Coolant loop, thermal management system, control method, and vehicle

Abstract

A coolant loop (11), a thermal management system, a control method, and a vehicle, relating to the technical field of air conditioning. The coolant loop (11) comprises: an evaporator (1101), a first electronic water pump (1102), a first electronic three-way valve (1103), a second electronic three-way valve (1104), and a heat exchanger (1105). A first end of the evaporator (1101) is connected to a first end of the first electronic water pump (1102); a second end of the first electronic water pump (1102) is connected to a first end of the first electronic three-way valve (1103); a second end of the first electronic three-way valve (1103) is connected to a first end of the second electronic three-way valve (1104); a second end of the second electronic three-way valve (1104) is connected to a first end of the heat exchanger (1105); and a second end of the heat exchanger (1105) is connected to a second end of the evaporator (1101). A vehicle-mounted refrigerator is coupled with a vehicle thermal management system, and the coolant loop (11) in the vehicle thermal management system is used to provide refrigeration for the vehicle-mounted refrigerator, so that components such as a compressor (1201) and a condenser (1116) are not required in the vehicle-mounted refrigerator, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the vehicle-mounted refrigerator and significantly alleviating noise issues of the vehicle-mounted refrigerator inside the vehicle.

Description

Cooling liquid circuit, thermal management system, control method and vehicle

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] The present application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410505475.X, filed on April 24, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of air conditioning, in particular to a cooling liquid circuit, a thermal management system, a control method and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0004] The air conditioning refrigeration or heating function is provided in the thermal management system of the automobile, and the thermal management system adopts a direct heat pump system or an indirect heat pump system.

[0005] At present, whether it is a single air conditioning system of the current new energy automobile, or a more complex heat pump system, or a pure electric heat pump system architecture, it is usually two completely independent parallel systems with the vehicle-mounted refrigerator, and the vehicle-mounted refrigerator contains independent compressor, condenser and other components. However, this will cause the cost and weight of the vehicle-mounted refrigerator to increase, and the vehicle-mounted refrigerator is usually placed in the passenger cabin, and these components will also produce obvious noise when running, affecting the comfort of the passengers in the cabin. SUMMARY

[0006] Therefore, the present application provides a cooling liquid circuit, a thermal management system, a control method and a vehicle for a vehicle, which mainly aims to improve the technical problems that the cost and weight of the vehicle-mounted refrigerator increase and obvious noise is also produced in the prior art.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a cooling liquid circuit, comprising: an evaporator, a first electronic water pump, a first electronic three-way valve, a second electronic three-way valve and a heat exchanger;

[0008] A first end of the evaporator is connected to a first end of the first electronic water pump, a second end of the first electronic water pump is connected to a first end of the first electronic three-way valve, a second end of the first electronic three-way valve is connected to a first end of the second electronic three-way valve, a second end of the second electronic three-way valve is connected to a first end of the heat exchanger, and a second end of the heat exchanger is connected to a second end of the evaporator.

[0009] The heat exchanger is arranged in the vehicle-mounted refrigerator and used for refrigerating the vehicle-mounted refrigerator.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present application provides a thermal management system, comprising: the cooling liquid circuit and the refrigerant circuit according to the first aspect, and the cooling liquid circuit is coupled with the refrigerant circuit.

[0011] In a third aspect, the present application provides a control method of a thermal management system, applied to the thermal management system according to the second aspect, comprising:

[0012] In response to the control instruction of the thermal management system, the compressor in the refrigerant circuit is controlled to discharge refrigerant and the electronic expansion valve is opened;

[0013] The target water pump in the cooling liquid circuit is controlled to operate, and the target electronic expansion valve in the cooling liquid circuit is opened, wherein the target water pump comprises one or more of the first water pump, the second water pump and the third water pump, and the target electronic expansion valve comprises one or more of the first electronic three-way valve, the second electronic three-way valve, the third electronic three-way valve, the fourth electronic three-way valve, the fifth electronic three-way valve, the sixth electronic three-way valve, the seventh electronic three-way valve and the eighth electronic three-way valve.

[0014] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a vehicle, comprising: the thermal management system according to the second aspect.

[0015] By means of the above technical solution, the present application provides a cooling liquid circuit, a thermal management system, a control method and a vehicle, wherein the cooling liquid circuit comprises: an evaporator, a first electronic water pump, a first electronic three-way valve, a second electronic three-way valve and a heat exchanger; the first end of the evaporator is connected with the first end of the first electronic water pump, the second end of the first electronic water pump is connected with the first end of the first electronic three-way valve, the second end of the first electronic three-way valve is connected with the first end of the second electronic three-way valve, the second end of the second electronic three-way valve is connected with the first end of the heat exchanger, and the second end of the heat exchanger is connected with the second end of the evaporator; wherein the heat exchanger is arranged in a vehicle refrigerator, and is used for refrigerating the vehicle refrigerator. Compared with the prior art, the present application designs a new cooling liquid circuit for a vehicle, which couples the vehicle refrigerator with the whole vehicle air conditioning system, uses the cooling liquid circuit in the whole vehicle thermal management system to realize refrigeration of the vehicle refrigerator, saves the compressor, the condenser and other components in the vehicle refrigerator, thereby saving the cost and weight of the vehicle refrigerator, and significantly improves the noise problem of the vehicle refrigerator in the vehicle, and improves the comfort of passengers in the cabin.

