Thermal management method for vehicle, and vehicle

Abstract

The present application is applicable to the technical field of automobiles. Provided are a thermal management method for a vehicle, and a vehicle. The vehicle is provided with an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump and an electronic fan. The method comprises: acquiring vehicle usage scenario information of a vehicle and the ambient temperature of an environment where the vehicle is located; on the basis of the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information, performing duty cycle control on an electronic thermostat, so as to adjust the opening degree of a main coolant circuit of the vehicle; and after the opening degree of the main coolant circuit is stable, controlling, on the basis of the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information, duty cycles of an electronic water pump and an electronic fan to be adjusted from the respective current duty cycles to the respective target duty cycles, so as to perform thermal management of the vehicle. The embodiments of the present application can improve the reliability of thermal management and reduce the energy consumption of the vehicle.

Description

Vehicle thermal management method and vehicle

[0001] This application claims priority to patent application number 2024103666751, filed with the Patent Office of China on March 28, 2024, entitled “Control method, device and vehicle for electronic thermostat”, priority to patent application number 2024103667862, entitled “Thermal management method and vehicle for vehicle”, and priority to patent application number 2024103667044, entitled “Control method, device and vehicle for electronic water pump”, all of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application belongs to the field of automobile technology, and in particular relates to a vehicle thermal management method and a vehicle. Background Art

[0003] Optimizing and improving the efficiency of thermal management systems has long been a key research topic in automotive engineering. Advanced vehicle thermal management control strategies can improve fuel efficiency, reduce exhaust emissions, lower power consumption, and enhance vehicle performance, ultimately contributing to greater customer satisfaction.

[0004] Thermal management systems typically regulate coolant temperature through an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump, and an electronic fan. In existing thermal management strategies, electronic water pumps are often open-loop controlled, while electronic thermostats and electronic fans are often closed-loop controlled based on water temperature. In practice, this approach can lead to high vehicle energy consumption and even excessively high or low coolant temperatures.

[0005] Technical content

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a vehicle thermal management method and a vehicle, which can improve the reliability of thermal management and reduce the energy consumption of the vehicle.

[0007] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle thermal management method, wherein the vehicle is equipped with an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump, and an electronic fan. The method includes: obtaining vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which the vehicle is located; controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large circulation; after the opening of the large circulation is stabilized, controlling the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan from their respective current duty cycles to their respective target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information to perform vehicle thermal management.

[0008] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a thermal management device for a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is equipped with an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump, and an electronic fan, and the device includes: an acquisition unit for acquiring vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which the vehicle is located; a first thermal management unit for controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large circulation; a second thermal management unit for controlling the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan from their respective current duty cycles to their respective target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information after the opening of the large circulation is stabilized, so as to perform thermal management of the vehicle.

[0009] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above-mentioned vehicle thermal management method are implemented.

[0010] A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the vehicle is equipped with an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump, and an electronic fan; and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the thermal management method for the above-mentioned vehicle are implemented.

[0011] A fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which, when running on a vehicle, enables the vehicle to execute the above-mentioned vehicle thermal management method.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, by obtaining the vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which it is located, the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large circulation, and after the opening of the large circulation is stable, the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are controlled to adjust from their respective current duty cycles to their respective target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information to perform thermal management of the vehicle. On the one hand, the duty cycle control of the electronic thermostat, the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are all related to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information, and can be adapted to the vehicle usage scenario for closed-loop control to avoid the occurrence of water temperature that is too low or too high. On the other hand, the duty cycle control of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan is performed after the opening of the large circulation is stable, which can avoid the problem of high energy consumption of the electronic fan and the electronic water pump due to untimely opening and closing of the electronic thermostat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or descriptions of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0014] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a process flow for implementing a vehicle thermal management method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a specific implementation flow of step S102 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a specific implementation flow of step S203 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a specific implementation process for determining a coolant temperature threshold according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a specific implementation flow of step S103 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a thermal management device for a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Thermal management systems typically regulate coolant temperature through an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump, and an electronic fan. In existing thermal management control strategies, the electronic water pump is typically open-loop controlled, while the electronic thermostat and electronic fan are typically closed-loop controlled based on water temperature. Specifically, these technologies often set target speeds and coolant temperatures based on engine speed and load, controlling the electronic water pump according to the target speeds. Simultaneously, the electronic thermostat and electronic fan are regulated based on the target coolant temperature.

[0022] The applicant's research found that when using this method, on the one hand, due to the open-loop control of the electronic water pump, in response to low ambient temperature, high vehicle speed (high engine speed, heavy load) but very low water temperature, the controller will give the electronic water pump a higher speed, resulting in energy waste. On the other hand, in response to high ambient temperature, low vehicle speed but high water temperature, the controller will give the electronic water pump a lower speed. The flow rate of the electronic water pump cannot keep up, resulting in high coolant temperature of the entire vehicle. On the other hand, the linkage between the electronic water pump, electronic thermostat, and electronic fan is not tight. The electronic thermostat relies on electric heating and the actual coolant temperature to affect the wax pack lift, and its sensitivity is poor. Therefore, the large-circuit adjustment is slow. When the electronic water pump, electronic thermostat, and electronic fan are adjusted synchronously, the target coolant temperature fluctuates greatly. The electronic thermostat with poor sensitivity is not opened or closed in time, which leads to high energy consumption of the electronic fan and electronic water pump.

[0023] In view of the above findings, the present application proposes a vehicle thermal management method, which can control the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat, electronic water pump and electronic fan according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information to avoid the occurrence of water temperature that is too low or too high. At the same time, the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and electronic fan is controlled after the opening of the large cycle is stable, which can avoid the problem of high energy consumption of the electronic fan and electronic water pump due to untimely opening and closing of the electronic thermostat.

[0024] In order to illustrate the technical solution of the present application, specific embodiments are provided below.

[0025] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of an implementation flow of a vehicle thermal management method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to a vehicle and is suitable for situations where thermal management reliability needs to be improved and vehicle energy consumption needs to be reduced.

[0026] Specifically, the aforementioned vehicle may be a hybrid electric vehicle or other type of vehicle. The vehicle may be equipped with an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump, and an electronic fan. These components of a thermal management system are used to control the temperature of the engine coolant, thereby maintaining the generator coolant within a suitable operating temperature range.

[0027] The electronic thermostat is located within the main circulation system, where coolant flows back to the engine through the radiator, the electronic thermostat, and the electronic water pump, forming a large circulation system. The electronic thermostat regulates the amount of coolant entering the radiator, thereby adjusting the heat dissipation capacity. The electronic water pump pressurizes the coolant, and its speed affects the speed of the coolant's circulation within the main circulation system. An electronic fan, often located behind the radiator and coaxial with the water pump, increases the air velocity and volume flowing through the radiator, enhancing the radiator's heat dissipation capacity.

[0028] In some embodiments, the thermal management system may further include an engine control module (EMC) for executing the above thermal management method.

[0029] Specifically, the thermal management method for the vehicle may include the following steps S101 to S103.

[0030] Step S101: Acquire vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which the vehicle is located.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information is related to the user's driving behavior and can reflect the heat generation of the engine and the current heat status of the coolant. The vehicle usage scenario information includes but is not limited to: vehicle speed, power mode, driving mode, actual temperature of the engine coolant, and slope. Among them, the power mode represents the power source of the vehicle, and may include but is not limited to pure electric mode, pure electric priority mode, and intelligent hybrid mode. The driving mode represents the user's driving needs, and may include but is not limited to economic mode, standard mode, four-wheel drive mode, sports mode, snow mode, and mud mode. The power mode and driving mode can be obtained based on the setting operations of the user when driving. The vehicle speed is the driving speed of the vehicle, which can be obtained through the speed sensor equipped with the vehicle, or it can be determined based on the driving mode of the vehicle. The actual temperature of the engine coolant can be collected by the temperature sensor equipped with the vehicle. The slope is the slope of the vehicle's location, which can be collected by the slope sensor, or it can be identified by the visual sensor.

