Integrated thermal management controller and operating method thereof

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an integrated thermal management controller comprises: a plurality of drivers which respectively drive a plurality of devices related to thermal management of an electric vehicle; and a controller which is connected to the plurality of drivers through a first port and a second port, receives driver control commands for the plurality of drivers from an upper-level controller, provides the driver control commands to the plurality of drivers through the first port, and periodically receives electric vehicle power terminal information and provides the same to the plurality of drivers through the second port. The plurality of drivers, when unable to receive the driver control commands for a first predetermined duration, determine whether the communication state between the plurality of drivers and the controller is abnormal on the basis of the electric vehicle power terminal information, and can respectively drive the plurality of devices related to thermal management when the communication state is abnormal.

Description

Thermal management integrated controller and its operating method

[0001] The present invention relates to electric vehicles, and more particularly, to an integrated thermal management controller for electric vehicles and an operating method thereof.

[0002]

[0003] Electric vehicles are equipped with a variety of electrical and electronic devices to ensure driver safety, convenience, and infotainment. As the number of electrical and electronic devices in electric vehicles increases, they take up significant space and weight, and the number of cables also increases. To address this growing complexity and reduce cable count, "integrated controllers" are being developed. These controllers are based on the concept of controlling multiple motors and actuators with a single controller.

[0004] Meanwhile, unlike conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicles derive their driving energy from electric energy stored in battery modules, rather than fossil fuels. Battery modules contain multiple battery cells connected in series. For these battery modules to effectively charge and discharge, they must maintain an appropriate temperature. Therefore, electric vehicles are equipped with thermal management systems that monitor battery modules in real time during driving and maintain them at an ideal temperature.

[0005] These thermal management systems are equipped with an integrated thermal management controller to control multiple motors and actuators required for thermal management. The integrated thermal management controller communicates with the upper level controller and exchanges information using internal communication between the driver and controller to simultaneously control multiple motors.

[0006] Modularized products, such as integrated controllers, operate by receiving commands from the upper-level controller and then transmitting them to lower-level drivers through internal communication. However, internal communication is vulnerable to noise and other factors. If internal communication becomes unavailable, the integrated controller cannot send any commands to the driver, which directly generates the waveforms necessary for motor operation.

[0007] In other words, drivers operate based on commands received from the controller of the integrated thermal management controller. However, internal communication between the drivers and the integrated thermal management controller can fail for various reasons. In this case, the drivers of the integrated thermal management controller cannot receive optimal operating conditions for heat management generated by the motor and battery.

[0008] Accordingly, it is not possible to properly direct the flow of air to cool the power electronics and batteries, or to control the speed of the electric water pump, which will soon cause problems such as reduced output, shortened lifespan, and reduced efficiency of the product.

[0009]

[0010] The present invention is intended to solve the aforementioned problem, and provides an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle and an operating method thereof, which enable drivers within the integrated thermal management controller to independently operate devices related to thermal management even when commands are not received due to a failure or malfunction in the internal communication within the integrated thermal management controller of the electric vehicle.

[0011] In addition, the present invention provides an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle and an operating method thereof, which can prevent problems such as reduced output, shortened lifespan, and reduced efficiency of an electric vehicle by having drivers within the integrated thermal management controller operate devices related to thermal management even when a failure or malfunction occurs in internal communication within the integrated thermal management controller of the electric vehicle.

[0012] The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0013]

[0014] According to one embodiment, a thermal management integrated controller includes a plurality of drivers each driving a plurality of devices related to thermal management of an electric vehicle, and a controller connected to the plurality of drivers through a first port and a second port, the controller receiving a driver control command for the plurality of drivers from an upper controller, providing the driver control command to the plurality of drivers through the first port, and periodically receiving electric vehicle power stage information and providing the driver control command to the plurality of drivers through the second port, wherein each of the plurality of drivers determines whether a communication state between the plurality of drivers and the controller is abnormal based on the electric vehicle power stage information when each of the plurality of drivers does not receive the driver control command for a first predetermined time, and when the communication state is abnormal, the controller can drive the plurality of devices related to thermal management, respectively.

[0015] The above electric vehicle power supply information is information indicating whether the IG3 power supply is in an on state, and each of the plurality of drivers can determine that the communication status is normal and enter sleep mode when the IG3 power supply is in an off state.

[0016] Each of the plurality of drivers can determine that the communication status is abnormal when the IG3 power is on and drive each of the plurality of devices related to the thermal management.