[0016] The above description is only a summary of the technical solutions of the present application, in order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, the specific embodiments of the present application can be implemented according to the content of the description, and in order to make the above and other purposes, characteristics and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the following specific embodiments of the present application are described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the application and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the application.

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings required to be used in the embodiments or prior art description will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a structural schematic diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Fig. 2 shows a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a control method of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present application in a running mode;

[0023] Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present application in a running mode;

[0024] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present application in a running mode;

[0025] Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present application in a running mode;

[0026] Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present application in a running mode.

[0027] evaporator 1101; first electronic water pump 1102; first electronic three-way valve 1103; second electronic three-way valve 1104; heat exchanger 1105; cold core 1106; third electronic three-way valve 1107; battery cold plate 1108; second electronic water pump 1109; fourth electronic three-way valve 1110; fifth electronic three-way valve 1111; radiator 1112; electric drive assembly 1113; sixth electronic three-way valve 1114; third electronic water pump 1115; condenser 1116; seventh electronic three-way valve 1117; warm core 1118; eighth electronic three-way valve 1119; refrigerant device 1120; air blower 1121; expansion tank 1122; first water temperature sensor 1123; second water temperature sensor 1124; third water temperature sensor 1125; fourth water temperature sensor 1126; compressor 1201; electronic expansion valve 1202; gas-liquid separator 1203; hot gas bypass valve 1204; first PT sensor 1205; second PT sensor 1206; third PT sensor 1207. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to enable more clear understanding of the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application, the scheme of the present application will be further described below. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0029] In order to improve the technical problems that the current prior art causes the cost and weight of the vehicle refrigerator to increase and also causes obvious noise. The present embodiment provides a cooling liquid circuit 11 for a vehicle, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling liquid circuit 11 comprises: an evaporator 1101, a first electronic water pump 1102, a first electronic three-way valve 1103, a second electronic three-way valve 1104 and a heat exchanger 1105; wherein the first end of the evaporator 1101 is connected with the first end of the first electronic water pump 1102, the second end of the first electronic water pump 1102 is connected with the first end of the first electronic three-way valve 1103, the second end of the first electronic three-way valve 1103 is connected with the first end of the second electronic three-way valve 1104, the second end of the second electronic three-way valve 1104 is connected with the first end of the heat exchanger 1105, and the second end of the heat exchanger 1105 is connected with the second end of the evaporator 1101; wherein the heat exchanger 1105 is arranged in the vehicle refrigerator, and is used for refrigerating the vehicle refrigerator.

[0030] In some examples, the evaporator 1101 in the whole vehicle air conditioning system is adopted in the mode of being connected in series with the vehicle refrigerator in the present embodiment, and the vehicle refrigerator is coupled with the whole vehicle air conditioning system, wherein the evaporator 1101 can achieve the purpose of refrigerating the passenger compartment and the vehicle refrigerator by heat exchange with the cooling liquid.

[0031] For example, in order to realize the cooling function of the vehicle refrigerator, the low-temperature (-1℃-5℃) cooling liquid pumped out from the evaporator 1101 in the vehicle air conditioning system enters the heat exchanger 1105 in the vehicle refrigerator through the second electronic three-way valve 1104 to cool the air in the vehicle refrigerator. The heat exchanger 1105 in the vehicle refrigerator can be a fan-cooled heat exchanger 1105 or an evaporating coil built in the foaming structure of the refrigerator to achieve the same refrigerator refrigeration effect. The opening and closing of the second electronic three-way valve 1104 determines the opening and closing of the vehicle refrigerator (or a cut-off water valve is arranged on the vehicle refrigerator pipeline to realize the opening and closing function of the refrigerator by opening and closing the cut-off water valve).

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the embodiment provides a cooling liquid circuit 11, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling liquid circuit 11 in the thermal management system of the application is obtained by connecting the evaporator 1101, the first electronic water pump 1102, the first electronic three-way valve 1103, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 and the heat exchanger 1105 in series. In this way, by coupling the vehicle refrigerator with the vehicle air conditioning system, the cooling liquid circuit in the vehicle thermal management system is used to realize the refrigeration demand of the vehicle refrigerator, which reduces the cost, weight and space demand of the vehicle refrigerator, and also reduces the power consumption and noise problem caused by the independent compressor in the vehicle refrigerator, and improves the energy efficiency of the vehicle air conditioning thermal management system.

[0033] Further, as a refinement and extension of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling liquid circuit 11 can further include a third electronic three-way valve 1107; the third end of the second electronic three-way valve 1104 is connected to the first end of the cold core 1106 of the air conditioner, the second end of the cold core 1106 is connected to the first end of the third electronic three-way valve 1107, and the pipeline between the heat exchanger 1105 and the evaporator 1101 is provided with a first intermediate pipe opening, and the second end of the third electronic three-way valve 1107 is connected to the first intermediate pipe opening.

[0034] For example, the flow of the cooling liquid from the air conditioner cold core 1106 to the battery cooling plate 1108 and back to the evaporator 1101 can be adjusted by the third electronic three-way valve 1107.

