Layered Coolant Valve Layout for Compact Vehicle Thermal Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems in eco-friendly vehicles require multiple peripheral pipes, which occupy space and increase weight, hindering efficient thermal management and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A compact cooling medium circulation apparatus with a housing and a rotatable valve body, featuring multiple layers and circulation holes, allows for centralized installation and selective coolant circulation without branch pipes, integrating thermal management components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple peripheral pipes are used to connect thermal management components, then coolant circulation is achieved, but vehicle space is occupied and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple thermal management components (radiator, condenser, evaporator, etc.) into a single integrated thermal management device with a unified coolant circulation system. The housing consolidates multiple functions, and the rotatable valve body provides centralized flow control, eliminating the need for separate peripheral pipes connecting individual components throughout the vehicle cabin.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated thermal management device serves multiple functions within a single unit: cooling the battery, cooling the inverter, air conditioning, and heat dissipation. The rotatable valve body enables a single coolant circulation system to selectively serve different thermal management components based on rotational position, providing universal cooling capability without requiring dedicated piping for each component.
2Reliability
If multiple peripheral pipes are installed for thermal management, then coolant can reach various components, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple piping functions into a single integrated structure. The housing contains all necessary flow paths internally, and the rotatable valve body with its layered structure and circulation holes provides centralized flow distribution to multiple components through a single connection point, eliminating complex peripheral piping networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body is divided into multiple layers (first layer, second layer, third layer) with each layer containing specific flow paths and circulation holes. This segmentation allows different coolant flow paths to be organized vertically within the single valve body, enabling complex flow distribution without external piping complexity.
3Volume of moving object
If a compact cooling system is designed, then space is reduced, but coolant circulation efficiency may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes vertical stacking of multiple layers within the valve body to achieve compact horizontal footprint while maintaining adequate flow paths. The first, second, and third layers are arranged vertically, allowing coolant to flow through multiple levels within a compact overall volume, thus achieving both space reduction and maintained circulation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The circulation holes are positioned to nest within the layered structure of the valve body, with flow paths in different layers interconnected through the housing. This nested arrangement allows efficient coolant circulation through multiple components while maintaining a compact integrated structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling medium circulation apparatus for a vehicle includes: a housing having a valve mounting device with an internal space and a plurality of ports connected to a plurality of thermal management components; and a valve body rotatably mounted in the valve mounting device, partitioned into a plurality of layers vertically, with a plurality of flow paths formed in each layer, and with a plurality of circulation holes formed on outer sides corresponding to each of the flow paths and selectively matching the ports, the circulation holes elongated vertically to have a height greater than a height of the flow paths. The cooling medium circulation apparatus may be installed in the vehicle in a compact manner, while eliminating the need for multiple peripheral pipes, and facilitating the circulation of coolant across various cooling system components.