Device for the thermal management of a cabin and of a drivetrain of a vehicle

• US 9,855,815 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Saab, Samer, Aoun, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): CIRIC, LJILJANA V
• Application Number:
  US14/380,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20150034272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 165 41, 165 42, 165 43, 165202, 165203, 165204
• 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 1/2215 the heat being derived from electric heaters
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2221 arrangements of electric heaters for heating an intermediate liquid B60H1/034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow

Abstract

A device (1) for the thermal management of a vehicle cabin and of at least one electric component (13) of an electric drivetrain of said vehicle includes a heat-transfer fluid circuit (3) through which there flows a heat-transfer fluid. The device (1) also includes at least —a first heat-transfer fluid loop (4) made up of at least a first pump (7), a heat source and an internal heat exchanger (9) able to heat the cabin, and —a second heat-transfer fluid loop (5) in parallel with the first loop (4) and interconnected therewith by a first interconnection device (6). The second loop (5) including at least a first exchanger (11) of the electric component (13), characterized in that the heat source is able to heat the heat-transfer fluid circulating in the first heat-transfer fluid loop (4) and/or in the second heat-transfer fluid loop (5).

Claims

1. A device (1) for the thermal conditioning of a vehicle passenger compartment and part of at least one electrical component (13) of an electric power train of a vehicle, comprising a heat transfer fluid circuit (3) through which a heat transfer fluid passes and comprising at least:

a first heat transfer fluid loop (4) made up of at least a first pump (7), a heat source and an internal heat exchanger (9) capable of heating the vehicle passenger compartment; and

a second heat transfer fluid loop (5) parallel to the first loop (4) and interconnected therewith by a first interconnection device (6), the second loop (5) comprising a first exchanger (11) of the electrical component (13),

the heat source capable of heating the heat transfer fluid that circulates in the first heat transfer fluid loop (4) and in the second heat transfer fluid loop (5), wherein the heat source is installed in the first heat transfer fluid loop (4) immediately upstream of the first interconnection device (6) such that the first heat transfer fluid loop (4) is configured to allow the heat transfer fluid to flow from the heat source directly to the first interconnection device (6) during operation.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the heat source is an electric heat source (8).

3. The device according to claim 1, comprising a coolant circuit (2), through which a coolant passes, the coolant circuit (2) comprising at least a compressor (18) and an evaporator (25).

4. The device according to claim 3, comprising a first fluid/fluid heat exchanger (10) installed in the coolant circuit (2) and in the first heat transfer fluid loop (4).

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the first fluid/fluid heat exchanger (10) is arranged to produce a thermal exchange between the heat transfer fluid circulating in the first heat transfer fluid loop (4) and the coolant circulating in the coolant circuit (2).

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the first fluid/fluid heat exchanger (10) is located in the first heat transfer fluid loop (4) between an outlet of the first pump (7) and an inlet of the electric heat source (8).

7. The device according to claim 4, wherein the first fluid/fluid heat exchanger (10) is located in the coolant circuit (2) immediately downstream of an outlet of the compressor (18).

8. The device according to claim 4, comprising a second fluid/fluid heat exchanger (15) installed in the coolant circuit (2) and in the second heat transfer fluid loop (5).

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the second fluid/fluid heat exchanger (15) is arranged to produce a thermal exchange between the heat transfer fluid circulating in the second heat transfer fluid loop (5) and the coolant circulating in the coolant circuit (2).

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the second fluid/fluid heat exchanger (15) is installed in a branch (16) of the second loop (5) parallel to a portion of the second loop (5) that comprises the first exchanger (11) of the electrical component (13).

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein the coolant circuit (2) comprises a central branch (21) containing the first fluid/fluid heat exchanger (10), a first lateral branch (22) containing the second fluid/fluid heat exchanger (15) and a second lateral branch (23) containing the evaporator (25), the central branch (21), the first lateral branch (22) and the second lateral branch (23) being parallel to each other.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein the second heat transfer fluid loop (5) comprises a second pump (12) installed upstream of the first exchanger (11) of the electrical component (13) and parallel to a branch (16) containing the second fluid/fluid heat exchanger (15).

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the branch (16) is connected to a portion of the second loop (5), the portion of the second loop comprising the first exchanger (11) of the electrical component (13) by a second interconnection device (17).

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein a third heat transfer fluid loop (30) is provided parallel to the second heat transfer fluid loop (5), the third heat transfer fluid loop (30) comprising at least a second electrical component exchanger (32) of the electric power train.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the third heat transfer fluid loop (30) comprises a first sector (33), in which at least the second electrical component exchanger (32) and a third pump (34) are installed in series, and a second sector (35) comprising a first radiator (36), the first sector (33) being parallel to the second sector (35) and connected thereto by a third interconnection device (37).

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein a fourth heat transfer fluid loop (31) is provided parallel to the first heat transfer fluid loop (4), said fourth loop (31) comprising at least one cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine (41).

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the fourth heat transfer fluid loop (31) comprises a first portion (40) in which the cooling circuit of the internal combustion engine (41) and a fourth pump (42) are installed in series, and a second portion (43) comprising a second radiator (44), the second portion (43) being parallel to the first portion (40) and connected thereto by a fourth interconnection device (45).