[0035] Optionally, the cooling liquid circuit 11 can further include a second electronic water pump 1109 and a fourth electronic three-way valve 1110; the third end of the third electronic three-way valve 1107 is connected to the first end of the battery cooling plate 1108, the second end of the battery cooling plate 1108 is connected to the first end of the second electronic water pump 1109, the second end of the second electronic water pump 1109 is connected to the first end of the fourth electronic three-way valve 1110, the second end of the fourth electronic three-way valve 1110 is connected to the first intermediate pipe opening, and the third end of the fourth electronic three-way valve 1110 is connected to the second intermediate pipe opening between the third electronic three-way valve 1107 and the battery cooling plate 1108.

[0036] In the present embodiment, since the temperature required by the battery and the air conditioner is different, the different inlet temperature adjustment of the two must be realized, in order to better meet the heating and cooling working conditions of the battery, a relatively independent second electronic water pump 1109 and a third electronic proportional valve and an eighth electronic proportional valve can realize the mixed adjustment of the outlet water temperature of the air conditioner cooling and heating core 1118 and the inlet water temperature of the battery.

[0037] Optionally, the cooling liquid circuit 11 can further include: a fifth electronic three-way valve 1111, a radiator 1112, a sixth electronic three-way valve 1114; the third end of the first electronic three-way valve 1103 is connected with the first end of the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111, the second end of the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111 is connected with the first end of the radiator 1112, the second end of the radiator 1112 is connected with the first end of the electric drive assembly 1113, the second end of the electric drive assembly 1113 is connected with the first end of the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114, and the second end of the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 is connected to the first intermediate pipe.

[0038] In some examples, the radiator 1112 can be a low-temperature water tank radiator, which can realize the cooling of the condenser 1116 in the air conditioner and battery cooling mode and the cooling of the electric drive assembly 1113. For example, the cooling liquid flowing out of the condenser 1116 first passes through the low-temperature water tank radiator 1112 for cooling, then enters the electric drive assembly 1113 to cool the motor, and finally returns to the condenser 1116 to complete the circulation of the entire loop.

[0039] Optionally, the cooling liquid circuit 11 can further include: a sixth electronic three-way valve 1114, a third electronic water pump 1115, a condenser 1116, a seventh electronic three-way valve 1117, an eighth electronic three-way valve 1119; the third end of the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 is connected with the first end of the third electronic water pump 1115, the second end of the third electronic water pump 1115 is connected with the first end of the condenser 1116, the second end of the condenser 1116 is connected with the first end of the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117, the second end of the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 is connected with the first end of the heating core 1118 of the air conditioner, the third end of the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 is connected to the pipe between the first electronic three-way valve 1103 and the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111; the second end of the heating core 1118 is connected with the first end of the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119, the second end of the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119 is connected to the second intermediate pipe, and the third end of the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119 is connected to the third intermediate pipe of the pipe between the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 and the third electronic water pump 1115; the fourth intermediate pipe is further arranged between the battery cooling plate 1108 and the second electronic water pump 1109, and the pipe is connected between the third intermediate pipe and the fourth intermediate pipe.

[0040] The condenser 1116 in this embodiment can be a water-cooled condenser (WCC). By controlling the electronic water pump and the electronic three-way valve in the cooling liquid circuit 11 system, respectively, the functions of heating and cooling of the vehicle interior air conditioner, heating and cooling of the battery, cooling of the vehicle refrigerator, cooling of the motor and motor waste heat recovery, and their combinations can be achieved. These electronic three-way valves can be further combined into a multi-way valve, and the form of the combination valve can be various, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0041] Optionally, the vehicle refrigerator can further include a carrier refrigerant device 1120 and a blower 1121; the heat exchanger 1105 is arranged between the carrier refrigerant device 1120 and the blower 1121, and the carrier refrigerant device 1120 and the blower 1121 are used to cool the vehicle refrigerator when the compressor 1201 in the refrigerant circuit 12 stops working.

[0042] For example, in the coupling system of the vehicle refrigerator and the whole vehicle air conditioner thermal management system, the compressor 1201 of the whole vehicle air conditioner has strong refrigeration capacity, and even when the compressor 1201 runs at the minimum speed, its refrigeration capacity is much greater than the refrigeration demand of the refrigerator, which causes the compressor 1201 to frequently start and stop when it only serves the refrigerator for refrigeration in the case that the vehicle is in a stationary state and the air conditioner is not turned on, thereby affecting the service life of the compressor 1201. Therefore, a carrier refrigerant device 1120 is arranged in the vehicle refrigerator to increase the load of the refrigerator, and the carrier refrigerant device 1120 can provide refrigeration capacity for the refrigerator when the compressor 1201 stops working. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle refrigerator mainly includes a heat exchanger 1105, a blower 1121, a carrier refrigerant device 1120, a vehicle storage space, and a corresponding circulating air duct, etc. The circulating air is cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger 1105, and the circulating cold air cools the carrier refrigerant, and then cools the space of the vehicle refrigerator through the circulating air duct, and then returns to the blower 1121 through the circulating air duct, to complete the circulation of the cooling air. When the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 1105 does not flow and loses the refrigeration function, the vehicle refrigerator can release cold energy through the carrier refrigerant, thereby reducing the frequent start and stop of the compressor 1201. In addition, the heating function of the vehicle refrigerator completely relies on the electric heater arranged in the vehicle refrigerator to heat, so as to keep the vehicle refrigerator at a set temperature to realize the heating function.

