System for a motor vehicle for heating and/or cooling a battery and a motor vehicle interior

• US 10,322,617 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mahle International GmbH (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Mahle International GmbH (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Inventors: Kohl, Michael, Lochmahr, Karl, Strauss, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Jules, Frantz F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tadesse, Martha
• Application Number:
  US13/429,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20120241129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,640 Days
• Field of Search: 62 79, 622592, 62239, 62243, 62244, 165 58, 16510433, 165 41, 429120
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32281 comprising a single secondary circuit, e.g. at evaporator or condenser side
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00928 comprising a secondary circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A system for a motor vehicle for heating and/or cooling a battery and a motor vehicle interior is provided that includes a first coolant circuit thermally coupled to the battery, a second coolant circuit for heating the motor vehicle interior having an air heat exchanger for outputting heat from the second coolant circuit to the air of the interior of the motor vehicle, and a heating unit for heating the second coolant circuit. The first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit are thermally coupled to each other for heating the battery using heat from the second coolant circuit and/or for cooling the air of the motor vehicle interior, in that heat from the second coolant circuit can be fed to the first coolant circuit by the circuit heat exchanger or the mixing valve.

Claims

1. A system for a motor vehicle for heating and/or cooling a battery and a motor vehicle passenger compartment, the system comprising:

a first coolant circuit that is thermally coupled to a battery heat exchanger of the battery, the first coolant circuit comprising a line through which a coolant is passed;

a second coolant circuit for heating the motor vehicle passenger compartment with an air heat exchanger for transmitting heat from the second coolant circuit to the air in the motor vehicle passenger compartment;

at least one heater for heating the second coolant circuit; and

an evaporator, integrated in the first coolant circuit, wherein the evaporator comprises an evaporator heat exchanger thermally coupled to the first coolant circuit for indirect cooling of the battery with the evaporator, said evaporator being positioned downstream from said battery,

wherein the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit are coupled to one another thermally with a circuit heat exchanger in order to heat the battery with heat from the second coolant circuit and/or to cool the air of the motor vehicle passenger compartment in that heat from the second coolant circuit is configured to be conducted to the first coolant circuit via the circuit heat exchanger,

wherein the first coolant circuit is thermally coupled to an ambient air heat exchanger for transferring heat from the first coolant circuit to ambient air and vice versa,

wherein the circuit heat exchanger is configured to be decoupled from the first coolant circuit using a first valve and a first bypass line, the first valve positioned along the line of the first coolant circuit,

wherein the first valve is positioned between the circuit heat exchanger and the evaporator,

wherein the evaporator heat exchanger is configured to be decoupled from the first coolant circuit using a second valve and a second bypass line in the first coolant circuit, and

wherein the battery, including the battery heat exchanger, is connected directly to the circuit heat exchanger with only a portion of the first bypass line disposed therebetween,

wherein the evaporator is disposed at a position on the first coolant circuit that is physically separate from a position of the circuit heat exchanger,

wherein the evaporator is disposed entirely and only within the first coolant circuit, and

wherein the circuit heat exchanger is disposed at a position along the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first coolant circuit and/or the second coolant circuit has a liquid as the coolant.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ambient air heat exchanger is configured to be decoupled from the first coolant circuit using a third valve and a third bypass line in the first coolant circuit.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heater is an electric heater and/or the at least one heater is a heater heat exchanger for transferring heat from an internal combustion engine to the second coolant circuit.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first coolant circuit comprises a first circulating pump for pumping the first coolant and/or the second coolant circuit comprises a second circulating pump for pumping the second coolant.

6. A method for cooling a battery of a motor vehicle with a first coolant circuit that is thermally coupled to the battery, the method comprising:

transmitting heat from the battery to the first coolant circuit;

transmitting, for heating air in a motor vehicle passenger compartment with a second coolant circuit, heat from the second coolant circuit to the air in the motor vehicle passenger compartment by a system according to claim 1; and

wherein heat from the second coolant circuit is transmitted to the first coolant circuit so that the battery is heated via the heat transmitted from the second coolant circuit to the first coolant circuit and/or heat from the first coolant circuit is transmitted to the second coolant circuit so that the air in the motor vehicle passenger compartment is heated by the heat transmitted from the first coolant circuit to the second coolant circuit.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein heat from the ambient air is transmitted to the first coolant circuit and vice versa by an ambient air heat exchanger.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the battery is heated in that heat from the ambient air is transmitted to the battery, and/or the battery is cooled in that heat from the battery is transmitted to the ambient air and/or from the battery to the air of the motor vehicle passenger compartment.

9. The method according claim 6, wherein heat is removed from the first coolant circuit by the evaporator, and the battery is thus cooled.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second coolant circuit is heated by the air of the motor vehicle passenger compartment and/or the second coolant circuit is heated by an electric heater and/or the second coolant circuit is heated by the waste heat of an internal combustion engine.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the battery is heated by the heat of the air of the motor vehicle passenger compartment and/or by the heat of the electric heater and/or by the waste heat of an internal combustion engine in that the heat from the second coolant circuit is transferred to the first coolant circuit.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the quantity of coolant circulated per unit time in the first coolant circuit and/or second coolant circuit is controlled and/or regulated in order to control and/or regulate the transfer of heat from the first coolant circuit to the second coolant circuit and vice versa.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first valve is configured to limit an amount of coolant directed through the line to the circuit heat exchanger.

13. A system, comprising:

a first coolant circuit;

a battery having a battery heat exchanger, thermally coupled to the first coolant circuit, configured to circulate air around the battery, the first coolant circuit comprising a line through which a coolant is passed;

a second coolant circuit for heating a motor vehicle passenger compartment with an air heat exchanger for transmitting heat from the second coolant circuit to air in the motor vehicle passenger compartment;

at least one heater for heating the second coolant circuit;

a circuit heat exchanger integrated in the second coolant circuit and configured to thermodynamically couple the first coolant circuit to the second coolant circuit;

an evaporator integrated in the first coolant circuit, wherein the evaporator comprises an evaporator heat exchanger thermally coupled to the first coolant circuit for indirect cooling of the battery with the evaporator, said evaporator being positioned downstream from said battery; and

a first bypass integrated in the first coolant circuit and a first valve integrated into the first line of the first coolant circuit, the first valve and the first bypass being configured to decouple the circuit heat exchanger from the first coolant circuit,

wherein the circuit heat exchanger is configured to be hydraulically decoupled from the first coolant circuit,

wherein the evaporator heat exchanger is configured to be decoupled from the first coolant circuit using a second valve and a second bypass line in the first coolant circuit,

wherein the first valve is positioned between the circuit heat exchanger and the evaporator,

wherein the battery, including the battery heat exchanger, is connected directly to the circuit heat exchanger with only a portion of the first bypass line disposed therebetween,

wherein the evaporator is disposed at a position on the first coolant circuit that is physically separate from a position of the circuit heat exchanger,

wherein the evaporator is disposed entirely and only within the first coolant circuit, and

wherein the circuit heat exchanger is disposed at a position along the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising an ambient air heat exchanger integrated within the first coolant circuit, the ambient air heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the first coolant circuit to ambient air and vice versa.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising a third valve and a third bypass configured to decouple the ambient air heat exchanger from the first coolant circuit.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the circuit heat exchanger is designed to maintain a temperature of 0°

F. to 40°

F. in the first coolant circuit.