Integrated Vehicle Cooling Assembly With Dual-Loop Refrigerant Chiller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle cooling systems are complex, energy-intensive, and consume significant space due to their multiple components, which complicates efficient thermal management of safety-critical components like controllers and batteries, especially in autonomous vehicles.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a dual coolant loop system with a refrigerant circuit, featuring an integrated chiller and cold plate assembly, allows for multiple cooling modes (chiller, coolant, and maximum cooling) to efficiently manage thermal energy by selectively operating refrigerant and coolant loops based on heat rejection targets, providing redundancy and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate cooling systems are used for different components, then each component can be cooled effectively, but the system complexity, mass, and space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple cooling functions into a single integrated cooling device that includes both a refrigerant circuit and a coolant circuit within one housing. The refrigerant circuit cools the coolant in the coolant circuit, which then circulates to cool multiple different components. This merging approach maintains effective cooling for multiple components while reducing overall system complexity, mass, and space requirements compared to using separate cooling systems for each component.
2Power
If a refrigerant-based cooling system is used, then high cooling performance is achieved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated cooling device provides multiple cooling modes that can be selected based on thermal management requirements. The system can operate in a first cooling mode using the refrigerant circuit for high-performance cooling when needed, and in a second cooling mode using only the coolant circuit for lower-power applications. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve high cooling performance when required while reducing energy consumption during normal operating conditions.
3Reliability
If redundant cooling circuits are implemented, then system reliability improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates both a refrigerant circuit and a coolant circuit within a single cooling device housing, creating redundant cooling pathways in a compact configuration. The refrigerant circuit serves as a primary high-performance cooling path, while the coolant circuit provides an alternative or supplementary cooling path. This merged design achieves system redundancy and improved reliability while minimizing the increase in device complexity compared to implementing separate redundant systems.
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 approach minimizes electrical energy consumption while ensuring effective cooling of safety-critical components, offering redundancy to maintain component temperatures even if one cooling circuit fails, reducing system mass, cost, and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger includes an extended refrigerant channel and at least one of an extended coolant channel and a coolant reservoir. The extended refrigerant channel and the at least one of the extended coolant channel and the coolant reservoir drawing thermal energy from the body. The extended refrigerant channel draws thermal energy from the at least one of the extended coolant channel and the coolant reservoir.
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system includes an integrated cooling device, a refrigerant circuit and a cooling circuit. The integrated cooling device is configured to draw thermal energy from a component of a vehicle. The integrated cooling device includes a body and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is embedded in the body. The heat exchanger includes an extended refrigerant channel and at least one of an extended coolant channel and a coolant reservoir. The extended refrigerant channel and the at least one of the extended coolant channel and the coolant reservoir drawing thermal energy from the body. The extended refrigerant channel draws thermal energy from the at least one of the extended coolant channel and the coolant reservoir. The refrigerant circuit is fluidically coupled to and circulates a refrigerant through the extended refrigerant channel. The coolant circuit is fluidically coupled to and circulates a coolant through the extended coolant channel.