[0043] By arranging the natural circulating air and the carrier refrigerant device 1120 in combination, the risk of loss or weakening of the refrigeration function of the vehicle refrigerator is avoided, especially in the case of high-temperature exposure and other parking conditions in summer. In this embodiment, the compressor and other devices of the vehicle refrigerator are cancelled, the volume of the vehicle refrigerator is reduced, the arrangement of the vehicle refrigerator in the vehicle is facilitated, and / or the volume of the refrigerator is increased to store more food.

[0044] In some examples, the cooling liquid circuit 11 can further include an expansion tank 1122. An expansion tank 1122 can be further connected to the pipe joint between the third electronic water pump 1115 and the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114. The expansion tank 1122 can provide additional space to store expanded cooling liquid, prevent the internal pressure of the cooling system from being too high, and also function as an exhaust through the vent on the cover.

[0045] In some examples, the cooling liquid circuit 11 can further include a first water temperature sensor 1123, a second water temperature sensor 1124, a third water temperature sensor 1125, and a fourth water temperature sensor 1126. By providing these four water temperature sensors, the temperature of the cooling liquid in the sub-circuits of the cooling liquid circuit 11 can be obtained, so as to accurately control the corresponding heat exchange.

[0046] Further, based on the above cooling liquid circuit 11, the embodiment further proposes a thermal management system, including the cooling liquid circuit 11 and the refrigerant circuit 12, wherein the cooling liquid circuit 11 is coupled with the refrigerant circuit 12.

[0047] Optionally, the refrigerant circuit 12 includes a compressor 1201, an electronic expansion valve 1202 (EXV), and an air-liquid separator 1203 (AD); the third end of the evaporator 1101 is connected to the first end of the air-liquid separator 1203, the second end of the air-liquid separator 1203 is connected to the first end of the compressor 1201, the second end of the compressor 1201 is connected to the third end of the condenser 1116, the fourth end of the condenser 1116 is connected to the fourth end of the evaporator 1101, and the electronic expansion valve 1202 is arranged on the pipe between the condenser 1116 and the evaporator 1101.

[0048] In some examples, the condenser 1116 can convert the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant pumped out by the compressor 1201 from a gaseous state to a liquid state, so that the liquefied refrigerant can continue to circulate in the system, and also can achieve the purpose of heating the passenger compartment by heat exchange with the refrigerant; the air-liquid separator 1203 is mainly used for separating gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, and also can be used for storing refrigerant. In addition, the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant circuit 12 can be R290 refrigerant, and because of the great risk of flammability, it is important to reduce the refrigerant charge. The electronic expansion valve 1202 can be used to adjust the refrigerant flow and evaporation pressure in cooperation with the compressor 1201, so that the system can operate efficiently under various load conditions, thereby allowing the system performance to be guaranteed while reducing the refrigerant charge.

[0049] Optionally, the refrigerant circuit 12 can further comprise a hot gas bypass valve 1204; a fifth intermediate port is arranged in the pipeline between the compressor 1201 and the condenser 1116, a sixth intermediate port is arranged in the pipeline between the gas-liquid separator 1203 and the evaporator 1101, and a bypass pipeline is connected between the fifth intermediate port and the sixth intermediate port, and the hot gas bypass valve 1204 is arranged on the bypass pipeline.

[0050] For example, the hot gas bypass valve 1204 can be used for low-temperature heating in winter. In the present embodiment, the hot gas bypass valve 1204 is cancelled, which does not affect the function of the thermal management system, but the low-temperature heating capacity may be affected.

[0051] In some examples, the refrigerant circuit 12 can further comprise a first PT sensor 1205, a second PT sensor 1206, and a third PT sensor 1207. The PT sensor can detect the temperature data of the position it is located in in real time, and convert it into an electrical signal and record it for further data processing, analysis and control system decision-making. In the present embodiment, the PT sensor can be used to monitor the temperature of components such as the compressor 1201 and the electronic expansion valve 1202 in the refrigerant circuit 12, so that the control system controls these components according to the temperature data.

[0052] Further, in order to illustrate the processing process of the above-mentioned thermal management system, the present embodiment further provides a control method, as shown in FIG. 3, which comprises:

[0053] Step 201, in response to the control instruction of the thermal management system, the compressor in the refrigerant circuit discharges refrigerant and the electronic expansion valve is opened.

[0054] In some examples, the control instruction of the thermal management system can include: an opening instruction of the air conditioner and refrigerator refrigeration mode, an opening instruction of the single air conditioner refrigeration mode, an opening instruction of the single refrigerator refrigeration mode, an opening instruction of the air conditioner heating and refrigerator refrigeration mode, and an opening instruction of the winter refrigerator refrigeration mode, etc.

[0055] Step 202, control the target electronic water pump in the cooling liquid circuit to operate, and open the target electronic expansion valve in the cooling liquid circuit.

[0056] Wherein, the target electronic water pump includes one or more of the first electronic water pump 1102, the second electronic water pump 1109, and the third electronic water pump 1115, and the target electronic expansion valve includes one or more of the first electronic three-way valve 1103, the second electronic three-way valve 1104, the third electronic three-way valve 1107, the fourth electronic three-way valve 1110, the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111, the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114, the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117, and the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119.

