Thermal management system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183548-B2
Application number	US-201414781940-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2014
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

In a thermal management system for a vehicle, a first switching valve is connected to at least one device in a group of a plurality of devices, a heat medium discharge side of a first pump, and a heat medium discharge side of a second pump in parallel with each other; and a second switching valve is connected to at least one device in the device group, a heat medium suction side of the first pump, and a heat medium suction side of the second pump in parallel with each other. Heat medium circulating through a first device included in the device group allows to flow through the second device. One side of a heat medium inlet side and a heat medium outlet side of the second device is connected to between one of the first switching valve and the second switching valve and the first device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first pump and a second pump that draw and discharge a heat medium;
a device group configured by plural devices, through which the heat medium circulates;
a first switching valve that is connected to at least one device of the device group, a heat medium discharge side of the first pump, and a heat medium discharge side of the second pump, the first switching valve being adapted to switch between a state in which the heat medium discharged from the first pump flows, and another state in which the heat medium discharged from the second pump flows, with respect to the at least one device;
a second switching valve that is connected to the at least one device, a heat medium suction side of the first pump, and a heat medium suction side of the second pump, the second switching valve being adapted to switch between a state in which the heat medium flows into the first pump and another state in which the heat medium flows into the second pump, with respect to the at least one device; and
a first device included in the device group, and a second device in which the heat medium circulating through the first device needs to flow, wherein
one side of a heat medium inlet side and a heat medium outlet side of the second device is connected to a flow path directly between the first device and one of the first switching valve and the second switching valve.

2. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the first device is disposed between one pump of the first pump and the second pump, and the one switching valve of the first switching valve and the second switching valve, and
the other side of the heat medium inlet side and the heat medium outlet side of the second device is connected to a position between the other one of the first switching valve and the second switching valve and the first device, or to the other switching valve of the first switching valve and the second switching valve.

3. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a third device included in the device group, and a fourth device in which the heat medium circulating through the third device needs to flow, wherein
the other side of the heat medium inlet side and the heat medium outlet side of the second device is connected to the other switching valve,
the third device is disposed between the other pump of the first pump and the second pump, and the first switching valve or the second switching valve,
one side of a heat medium inlet side and a heat medium outlet side of the fourth device is connected to a position between the other switching valve and the third device, and
the other side of the heat medium inlet side and the heat medium outlet side of the fourth device is connected to the one switching valve via which the second device is connected to the first device.

4. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the device group includes a heat medium-outside air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the heat medium and outside air,
the first device is a heat medium cooler that cools the heat medium by exchanging heat between the heat medium and a low-pressure side refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle,
the third device is a heat medium heater that heats the heat medium by exchanging heat between the heat medium and a high-pressure side refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, and
the first switching valve and the second switching valve are capable of switching between a state of connecting the heat medium-outside air heat exchanger to the heat medium cooler and another state of connecting the heat medium-outside air heat exchanger to the heat medium heater.

5. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one device includes the first device, and
the other side of the heat medium inlet side and the heat medium outlet side of the second device is connected to the one switching valve.

6. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the first switching valve includes
numerous first switching valve ports connected to the at least one device, a heat medium discharge side of the first pump, and a heat medium discharge side of the second pump, and
a first-switching-valve valve body that opens or closes the numerous first switching valve ports,

the second switching valve includes
numerous second valve switching ports connected to the at least one device, a heat medium suction side of the first pump, and a heat medium suction side of the second pump, and
a second-switching-valve valve body that opens or closes the numerous second switching valve ports, and

at least one of:
the first-switching-valve valve body is capable of adjusting a time-averaged flow rate of the heat medium flowing through at least a pair of ports connected to each other among the numerous first switching valve ports, and
the second-switching-valve valve body is capable of adjusting a time-averaged flow rate of the heat medium flowing through at least a pair of ports connected to each other among the numerous second switching valve ports.

7. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising
an engine cooling circuit for circulation of the heat medium to cool an engine, wherein
the engine cooling circuit is connected to at least one switching valve of the first switching valve and the second switching valve.

8. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising
a communication flow path that communicates between a heat medium flow path leading from a heat medium inlet of the second switching valve to a heat medium suction portion of the first pump, and a heat medium flow path leading from a heat medium inlet of the second switching valve to a heat medium suction portion of the second pump.

9. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a detector that detects a temperature associated with a temperature of the heat medium; and
a switching controller that controls operation of the first switching valve and the second switching valve in accordance with the temperature detected by the detector.

10. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the device group includes a heat medium-outside air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the heat medium and outside air, and a cooling device that cools the heat medium down to a temperature lower than a temperature of the outside air, and
the at least one device includes a plurality of cooling target devices to be cooled with the heat medium,
the thermal management system for a vehicle further comprising:
a detector that detects a temperature associated with a temperature of the heat medium obtained after the heat exchange by the heat medium-outside air heat exchanger; and
a switching controller that controls operation of the first switching valve and the second switching valve such that when the temperature detected by the detector is lower than a predetermined temperature, a device among the cooling target devices which needs cooling is connected to the heat medium-outside air heat exchanger, and such that when the temperature detected by the detector is higher than the predetermined temperature, the number of devices which need cooling and are connected to the cooling device is increased as the temperature detected by the detector increases.

11. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein
the cooling target devices include devices having differen

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Enomoto Norihiko
• Nishikawa Michio
• Kakehashi Nobuharu

Classifications

• B60H1/32284

  comprising two or more secondary circuits, e.g. at evaporator and condenser side · CPC title

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title

• B60H1/00885 Primary

  Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps (B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485) · CPC title

• F25B2339/047

  Water-cooled condensers · CPC title

• B60K2001/003

  with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units · CPC title