BATTERY COOLING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

• US 20180111443A1
• Filed: 04/27/2017
• Published: 04/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: KIM, Jae Yeon, AN, Jai Young, CHO, Wan Je, KIM, Myunghwan, KIM, Minwook, WOO, Jeong Yeop, KIM, Yeon Ho, CHOI, Yong Hyun, LEE, Gun Goo
• Granted Patent: US 10,166,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/00485 Valves for air-conditioning devices, e.g. thermostatic valves valves per se F16K; thermostatic valves per se G05D23/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery cooling system for a vehicle may include an air conditioning device including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and a first expansion valve connected through a refrigerant line and circulating a refrigerant to cool the internal of the vehicle; a cooler including an electric device radiator and a first water pump connected with a cooling line and circulating coolant to cool a motor and an electric device; a battery module in which the coolant circulated therein through an operation of a second water pump provided on a battery cooling line, connected with the cooling line through the battery cooling line; and a chiller connected with the refrigerant line through a connection line, provided on the battery cooling line, and controlling a temperature of the coolant by heat-exchanging the coolant and the refrigerant selectively introduced thereinto.

Claims

1. A battery cooling system for a vehicle, comprising:

an air conditioning device including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and a first expansion valve connected through a refrigerant line and circulating a refrigerant to cool an internal of the vehicle;

a cooler including an electric device radiator and a first water pump connected with a cooling line and circulating coolant to cool a motor and an electric device;

a battery module in which the coolant circulated therein through an operation of a second water pump provided on a battery cooling line, connected with the cooling line through the battery cooling line; and

a chiller connected with the refrigerant line through a connection line, provided on the battery cooling line, and controlling a temperature of the coolant by heat-exchanging the coolant and the refrigerant selectively introduced thereinto.

2. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 1, wherein the connection line is provided with a second expansion valve between the condenser and the chiller.

3. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 2, wherein the second expansion valve is configured to operate when to cool the battery module using the refrigerant, and expands the refrigerant introduced through the connection line and introduces the expanded refrigerant to the chiller.

4. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 1, wherein a first valve, which selectively connects the cooling line and the battery cooling line, is provided on the battery cooling line between the radiator and the chiller, and a second valve, which selectively connects the cooling line and the battery cooling line, is provided on the cooling line between the radiator and the battery module.

5. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 4, wherein the battery cooling line includes a first branch line to connect the chiller with the battery module through the first valve.

6. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 5, wherein the first valve connects the cooling line connected with the radiator and the battery cooling line, and closes the first branch line when cooling the battery module using the coolant cooled from the radiator.

7. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 5, wherein the first valve opens the first branch line, and closes connection of the cooling line with the battery cooling line when increasing a temperature of the battery module or cooling the battery module using the coolant heat-exchanged with the refrigerant.

8. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 4, wherein the cooling line includes a second branch line to connect the radiator with the motor and the electric device through an operation of the second valve between the electric device and the chiller.

9. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 8, wherein the second valve closes the second branch line when cooling down the battery module using the coolant cooled from the radiator.

10. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 8, wherein the second valve closes connection of the battery cooling line with the cooling line, and opens the second branch line, when cooling down the motor and the electric device using the coolant.

11. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 8, wherein the second valve opens the second branch line, and closes connection of the cooling line with the battery cooling line, when the coolant heat-exchanged with the refrigerant cools the battery module or warms-up the battery module and increases a temperature of the battery module.

12. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 4, wherein the first valve and the second valve are 3-way valves.

13. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 4, wherein a reservoir tank is provided on the cooling line between the radiator and the second valve.

14. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 13, wherein the reservoir tank is connected with the first branch line through a degassing line.

15. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 14, wherein the degassing line exhausts bubbles generated from the coolant passed through the first branch line to the reservoir tank or introduces bubbles collected from the coolant circulated through the cooling line to the first branch line to maintain pressure balancing of the cooling line and the battery cooling line, when increases a temperature of the battery module.

16. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 14, wherein the degassing line partially introduces the bubbles included in the coolant passed through the first branch line to the reservoir tank to prevent pressure difference generation between the cooling line and the first branch line, when the coolant heat-exchanged with the refrigerant cools the battery module in a state that the coolant is not circulated to the cooling line.

17. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor and the electric device are serially disposed on the cooling line between the radiator and the first water pump.

18. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electric device includes:

an electric power control unit (EPCU) provided on the cooling line between the motor and the first water pump; and

an on-board charger (OBC) provided on the cooling line between the motor and the radiator.

19. The battery cooling system for the vehicle of claim 1, wherein

a heater is mounted between the battery module and the chiller in the battery cooling line, and

the heater is configured to be operated when increasing a temperature of the battery module to heat cooling water circulating through the battery cooling line and to introduced the heated cooling water into the battery module.