[0057] In some embodiments, the thermal management system can control the compressor 1201 in the refrigerant circuit 12 to discharge refrigerant and close the hot gas bypass valve 1204, and open the electronic expansion valve 1202 in response to the air conditioner and refrigerator cooling mode start instruction; and control the first electronic water pump 1102, the second electronic water pump 1109, and the third electronic water pump 1115 in the cooling liquid circuit 11 to operate, the first electronic three-way valve 1103 to open the first end and the second end, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the third electronic three-way valve 1107 to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the fourth electronic three-way valve 1110 to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111 to open the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, and the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119 to open the first end and the third end.

[0058] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the air conditioner and refrigerator cooling mode mainly includes a combined cooling mode of air conditioner cooling, battery cooling, and refrigerator cooling, the compressor 1201 discharges high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas to pass through the condenser 1116 to release heat, absorbs heat in the evaporator 1101, and completes the thermodynamic cycle of the refrigerant circuit 12 system, at this time the hot gas bypass valve 1204 is closed, and the electronic expansion valve 1202 normally throttles and controls the outlet supercooling degree of the evaporator 1101.

[0059] In some examples, the three water pumps in the cooling liquid circuit 11 can be independently operated or operated in series. For example, the first electronic water pump 1102 and the third electronic water pump 1115 are operated in series to allow the cooling liquid to pass through the low-temperature water tank radiator 1112 to release heat to the outside; the first electronic water pump 1102 pumps the cooling liquid cooled by the refrigerant from the evaporator 1101, and communicates with the cold core 1106 in the air conditioner tank through the first electronic three-way valve 1103 and the second electronic three-way valve 1104 to cool the hot air in the air conditioner tank, and the cooled cooling liquid is divided into two parts through the third electronic three-way valve 1107, one part returns to the front junction point of the evaporator 1101, and the other part flows to the battery inlet end. The flow ratio of the two parts of cooling liquid coming out of the third electronic three-way valve 1107 can be adjusted from 0% to 100%. For example, if it is adjusted to 0%, the cooling liquid does not pass through the battery, and the battery does not need to be cooled, if it is adjusted to 100%, the battery cooling temperature is the same as the air conditioner tank temperature, and the opening size of the third electronic three-way valve 1107 or the closing can be adjusted according to whether the battery cooling plate 1108 needs to be cooled.

[0060] In this embodiment, the cooling liquid in the vehicle refrigerator is also low-temperature cooling liquid flowing out of the evaporator 1101, which passes through the first electronic three-way valve 1103, then passes through the second electronic three-way valve 1104, and is divided into two parts after flowing out of the second electronic three-way valve 1104. One part enters the air conditioning box, and the other part enters the vehicle refrigerator. Through the flow regulation of the second electronic three-way valve 1104, the refrigeration proportion of the refrigerator and the air conditioner can be adjusted. When the refrigerator reaches the set temperature, the refrigerator refrigeration function can be turned on and off and the cooling liquid flow size can be adjusted by closing the second end of the second electronic three-way valve 1104. In some examples, a flow cutoff valve can also be provided on the refrigerator branch to replace the second electronic three-way valve 1104.

[0061] In some embodiments, in response to an opening instruction of the single air conditioning refrigeration mode, the heat management system can control the compressor 1201 in the refrigerant circuit 12 to discharge refrigerant and close the hot gas bypass valve 1204, and open the electronic expansion valve 1202; and control the first electronic water pump 1102, the second electronic water pump 1109, and the third electronic water pump 1115 in the cooling liquid circuit 11 to operate, the first electronic three-way valve 1103 opens the first end and the second end, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 opens the first end and the third end, the third electronic three-way valve 1107 opens the first end, the second end, and the third end, the fourth electronic three-way valve 1110 opens the first end, the second end, and the third end, the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111 opens the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 opens the first end, the second end, and the third end, the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 opens the first end, the second end, and the third end, and the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119 opens the first end and the third end.

[0062] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the single air conditioning refrigeration mode is mainly suitable for summer air conditioning refrigeration and the working condition of the refrigerator being turned off or kept warm. Through mode switching of the second electronic three-way valve 1104 in front of the vehicle refrigerator, the function of turning off or turning on the vehicle refrigerator function can be realized. After the cooling liquid passing through the second electronic three-way valve 1104 all enters the air conditioning cold core 1106, the heated cooling liquid returns to the evaporator 1101 to realize cooling liquid circulation in the single air conditioning refrigeration mode.

[0063] In some embodiments, the thermal management system can control the compressor 1201 in the refrigerant circuit 12 to discharge refrigerant and close the hot gas bypass valve 1204, and open the electronic expansion valve 1202 in response to the single refrigerator cooling mode start instruction; and control the first electronic water pump 1102 and the third electronic water pump 1115 in the cooling liquid circuit 11 to operate, the first electronic three-way valve 1103 to open the first end and the second end, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 to open the first end and the second end, the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111 to open the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 to open the first end, the second end and the third end, and the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 to open the first end and the third end.

