THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

• US 20160332505A1
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: YAMANAKA, Takashi, OMI, Yasumitsu, ENOMOTO, Norihiko, KATOH, Yoshiki, MIURA, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 10,369,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00385 for vehicles having an electrical drive, e.g. hybrid or fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0075 the input being solar radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00785 by the detection of humidity or frost
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00807 the input being a specific way of measuring or calculating an air or coolant temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00899 Controlling the flow of liquid in a heat pump system controlling the properties of the refrigerant liquid, e.g. pressure or temperature, B60H1/3204
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/02 the heat being derived from the propulsion plant B60H1/00492 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/143 the heat being derived from cooling an electric component, e.g. electric motors, electric circuits, fuel cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/22 the heat being derived otherwise than from the propulsion plant B60H1/0025, B60H1/00492 and B60H1/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/321 for preventing the freezing of a heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3213 for increasing the efficiency in a vehicle heat pump
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32284 comprising two or more secondary circuits, e.g. at evaporator and 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: B60H 2001/3245 of air
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/325 of the refrigerant at a compressing unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3255 related to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/22 characterised by apparatus, components or means specially adapted for HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 : to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 : Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/46 : Heat pumps, e.g. for cabin heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 : Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train

Abstract

A vehicle thermal management system includes a switching portion that switches between a state in which a heat medium circulates through a heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and a state in which the heat medium circulates through a heat-medium heating heat exchanger with respect to each of an engine heat-transfer portion and a heat-generating device, a flow-rate adjustment portion that adjusts the flow rate of the heat medium for each of a heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion, an air-conditioning requesting portion that makes a cooling request for an air cooling heat exchanger to cool the ventilation air as well as a heating request for an air heating heat exchanger to heat the ventilation air, and a controller that controls an operation of at least one of the switching portion, a compressor, and the flow-rate adjustment portion based on presence/absence of the cooling request and presence/absence of the heating request from the air-conditioning requesting portion.

Claims

1. A thermal management system for a vehicle, comprising:

a first pump and a second pump that draw and discharge a heat medium;

a compressor that draws and discharges a refrigerant;

a heat-medium heating heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the heat medium drawn into and discharged from the second pump, to heat the heat medium;

a decompression device that decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the heat-medium heating heat exchanger;

a heat-medium cooling heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant decompressed and expanded by the decompression device and the heat medium drawn into and discharged from the first pump, to cool the heat medium;

a heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the heat medium and outside air;

an air cooling heat exchanger that exchanges sensible heat between the heat medium cooled by the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and ventilation air blowing into a vehicle interior, to cool the ventilation air;

an air heating heat exchanger that exchanges sensible heat between the heat medium heated by the heat-medium heating heat exchanger and ventilation air blowing into the vehicle interior, to heat the ventilation air;

an engine heat-transfer portion that transfers heat between an engine and the heat medium;

a heat transfer unit having a flow path through which the heat medium circulates, the heat transfer unit being adapted to transfer heat with the heat medium;

a switching portion that switches between a state in which the heat medium circulates through the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and a state in which the heat medium circulates through the heat-medium heating heat exchanger with respect to each of the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger, the engine heat-transfer portion, and the heat transfer unit;

a flow-rate adjustment portion that adjusts a flow rate of the heat medium with respect to each of the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion;

an air-conditioning requesting portion that makes a cooling request for the air cooling heat exchanger to cool the ventilation air, and a heating request for the air heating heat exchanger to heat the ventilation air; and

a controller that controls an operation of at least one of the switching portion, the compressor, and the flow-rate adjustment portion based on presence or absence of the cooling request and presence or absence of the heating request from the air-conditioning requesting portion, wherein

when the cooling request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion, the controller controls the operation of at least one of the switching portion, the compressor and the flow-rate adjustment portion, such that a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air cooling heat exchanger is within a cooling temperature range,

the controller controls the operation of at least one of the switching portion, the compressor, and the flow-rate adjustment portion based on at least one of a temperature of the engine heat medium, a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air cooling heat exchanger, and a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger, and

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates between the air heating heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion when the heating request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion, and a temperature of the engine heat medium is higher than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger.

3. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein,

when the heating request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion, the controller controls the operation of at least one of the switching portion, the compressor and the flow-rate adjustment portion, such that a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger is within a heating temperature range.

7. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates between the air heating heat exchanger and the heat transfer unit when the heating request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion, a temperature of the engine heat medium is lower than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger, and a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger is higher than the target temperature.

8. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates between the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion when the heating request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion, a temperature of the engine heat medium is lower than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger, a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger is lower than the target temperature, and the temperature of the engine heat medium is higher than a target temperature of the engine heat medium.

9. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates between the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger when the heating request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion, a temperature of the engine heat medium is lower than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger, a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger is lower than the target temperature, and the temperature of the engine heat medium is lower than a target temperature of the engine heat medium.

10. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the flow-rate adjustment portion such that a temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger does not exceed a heat-resistant temperature of the heat transfer unit.

12. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the operation of at least one of the switching portion, the compressor, and the flow-rate adjustment portion based on at least one of a temperature of the engine heat medium and the presence or absence of the cooling request from the air-conditioning requesting portion when defrosting is required for the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger.

13. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates between the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion when the temperature of the engine heat medium is higher than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger.

16. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a battery heat-transfer portion having a flow path through which the heat medium circulates, the battery heat-transfer portion being adapted to transfer heat between a battery and the heat medium; and

a battery flow-rate ratio adjustment portion that adjusts a ratio of a flow-rate of the heat medium cooled by the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger to that of the heat medium heated by the heat-medium heating heat exchanger in the heat medium flowing through the battery heat-transfer portion, wherein

the controller controls an operation of the battery flow-rate ratio adjustment portion such that a difference between a temperature of the heat medium flowing through the battery heat-transfer portion and a temperature of the battery is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

17. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rear-seat heat-medium air heat exchanger that exchanges sensible heat between the heat medium and ventilation air to be blown toward an occupant on a rear seat in the vehicle interior; and

a rear-seat flow-rate ratio adjustment portion that adjusts a ratio of a flow rate of the heat medium cooled by the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger to that of the heat medium heated by the heat-medium heating heat exchanger, in the heat medium flowing through the rear-seat heat-medium air heat exchanger.

18. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the heat transfer unit is a heat generator that generates heat in operation, and

the controller adjusts an operating efficiency of the heat transfer unit based on an amount of heat generated at the heat-medium heating heat exchanger and an amount of heat transferred to the heat medium at the heat transfer unit.

19. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the heat transfer unit is a heat generator that generates heat in operation, and

the controller adjusts an operating efficiency of the heat transfer unit based on a traveling state of the vehicle.

20. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion based on an amount of heat transferred from the heat transfer unit to the heat medium.

2. (canceled)

4-6. -6.

11. A thermal management system for a vehicle, comprising:

a first pump and a second pump that draw and discharge a heat medium;

a compressor that draws and discharges a refrigerant;

a heat-medium heating heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the heat medium drawn into and discharged from the second pump, to heat the heat medium;

a decompression device that decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the heat-medium heating heat exchanger;

a heat-medium cooling heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant decompressed and expanded by the decompression device and the heat medium drawn into and discharged from the first pump, to cool the heat medium;

a heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the heat medium and outside air;

an air cooling heat exchanger that exchanges sensible heat between the heat medium cooled by the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and ventilation air into a vehicle interior, to cool the ventilation air;

an air heating heat exchanger that exchanges sensible heat between the heat medium heated by the heat-medium heating heat exchanger and ventilation air into the vehicle interior, to heat the ventilation air;

an engine heat-transfer portion that transfers heat between an engine and the heat medium;

a heat transfer unit having a flow path through which the heat medium circulates, the heat transfer unit being adapted to transfer heat with the heat medium;

a switching portion that switches between a state in which the heat medium circulates through the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and a state in which the heat medium circulates through the heat-medium heating heat exchanger with respect to each of the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger, the engine heat-transfer portion, and the heat transfer unit;

a flow-rate adjustment portion that adjusts a flow rate of the heat medium with respect to each of the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion;

an air-conditioning requesting portion that makes a cooling request for the air cooling heat exchanger to cool the ventilation air; and

a controller that controls an operation of at least one of the switching portion, the compressor, and the flow-rate adjustment portion based on a temperature of the engine heat medium and presence or absence of the cooling request from the air-conditioning requesting portion when defrosting is required for the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates between the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion when the temperature of the engine heat medium is higher than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger.

14. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates between the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and the engine heat-transfer portion, and such that the heat medium circulates between the heat-medium heating heat exchanger and the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger when the temperature of the engine heat medium is lower than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger, and no cooling request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion.

15. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein

the controller controls the operation of the switching portion such that the heat medium circulates among the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger, the heat-medium outside-air heat exchanger, and the engine heat-transfer portion when the temperature of the engine heat medium is lower than a target temperature of the heat medium flowing to the air heating heat exchanger, and a cooling request is made from the air-conditioning requesting portion.