Vehicle Battery Warm-Up Using Motor Coolant Heat Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for increasing the temperature of vehicle batteries, such as heater-based and inverter switch-based technologies, are inefficient and energy-consuming, and struggle to effectively raise battery temperature, especially in cold conditions.
Innovation Solution
A system that controls battery temperature rise by determining maximum power supply to a motor separated from the drive axle, transferring heat from motor coolant to battery coolant, and managing charging and discharging currents based on state of charge (SOC) to generate heat internally.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If heater-based temperature rise technology is used, then battery temperature can be increased, but energy consumption increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function and heating function into a single heat pump system. The heat pump extracts heat from the ambient air and transfers it to the battery coolant, enabling both cooling (when battery overheats) and heating (when battery is cold) without requiring separate heater or cooler systems, thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining battery temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pump system converts the cold ambient air (which would normally be a hindrance to battery heating) into a useful resource by extracting heat from it and transferring to the battery. This allows the system to heat the battery even in cold environments by utilizing the ambient air as a heat source rather than treating it as a barrier.
2Temperature
If inverter switch-based temperature rise technology is used, then battery temperature can be increased, but the process takes too much time and heat generation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pump system skips the slow process of generating heat through inverter switch resistance by directly extracting heat from the ambient air and transferring it to the battery coolant. This allows the system to rapidly heat the battery without waiting for heat accumulation from resistive heating, significantly reducing the heating time.
3Temperature
If maximum power is supplied to motor while separated from drive axle, then battery temperature increases efficiently, but motor cannot drive the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary heating of the battery by supplying maximum power to the motor while it is separated from the drive axle (during idle time when vehicle is not being driven). This preliminary action raises the battery temperature to an optimal range before the motor is reconnected to drive the vehicle, ensuring both efficient heating and maintained drivability.
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
Efficiently raises battery temperature without a separate heater, improving energy efficiency and reducing vehicle fuel consumption.
Implementation Method 1
transferring heat from motor coolant whose temperature has risen to battery coolant
Implementation Method 2
causing heat generation in an internal resistance of the battery by alternately repeating charging and discharging of the battery at a preset cycle
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are an apparatus and associated method for controlling a temperature rise of a vehicle battery. The apparatus determines whether to increase the temperature of the battery provided in the vehicle, determines the maximum power to be supplied to a motor based on a battery power map, supplies the maximum power to the motor while the motor is separated from a drive axle, and transfers heat from motor coolant whose temperature has risen to battery coolant, thereby efficiently increasing the temperature of the battery without providing a separate heater.