Vehicle Heat Exchanger Layout for Hybrid Warm-Up and Inverter Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle heat exchange systems fail to effectively utilize exhaust heat from motors and transmissions in hybrid vehicles, leading to inefficiencies in fuel efficiency and cooling performance.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle heat exchange system incorporating three heat exchangers and a control unit to manage heat exchange between engine cooling water, inverter cooling water, and automatic transmission fluid, allowing for selective paths to optimize heat distribution and utilization, particularly during startup and operation modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If exhaust heat from motors and transmissions is not utilized, then the system structure remains simple, but fuel efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The third medium (ATF) serves dual functions: it acts as both a lubricant for the transmission and a cooling medium for the motor. This multi-functionality allows the system to utilize motor exhaust heat through the existing ATF circulation system without adding dedicated cooling components, thereby improving energy utilization while maintaining relatively simple system structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the transmission lubrication system and motor cooling system into a unified heat exchange network. The ATF circulation system is integrated to perform both lubrication and cooling functions, allowing heat from the motor to be transferred to the ATF which then circulates through the transmission, combining multiple thermal management functions into a single integrated system.
2Weight of stationary object
If the inverter radiator cools both inverter and transmission, then the radiator size can be reduced, but the cooling performance for each component deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into dedicated pathways: the inverter radiator is used exclusively for inverter cooling, while a separate heat exchange path using the ATF circulation system handles transmission cooling. This segmentation allows each cooling component to be optimized for its specific function, ensuring reliable cooling performance while avoiding the need for an oversized multi-functional radiator.
3Loss of energy
If the engine is warmed up using exhaust heat from the inverter and motor, then fuel efficiency is improved, but the warm-up speed deteriorates when the engine is in a low-temperature state
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the heat exchange pathways based on operating conditions. When the engine is in a low-temperature state, the control unit activates the second heat exchanger to provide additional heating capacity. The switch valve dynamically routes the second medium through different paths depending on temperature requirements, allowing the system to provide maximum warm-up speed when needed while maintaining efficient exhaust heat utilization during normal operation.
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
The system effectively utilizes exhaust heat from motors and transmissions to warm up the internal combustion engine, reduces the load on the inverter radiator, and achieves efficient cooling, leading to improved fuel efficiency and reduced radiator size.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a first medium for use in cooling of an internal combustion engine and a second medium for use in cooling of an inverter
Implementation Method 2
a second heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the first medium and a third medium for use in lubrication of a transmission and/or cooling of a motor
Implementation Method 3
a third heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the second medium and the third medium
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle heat exchange system may include a first heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a first medium and a second medium, a second heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the first medium and a third medium, a third heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the second medium and the third medium, a switch valve, and a control unit. The switch valve may be configured to enable selective switching between (i) a first path that supplies the second medium that has passed through the third heat exchanger to an inverter via an inverter radiator and (ii) a second path that supplies the second medium that has passed through the third heat exchanger to the inverter via the first heat exchanger. The control unit may be configured to control the switch valve such that the second path is selected when the first medium is in a predetermined low-temperature state.