[0032] The ambient temperature of the vehicle's environment reflects the heat exchange capacity of the vehicle's environment and can be collected by a temperature sensor configured in the vehicle.

[0033] This application does not impose any specific restrictions on the method of obtaining ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information.

[0034] Step S102 , based on the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information, the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large circulation.

[0035] As previously mentioned, an electronic thermostat regulates the amount of coolant entering the radiator. The opening of the main circulation circuit corresponds to the opening of the electronic thermostat valve, which can be expressed as the electronic thermostat's duty cycle. In the embodiments of the present application, a target duty cycle for the electronic thermostat is first determined based on ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information. The electronic thermostat is then controlled according to this target duty cycle to adjust the opening of the main circulation circuit, ensuring that the opening of the main circulation circuit is compatible with the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information.

[0036] Step S103, after the opening of the large cycle is stabilized, the duty cycles of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are controlled to adjust from their current duty cycles to their target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information to perform thermal management of the vehicle.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present application, due to the low sensitivity of the electronic thermostat, the opening of the large cycle changes slowly. If the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan is adjusted in response to the fact that the opening of the large cycle is not stable, the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are likely to operate at excessive power consumption or too low power consumption, resulting in coolant temperature fluctuations. In view of this, in the embodiment of the present application, after the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled, it is possible to detect whether the opening of the large cycle is stable. Among them, the stability of the opening of the large cycle can mean that the opening of the large cycle remains unchanged within a preset time. If the opening of the large cycle is not stable, it is possible to wait for the continuous control of the electronic thermostat until the opening of the large cycle is stable, and then the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan can be controlled separately according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information.

[0038] Based on the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information, a target duty cycle for the electronic water pump and a target duty cycle for the electronic fan can be determined, respectively. The target duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the target duty cycle of the electronic fan can be the same or different. The current duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the current duty cycle of the electronic fan can also be the same or different. Subsequently, the electronic water pump is adjusted from its current duty cycle to its target duty cycle, and the electronic fan is adjusted from its current duty cycle to its target duty cycle, to perform vehicle thermal management, so that the duty cycles of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are both adapted to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present application, by obtaining the vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which it is located, the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large circulation, and after the opening of the large circulation is stable, the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are controlled to adjust from their respective current duty cycles to their respective target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information to perform thermal management of the vehicle. On the one hand, the duty cycle control of the electronic thermostat, the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are all related to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information, and can be adapted to the vehicle usage scenario for closed-loop control to avoid the occurrence of water temperature that is too low or too high. On the other hand, the duty cycle control of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan is performed after the opening of the large circulation is stable, which can avoid the problem of high energy consumption of the electronic fan and the electronic water pump due to untimely opening and closing of the electronic thermostat.

[0040] Furthermore, the operating power consumption of the electronic thermostat, electronic water pump, and electronic fan typically increases in sequence. Prioritizing thermal management through the electronic thermostat, followed by the electronic water pump and electronic fan, also helps reduce overall vehicle power consumption. In some embodiments of the present application, considering that the engine preheating process typically utilizes a corresponding heating method, and that the coolant temperature fluctuates significantly during preheating, the duty cycles of the electronic thermostat, electronic water pump, and electronic fan fluctuate significantly during thermal management, which can exacerbate coolant temperature fluctuations and affect the preheating process. Therefore, prior to step S101, the vehicle engine can be preheated until the engine coolant temperature reaches a threshold temperature before the thermal management method provided by the present application is initiated.

[0041] Currently, electronic thermostats typically use closed-loop control using the target coolant temperature. PID control of the duty cycle is performed by setting the target engine temperature. Electronic thermostats are often used in conjunction with electronic water pumps and fans.

[0042] However, in actual applications, the target water temperature, electronic water pump, electronic thermostat, and electronic fan are all variables, which causes large fluctuations in the actual water temperature of the engine. When the target water temperature is given according to the engine speed and load, and PID control is performed based on the temperature difference between the actual water temperature and the target water temperature, calibration is difficult and the result accuracy is low. When the calibration results are applied to the cooling system, the coolant water temperature is prone to fluctuations, and the electronic thermostat is not opened or closed in time, which further leads to high energy consumption of the electronic fan and electronic water pump.

[0043] In view of the above findings, the present application further proposes a method for controlling an electronic thermostat, which does not require the use of a target water temperature to calibrate the duty cycle parameters, eliminates the complex process of PID control, and reduces the difficulty of calibration. At the same time, the target duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is determined based on the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information, which can make the coolant water temperature more stable, with less intervention of the electronic water pump and electronic fan, and thus can also reduce the high power consumption problem caused by the intervention of the electronic water pump and electronic fan.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIG2 , performing duty cycle control on the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information may include steps S201 to S202 .

[0045] Step S201, obtaining the ambient temperature threshold at which the large circulation is fully opened.

[0046] Specifically, the ambient temperature threshold at which the opening of the large cycle is fully opened refers to the ambient temperature threshold at which the opening of the large cycle needs to be fully opened.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present application, the ambient temperature threshold for fully opening the large loop can be a pre-calibrated fixed value, or can be determined based on vehicle usage scenario information, for example, it can be set to 30°C, 35°C, etc.

[0048] Step S202 : In response to the ambient temperature being greater than or equal to the ambient temperature threshold, controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat to adjust from a first current duty cycle to a first target duty cycle.

[0049] The first current duty cycle is the current duty cycle of the electronic thermostat. When the electronic thermostat's duty cycle is at the first target duty cycle, the main circuit is fully open. In other words, if the ambient temperature exceeds the temperature point, the main circuit needs to be fully open. In this case, regardless of vehicle usage scenario, the electronic thermostat's duty cycle can be directly controlled to achieve full opening. Specifically, the electronic thermostat's first target duty cycle can be 1, enabling full-power electric heating.

[0050] It is understandable that when the ambient temperature is greater than or equal to the ambient temperature threshold, the calibration process only needs to know the ambient temperature threshold at which the large circulation is fully open, and there is no need to calibrate based on the target water temperature, which varies greatly. Accordingly, the above method can also include steps S203 to S204.

[0051] Step S203 : In response to the ambient temperature being less than the ambient temperature threshold, determining a second target duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed, the actual coolant temperature, and the engine torque.

[0052] Step S204 , controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat to adjust from the second current duty cycle to the second target duty cycle, so as to adjust the opening of the large cycle.

[0053] The second current duty cycle is the current duty cycle of the electronic thermostat. In some embodiments, calibration can be performed at different ambient temperatures and vehicle usage scenarios to determine a mapping table between ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information, and duty cycle. The second target duty cycle can then be obtained by looking up the table based on the vehicle's actual ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information. The main circulation can be fully opened at different coolant water temperatures for different ambient temperatures and vehicle usage scenarios.

[0054] Specifically, the vehicle usage scenario information may include vehicle speed and the actual coolant temperature of the engine coolant. In response to the ambient temperature not reaching the desired temperature, a second target duty cycle for the electronic thermostat is determined based on the ambient temperature, vehicle speed, and actual coolant temperature. The electronic thermostat's duty cycle is then adjusted from the second current duty cycle to the second target duty cycle, thereby controlling the opening of the large circulation system.

[0055] For example, the second target duty cycle may be positively correlated with the vehicle speed, positively correlated with the ambient temperature, and positively correlated with the actual coolant temperature.

[0056] Taking a certain car model as an example, through multiple combination tests, the electronic thermostat fully opens the large circulation when the water temperature is 88°C and the ambient temperature is 35°C. There is no need to distinguish the vehicle usage scenario when the ambient temperature is 35°C. When the ambient temperature threshold is lower than 35°C, it is necessary to control the opening of the large circulation in combination with the vehicle usage scenario information. In response to the coolant water temperature reaching 88°C, the large circulation is fully opened.

