[0037] For example, the limiting portion 118, 218, 318 may be a rib 118, 218, 318 provided at an edge of the mounting plane 115, 215, 315, which protrudes from the mounting plane 115, 215, 315 toward the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 to limit the relative movement between the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 and the manifold 110 on the mounting plane 115, 215, 315. Alternatively, the limiting portion may be a positioning protrusion (not shown) provided on the mounting plane 115, 215, 315, with corresponding positioning holes provided on the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320, and the positioning protrusion cooperates with the positioning hole to limit the relative movement between the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 and the manifold 110 on the mounting plane 115, 215, 315. Similarly, positioning protrusions can also be set on the heat exchanger, and positioning holes can be set on the mounting plane 115, 215, 315. The positioning protrusions cooperate with the positioning holes to limit the relative movement between the heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 and the manifold 110 on the mounting plane 115, 215, 315.

[0038] Preferably, the manifold flow channel 112 and the mounting portion 114, 214, 314 can be integrally formed. Furthermore, each heat exchanger 120, 220, 320 can be secured to the corresponding mounting portion 114, 214, 314 (e.g., the respective mounting plane 115, 215, 315 of the mounting portion 114, 214, 314) by welding. Welding the heat exchangers 120, 220, 320 to the mounting portion 114, 214, 314 of the manifold 110 facilitates sealing between the heat exchanger interface 126 and the manifold interface 116.

[0039] Preferably, the manifold 110 may be in a plate-like shape, and the mounting plane 115, 215, 315 is arranged parallel to the plane where the manifold 110 is located. In this way, the thermal management module 100 has a relatively more compact structure, which contributes to the miniaturization of the entire thermal management system.

[0040] Preferably, the heat exchanger may include a top plate 121, which is used to connect to the mounting portion 114, and a heat exchanger interface 126 is provided on the top plate 121. The heat exchanger 120 may also include multiple side plates 123, which are stacked and located on a side of the top plate 121 away from the mounting portion 114. Fins 125 are provided between adjacent side plates 123. Fins 125 are also provided between the top plate 121 and adjacent side plates 123. The fins 125 are located in the heat exchange channels between adjacent plates of the heat exchanger 120 and may be W-shaped.

[0041] Preferably, the thermal management module 100 may further include a cover plate. The cover plate and the mounting portions 114, 214, and 314 are respectively located on both sides of the main body 111. The cover plate is used to close the opening 119 of the manifold channel 112. The cover plate may have a shape similar to the opening 119 of the manifold channel 112 and may be welded to the main body 111 to form a closed channel for coolant to pass through.

[0042] The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a thermal management module 100 , comprising first aligning the manifold interface 116 , 216 , 316 of the manifold 110 with the heat exchanger interface 126 , 226 , 326 of the heat exchanger 120 , 220 , 320 , and then welding the heat exchanger 120 , 220 , 320 to the manifold 110 .

[0043] This document describes in detail several exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to preferred embodiments. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the above-mentioned specific embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and that the various technical features and structures proposed in the present invention may be combined without exceeding the scope of protection of the present invention, which is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A thermal management module (100), characterized in that: include: A manifold (110), comprising a main body (111) and at least one mounting portion (114, 214, 314), wherein the main body (111) has a manifold flow channel (112); each mounting portion (114, 214, 314) is provided with at least one manifold interface (116, 216, 316), and the manifold interface (116, 216, 316) is in communication with the manifold flow channel (112); At least one heat exchanger (120, 220, 320), each heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) having a heat exchanger flow channel (122) and at least one heat exchanger interface (126, 226, 326), both sides of the heat exchanger interface (126, 226, 326) being respectively in communication with the heat exchanger flow channel (122) and a corresponding manifold interface (116, 216, 316); Each of the heat exchangers (120, 220, 320) is fixed on a corresponding mounting portion (114, 214, 314).

2. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The heat exchanger (120) includes a top plate (121), the top plate (121) is used to be connected to the mounting portion (114), and the heat exchanger interface (126) is provided on the top plate (121).

3. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that Each of the mounting portions (114, 214, 314) has a respective mounting plane (115, 215, 315), and each of the manifold interfaces (116, 216, 316) is formed on the corresponding mounting plane (115, 215, 315).

4. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that A limiting portion (118, 218, 318) is provided on each of the installation planes (115, 215, 315) to limit relative movement between the heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) and the manifold (110) on the installation plane (115, 215, 315).

5. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that The limiting portion (118, 218, 318) is a ridge (118, 218, 318) provided at the edge of the mounting plane (115, 215, 315); the ridge (118, 218, 318) protrudes from the mounting plane (115, 215, 315) toward the heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) to limit relative movement between the heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) and the manifold (110) on the mounting plane (115, 215, 315).

6. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that The limiting portion is a positioning protrusion arranged on the installation plane (115, 215, 315), and a corresponding positioning hole is provided on the heat exchanger (120, 220, 320). The positioning protrusion cooperates with the positioning hole to limit the relative movement between the heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) and the manifold (110) on the installation plane (115, 215, 315).

7. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The main body (111) and the mounting portion (114, 214, 314) are formed integrally.

8. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The thermal management module (100) further includes a cover plate, wherein the cover plate and the mounting portion (114, 214, 314) are respectively located on both sides of the main body (111), wherein the cover plate is used to close the opening (119) of the manifold flow channel (112).

9. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that Each heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) is fixed on a corresponding mounting portion (114, 214, 314) by welding.

10. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that The main body (111) is in a plate-like shape, and the mounting plane (115, 215, 315) is arranged to be parallel to the plane where the main body (111) is located.

11. The thermal management module according to claim 1, wherein: The high-pressure refrigerant and / or the low-pressure refrigerant in the manifold flow channel (112) flows into the heat exchanger (120) and undergoes heat exchange in the heat exchanger (120).

12. The thermal management module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The at least one heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) includes one or more of a water-cooled condenser, a battery cooler, or an intermediate heat exchanger.

13. A method for manufacturing a thermal management module (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: First, the manifold interface (116, 216, 316) of the manifold (110) is aligned with the heat exchanger interface (126, 226, 326) of the heat exchanger (120, 220, 320); then, the heat exchanger (120, 220, 320) is welded to the manifold (110).

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