[0064] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the single refrigerator cooling mode is mainly applicable to the working condition when the air conditioner in the vehicle is not required to be started, and both the cooling air conditioner and the heating function mode are stopped, but the refrigerator needs to be started to achieve cooling of the storage in the refrigerator. At this time, the compressor 1201 is started at a minimum speed to cool the vehicle refrigerator alone. At this time, since the refrigeration capacity of the compressor 1201 is much larger than the demand of the vehicle refrigerator, the vehicle refrigerator built-in coolant plays a role. When the thermal management system cools the vehicle refrigerator alone, the compressor 1201 in the vehicle can simultaneously cool the storage in the refrigerator and the vehicle coolant, and when the vehicle compressor 1201 stops cooling the refrigerator, it is equivalent to expanding the refrigeration demand of the refrigerator to match the refrigeration capacity of the compressor 1201. The vehicle coolant can also cool the storage in the vehicle or keep the temperature of the vehicle refrigerator constant, thereby reducing the frequent start-stop of the vehicle air conditioner, and realizing the matching of the compressor 1201 of the vehicle air conditioner and the refrigeration load demand of the vehicle refrigerator. In addition, since the thermal management system in the embodiment adopts a secondary circulation system, the heat capacity of the cooling liquid circuit 11 system is large, and when the compressor 1201 stops running, the cooling liquid cooled by the evaporator 1101 can still continue to cool the refrigerator until the cooling liquid temperature is higher than the temperature in the refrigerator, and then the cooling liquid flowing into the refrigerator can be cut off.

[0065] By applying the embodiment scheme, the thermal load of the vehicle refrigerator on the vehicle air conditioner is reduced, the refrigeration energy efficiency is improved, and especially in the high-temperature summer sun exposure and other parking working conditions, the risk of loss or weakening of the refrigeration function of the vehicle refrigerator is reduced.

[0066] In some embodiments, the thermal management system can control the compressor 1201 in the refrigerant circuit 12 to discharge refrigerant and close the hot gas bypass valve 1204, and open the electronic expansion valve 1202 in response to the opening instruction of the air conditioner heating and refrigerator refrigeration mode; and control the first electronic water pump 1102 and the third electronic water pump 1115 in the cooling liquid circuit 11 to operate, the first electronic three-way valve 1103 to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the third electronic three-way valve 1107 to open the first end and the second end, the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111 to open the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 to open the first end and the second end, the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 to open the first end and the second end, and the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119 to open the first end, the second end and the third end.

[0067] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the air conditioner heating and refrigerator refrigeration mode is mainly suitable for the mode of heating the air conditioner or the battery or simultaneously heating in winter, and the air conditioner heating and battery heating functions are realized by the thermal management system including the compressor 1201. Specifically, the cooling liquid discharged by the third electronic water pump 1115 absorbs the heat of the refrigerant through the condenser 1116 to become high-temperature cooling liquid, and then passes through the second end of the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 to realize heating of the air conditioner and the battery. The high-temperature cooling liquid flowing out of the second end of the seventh electronic three-way valve 1117 first passes through the air conditioner heating core 1118 to heat the cabin air conditioner (if heating of the passenger cabin is not required, the air conditioner temperature damper can be closed, and the heating core 1118 will not heat the air) and then flows into the battery heating cold plate 1108 after passing through the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119 and finally returns to the main branch of the third electronic water pump 1115 to realize the entire circulation. If only the air conditioner needs to be heated and the battery does not need to be heated, the second end of the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119 can be closed, i.e. the path flowing through the battery cold plate 1108 is closed, so that the cooling liquid flowing out of the air conditioner heating core 1118 directly returns to the third electronic water pump 1115 through the third end of the eighth electronic three-way valve 1119.

[0068] The cooling liquid circuit 11 system on the evaporator 1101 side in this embodiment mainly uses the cooling liquid discharged by the first electronic water pump 1102 to heat the refrigerant in the evaporator 1101, so that the refrigerant absorbs heat and evaporates back to the gas-liquid separator 1203 and the compressor 1201 to complete the circulation of the refrigerant circuit 12. After the cooling liquid heats the refrigerant in the evaporator 1101, the temperature of the cooling liquid is reduced, the cooling liquid passes through the third end of the first electronic three-way valve 1103, then passes through the second end of the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111, and then returns to the low-temperature water tank radiator 1112. The cooling liquid absorbs heat from the air through the low-temperature water tank, absorbs the waste heat (or actively generates heat) of the electric drive assembly 1113 from the electric drive when the cooling liquid passes through the electric drive assembly 1113, and then returns to the inlet of the evaporator 1101 through the first end and the second end of the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114. Then, the first electronic water pump 1102 completes the entire cycle. In addition, it can be determined according to specific conditions whether the cooling liquid needs to pass through the low-temperature water tank radiator 1112. If the cooling liquid does not need to pass through the low-temperature water tank radiator 1112, the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111 can be adjusted to close the second end and open the third end to achieve bypass of the cooling liquid.

[0069] In some examples, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 can be used to switch the water path of the refrigerator and the water path of the indoor air conditioner cold core 1106 respectively. If it is necessary to start the refrigeration function of the vehicle-mounted refrigerator, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 can be used to switch the modes to realize the functions of the refrigerator and the air conditioner heating and dehumidification.

[0070] In some embodiments, in response to a start instruction of the winter refrigerator refrigeration mode, the heat management system can control the compressor 1201 in the refrigerant circuit 12 to discharge the refrigerant and close the hot gas bypass valve 1204, and open the electronic expansion valve 1202; and control the first electronic water pump 1102 in the cooling liquid circuit 11 to operate, the first electronic three-way valve 1103 to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the second electronic three-way valve 1104 to open the first end and the second end, the fifth electronic three-way valve 1111 to open the first end and the second end, and the sixth electronic three-way valve 1114 to open the first end and the second end.

