System and method for managing waste heat of electric vehicle

• US 8,851,153 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Doowon Climate Control Co., Ltd., Hanon Systems (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.), Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Doowon Climate Control Co., Ltd., Halla Climate Control Corporation (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.), Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Park, Hee Sang, Kim, Hyun, Park, June Kyu, Ku, Jun Mo, Lee, Soon Jong, Kim, Tae Wan, Kim, Moo Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US13/315,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20130030622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 165/41
• US Class Current: 165/41
• 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: B60K 6/46 Series type
• 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 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a waste heat management system of an electric vehicle. In particular, a pump for controlling the flow of cooling fluid, an OBC cooling fluid line and a motor cooling fluid line which diverge in parallel from an outlet of a cooling fluid line of the fluid pump, and a heater core cooling fluid line and a radiator cooling fluid line which are respectively connected in parallel with a junction of an inlet of the fluid pump cooling fluid line and a junction of outlets of the heater core cooling fluid line and the radiator cooling fluid line, are interconnected to provide both heating and air-conditioning to the interior of the vehicle. Additionally, the present invention, also allows the motor to be preheated when the vehicle is not running.

Claims

1. A waste heat management system of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a pump configured to control a flow of cooling fluid through the system;

an onboard charger (OBC) cooling fluid line and an electric motor cooling fluid line which diverge in parallel from an outlet of a cooling fluid line of the pump; and

a heater core cooling fluid line and a radiator cooling fluid line which are respectively connected in parallel at a junction with an inlet of the fluid pump cooling fluid line and at a junction of outlets of the heater core cooling fluid line and the radiator cooling fluid line.

2. The waste heat management system according to claim 1, wherein an OBC and a low voltage DC to DC converter (LDC) are disposed in series with each other in the OBC cooling fluid line.

3. The waste heat management system according to claim 1, wherein the pump cooling fluid line is provided at an outlet of the pump with an LDC cooling fluid line in parallel with the OBC cooling fluid line and the electric motor cooling fluid line.

4. The waste heat management system according to claim 1, wherein the outlet of the pump cooling fluid line is connected with inlets of the OBC cooling fluid line and the electric motor cooling fluid line by a multi-way valve.

5. The waste heat management system according to claim 1, wherein the heater core cooling fluid line and the radiator cooling fluid line are connected to the junction of the outlets of the OBC cooling fluid line and the electric motor cooling fluid line by a multi-way valve.

6. The waste heat management system according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to allow cooling fluid to pass through the OBC cooling fluid line, the electric motor cooling fluid line and the heater core cooling fluid line while the battery is charging and to allow cooling fluid to pass through the electric motor cooling fluid line and the heater core cooling fluid line when the battery is not charging.

7. A method of managing waste heat of an electric vehicle using an OBC cooling fluid line and an electric motor cooling fluid line that diverge in parallel from a fluid pump, comprising the steps of:

determining a temperature to select any one of heating and air-conditioning; and

determining whether or not a battery is charging when heating has been selected, and then passing cooling fluid through an onboard charger (OBC) cooling fluid line, the electric motor cooling fluid line and a heater core cooling fluid line while the battery is charging, and passing cooling fluid through the electric motor cooling fluid line and a heater core cooling fluid line while the battery is not charging.

8. The method of managing waste heat according to claim 7, wherein the step of heating further comprises the step of:

passing cooling fluid through an OBC cooling fluid line, the electric motor cooling fluid line and the heater core cooling fluid line, when the air-conditioning is selected.

9. The method of managing waste heat according to claim 7, wherein, in the step of determining the temperature, the heating or air-conditioning is selected based on an interior temperature of the electric vehicle, an external temperature of the electric vehicle or an air conditioner temperature set by a user.

10. The method of managing waste heat according to claim 7, wherein, in the step of heating, when a battery is charging, the operation of a pump, the operation of a blower adjacent to a heater core, and the discharging of cooling fluid into the radiator cooling fluid line are sequentially performed in a predetermined program.

11. The method of managing waste heat according to claim 7, wherein, in the step of heating, when a battery is not charging, the operation of a pump and the discharging of cooling fluid into a radiator cooling fluid line are sequentially performed in a predetermined program.

12. The method of managing waste heat according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined program is set based on a temperature increase of cooling fluid.

13. The method of managing waste heat according to claim 10, wherein, in the step of heating, the discharging of cooling fluid into the radiator cooling fluid line is performed in the predetermined program, and then the opening of an air flap and the operation of an air turbulation device adjacent to a radiator are sequentially performed.

14. The method of managing water heat according to claim 13 wherein the air turbulation device is a fan.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that determine a temperature in an electric vehicle and select any one of heating and air-conditioning; and

program instructions that determine whether or not a battery is charging when heating has been selected, and then control a first and second valve to pass cooling fluid through an on board charger (OBC) cooling fluid line, an electric motor cooling fluid line and a heater core cooling fluid line while the battery is charging, and control the first and second valve to pass cooling fluid through the electric motor cooling fluid line and a heater core cooling fluid line while the battery is not charging.