[0017] The plurality of devices related to thermal management of the electric vehicle may include a motor and a water pump related to thermal management of the electric vehicle.

[0018] If the controller does not receive a signal or data related to driver operation from the plurality of drivers for a second predetermined period of time, the controller may determine that an internal communication error has occurred between the controller and the plurality of drivers, and may report an internal communication error status to the upper controller.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an operating method of a thermal management integrated controller including a plurality of drivers each driving a plurality of devices related to thermal management of an electric vehicle and a controller connected to the plurality of drivers through a first port and a second port may include a step of determining whether each of the plurality of drivers receives a driver control command through the first port for a first predetermined time, a step of each of the plurality of drivers checking electric vehicle power stage information received through the second port if the driver control command is not received for the first predetermined time, a step of each of the plurality of drivers determining whether a communication state between the plurality of drivers and the controller is abnormal based on the electric vehicle power stage information, and a step of each of the plurality of drivers driving a plurality of devices related to thermal management if the communication state is abnormal.

[0020] The above electric vehicle power supply information is information indicating whether the IG3 power supply is in an on state, and the operating method of the thermal management integrated controller may further include a step of determining that the communication state is normal and entering a sleep mode when each of the plurality of drivers determines that the IG3 power supply is in an off state.

[0021] The above-determining step may include a step of determining that the communication status is abnormal if each of the plurality of drivers is in an on state with the IG3 power on.

[0022] The operating method of the thermal management integrated controller may further include a step of determining whether the controller receives a signal or data related to driver operation from the plurality of drivers for a second predetermined time, a step of determining that an internal communication error has occurred between the controller and the plurality of drivers if the controller does not receive a signal or data related to driver operation from the plurality of drivers for the second predetermined time, and a step of the controller reporting an internal communication error status to the upper controller.

[0023]

[0024] According to various embodiments of the present invention, even if a failure or malfunction occurs in the internal communication within the thermal management integrated controller of an electric vehicle, drivers within the thermal management integrated controller operate devices related to thermal management, thereby preventing problems such as reduced output, shortened lifespan, and reduced efficiency of the electric vehicle that may occur due to heat generation.

[0025]

[0026] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a driver of an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a controller of an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a message flow between an integrated thermal management controller and an upper controller of an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030]

[0031] The following various embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0032] Regardless of the drawing symbol, identical or similar components are given the same reference number and redundant descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0033] The suffixes 'module' and 'part' used for components in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the convenience of writing specifications, and do not in themselves have distinct meanings or roles. In addition, 'module' or 'part' refers to software or hardware components such as FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) or ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), but are not limited to software or hardware. A 'part' or 'module' may be configured to be on an addressable storage medium or may be configured to play one or more processors. Accordingly, as an example, a 'part' or 'module' may include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within a single component, 'sub-component' or 'module' may be combined into a smaller number of components and 'sub-components' or 'modules', or further separated into additional components and 'sub-components' or 'modules'.

[0034] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with some embodiments of the present invention may be implemented directly in hardware, a software module, or a combination of the two executed by a processor. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, such that the processor can read information from the storage medium, and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal.

[0035] Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0036] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components in between. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0037] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, an integrated thermal management controller (100) of an electric vehicle includes a controller (110) and a plurality of drivers (130-1, ..., 130-n). The controller (110) can communicate with a higher-level controller (20). According to one embodiment, the controller (110) can communicate with the higher-level controller (20) via the CAN protocol. CAN (Controller Area Network) is a standard communication standard designed for microcontrollers or devices to communicate with each other without a host computer within a vehicle, and ECUs (Electronic Control Units) within the vehicle communicate using the CAN protocol.

[0039] The controller (110) can receive driver control commands for multiple drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) included in the thermal management integrated controller (100) from the upper controller (20).

[0040] Specifically, a plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) can operate or drive a plurality of devices related to thermal management of an electric vehicle, such as a motor, a water pump, etc. The plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) operate motors, pumps, etc. connected to them according to driver control commands received from an upper controller (20) via a controller (110).

[0041] The controller (110) can be connected to a plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) through the first port (122) and the second port (124).

[0042] The first port (122) is equipped in the conventional thermal management integrated controller and can transmit data based on the LIN communication standard or the already known serial communication standard such as I2C, SPI. LIN (Local Interconnect Network) communication is an asynchronous communication and is generally intended for low-capacity data transmission at a speed of about 9600 baud rate. Since it is an asynchronous communication, it does not require a clock synchronization signal required in the I2C (inter integrated circuit) and SPI (serial peripheral interface) communication standards. Excluding the power and ground (GND), both transmission and reception can be performed with only one line.