[0057] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 3 , step S203 may further include steps S301 to S304 .

[0058] Step S301: determining an initial duty cycle according to the actual coolant temperature.

[0059] The actual coolant temperature, i.e., the current temperature of the engine coolant, can reflect the current required cooling amount. Therefore, the initial duty cycle can be determined based on the actual coolant temperature so that the initial duty cycle can meet the required cooling amount of the coolant.

[0060] Specifically, in some embodiments, the coolant water temperature threshold for fully opening the large loop can be determined based on the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information, the temperature difference between the actual coolant water temperature and the coolant water temperature threshold can be calculated, and then the initial duty cycle P1 can be determined based on the actual coolant water temperature and temperature difference.

[0061] The coolant temperature threshold for fully opening the large circulation is the coolant temperature at which the large circulation needs to be fully opened.

[0062] In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information may also include engine speed and engine load. In this case, as shown in FIG4 , determining the coolant temperature threshold for fully opening the large loop based on the ambient temperature of the vehicle environment and the vehicle usage scenario information may include steps S401 to S403.

[0063] Step S401: determining a first temperature associated with a coolant temperature threshold according to the rotation speed and the load.

[0064] The first temperature TK1 associated with the coolant temperature threshold can represent the impact of engine heat generation on the coolant temperature threshold required for full opening of the main circulation loop. The first temperature TK1 can be negatively correlated with both speed and load. Higher speed and load increase engine heat generation, requiring a lower first temperature TK1, thereby enabling the main circulation loop to fully open earlier to meet coolant cooling requirements.

[0065] In some embodiments, a mapping relationship table between the speed, load and the first temperature may be calibrated in advance, and the first temperature TK1 related to the coolant water temperature point may be obtained by looking up the table according to the actual speed and load.

[0066] Exemplarily, Table 1 shows a mapping relationship table between the rotational speed, the load and the first temperature.

[0067] Table 1

[0068] Step S402: determining a second temperature associated with a coolant temperature threshold according to the vehicle speed and the ambient temperature.

[0069] The second temperature TK2, associated with the coolant temperature threshold, represents the impact of environmental factors on the coolant temperature threshold required for full opening of the main circulation system. This second temperature TK2 can be negatively correlated with both ambient temperature and vehicle speed. Higher ambient temperatures reduce ambient cooling capacity, while higher vehicle speeds increase engine heat generation. In these cases, the second temperature TK2 needs to be lower, allowing the main circulation system to fully open earlier to meet coolant cooling requirements.

[0070] Similarly, in some embodiments, a mapping relationship table between vehicle speed, ambient temperature and the second temperature can be calibrated in advance. According to the actual vehicle speed and ambient temperature, the second temperature TK2 related to the coolant water temperature point can be obtained by looking up the table.

[0071] Exemplarily, Table 2 shows a mapping relationship table between vehicle speed, ambient temperature and the second temperature.

[0072] Table 2

[0073] Step S403: determining a coolant water temperature threshold according to the first temperature and the second temperature.

[0074] Specifically, the first temperature and the second temperature may be added or weighted together to obtain a coolant water temperature threshold when the large cycle is fully opened.

[0075] Taking into account the fluctuation of the coolant water temperature threshold, the coolant water temperature will fluctuate due to changes in the electronic thermostat control parameters. In some embodiments of the present application, a filtering method can be used to obtain the coolant water temperature threshold when the large cycle is fully open at the current moment.

[0076] Specifically, step S403 may include: determining an initial coolant water temperature threshold based on the first temperature and the second temperature, obtaining a historical coolant water temperature threshold when the vehicle's large circulation is fully opened, and determining the coolant water temperature threshold at the current moment based on the initial coolant water temperature threshold and the historical coolant water temperature threshold.

[0077] Specifically, the first temperature and the second temperature can be added or weighted together to obtain an initial coolant temperature point. The initial coolant temperature point represents the theoretical coolant temperature threshold for a fully open large loop at the current moment. The historical coolant temperature threshold represents the coolant temperature threshold for a fully open large loop in the past, such as the coolant temperature threshold at a previous moment. The current coolant temperature threshold is determined based on the initial coolant temperature threshold and the historical coolant temperature threshold.

[0078] For example, for the coolant temperature threshold TK when the main loop is fully open, a temperature rise filter time t1 and a temperature drop filter time t2 can be preset. The setting time of t1 and t2 is calibrated based on the specific vehicle model. The current coolant temperature threshold memory(n) can be expressed as memory(n) = memory(n-1) + (in-memory(n-1)) * dT / T, where memory(n-1) is the coolant temperature threshold at the previous moment, in is the initial coolant temperature threshold, and T is t1 or t2.

[0079] In some embodiments, a mapping relationship table between the actual coolant water temperature, temperature difference and the initial duty cycle P1 can be calibrated in advance, and the initial duty cycle P1 can be obtained by looking up the table according to the actual coolant water temperature and temperature difference.

[0080] For example, Table 3 shows a mapping relationship table between the actual coolant water temperature, the temperature difference and the initial duty cycle P1.

[0081] Table 3

[0082] Step S302: determining a first correction value of the initial duty cycle according to the vehicle speed and the ambient temperature.

[0083] The first correction value can be used to adjust the coolant cooling requirements for the environment and vehicle usage scenario. The current theoretical engine heat generation can be determined based on vehicle speed, and the current ambient heat dissipation can be determined based on ambient temperature. The first correction value P2 for the initial duty cycle can be determined based on vehicle speed and ambient temperature.

[0084] Likewise, in some embodiments, a mapping relationship table between vehicle speed, ambient temperature and the first correction value P2 may be calibrated in advance, and the first correction value P2 may be obtained by looking up the table according to the actual vehicle speed and ambient temperature.

[0085] Exemplarily, Table 4 shows a mapping relationship table between the calibrated vehicle speed, the ambient temperature and the first correction value P2.

[0086] Table 4

[0087] Step S303: determining a second correction value of the initial duty cycle according to the torque.

[0088] The second correction value can be used to adjust coolant cooling requirements during rapid acceleration. The torque can be used to determine whether the vehicle is currently experiencing rapid acceleration or deceleration. Rapid engine temperature fluctuations occur during these conditions, and torque can reflect instantaneous changes in vehicle speed. This allows the second correction value, P3, of the initial duty cycle to be determined based on the torque.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present application, the torque change rate of the torque within a preset time period may be determined; and the second correction value may be determined based on the torque and the torque change rate.

[0090] The preset duration can be set based on actual needs. For example, torque change rate = ΔT / Δt, where ΔT is the torque change within 1 second, and Δt is the preset duration of 2 seconds. The torque change rate calculation cycle can be less than or equal to the preset duration. For example, the torque change rate can be calculated every 1 second. The previous value can be retained before entering the next calculation cycle. In this way, adjusting the electronic thermostat's duty cycle based on torque increases or decreases can promptly respond to changes in engine heat.

[0091] Likewise, in some embodiments, a mapping relationship table between torque, torque change rate and the second correction value P3 may be calibrated in advance, and the second correction value P3 may be obtained by looking up the table according to the actual torque and torque change rate.

[0092] Exemplarily, Table 5 shows a mapping relationship table between torque, torque change rate and the second correction value P3.

[0093] Table 5

[0094] Step S304: Correct the initial duty cycle according to the first correction value and the second correction value to obtain a second target duty cycle.

[0095] For example, the first correction value, the second correction value, and the initial duty cycle may be summed or weighted to obtain the second target duty cycle.

