APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AIR CONDITIONING VEHICLE INTERIOR USING BATTERY CHARGE CONTROL OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20110118919A1
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Park, Hee Sang, Kim, Hun Soo, Jeong, Hee Jun, Kim, Hyun, Park, June Kyu, Yun, Jung Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 9,020,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00392 for electric vehicles having only electric drive means
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/04 fed by the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for air conditioning a vehicle interior using a battery charge control of an electric vehicle, which can improve the cooling/heating performance by setting a start-up time of the electric vehicle and supplying heat generated from a battery during charge and its latent heat to the vehicle interior during initial start-up of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for air conditioning a vehicle interior using a battery charge control of an electric vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a blower mounted at an inlet of a battery case in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged;

a heat exchanger disposed around the battery to heat-exchange with heat generated from the battery;

a controller for controlling charging/discharging time of the battery, on/off of the blower, and on/off of the heat exchanger; and

an input unit for inputting the charging/discharging time of the battery and a start-up time of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising temperature sensors for detecting battery temperature and interior temperature to control the speed of the blower.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thermoelectric device provided in a fluid passage of the heat exchanger.

4. A method for air conditioning a vehicle interior using a battery charge control of an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

dividing the charging time, during which a battery is fully charged before a start-up time of the vehicle, into first and second charging processes;

performing the first charging process of the battery and storing heat generated during the first charging process of the battery;

performing the second charging process of the battery and storing heat generated during the second charging process of the battery; and

exchanging the heat stored during the first and second charging processes with a heat exchanger disposed around the battery during start-up of the vehicle and supplying the heat-exchanged air to cool or heat the vehicle interior.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein cold outside air fed into a battery case passes through the heat exchanger heat-exchanged with the heat stored during the first and second charging processes to be heated, and the heated air is supplied to heat the vehicle interior.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein hot outside air fed into a battery case passes through a heat-absorbing side of a thermoelectric device (e.g., Peltier device) of the heat exchanger absorbing the heat stored during the first and second charging processes to be cooled, and the cooled air is supplied to cool the vehicle interior.

7. An apparatus for air conditioning a vehicle interior using a battery charge control of an electric vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a blower;

a heat exchanger;

a controller; and

an input unit.

8. The apparatus for air conditioning a vehicle interior of claim 7, wherein the blower is mounted at an inlet of a battery case in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged.

9. The apparatus for air conditioning a vehicle interior of claim 7, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed around the battery to heat-exchange with heat generated from the battery.

10. The apparatus for air conditioning a vehicle interior of claim 7, wherein the controller is used for controlling charging/discharging time of the battery, on/off of the blower or on/off of the heat exchanger.

11. The apparatus for air conditioning a vehicle interior of claim 7, wherein the input unit is used for inputting the charging/discharging time of the battery and a start-up time of the vehicle.