Vehicle Thermal Management Using Route-Aware Battery Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle thermal management techniques are inefficient as they do not consider the specific application scenario, leading to excessive energy consumption and waste.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for vehicle thermal management that determines whether the vehicle traveling mode complies with the thermal management mode requirements using navigation data and traveling state, and adjusts thermal management based on ambient temperature, temperature limits, and estimated remaining traveling distance and time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fixed target temperature cooling is applied to battery regardless of application scenario, then battery temperature can be controlled within safe range, but energy is wasted when vehicle stops shortly after cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the thermal management system adaptive rather than static. The control unit dynamically adjusts thermal management strategies based on real-time parameters including remaining travel distance, remaining travel time, and ambient temperature. This allows the system to optimize cooling operations for each specific scenario, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining battery temperature within safe ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by using multiple varying parameters to determine thermal management strategies. Instead of a fixed target temperature approach, the system considers remaining travel distance, remaining travel time, and ambient temperature as changing parameters. Based on these parameters, the control unit adjusts cooling intensity and duration, thereby reducing energy waste in scenarios where the vehicle will stop soon after cooling.
2Reliability
If aggressive cooling is applied to ensure battery temperature stays below threshold, then battery safety is maintained, but energy consumption increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by adjusting the degree of cooling based on scenario needs. When remaining travel time is short or ambient temperature is low, the system applies partial cooling rather than full aggressive cooling. The control unit calculates appropriate cooling intensity and duration to maintain battery safety while avoiding excessive energy consumption that would occur with always-applying maximum cooling capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by using predicted future conditions (remaining travel distance and time) to plan cooling operations in advance. The control unit determines whether cooling is truly necessary by considering the complete trip context, and only initiates cooling when it will provide actual benefit. This prevents premature or unnecessary cooling actions that would waste energy.
3Ease of operation
If thermal management targets a fixed set temperature, then control simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to different usage scenarios is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring multiple parameters (remaining travel distance, remaining travel time, ambient temperature, battery temperature) and using this feedback to adjust thermal management decisions. The control unit receives feedback from various sensors and system states, processes this information, and dynamically adjusts cooling strategies accordingly, maintaining both simplicity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies universality by creating a unified thermal management control method that handles multiple different scenarios through a single adaptive system. The same control unit and algorithm framework work across all usage scenarios (short trips, long trips, hot environments, cold environments) by adjusting its behavior based on input parameters, eliminating the need for separate control logic for each scenario.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure provides methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for vehicle thermal management. The method includes: determining whether a vehicle traveling mode complies with a requirement of a thermal management mode according to vehicle navigation data and/or a vehicle traveling state; acquiring an ambient temperature and an upper temperature limit and a lower temperature limit of a thermal management component in the thermal management mode, and estimating a remaining traveling distance and/or a remaining traveling time of a vehicle from a destination when the vehicle traveling mode is determined to comply with the requirement of the thermal management mode; thermally managing the thermal management component of the vehicle in accordance with the acquired ambient temperature, the upper temperature limit and the lower temperature limit of the thermal management component, and in combination with the estimated remaining traveling distance and/or remaining traveling time.