[0071] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the winter refrigerator refrigeration mode is mainly suitable for the working condition that the air conditioner heating function is not started in winter, such as the winter vehicle stationary working condition. When the ambient temperature is relatively low, the natural air cold wind can be used to cool the cooling liquid in the refrigerator, and at this time, the compressor 1201 does not need to be started, and the refrigeration of the refrigerator in the vehicle can be realized (the temperature in the vehicle is relatively high). In the winter refrigerator refrigeration mode, only the first electronic water pump 1102 needs to be started, and the cooling liquid discharged from the water pump is divided into two paths, one path cools the storage in the refrigerator, and the other path cools the cooling liquid through the low-temperature water tank radiator 1112 of the front-end module. Finally, the cooling liquid is combined at the inlet of the evaporator 1101 to realize the heat exchange.

[0072] By applying the embodiment scheme, the circulating cooling liquid in the vehicle refrigerator can be cooled by the environmental cold air, without starting the compressor 1201, thereby reducing energy consumption.

[0073] At present, the compressor in the vehicle refrigerator in the prior art is placed in the vehicle, which will generate obvious noise in the vehicle, affecting the comfort of the passengers in the cabin. The condenser of the vehicle refrigerator is also in the vehicle, and the heat load generated in the refrigeration process of the refrigerator will be completely transferred to the passenger cabin, and the whole vehicle thermal management system is needed to cool this part of heat load, resulting in the reduction of the energy efficiency of the whole vehicle. By applying the coupling system of the vehicle refrigerator and the whole vehicle air conditioning thermal management system provided in the embodiment, the refrigeration demand of the vehicle refrigerator is realized by using the cooling liquid circuit in the whole vehicle thermal management system, which reduces the cost, weight and space demand of the vehicle refrigerator, and also reduces the power consumption and noise problem of the independent compressor in the vehicle refrigerator. At the same time, since the cooling liquid circuit system in the whole vehicle thermal management system is used, the vehicle refrigerator will not heat the vehicle through its own condenser as in the original way, thereby reducing the heat load of the vehicle refrigerator on the automobile air conditioner, improving the refrigeration energy efficiency, especially reducing the risk of loss or weakening of the refrigeration function of the vehicle refrigerator under the high-temperature exposure and other parking working conditions in summer, and increasing the service life and reliability of the vehicle refrigerator.

[0074] Further, the embodiment of the application also provides a vehicle, which can specifically include the thermal management system as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7. The vehicle can be a new energy vehicle or a traditional vehicle.

[0075] It should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as“first” and“second” and the like can be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms“comprises,”“comprising,”“includes,”“including” and the like specify a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article or apparatus that includes a list of elements does not include those elements solely, but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article or apparatus. Without more limitations, an element preceded by“comprises...” does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or apparatus that includes the element.

[0076] The foregoing detailed description of the application has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Various modifications and changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. It is intended that the scope of the application should not be limited by the particular representative embodiments described above.

Claims

1. A cooling fluid circuit comprising: An evaporator, a first electronic water pump, a first electronic three-way valve, a second electronic three-way valve and a heat exchanger; A first end of the evaporator is connected with a first end of the first electronic water pump, a second end of the first electronic water pump is connected with a first end of the first electronic three-way valve, a second end of the first electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of the second electronic three-way valve, a second end of the second electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of the heat exchanger, and a second end of the heat exchanger is connected with a second end of the evaporator. The heat exchanger is arranged in a vehicle-mounted refrigerator and is used for refrigerating the vehicle-mounted refrigerator.

2. The cooling liquid circuit of claim 1, further comprising: A third electronic three-way valve; A third end of the second electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of a cold core of an air conditioner, a second end of the cold core is connected with a first end of the third electronic three-way valve, a pipeline between the heat exchanger and the evaporator is provided with a first intermediate pipe opening, and a second end of the third electronic three-way valve is connected to the first intermediate pipe opening.

3. The cooling liquid circuit of claim 2, further comprising: A second electronic water pump and a fourth electronic three-way valve; A third end of the third electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of a battery cold plate, a second end of the battery cold plate is connected with a first end of the second electronic water pump, a second end of the second electronic water pump is connected with a first end of the fourth electronic three-way valve, a second end of the fourth electronic three-way valve is connected to the first intermediate pipe opening, and a third end of the fourth electronic three-way valve is connected to a second intermediate pipe opening of a pipeline between the third electronic three-way valve and the battery cold plate.

4. The cooling fluid circuit of claim 3, further comprising: A fifth electronic three-way valve, a radiator and a sixth electronic three-way valve; A third end of the first electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of the fifth electronic three-way valve, a second end of the fifth electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of the radiator, a second end of the radiator is connected with a first end of an electric drive assembly, a second end of the electric drive assembly is connected with a first end of the sixth electronic three-way valve, and a second end of the sixth electronic three-way valve is connected to the first intermediate pipe opening.

