Electric vehicle thermal management system

• US 9,533,546 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thunder Power Hong Kong Limited (Thunder Power Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Ming-Chieh
• Primary Examiner(s): WALTERS, JOHN DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US14/816,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20160272044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.1, 180/68.2, 180/68.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00392 for electric vehicles having only electric drive means
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00885 Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/034 from the cooling liquid of the propulsion plant and from an electric heating device
• 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 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/006 the electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6568 characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6569 Fluids undergoing a liquid-gas phase change or transition, e.g. evaporation or condensation heat pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6571 Resistive heaters arrangements for heating the battery by its resistance to the internal current H01M10/637
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/663 the system being an air-conditioner or an engine
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/667 the system being an electronic component, e.g. a CPU, an inverter or a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 : Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An electric vehicle thermal management system and an electric vehicle using the thermal management system, wherein a passenger cabin is heated by the heat dissipated from a battery and/or a motor, and the battery and the electric motor are connected in different cooling paths. Heat is supplied to the passenger cabin by using the heat absorbed by cooling liquid from the battery and/or the motor, so that the electric power of the electric vehicle can be effectively utilized to increase the endurance mileage of the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle thermal management system for heating a passenger cabin of an electric vehicle by means of the heat absorbed from a battery and/or an electric motor of the electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a first cooling path, wherein cooling liquid is circulated in the first cooling path, and the cooling liquid passes through the battery and performs heat exchange with the battery;

a second cooling path, wherein the cooling liquid is circulated in the second cooling path, and the cooling liquid passes through the motor and performs heat exchange with the motor;

a third cooling path, wherein the third cooling path comprises an inlet and an outlet, and the inlet and the outlet are in fluid communication; and

wherein, the cooling liquid flows through the first cooling path and the cooling liquid flows through the second cooling path,

wherein the cooling liquid from the first cooling path and the cooling liquid from the second cooling path converge at the inlet of the third cooling path, flow through the third cooling path and then divide at the outlet of the third cooling path to re-flow into the first cooling path and the second cooling path.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a valve device for selectively connecting a first radiator to one path of the first cooling path, the second cooling path and the third cooling path or separating the first radiator from all the first cooling path, the second cooling path and the third cooling path.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein,

the valve device comprises a first switch and a second switch,

the first switch is arranged in the first cooling path, and the cooling liquid flows through the battery and then flows into the first switch,

through the first switch, the cooling liquid in the first cooling path selectively flows into the inlet of the third cooling path after flowing through the first radiator or directly flows into the inlet of the third cooling path,

the second switch is arranged in the second cooling path, and the cooling liquid flows through the motor and then flows into the second switch, and

through the second switch, the cooling liquid in the second cooling path selectively flows into the inlet of the third cooling path after flowing through the first radiator or directly flows into the inlet of the third cooling path.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a control device, wherein the control device controls the state of the first switch according to the temperature of the battery.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a control device, wherein the control device controls the state of the second switch according to the temperature of the motor.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a second radiator, wherein the second radiator is selectively connected in the third cooling path or separated from the third cooling path.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a control device;

a refrigerator, wherein through the control device, the refrigerator is selectively connected in the first cooling path to perform heat exchange with the cooling liquid in the first cooling path or separated from the first cooling path.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a pump connected in the second cooling path;

when the temperature of the battery reaches or exceeds a second preset temperature, the control device controls the refrigerator to perform heat exchange with the first cooling path and controls the pump in the second cooling path to slow down or stop so as to slow down or stop the flow of the cooling liquid in the second cooling path.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a control device; and

a pump arranged in the first cooling path,

wherein, when the temperature of the battery reaches a first preset temperature, the control device controls the pump in the first cooling path to speed up so as to increase the flow rate of the cooling liquid in the first cooling path.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a control device;

a heater, wherein the cooling liquid in the first cooling path flows through the heater; and

the control device selectively starts or stops the heater.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cooling liquid source, wherein the cooling liquid source is connected in the third cooling path for supplementing the cooling liquid in the first cooling path and the cooling liquid in the second cooling path to the electric vehicle thermal management system.

12. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a passenger cabin;

a battery;

an electric drive motor; and

a thermal management system configured to heat the passenger cabin by means of the heat absorbed from at least one of the battery or the electric motor, the thermal management system including;

a first cooling path, wherein a cooling liquid is circulated in the first cooling path, and the cooling liquid passes through the battery and performs heat exchange with the battery;

a second cooling path, wherein the cooling liquid is circulated in the second cooling path, and the cooling liquid passes through the motor and performs heat exchange with the motor;

a third cooling path, wherein the third cooling path comprises an inlet and an outlet, and the inlet and the outlet are in fluid communication; and

wherein the cooling liquid from the first cooling path and the cooling liquid from the second cooling path converge at the inlet of the third cooling path, flow through the third cooling path and then divide at the outlet of the third cooling path to re-flow into the first cooling path and the second cooling path.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, further comprising:

a valve device for selectively connecting a first radiator to one path of the first cooling path, the second cooling path and the third cooling path or separating the first radiator from all the first cooling path, the second cooling path and the third cooling path.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein,

the valve device comprises a first switch and a second switch,

the first switch is arranged in the first cooling path, and the cooling liquid flows through the battery and then flows into the first switch,

through the first switch, the cooling liquid in the first cooling path selectively flows into the inlet of the third cooling path after flowing through the first radiator or directly flows into the inlet of the third cooling path,

the second switch is arranged in the second cooling path, and the cooling liquid flows through the motor and then flows into the second switch, and

through the second switch, the cooling liquid in the second cooling path selectively flows into the inlet of the third cooling path after flowing through the first radiator or directly flows into the inlet of the third cooling path.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

a control device, wherein the control device controls the state of the first switch according to the temperature of the battery.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

a control device, wherein the control device controls the state of the second switch according to the temperature of the motor.

17. The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

a second radiator, wherein the second radiator is selectively connected in the third cooling path or separated from the third cooling path.

18. The vehicle of claim 12, further comprising:

a control device;

a refrigerator, wherein through the control device, the refrigerator is selectively connected in the first cooling path to perform heat exchange with the cooling liquid in the first cooling path or separated from the first cooling path.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, further comprising:

a pump connected in the second cooling path,

wherein, when the temperature of the battery reaches or exceeds a second preset temperature, the control device controls the refrigerator to perform heat exchange with the first cooling path and controls the pump in the second cooling path to slow down or stop so as to slow down or stop the flow of the cooling liquid in the second cooling path.

20. The vehicle of claim 12, further comprising:

a control device; and

a pump arranged in the first cooling path,

wherein, when the temperature of the battery reaches a first preset temperature, the control device controls the pump in the first cooling path to speed up so as to increase the flow rate of first cooling liquid in the first cooling path.