[0096] Taking into account the physical properties of the electronic thermostat, a duty cycle that is too large may damage the wax package, causing component failure and high water temperature problems in the engine. In some embodiments of the present application, the maximum duty cycle of the electronic thermostat can be determined based on the vehicle voltage and the actual coolant water temperature of the engine on the vehicle.

[0097] If the second target duty cycle is greater than the maximum duty cycle, the electronic thermostat can be controlled according to the maximum duty cycle, and the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat can be adjusted from the current duty cycle to the maximum duty cycle to adjust the opening of the large cycle.

[0098] That is to say, the vehicle voltage and the actual coolant temperature of the engine can be identified, and the available maximum duty cycle can be set so that the duty cycle used by the electronic thermostat cannot exceed the maximum duty cycle.

[0099] Similarly, in some embodiments, a mapping relationship table between the vehicle voltage, actual coolant water temperature and the maximum duty cycle can be calibrated in advance, and the maximum duty cycle can be obtained by looking up the table based on the actual vehicle voltage and actual coolant water temperature.

[0100] For example, Table 6 shows a mapping relationship table between vehicle voltage, actual coolant temperature and maximum duty cycle.

[0101] Table 6

[0102] In the engine circuit, an electronic thermostat, electronic water pump, and electronic fan are used to control the temperature of the engine coolant, keeping the generator coolant within a suitable operating temperature range. The electronic thermostat is located within the main loop, and the coolant flows back to the engine through the radiator, electronic thermostat, and electronic water pump, forming a main loop. The electronic thermostat can be used to adjust the amount of coolant entering the radiator to adjust the heat dissipation capacity. The electronic water pump is used to pressurize the coolant, and its speed affects the coolant's circulation speed within the main loop. The electronic fan is often located at the rear of the radiator and coaxial with the water pump to increase the air flow rate and volume through the radiator, thereby enhancing the radiator's heat dissipation capacity.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present application, before performing duty cycle control on the electronic thermostat, a target coolant temperature of the engine may be obtained.

[0104] Specifically, the target coolant temperature to be corrected can be determined based on the engine operating parameters; then, the correction parameters can be determined based on the vehicle usage scenario information; then, the target coolant temperature to be corrected is corrected based on the correction parameters to obtain the target coolant temperature.

[0105] The target coolant temperature to be corrected is a target coolant temperature directly related to operating parameters. The target coolant temperature is the desired coolant temperature, typically a temperature suitable for operating components within the cooling system, such as an engine.

[0106] In some embodiments of the present application, a relationship table between operating parameters such as engine load and engine speed and target coolant temperature can be pre-calibrated. Based on the operating parameters of the cooling system components, the target coolant temperature to be corrected can be obtained by looking up the relationship table.

[0107] The vehicle usage scenario information includes the vehicle's driving mode and speed; based on the vehicle usage scenario information, the correction parameters are determined, including: respectively determining the correction parameters corresponding to the driving mode and the speed.

[0108] In an embodiment of the present application, based on the ambient temperature of the vehicle's environment and the vehicle usage scenario information, the impact of the vehicle usage scenario on the heat generation of components and the current heat condition of the coolant can be analyzed. The ambient temperature characterizes the heat exchange capacity of the vehicle's environment. Therefore, based on the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information, the correction parameters of the target coolant temperature to be corrected can be determined.

[0109] Specifically, the vehicle usage scenario information may include the vehicle's driving mode and speed. In this case, correction parameters corresponding to the ambient temperature, driving mode, and vehicle speed can be determined separately. In other words, the correction parameter corresponding to the ambient temperature can be determined based on the ambient temperature, the correction parameter corresponding to the driving mode can be determined based on the driving mode, and the correction parameter corresponding to the vehicle speed can be determined based on the vehicle speed.

[0110] For example, the target coolant temperature T1 to be corrected requires corrections for different driving modes. The correction parameter for each driving mode is set to D. Different driving modes have different correction parameters: ECO mode is D1, standard mode is D2, sport mode is D3, snow mode is D4, and mud mode is D5. The target coolant temperature T1 to be corrected also requires corrections for ambient temperature, with the ambient temperature correction value set to E. The target coolant temperature T1 to be corrected also requires corrections for vehicle speed, with the vehicle speed correction value set to V.

[0111] The calculation logic for correcting the target coolant temperature to be corrected can be selected according to the specific vehicle model and calibration process. It can be the target coolant temperature T = T1 + D + E + V, or it can be the target coolant temperature T = T × D1 × E × V. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0112] In this way, the target coolant temperature is related to the driving mode, environmental factors, vehicle speed, etc. of the entire vehicle, and the result is more reliable.

[0113] For the target coolant temperature, in order to avoid excessive coolant temperature fluctuations, low-pass filtering can be performed.

[0114] Specifically, the vehicle may obtain a filtering time and a historical target coolant temperature of the vehicle, and then perform filtering processing on the target coolant temperature according to the filtering time and the historical target coolant temperature.

[0115] The filtering time can include filtering time t1, used when the temperature rises, and filtering time t2, used when the temperature drops. The specific values ​​can be set according to the situation. The filtering process can be expressed as: memory0(n) = memory0(n-1) + (in0-memory0(n-1)) * dT / T. Here, in0 represents the calculated target coolant temperature, memory0(n-1) represents the historical target coolant temperature, which can specifically be the target coolant temperature of the vehicle at the previous moment, and T is the filtering time. memory0(n) is the target coolant temperature obtained after filtering.

[0116] In this way, when the vehicle is applying the target coolant temperature, the coolant temperature changes more gradually.

[0117] The vehicle usage scenario information may include at least one of the vehicle's current driving mode, current ambient temperature, and current drive mode. After obtaining the target coolant temperature to be corrected, a correction parameter may be determined based on the vehicle usage scenario. The correction parameter may include at least one of a driving mode correction parameter, an ambient information correction parameter, and a driving mode correction parameter. The driving mode correction parameter is a correction parameter corresponding to the driving model, the ambient information correction parameter is a correction parameter corresponding to the ambient temperature, and the driving mode correction parameter is a correction parameter corresponding to the vehicle speed.

[0118] Specifically, in some embodiments of the present application, a baseline correction value for a baseline driving mode among multiple preset driving modes can be obtained. If the current driving mode is the baseline driving mode, the baseline correction value is used as the driving mode correction parameter. If the current driving mode is a driving mode other than the baseline driving mode among the multiple preset driving modes, a correction coefficient between the current driving mode and the baseline driving mode is determined, and the baseline correction value is corrected based on the correction coefficient to obtain the driving mode correction parameter. The baseline driving mode can be any one of the multiple preset driving modes.

[0119] In other embodiments of the present application, the environmental information correction parameter may be determined based on the current vehicle speed and the current ambient temperature.

[0120] In other embodiments of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information may include the vehicle's current driving mode, current speed, and current torque. In this case, a control table corresponding to the current driving mode may be determined, and a driving mode correction parameter may be determined based on the current speed, current torque, and the control table.

[0121] The initial target coolant temperature can be corrected based on the driving mode correction parameter, the environmental information correction parameter, and the drive mode correction parameter. The specific method can also be selected based on actual conditions. For example, the target coolant temperature can be: the target coolant temperature to be corrected + the driving mode correction parameter × the driving mode correction parameter × the drive mode correction parameter.

[0122] Accordingly, when the electronic thermostat is duty cycle controlled, the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat can be controlled based on the ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information, and the target coolant temperature. In this way, the electronic thermostat can maintain the coolant temperature near the target coolant temperature.

[0123] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIG5 , controlling the duty cycles of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan to adjust from their respective current duty cycles to their respective target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information may include step S501 and step S503.

[0124] Step S501 , determining a third target duty cycle of the electronic water pump according to the ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information, and target coolant temperature, and controlling the duty cycle of the electronic water pump to adjust from the third current duty cycle to the third target duty cycle.

