Cascaded Regulating Device for Battery Thermal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control systems for battery systems in motor vehicles require complex logic to manage multiple heating and cooling elements, making them inefficient and prone to errors in maintaining optimal temperature ranges.
Innovation Solution
A regulating device with two cascaded stages, a PI regulator followed by an I regulator, determines cooling/heating power and coolant temperature, producing an abstract signal that can be converted into control commands for various configurations of heating and cooling elements, ensuring flexible operation and fault tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple heating and cooling elements are controlled by different controllers with complex switching logic, then the battery system can be heated or cooled according to different boundary conditions, but the control logic becomes complex and unclear
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into two distinct regulating stages: a first stage that determines the required cooling/heating power based on boundary conditions, and a second stage that converts this power requirement into specific control signals for individual heating and cooling elements. This segmentation separates the complex decision-making logic from the execution logic, making the overall system more manageable and understandable.
Solution Approach 2:
The first regulating stage acts as an intermediary between the boundary conditions and the individual element controllers. It translates complex boundary condition requirements into a simplified intermediate representation (cooling/heating power requirement), which is then easily convertible into specific control signals by the second stage, avoiding the need for complex direct control logic.
2Reliability
If complex switching logic is used to adapt controllers to different cooling circuit configurations, then the desired battery temperature can be achieved, but the logic becomes difficult to implement and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the control function into two stages, the system maintains reliable temperature control through the first stage's power calculation while simplifying implementation in the second stage through standardized signal conversion, reducing the complexity of adaptation to different configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The two-stage regulating structure serves as a universal control architecture that can accommodate different cooling circuit configurations and boundary conditions without requiring complex configuration-specific logic, enhancing both reliability and ease of implementation across various applications.
3Ease of operation
If a single complex controller is used to manage all heating and cooling elements, then all elements can be coordinated, but the system becomes less flexible in adapting to different configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is divided into a coordination layer (first stage determining overall power requirements) and execution layers (second stage converting to element-specific signals), enabling both coordinated control and easy adaptation to different configurations through the modular structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The regulating device provides dynamic adaptability by allowing the second stage to be configured for different cooling circuit setups while maintaining the same first-stage power calculation logic, enabling the system to adapt dynamically to different configurations without redesigning the entire control architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A regulating device for regulating a cooling circuit is described. The regulating device according to the disclosure includes a first regulating stage, wherein the first regulating stage is designed to determine, using one or more input variables, a cooling/heating power of the cooling circuit or a variable proportional thereto. The first regulating stage is also designed to determine a first control deviation. The first regulating stage is also designed to output a controlled variable of the first regulating stage comprising a desired temperature of a coolant or a variable proportional thereto, which is derived from the first control deviation. The regulating device according to the disclosure also includes a second regulating stage, wherein the second regulating stage is positioned in series with the first regulating stage and designed to receive the controlled variable of the first regulating stage as a control output. The second regulating stage is also designed to determine a second control deviation. The second regulating stage is also designed to output a controlled variable of the second regulating stage comprising an abstract signal, which is derived from the second control deviation.