[0043] Since this first port (122) connects the controller (110) and the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) with a single physical line, it may be vulnerable to noise, etc. If the controller (110) and the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) become unable to communicate, commands to the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) may not be transmitted.

[0044] The controller (110) can provide electric vehicle power supply information to a plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) through a second port (124). As illustrated in FIG. 1, the second port (124) can be configured with a plurality of wires that connect the controller (110) and the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) in a 1:1 ratio. Alternatively, similar to the first port (122), the controller (110) and the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) can be connected in a 1:n ratio.

[0045] Electric vehicle power supply information may, for example, be related to the IG3 power supply. Typically, electric vehicles may have a separate IG3 power supply, which supplies power to charging circuits and power supplies utilizing large-capacity batteries, as well as convenience and safety devices.

[0046] Specifically, the controller (110) can be connected to a power terminal (112). The thermal management integrated controller (100) can obtain power through the power terminal (112). In addition, the controller (110) can be connected to an IG3 terminal (114). The controller (110) can receive a signal indicating whether the IG3 power is on through the IG3 terminal (114). The IG3 signal indicating whether the IG3 power is on may be provided directly from the electric vehicle power terminal, or may be provided from an upper controller (20) or another controller.

[0047] The controller (110) can provide a signal to inform the on / off status of the IG3 power supply, which is electric vehicle power supply information, through the second port (124) to a plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n).

[0048] When the controller (110) receives a signal indicating whether the IG3 power is on through the IG3 terminal (114), it can output a signal indicating that the IG3 power is on to a plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) through the second port (124).

[0049] Each of the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) can determine whether it is normal or abnormal for them not to receive a driver control command from the upper controller (20) based on the electric vehicle power stage information, i.e., the signal that the IG3 power is on.

[0050] Specifically, each of the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n) can receive a driver control command from the controller (110) to operate a motor connected to it, a motor related to thermal management of the electric vehicle, a water pump, etc.

[0051] If each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) does not receive a driver control command through the first port (122), it does not recognize whether it is a communication failure due to a communication failure or a normal communication failure due to an IG3 power cut. To recognize this, each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) can use the second port (124) connected to the controller (110). Specifically, if each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) does not receive a driver control command for a predetermined time, it counts the time. If the counted time is greater than a predetermined time, it determines whether the IG3 power is on / off based on whether the signal applied to the second port (124) from the controller (110) is high or low.

[0052] Each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) can recognize that the IG3 power is on when the signal of the second port (124) is high. In this case, since the IG3 power is being supplied normally, the upper controller (20) is on. When the upper controller (20) is on, it can output a driver control command to a plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n). In this case, if each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) does not receive a driver control command from the upper controller (20) for a predetermined time, it can determine that the communication between each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) and the controller (110) is abnormal.

[0053] If each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) determines that the communication status with the controller (110) is abnormal, it can operate a motor connected to it, a motor related to the thermal management of the electric vehicle, a water pump, etc., according to a predetermined process or a predetermined command stored in advance.

[0054] On the other hand, each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) can recognize that the IG3 power is off when the signal of the second port (124) is low. In other words, since the IG3 power is not normally supplied, the upper controller (20) may be in the off state. If the upper controller (20) is in the off state, it may not output a driver control command to the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n). If the IG3 power is in the off state, each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) can determine that the communication between the driver (130-1, …, 130-n) and the controller (110) is normal even if a driver control command is not received from the upper controller (20).

[0055] If it is determined that a state in which no driver control command is received from the upper controller (20) is normal, each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) can enter sleep mode.

[0056] In the present invention, sleep mode means a mode in which the operation of each driver (130-1, ..., 130-n) is stopped and put into a power saving state when there is no input from the upper controller (20) or controller (110) for a certain period of time. That is, each driver (130-1, ..., 130-n) may determine that a state in which no driver control command is received from the upper controller (20) is a normal state when the IG3 power is in an off state based on the received electric vehicle power terminal information, and may enter sleep mode.

[0057] If each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) determines that the communication status with the controller (110) is abnormal, it can operate a motor connected to it, a motor related to the thermal management of the electric vehicle, a water pump, etc., according to a predetermined process or a predetermined command stored in advance.