[0125] Specifically, in some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information may include the actual coolant temperature of the engine coolant, the vehicle's torque demand, the vehicle's speed, the vehicle's power mode, and the vehicle's driving mode.

[0126] At this time, the vehicle can determine the basic duty cycle of the electronic water pump based on the target engine parameters of the engine; determine the duty cycle adjustment value of the electronic water pump based on the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature and the actual coolant temperature; determine the correction coefficient of the electronic water pump based on the ambient temperature, vehicle speed, torque demand, actual coolant temperature, power mode and driving mode; determine the third target duty cycle based on the basic duty cycle, the duty cycle adjustment value, and the correction coefficient.

[0127] The target engine parameters are the parameters when the engine reaches the target coolant temperature under standard operating conditions.

[0128] Specifically, in some embodiments, the correction coefficient of the electronic water pump includes: a first correction coefficient related to the ambient temperature and vehicle speed, a second correction coefficient related to the driving mode, torque demand and vehicle speed, and a third correction coefficient related to the driving mode, torque demand and vehicle speed; determining the third target duty cycle based on the basic duty cycle, the duty cycle adjustment value, and the correction coefficient, including: determining the duty cycle to be corrected based on the basic duty cycle and the duty cycle adjustment value, multiplying the first correction coefficient by the duty cycle to be corrected, and summing the product with the second correction coefficient and the third correction coefficient to obtain the third target duty cycle.

[0129] Specifically, the base duty cycle and the duty cycle adjustment value can be superimposed to obtain a duty cycle to be corrected. The superimposed duty cycle to be corrected is then corrected according to the correction coefficient to obtain a third target duty cycle. It is understood that each speed of the electronic water pump can correspond to a duty cycle. For example, a speed range of 0-6000 corresponds to a duty cycle of 0-100%.

[0130] Exemplarily, the third target duty cycle of the electronic water pump may be expressed as: (BASE+P+I+D)*A1+A2+A3.

[0131] Among them, BASE is the basic duty cycle, which is related to the target engine parameters. For example, the basic duty cycle of the electronic water pump can be controlled based on the engine speed and load when the target coolant temperature is reached at an ambient temperature of 25°C.

[0132] P, I, and D are parameters of the PID controller (Proportion-Intergration-Differentiation controller). All three parameters represent the duty cycle adjustment value for the electronic water pump. The duty cycle adjustment value of the electronic water pump can be positively correlated with the actual coolant temperature and the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature. P (proportional adjustment value), I (integral adjustment value), and D (differential adjustment value) can be enabled or disabled depending on the vehicle model, and their values ​​can be set to a maximum limit to avoid impacting the base.

[0133] A1 (first correction coefficient) represents a correction coefficient related to the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed, and can be specifically divided into A11 for correcting the base duty cycle BASE and A12 for correcting the duty cycle adjustment value.

[0134] A2 (third correction coefficient) represents a correction coefficient related to the driving mode, torque demand, and vehicle speed. Specifically, different driving modes may correspond to different relationship tables, each of which records the corresponding relationship between torque demand, vehicle speed, and correction coefficient A22.

[0135] A3 (second correction coefficient) represents a correction coefficient related to driving mode, torque demand, and vehicle speed. Similarly, different driving modes can correspond to different relationship tables, each of which records the corresponding relationship between torque demand, vehicle speed, and correction coefficient A23.

[0136] After the third target duty cycle is calculated, the duty cycle of the electronic water pump can be controlled to adjust from the third current duty cycle to the third target duty cycle, where the third current duty cycle is the current duty cycle of the electronic water pump.

[0137] During the process of adjusting the duty cycle of the electronic water pump, the filter time for increasing and decreasing the duty cycle can be set. The duty cycle of the electronic water pump is adjusted according to the filter time to avoid too fast fluctuation of the duty cycle.

[0138] For the third target duty cycle, low-pass filtering can also be used to ensure smooth duty cycle changes. Specifically, the duty cycle to be corrected is determined based on the base duty cycle and the duty cycle adjustment value. The corrected duty cycle is then corrected based on the correction coefficient to obtain the duty cycle to be filtered. The filtered duty cycle is then low-pass filtered based on the historical duty cycle to obtain the third target duty cycle.

[0139] The low-pass filtering process can be expressed as: memory4(n) = memory4(n-1) + (in4 - memory4(n-1)) * dT / T. Here, memory4(n-1) is the historical duty cycle, specifically the third target duty cycle at the previous moment. in4 can be the duty cycle to be filtered. T is the preset filtering duration. memory4(n) is the third target duty cycle.

[0140] In some embodiments, the duty cycle adjustment value includes a proportional term adjustment value, an integral term adjustment value, and a differential term adjustment value; and the process of determining the proportional term adjustment value includes: determining the proportional term adjustment value based on the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature.

[0141] The process of determining the integral item adjustment value includes: determining the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature, as well as the integral item control parameter based on the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature; obtaining the historical integral item adjustment value; and determining the integral item adjustment value at the current moment based on the temperature difference, the integral item control parameter and the historical integral item adjustment value.

[0142] The process of determining the differential item adjustment value includes: determining a first differential item based on the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature at the current moment and the actual coolant temperature; low-pass filtering the temperature difference at the current moment based on the historical temperature difference to obtain a second differential item; and determining the differential item adjustment value based on the first differential item and the second differential item.

[0143] Specifically, the duty cycle adjustment in this embodiment is proportional-integral-derivative (PID) regulation. PID regulation provides a proportional term adjustment value (called the P term) for proportional regulation, an integral term adjustment value (called the I term) for integral regulation, and a derivative term adjustment value (called the D term) for derivative regulation.

[0144] The proportional term adjustment value is directly related to the temperature difference and the actual coolant temperature. That is, the proportional term adjustment value can be determined based on the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature.

[0145] Specifically, in some embodiments, the proportional term adjustment value can be determined based on the temperature difference and the actual coolant temperature. For example, a mapping table can be pre-set between the temperature difference, the actual coolant temperature, and the duty cycle corresponding to the P term. Based on the actual temperature difference and the actual coolant temperature, the table can be looked up to obtain the duty cycle corresponding to the P term, and the proportional term adjustment value can be converted from the duty cycle corresponding to the P term.

[0146] For example, Table 7 shows a mapping relationship table between the temperature difference, the actual coolant temperature, and the duty cycle corresponding to the P item.

[0147] Table 7

[0148] The integral item adjustment value is the K integral of the temperature difference. The integral item adjustment value can be expressed as memory2(n)=K*dT*in+memory2(n-1), where in is the temperature difference; K is the integral item control parameter; memory2(n-1) is the historical integral item adjustment value, specifically the integral item adjustment value at the previous moment; memory2(n) is the integral item adjustment value at the current moment; and T is time.

[0149] To prevent the integral item adjustment value from being too large or too small, the maximum value Imax and minimum value Imin of the integral item adjustment value can be determined based on the temperature difference and the actual coolant temperature. If the calculated integral item adjustment value at the current moment is less than the minimum value, the minimum value can be used as the integral item adjustment value at the current moment. If the calculated integral item adjustment value at the current moment is greater than the maximum value, the maximum value can be used as the integral item adjustment value at the current moment.

[0150] For example, based on the temperature difference and the actual coolant temperature, the duty cycle corresponding to the minimum value Imin of the integral adjustment value can be obtained by looking up Table 8, and the minimum value Imin can be obtained by converting the duty cycle. Similarly, based on the temperature difference and the actual coolant temperature, the duty cycle corresponding to the maximum value Imax of the integral adjustment value can be obtained by looking up Table 9, and the maximum value Imax can be obtained by converting the duty cycle.

[0151] Table 8

[0152] Table 9

[0153] The following Table 10 can be used to determine the integral control parameters based on the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature.