5. The cooling fluid circuit of claim 4, further comprising: A sixth electronic three-way valve, a third electronic water pump, a condenser, a seventh electronic three-way valve and an eighth electronic three-way valve; A third end of the sixth electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of the third electronic water pump, a second end of the third electronic water pump is connected with a first end of the condenser, a second end of the condenser is connected with a first end of the seventh electronic three-way valve, a second end of the seventh electronic three-way valve is connected with a first end of a warm core of the air conditioner, a third end of the seventh electronic three-way valve is connected in a pipeline between the first electronic three-way valve and the fifth electronic three-way valve, a second end of the warm core is connected with a first end of the eighth electronic three-way valve, a second end of the eighth electronic three-way valve is connected to the second intermediate pipe opening, and a third end of the eighth electronic three-way valve is connected to a third intermediate pipe opening of a pipeline between the sixth electronic three-way valve and the third electronic water pump. A fourth intermediate pipe opening is further arranged between the battery cold plate and the second electronic water pump, and a pipeline is connected between the third intermediate pipe opening and the fourth intermediate pipe opening.

6. The cooling circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the vehicle-mounted refrigerator further comprising: A cold carrier device and a blower fan The heat exchanger is arranged between the secondary refrigerant device and the air blower, and is used to cool the vehicle-mounted refrigerator when the compressor in the refrigerant circuit stops working.

7. A thermal management system comprising the coolant circuit and the refrigerant circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the coolant circuit is coupled with the refrigerant circuit.

8. The thermal management system of claim 7, the refrigerant circuit comprising: a compressor, an electronic expansion valve, and a gas-liquid separator; a third end of the evaporator is connected with a first end of the gas-liquid separator, a second end of the gas-liquid separator is connected with a first end of the compressor, a second end of the compressor is connected with a third end of the condenser, a fourth end of the condenser is connected with a fourth end of the evaporator, and the electronic expansion valve is arranged on a pipeline between the condenser and the evaporator.

9. The thermal management system of claim 8, the refrigerant circuit further comprising: a hot gas bypass valve; a fifth intermediate port is arranged on a pipeline between the compressor and the condenser, a sixth intermediate port is arranged on a pipeline between the gas-liquid separator and the evaporator, and the hot gas bypass valve is arranged on a bypass pipeline connected between the fifth intermediate port and the sixth intermediate port.

10. A control method of a thermal management system, applied to the thermal management system according to claim 9, and comprising: in response to a control instruction of the thermal management system, controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and opening the electronic expansion valve; controlling a target electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate and opening a target electronic expansion valve in the coolant circuit, wherein the target electronic water pump comprises one or more of a first electronic water pump, a second electronic water pump, and a third electronic water pump, and the target electronic expansion valve comprises one or more of a first electronic three-way valve, a second electronic three-way valve, a third electronic three-way valve, a fourth electronic three-way valve, a fifth electronic three-way valve, a sixth electronic three-way valve, a seventh electronic three-way valve, and an eighth electronic three-way valve.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to the control instruction of the thermal management system comprises: in response to an opening instruction of an air conditioner and a refrigerator cooling mode, controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant, closing the hot gas bypass valve, and opening the electronic expansion valve; the controlling the target electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate and opening the target electronic expansion valve in the coolant circuit comprises: controlling the first electronic water pump, the second electronic water pump, and the third electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate, the first electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the second electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the third electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the fourth electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the fifth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, the seventh electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end, and the third end, and the eighth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the third end.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, the controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to the control instruction of the thermal management system, comprising: controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and closing the hot gas bypass valve, and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to an opening instruction of the single air conditioning refrigeration mode; the controlling the target electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate and opening the target electronic expansion valve in the coolant circuit, comprising: controlling the first electronic water pump, the second electronic water pump and the third electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate, the first electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the second electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the third end, the third electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the fourth electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the fifth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the seventh electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the eighth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the third end.

13. The method of any one of claims 10 to 12, the controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to the control instruction of the thermal management system, comprising: controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and closing the hot gas bypass valve, and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to an opening instruction of the single refrigerator refrigeration mode; the controlling the target electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate and opening the target electronic expansion valve in the coolant circuit, comprising: controlling the first electronic water pump and the third electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate, the first electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the second electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the fifth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the seventh electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the third end.

14. The method of any one of claims 10 to 13, the controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to the control instruction of the thermal management system, comprising: controlling the compressor in the refrigerant circuit to discharge refrigerant and closing the hot gas bypass valve, and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to an opening instruction of the air conditioning heating and refrigerator refrigeration mode; the controlling the target electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate and opening the target electronic expansion valve in the coolant circuit, comprising: controlling the first electronic water pump and the third electronic water pump in the coolant circuit to operate, the first electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the second electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the third electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the fifth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the sixth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the seventh electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the eighth electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end.

15. The method of any one of claims 10 to 14, the controlling the compressor to discharge refrigerant and opening the electronic expansion valve in the refrigerant circuit in response to the control instruction of the thermal management system, comprising: controlling the compressor to discharge refrigerant and closing the hot gas bypass valve in the refrigerant circuit, and opening the electronic expansion valve in response to an opening instruction of a winter refrigerator refrigeration mode; the controlling the target electronic water pump to operate and opening the target electronic expansion valve in the coolant circuit, comprising: controlling the first electronic water pump to operate, the first electronic three-way valve to open the first end, the second end and the third end, the second electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, the fifth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end, and the sixth electronic three-way valve to open the first end and the second end in the coolant circuit.

16. A vehicle comprising: The thermal management system of any one of claims 7 to 9.

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