[0058] Therefore, even if a failure or malfunction occurs in the internal communication within the thermal management integrated controller of an electric vehicle, the drivers within the thermal management integrated controller operate the devices related to thermal management, thereby preventing problems such as reduced output, shortened lifespan, and reduced efficiency of the electric vehicle.

[0059] In addition, the controller (110) can receive signals, data, etc. related to driver operation from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n). However, if no signal is received from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) for a predetermined period of time, the controller (110) determines that an internal communication error has occurred between the controller (110) and each driver (130-1, …, 130-n), and can report an internal communication error status, for example, a timeout status, to the upper controller (20).

[0060] In addition, when the controller (110) receives a signal from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n), it can determine that the internal communication between the controller (110) and each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) is in a normal state. In this case, the controller (110) can report to the upper controller (20) that the internal communication is in a normal state. When the upper controller (20) receives a report from the controller (110) that the internal communication is in a normal state, it can transmit a driver control command to each driver (130-1, …, 130-n).

[0061] The controller (110) can transmit driver control commands received from the upper controller (20) to each driver (130-1, …, 130-n). When each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) receives a driver control command from the controller (110), it can operate a motor connected to it, a motor related to thermal management of an electric vehicle, a water pump, etc.

[0062] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a driver of an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 2, first, each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) determines whether it receives a driver control command from the controller (110) (S210), and if each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) does not receive a driver control command from the controller (110), it counts the time (S220).

[0064] Each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) determines whether the IG3 power is on or off if the counted time is greater than the first time (S230, S240). As described above, if the IG3 power is on, power is supplied to the upper controller (20), and the upper controller (20) can output driver control commands to the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n). If the IG3 power is off, power is not supplied to the upper controller (20), and thus the upper controller (20) cannot output driver control commands to the plurality of drivers (130-1, …, 130-n).

[0065] Accordingly, each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) determines that the state in which no driver control command is received from the upper controller (20) is normal when the IG3 power is off, and each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) can enter sleep mode (S250).

[0066] If each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) determines that the IG3 power is on based on the received electric vehicle power terminal information, it can be determined that the state in which a driver control command is not received from the upper controller (20) is an abnormal state (S260).

[0067] That is, when the IG3 power is on, each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) determines that the communication status between each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) and the controller (110) is in an abnormal state, and can operate the motor connected to itself, the motor related to the thermal management of the electric vehicle, the water pump, etc., according to a predetermined process or a predetermined command stored in advance (S270).

[0068] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a controller of an integrated thermal management controller for an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart for determining an internal communication error when the controller (110) of the thermal management integrated controller (100) does not receive an operation or control-related signal from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) while the IG3 power is on.

[0070] In other words, when the IG3 power is on, the thermal management integrated controller (100) is supplied with power, and accordingly, the controller (110) can transmit and receive operation or control related signals for each driver (130-1, ..., 130-n), and can also transmit and receive operation or control related signals with the upper controller (20).

[0071] Referring to FIG. 3, when the IG3 power is on, the controller (110) determines whether it receives signals related to driver operation from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) (S310). If the controller (110) does not receive signals from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n), it counts the time (S320).

[0072] The controller (110) determines whether the counted time is greater than the second time (S330). If the counted time is greater than the second time, i.e., if the controller (110) does not receive a signal from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) for a predetermined time, the controller (110) determines that an internal communication error has occurred between the controller (110) and each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) (S360). In this case, the controller (110) may report an internal communication error status, for example, a timeout status, to the upper controller (20) (S370).

[0073] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a message flow between an integrated thermal management controller and an upper controller of an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 4, the controller (110) can determine that a timeout state exists if it does not receive a signal from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) for a predetermined period of time (S410).

[0075] Thereafter, when the controller (110) receives a signal from each driver (130-1, …, 130-n), it can determine that the internal communication between the controller (110) and each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) is in a normal state (S420). In this case, the controller (110) can report to the upper controller (20) that the internal communication has been restored to a normal state (S440). When the upper controller (20) receives a report from the controller (110) that the internal communication is in a normal state, it can transmit a driver control command to each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) (S450).

[0076] The controller (110) can transmit the driver control command received from the upper controller (20) to each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) (S460). When each driver (130-1, …, 130-n) receives the driver control command from the controller (110), it can operate the motor connected to it, the motor related to the thermal management of the electric vehicle, the water pump, etc. (S470).