[0154] Table 10

[0155] In some embodiments, integral regulation can be set with usage conditions. When the absolute value of the temperature difference is less than or equal to the temperature difference threshold and the actual coolant temperature is within a preset range, integral regulation is enabled; otherwise, integral regulation is disabled. When integral regulation is disabled, the integral item adjustment value of integral regulation can be considered to be 0. When integral regulation is enabled, the integral item adjustment value of integral regulation can be determined according to the aforementioned method. For example, integral regulation can be used when the absolute value of the temperature difference is ≤15°C and the actual coolant temperature is between 85-105°C. Outside this range, integral regulation is disabled.

[0156] Differential regulation corrects the rate of change of the aforementioned temperature difference. The temperature difference calculation can be performed once every preset time interval (e.g., 10ms) between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature. The process of determining the differential adjustment value may include: determining a first differential term D1 based on the current temperature difference and the actual coolant temperature; determining a second differential term D2 by low-pass filtering the current temperature difference based on historical temperature differences; and determining a differential adjustment value based on the first differential term D1 and the second differential term D2. The historical temperature difference may refer to the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature at a previous moment. The first differential term D1 and the second differential term D2 can be added together to obtain the differential adjustment value.

[0157] Specifically, referring to Table 11 below, the duty cycle corresponding to the differential adjustment is determined according to the temperature difference at the current moment and the actual coolant temperature, and the first differential term D1 is obtained according to the duty cycle conversion.

[0158] Table 11

[0159] Low-pass filtering can be expressed as memory3(n) = memory3(n-1) + (in3 - memory3(n-1)) * dT / T. Here, memory3(n-1) is the historical temperature difference, specifically the error between the actual coolant temperature calculated at the previous moment and the target coolant temperature. in3 can refer to the error between the actual coolant temperature calculated at the moment and the target coolant temperature. T is the preset duration. memory3(n) is the second differential term D2.

[0160] Step S502 , monitoring whether the vehicle meets the enabling condition, and turning on the electronic fan in response to the vehicle meeting the enabling condition.

[0161] Step S503 : determining a fourth target duty cycle of the electronic fan according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle usage scenario information, and the target coolant temperature, and controlling the duty cycle of the electronic fan to adjust from the fourth current duty cycle to the fourth target duty cycle.

[0162] The fourth current duty cycle is the current duty cycle of the electronic fan.

[0163] In other words, once the opening of the main loop stabilizes, the electronic water pump's third target duty cycle can be determined based on ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information, and target coolant temperature, allowing for rapid speed adjustment. The electronic fan, on the other hand, requires selective intervention based on enabling conditions. When the electronic fan is engaged, its fourth target duty cycle can be determined based on ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information, and target coolant temperature. Because the electronic water pump consumes less power than the fan itself, this approach contributes to overall vehicle energy efficiency.

[0164] The enabling condition may include at least one of the following:

[0165] Enabling condition 1: The target speed of the electronic water pump is greater than the speed threshold;

[0166] Enabling condition 2: The temperature difference between the actual engine coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature is greater than the temperature difference threshold;

[0167] Enabling condition 3: The slope of the vehicle's location is greater than the slope threshold, and the ambient temperature is greater than or equal to the first ambient temperature threshold;

[0168] Enabling condition 4: The vehicle's driving mode is the preset driving mode, and the ambient temperature is greater than or equal to the second ambient temperature threshold.

[0169] In some implementations, the four enabling conditions listed above can be set simultaneously. Meeting at least one of these conditions activates the electronic fan, allowing it to intervene in thermal management. The preset driving mode is an extreme case of high engine torque output, typically meeting enabling conditions 1, 2, and 3. However, heat dissipation is poor at high ambient temperatures. Therefore, enabling condition 4 can be set to enable the electronic fan in advance, ensuring timely coolant cooling in extreme conditions.

[0170] For example, for enabling condition 1, the target speed of the electronic water pump can be determined. When the target speed is greater than a speed threshold of 2000 RPM, enabling condition 1 is considered satisfied. For enabling condition 2, the actual coolant temperature can be determined. When the actual coolant temperature is greater than the target coolant temperature + 3°C, that is, the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature is greater than the temperature difference threshold of 3°C, enabling condition 2 is considered satisfied. For enabling condition 3, the slope can be determined. When the slope is greater than a slope threshold of 5% and the ambient temperature is greater than or equal to a first ambient temperature threshold of 25°C, enabling condition 3 is considered satisfied. For enabling condition 4, when the driving mode is a preset driving mode such as off-road mode, sport mode, four-wheel drive mode, mud mode, or escape mode, and the ambient temperature is greater than or equal to a second ambient temperature threshold of 20°C, enabling condition 4 is considered satisfied. It is understood that the specific values ​​of each threshold in the above examples can be adjusted according to actual conditions. Furthermore, each of the above enabling conditions can be enabled or disabled based on the specific vehicle model and can be filtered according to specific time periods.

[0171] After the electronic fan is engaged, it can be graded and regulated based on different ambient temperatures. In some embodiments of the present application, a target temperature range for the ambient temperature can be determined within multiple temperature ranges, and a fourth target duty cycle can be determined based on vehicle usage scenario information, target coolant temperature, and a control table corresponding to the target temperature ranges.

[0172] Specifically, different temperature ranges correspond to different control tables. Each control table may record a mapping relationship between the actual coolant temperature, target coolant temperature, and vehicle speed, and the fourth target duty cycle of the electronic fan. This mapping relationship may vary between different control tables. Therefore, by looking up the table based on ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information, the fourth target duty cycle of the electronic fan can be determined, and the electronic fan duty cycle can be adjusted based on the fourth target duty cycle.

[0173] In particular, in some embodiments of the present application, in response to a vehicle's water temperature sensor and electronic water pump being in a faulty state, the duty cycle of the electronic fan can be adjusted according to a preset duty cycle. The water temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the coolant. In response to the water temperature sensor and the electronic water pump being in a faulty state, the fan can be turned on promptly without requiring an enable condition, thereby helping to maintain coolant temperature stability.

[0174] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity of description, the aforementioned method embodiments are all expressed as a series of action combinations. However, those skilled in the art should be aware that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, because according to this application, certain steps can be performed in other orders.

[0175] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle thermal management device 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The vehicle thermal management device 400 is configured on the vehicle.

[0176] Specifically, the vehicle thermal management device 400 may include:

[0177] The acquisition unit 401 is used to acquire vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which the vehicle is located;

[0178] The first thermal management unit 402 is used to control the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large cycle;

[0179] The second thermal management unit 403 is used to control the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan from their current duty cycle to their target duty cycle according to the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information after the opening of the large cycle is stabilized, so as to perform vehicle thermal management.

[0180] In some embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned first thermal management unit 402 can be specifically used to: obtain the ambient temperature threshold at which the opening of the large cycle is fully opened; in response to the ambient temperature being greater than or equal to the ambient temperature threshold, control the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat to adjust from a first current duty cycle to a first target duty cycle, and when the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is the first target duty cycle, the opening of the large cycle is fully opened.

[0181] In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information includes the vehicle speed, the actual coolant temperature of the engine coolant and the engine torque; the above-mentioned first thermal management unit 402 can be specifically used to: after determining the ambient temperature threshold for fully opening the large loop based on the ambient temperature of the vehicle's environment and the vehicle usage scenario information, the method also includes: in response to the ambient temperature being less than the ambient temperature threshold, determining the second target duty cycle of the electronic thermostat based on the ambient temperature, vehicle speed, actual coolant temperature and torque; controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat to adjust from the second current duty cycle to the second target duty cycle to adjust the opening of the large loop.

