Autonomous Vehicle Electronics Cooling Using Conditioned Cabin Air
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in dissipating the heat generated by electronic components, as their existing cooling systems are not adequately configured to handle the increased thermal demands of autonomous driving systems, leading to potential overheating issues.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a customized cooling system that utilizes conditioned cabin air, directed through ducting to effectively dissipate heat from electronic components, which can include both air cooling and liquid cooling methods, and adjusts operating parameters based on temperature and vehicle state to optimize heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the existing vehicular cooling system is used, then the system complexity is low, but the heat dissipation capability is insufficient for autonomous driving electronics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the autonomous electronics cooling function with the existing HVAC system by routing conditioned cabin air through ducting to cool electronics. This combines two separate cooling needs (cabin and electronics) into a single integrated system, improving heat dissipation capability while avoiding the complexity of a completely separate cooling system.
Solution Approach 2:
The HVAC system is made multi-functional by having it serve both the original cabin cooling purpose and the new electronics cooling purpose. The conditioned air from the HVAC system is diverted through ducting to cool electronics, allowing one system to perform multiple cooling functions simultaneously.
2Reliability
If a dedicated cooling system for electronics is implemented, then the heat dissipation effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ducting as an intermediary component that connects the HVAC system to the electronics. This intermediary allows the transfer of conditioned air from the cabin cooling system to the electronics without requiring a completely separate cooling infrastructure, thus improving cooling effectiveness while limiting complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing HVAC conditioned air to cool the electronics, allowing the electronics to serve themselves using resources already available in the vehicle. The electronics cooling is achieved through self-service using the cabin's own conditioned air, reducing the need for additional active cooling components.
3Productivity
If the environmental control system operates at high cooling capacity, then the heat dissipation rate increases, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operating parameters of the environmental control system based on the thermal state of the electronics and vehicle. By changing parameters such as refrigerant flow rate, compressor speed, and air flow distribution, the system can optimize the balance between heat dissipation rate and energy consumption, providing high cooling capacity only when necessary.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides an efficient means to manage heat dissipation for autonomous vehicle systems, preventing overheating and ensuring the reliable operation of electronic components, even in demanding environments.
Implementation Method 1
operating the environmental control system according to the first set of parameters is configured to cause the air directed to the electronic components to dissipate heat from the electronic components
Implementation Method 2
directed air from the interior portion of the vehicle to the electronic components
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter described in this specification is directed to systems and methods for dissipating heat from electronic components supporting autonomous vehicle systems. In particular, the specification describes how the electronic components can be positioned in a duct through which conditioned cabin air can be drawn to convectively dissipate heat from the electronic components.