[0077] According to various embodiments of the present invention as described above, even if a failure or malfunction occurs in the internal communication within the thermal management integrated controller of an electric vehicle, drivers within the thermal management integrated controller operate devices related to thermal management, thereby preventing problems such as reduced output, shortened lifespan, and reduced efficiency of the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. In the integrated thermal management controller, A plurality of drivers each driving a plurality of devices related to the vehicle's thermal management; and Connected through the above plurality of drivers and the first port and the second port, Connected to the upper controller, A controller including a controller that receives a control command for driving the plurality of devices from the upper controller and transmits the control command to the plurality of drivers. Integrated thermal management controller.

2. In paragraph 1, The above controller, Providing the driver control command to the plurality of drivers through the first port and receiving the vehicle power supply information and providing it to the plurality of drivers through the second port. Integrated thermal management controller.

3. In paragraph 1, The above multiple drivers are, If the driver control command is not received for a first predetermined period of time, it is determined whether the communication status between the plurality of drivers and the controller is abnormal based on the power terminal information of the vehicle, and if the communication status is abnormal, each of the plurality of devices related to the thermal management is driven. Integrated thermal management controller.

4. In paragraph 3, The power information of the above vehicle is: Information indicating whether the IG3 power is on or off. Integrated thermal management controller.

5. In paragraph 4, The above multiple drivers are, If the IG3 power is off, the communication status is judged to be normal and enters sleep mode. Integrated thermal management controller.

6. In paragraph 4, The above multiple drivers are, When the above IG3 power is on, the communication status is determined to be abnormal and each of the multiple devices related to the thermal management is driven. Integrated thermal management controller.

7. In paragraph 1, The multiple devices related to thermal management of the above vehicle are: Including motors and water pumps related to the vehicle's thermal management, Integrated thermal management controller.

8. In paragraph 1, The above controller, Periodically receiving power unit information of the above vehicle and providing it to the plurality of drivers, Integrated thermal management controller.

9. In paragraph 1, The above controller, If a signal or data related to driver operation is not received from the plurality of drivers for a second predetermined period of time, it is determined that an internal communication error has occurred between the controller and the plurality of drivers, and an internal communication error status is reported to the upper controller. Integrated thermal management controller.

10. In a method of operating a thermal management integrated controller including a plurality of drivers each driving a plurality of devices related to thermal management of a vehicle, and a controller connected to the plurality of drivers through a first port and a second port and connected to an upper controller, A step of determining whether each of the plurality of drivers receives a driver control command through the first port for a first predetermined time; A step of checking the power supply information of the vehicle received by each of the plurality of drivers through the second port if the driver control command is not received for the first predetermined time; A step for each of the plurality of drivers to determine whether the communication status between the plurality of drivers and the controller is abnormal based on the power supply information of the vehicle; and An operating method of a thermal management integrated controller, comprising a step of driving each of a plurality of devices related to thermal management when each of the plurality of drivers has an abnormal communication status.

11. In paragraph 10, The power information of the above vehicle is: Information indicating whether the IG3 power is on or off. Method of operation of thermal management integrated controller.

12. In paragraph 10, The above multiple drivers are, If the IG3 power is in an off state, the step of determining that the communication status is normal and entering sleep mode is further included. Method of operation of thermal management integrated controller.

13. In paragraph 10, The above judging step is, Including a step of determining that the communication status is abnormal when each of the plurality of drivers is in the IG3 power-on state. Method of operation of thermal management integrated controller.

14. In paragraph 10, The above thermal management integrated controller, Even if there is a problem or failure in the internal communication within the vehicle's thermal management integrated controller, the thermal management-related devices are operated. Method of operation of thermal management integrated controller.

15. In paragraph 10 or 14, The multiple devices related to thermal management of the above vehicle are: Including motors and water pumps related to the vehicle's thermal management, Method of operation of thermal management integrated controller.

16. In paragraph 10, The above controller, Periodically receiving the vehicle's power information and providing it to the multiple drivers, Method of operation of thermal management integrated controller.

17. In paragraph 11, The above controller, A step of determining whether a signal or data related to driver operation is received from the plurality of drivers for a second predetermined time; A step of determining that an internal communication error has occurred between the controller and the plurality of drivers when the controller does not receive a signal or data related to driver operation from the plurality of drivers for a second predetermined time; and The controller further comprises a step of reporting an internal communication error status to the upper controller. Method of operation of thermal management integrated controller.

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