[0182] In some embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned first thermal management unit 402 can be specifically used to: determine the initial duty cycle based on the actual coolant water temperature; determine a first correction value of the initial duty cycle based on the vehicle speed and ambient temperature; determine a second correction value of the initial duty cycle based on the torque; and correct the initial duty cycle based on the first correction value and the second correction value to obtain a second target duty cycle.

[0183] In some embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned first thermal management unit 402 can be specifically used to: determine the coolant water temperature threshold for fully opening the large loop based on the ambient temperature and vehicle usage scenario information; calculate the temperature difference between the actual coolant water temperature and the coolant water temperature threshold; and determine the initial duty cycle based on the actual coolant water temperature and temperature difference.

[0184] In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information also includes the engine speed and the engine load; the above-mentioned first thermal management unit 402 can be specifically used to: determine the first temperature associated with the coolant water temperature threshold based on the speed and load; determine the second temperature associated with the coolant water temperature threshold based on the vehicle speed and the ambient temperature; determine the coolant water temperature threshold based on the first temperature and the second temperature.

[0185] In some embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned first thermal management unit 402 can be specifically used to: determine the initial coolant water temperature threshold based on the first temperature and the second temperature; obtain the historical coolant water temperature threshold when the vehicle's large circulation is fully opened; and determine the coolant water temperature threshold at the current moment based on the initial coolant water temperature threshold and the historical coolant water temperature threshold.

[0186] In some embodiments of the present application, the first thermal management unit 402 may be specifically configured to: determine a torque change rate of the torque within a preset time period; and determine a second correction value based on the torque and the torque change rate.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle's thermal management device 400 further includes an adjustment unit, which may be specifically configured to determine a maximum duty cycle for the electronic thermostat based on the vehicle's overall voltage and the actual coolant temperature of the vehicle's engine. If the second target duty cycle is greater than the maximum duty cycle, the electronic thermostat's duty cycle is controlled to be adjusted from the current duty cycle to the maximum duty cycle to adjust the opening of the large cycle. In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle's thermal management device 400 may further include a preheating module configured to preheat the vehicle's engine until the engine's coolant temperature reaches a threshold temperature.

[0188] In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle's thermal management device 400 may further include a target water temperature acquisition module for acquiring a target coolant temperature of the engine; the above-mentioned first thermal management unit 402 may be specifically used to: control the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information and the target coolant temperature.

[0189] In some embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned second thermal management unit 403 can be specifically used to: determine the third target duty cycle of the electronic water pump based on the ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information and target coolant temperature, and control the duty cycle of the electronic water pump to adjust from the third current duty cycle to the third target duty cycle; monitor whether the vehicle meets the enabling conditions, and turn on the electronic fan in response to the vehicle meeting the enabling conditions; determine the fourth target duty cycle of the electronic fan based on the ambient temperature, vehicle usage scenario information and target coolant temperature, and control the duty cycle of the electronic fan to adjust from the fourth current duty cycle to the fourth target duty cycle.

[0190] In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information includes the actual coolant temperature of the engine coolant, the torque demand of the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, the power mode of the vehicle and the driving mode of the vehicle; the control information of the electronic water pump is the target speed of the electronic water pump; the above-mentioned second thermal management unit 403 can be specifically used to: determine the basic duty cycle of the electronic water pump according to the target engine parameters of the engine, the target engine parameters are the parameters when the engine reaches the target coolant temperature under standard operating conditions; determine the duty cycle adjustment value of the electronic water pump according to the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature and the actual coolant temperature; determine the correction coefficient of the electronic water pump according to the ambient temperature, vehicle speed, torque demand, actual coolant temperature, power mode and driving mode; determine the third target duty cycle according to the basic duty cycle, the duty cycle adjustment value, and the correction coefficient.

[0191] In some embodiments of the present application, the correction coefficient of the electronic water pump includes: a first correction coefficient related to the ambient temperature and vehicle speed, a second correction coefficient related to the driving mode, torque demand and vehicle speed, and a third correction coefficient related to the driving mode, torque demand and vehicle speed; the above-mentioned second thermal management unit 403 can be specifically used to: determine the duty cycle to be corrected based on the basic duty cycle and the duty cycle adjustment value; multiply the first correction coefficient by the duty cycle to be corrected, and sum the product with the second correction coefficient and the third correction coefficient to obtain a third target duty cycle.

[0192] In some embodiments of the present application, the duty cycle adjustment value includes a proportional term adjustment value; the vehicle thermal management device 400 may further include a determination module, which can be specifically used to determine the proportional term adjustment value based on the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature.

[0193] In some embodiments of the present application, the duty cycle adjustment value includes an integral item adjustment value; a determination module can be specifically used to determine the temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature, and the integral item control parameter based on the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature; obtain historical integral item adjustment values; and determine the integral item adjustment value at the current moment based on the temperature difference, the integral item control parameter and the historical integral item adjustment value.

[0194] In some embodiments of the present application, the duty cycle adjustment value includes a differential term adjustment value; the determination module may be specifically configured to determine a first differential term based on the current temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature and the actual coolant temperature; perform a low-pass filter on the current temperature difference based on historical temperature differences to obtain a second differential term; and determine the differential term adjustment value based on the first differential term and the second differential term. In some embodiments of the present application, the second thermal management unit 403 may be specifically configured to: determine a target temperature range for the ambient temperature within a plurality of temperature ranges, wherein different temperature ranges correspond to different control tables; and determine a fourth target duty cycle based on vehicle usage scenario information, the target coolant temperature, and the control tables corresponding to the target temperature ranges.

[0195] In some embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned target water temperature acquisition unit can be specifically used to: determine the target coolant temperature to be corrected based on the operating parameters of the engine; determine the correction parameters based on the vehicle usage scenario information; and correct the target coolant temperature to be corrected based on the correction parameters to obtain the target coolant temperature.

[0196] In some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle usage scenario information includes the vehicle's driving mode and speed; the target water temperature acquisition unit can be specifically used to: respectively determine the correction parameters corresponding to the driving mode and the speed.

[0197] It should be noted that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the thermal management device 400 of the above-mentioned vehicle can refer to the corresponding process of the method described in Figures 1 to 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0198] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, vehicle 5 may include a processor 50, a memory 51, and a computer program 52 stored in memory 51 and executable on processor 50, such as a vehicle thermal management program. The vehicle is also equipped with an electronic thermostat 53, an electronic water pump 54, and an electronic fan 55.

[0199] When the processor 50 executes the computer program 52, it implements the steps of each of the above-described vehicle thermal management method embodiments, such as steps S101 to S103 shown in FIG1 . Alternatively, when the processor 50 executes the computer program 52, it implements the functions of each module / unit in each of the above-described device embodiments, such as the functions of the acquisition unit 401, the first thermal management unit 402, and the second thermal management unit 403 shown in FIG6 .

[0200] The computer program may be divided into one or more modules / units, one or more of which are stored in the memory 51 and executed by the processor 50 to implement the present application. One or more modules / units may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing specific functions, and the instruction segments are used to describe the execution process of the computer program in the vehicle.

[0201] For example, the computer program can be divided into an acquisition unit, a first thermal management unit, and a second thermal management unit. The specific functions of each unit are as follows: the acquisition unit is used to obtain vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which the vehicle is located; the first thermal management unit is used to control the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat based on the ambient temperature and usage scenario information to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large circulation system; and the second thermal management unit is used to control the duty cycle of the electronic water pump and electronic fan from their current duty cycle to their target duty cycle based on the ambient temperature and usage scenario information after the opening of the large circulation system stabilizes, thereby performing vehicle thermal management.

[0202] The vehicle may include, but is not limited to, a processor 50 and a memory 51. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that FIG7 is merely an example of a vehicle and does not limit the vehicle. The vehicle may include more or fewer components than shown, or a combination of certain components, or different components. For example, the vehicle may also include input and output devices, network access devices, buses, and the like.

