Vehicle Heat Pump Circuit With One Chiller for Battery and Cabin Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat pump systems for vehicles are complex, leading to increased size and weight of cooling modules, complicated pipe layouts, noise, vibration, and reduced heating performance due to lack of a heat source, resulting in increased electricity consumption.
Innovation Solution
A heat pump system that uses a single chiller for heat exchange between a refrigerant and a coolant to control battery module temperature, recover heat from various sources for indoor heating, and simplify the system by using high- and low-temperature coolants effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate cooling circuits are provided for battery cooling, cooling portion, and heat pump system, then each component can be cooled independently to maintain optimal performance, but the size and weight of the cooling module increase and the pipe layout becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the battery cooling circuit, cooling portion circuit, and heat pump system into a single integrated cooling module that shares common pipes and components. The integrated design allows one coolant line to supply all three systems, eliminating the need for separate circuits while maintaining independent controllability through valves.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling module is designed as a universal system that can simultaneously or independently cool the battery, cooling portion, and heat pump system. The single cooling circuit serves multiple functions by routing coolant to different components as needed, reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If separate cooling circuits with multiple valves are used for battery and other components, then temperature control is precise, but noise and vibration are transmitted to the vehicle interior reducing ride comfort
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple valves that were previously distributed across separate circuits are consolidated into a single valve assembly within the integrated cooling module. This consolidation reduces the number of valve operations and associated noise sources while maintaining precise temperature control through coordinated valve management.
3Ease of operation
If electric heater is used for vehicle heating, then heating function is provided, but electricity consumption increases and power consumption of compressor increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers waste heat from the battery and motor that would otherwise be discarded and uses it for vehicle interior heating. By capturing and redirecting this waste thermal energy through the integrated cooling module, the system provides heating functionality without requiring additional electricity consumption from heaters or increased compressor power.
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 simplifies the layout of connecting pipes, reduces noise and vibration, improves heating efficiency by using recovered heat, and efficiently manages battery module temperature for optimal performance, thereby increasing vehicle mileage.
Implementation Method 1
a chiller in which a refrigerant and a coolant are heat-exchanged
Implementation Method 2
thermal energy generated during condensation and evaporation of a refrigerant circulating in a refrigerant line is exchanged with an introduced coolant
Implementation Method 3
condensation and evaporation of a refrigerant
Implementation Method 4
condensation and evaporation of a refrigerant
Implementation Method 5
a condenser included in the centralized energy device is connected to the second line through the second valve to condense the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant line through heat-exchange with the coolant
Implementation Method 6
an evaporator that is connected to the first expansion valve through the refrigerant line, is connected to the fourth line, and evaporates the refrigerant through heat-exchange of the refrigerant and the coolant
Data Source
AI summary
A heat pump system for a vehicle controls a temperature of a battery module by use of one chiller in which a coolant and a refrigerant are heat-exchanged and that improves heating efficiency by recovering heat from various heat sources in a heating mode of a vehicle to use them for indoor heating, including: a valve, an electrical component cooling device, a battery cooling device, an indoor heating device, an indoor cooling device, a centralized energy device, and a chiller, wherein a condenser included in the centralized energy device is connected to the second line through the second valve to condense the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant line through heat-exchange with the coolant and is provided in a sixth line through which the coolant flows; and a first end portion of the third line is connected to a third valve provided in the sixth line.