Claims

1. A thermal management method for a vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle is equipped with an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump, and an electronic fan, and the method includes: Obtaining vehicle usage scenario information and the ambient temperature of the environment in which the vehicle is located; According to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information, the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled to adjust the opening of the vehicle's large cycle; After the opening of the large cycle is stabilized, the duty cycles of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan are controlled to be adjusted from their respective current duty cycles to their respective target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information to perform thermal management of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information includes: Get the ambient temperature threshold for fully opening the large loop; In response to the ambient temperature being greater than or equal to the ambient temperature threshold, the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled to be adjusted from a first current duty cycle to a first target duty cycle. When the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is the first target duty cycle, the opening of the large cycle is fully opened.

3. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 2, wherein: The vehicle usage scenario information includes the vehicle speed, the actual coolant temperature of the engine coolant, and the engine torque; After obtaining the ambient temperature threshold at which the opening of the large circulation is fully opened, the method further includes: In response to the ambient temperature being less than the ambient temperature threshold, determining a second target duty cycle of the electronic thermostat based on the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed, the actual coolant temperature, and the torque; The duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled to be adjusted from the second current duty cycle to the second target duty cycle, so as to adjust the opening degree of the large cycle.

4. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 3, wherein: The determining the second target duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed, the actual coolant temperature, and the torque includes: determining an initial duty cycle according to the actual coolant water temperature; determining a first correction value of the initial duty cycle according to the vehicle speed and the ambient temperature; determining a second correction value of the initial duty cycle according to the torque; The initial duty cycle is corrected according to the first correction value and the second correction value to obtain the second target duty cycle.

5. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 4, wherein: The determining of the initial duty cycle according to the actual coolant water temperature includes: Determining a coolant water temperature threshold for fully opening a large circulation according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information; Calculating the temperature difference between the actual coolant water temperature and the coolant water temperature threshold; The initial duty cycle is determined according to the actual coolant water temperature and the temperature difference.

6. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The vehicle usage scenario information also includes the engine speed and the engine load; The step of determining the coolant temperature threshold for fully opening the large loop according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information includes: determining a first temperature associated with the coolant water temperature threshold according to the rotational speed and the load; determining a second temperature associated with the coolant water temperature threshold according to the vehicle speed and the ambient temperature; The coolant water temperature threshold is determined according to the first temperature and the second temperature.

7. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 6, wherein: The determining the coolant temperature threshold according to the first temperature and the second temperature includes: determining an initial coolant water temperature threshold according to the first temperature and the second temperature; Obtaining a historical coolant water temperature threshold value when the vehicle's main circulation is fully opened; The coolant water temperature threshold at a current moment is determined according to the initial coolant water temperature threshold and the historical coolant water temperature threshold.

8. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 4, wherein: The determining of the second correction value of the initial duty cycle according to the torque includes: determining a torque change rate of the torque within a predetermined time period; The second correction value is determined according to the torque and the torque change rate.

9. The vehicle thermal management method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: determining a maximum duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the vehicle voltage and the actual coolant temperature of the engine on the vehicle; If the second target duty cycle is greater than the maximum duty cycle, the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat is controlled to be adjusted from the current duty cycle to the maximum duty cycle, so as to adjust the opening of the large cycle.

10. The vehicle thermal management method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Before controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information, the method further includes: Get the target coolant temperature of the engine; The controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information includes: controlling the duty cycle of the electronic thermostat according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle usage scenario information and the target coolant temperature.

11. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 10, wherein: The controlling the duty cycles of the electronic water pump and the electronic fan to adjust from their respective current duty cycles to their respective target duty cycles according to the ambient temperature and the vehicle usage scenario information includes: determining a third target duty cycle of the electronic water pump according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle usage scenario information, and the target coolant temperature, and controlling the duty cycle of the electronic water pump to adjust from a third current duty cycle to the third target duty cycle; monitoring whether the vehicle satisfies an enabling condition, and turning on the electronic fan in response to the vehicle satisfying the enabling condition; A fourth target duty cycle of the electronic fan is determined according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle usage scenario information, and the target coolant temperature, and the duty cycle of the electronic fan is controlled to adjust from a fourth current duty cycle to the fourth target duty cycle.

12. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 11, wherein: The vehicle usage scenario information includes an actual coolant temperature of an engine coolant, a torque demand of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, a power mode of the vehicle, and a driving mode of the vehicle; The determining, according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle usage scenario information, and the target coolant temperature, of a third target duty cycle of the electronic water pump includes: determining a basic duty cycle of the electronic water pump according to target engine parameters of the engine, wherein the target engine parameters are parameters when the engine reaches the target coolant temperature under standard operating conditions; determining a duty cycle adjustment value of the electronic water pump according to a temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature and the actual coolant temperature; determining a correction coefficient for the electronic water pump according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle speed, the torque demand, the actual coolant temperature, the power mode, and the driving mode; The third target duty cycle is determined according to the basic duty cycle, the duty cycle adjustment value, and the correction coefficient.

13. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 11, wherein: The correction coefficient of the electronic water pump includes: a first correction coefficient related to the ambient temperature and the vehicle speed, a second correction coefficient related to the driving mode, the torque demand and the vehicle speed, and a third correction coefficient related to the driving mode, the torque demand and the vehicle speed; The determining the third target duty cycle according to the basic duty cycle, the duty cycle adjustment value, and the correction coefficient includes: determining a duty cycle to be corrected according to the basic duty cycle and the duty cycle adjustment value; The first correction coefficient is multiplied by the duty cycle to be corrected, and the product is summed with the second correction coefficient and the third correction coefficient to obtain the third target duty cycle.

14. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 12, wherein: The duty cycle adjustment value includes a proportional term adjustment value; and the process of determining the proportional term adjustment value includes: The proportional term adjustment value is determined according to a temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature.

15. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 12, wherein: The duty cycle adjustment value includes an integral term adjustment value; The process of determining the integral item adjustment value includes: determining a temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature, and an integral term control parameter according to the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature; Get the historical integral item adjustment value; The integral item adjustment value at a current moment is determined according to the temperature difference, the integral item control parameter and the historical integral item adjustment value.

16. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 12, wherein: The duty cycle adjustment value includes a differential term adjustment value; and the process of determining the differential term adjustment value includes: determining a first differential term based on a current temperature difference between the actual coolant temperature and the target coolant temperature and the actual coolant temperature; Performing low-pass filtering on the temperature difference at the current moment according to the historical temperature difference to obtain a second differential term; The differential term adjustment value is determined according to the first differential term and the second differential term.

17. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 11, wherein: The determining, according to the ambient temperature, the vehicle usage scenario information, and the target coolant temperature, of a fourth target duty cycle of the electronic fan includes: Determining a target temperature interval in which the ambient temperature is located among a plurality of temperature intervals, wherein different temperature intervals among the temperature intervals correspond to different control tables; The fourth target duty cycle is determined according to the vehicle usage scenario information, the target coolant temperature, and a control table corresponding to the target temperature range.

18. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 10, wherein: The step of obtaining a target coolant temperature of the engine includes: determining a target coolant temperature to be corrected based on the operating parameters of the engine; Determining correction parameters according to the vehicle usage scenario information; The target coolant temperature to be corrected is corrected according to the correction parameter to obtain the target coolant temperature.

19. The vehicle thermal management method according to claim 18, wherein: The vehicle usage scenario information includes the driving mode and speed of the vehicle; The determining of the correction parameters according to the vehicle usage scenario information includes: Correction parameters corresponding to the driving mode and the vehicle speed are determined respectively.

20. A vehicle comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: The vehicle is equipped with an electronic thermostat, an electronic water pump and an electronic fan; when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the vehicle thermal management method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19 are implemented.

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