Device for controlling the temperature of a battery, comprising an evaporator for cooling the battery and a radiator for heating the battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10259286-B2
Application number	US-201515504132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Aug 19, 2014
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A device that controls a temperature of a battery onboard a motor vehicle includes an air-conditioning circuit of the motor vehicle in which circulates, as a first heat-transfer fluid, an air-conditioning fluid. The air-conditioning circuit includes at least one evaporator for direct transfer of heat emitted by the battery to the air-conditioning fluid and a compressor to increase a pressure and a temperature of the air-conditioning fluid. The device also includes a cooling circuit in which circulates, as a second heat-transfer fluid, a cooling fluid. The cooling circuit includes at least one first heat source to heat the cooling fluid and at least one main radiator to cool the cooling fluid that can be short-circuited. The cooling circuit also includes a battery radiator to directly transfer heat conveyed by the hot cooling fluid to the battery when the main radiator of the cooling circuit is short-circuited.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for controlling a temperature of a battery onboard a motor vehicle, the temperature control device comprising:
an air-conditioning circuit of the motor vehicle in which circulates, as a first heat-transfer fluid, an air-conditioning fluid, the air-conditioning circuit including at least one evaporator, the at least one evaporator including a first evaporator to directly transfer of heat emitted by the battery to the air-conditioning fluid, a compressor to increase a pressure and a temperature of the air-conditioning fluid;
a cooling circuit in which circulates, as a second heat-transfer fluid, a cooling fluid, the cooling circuit including at least one first heat source adapted to heat the cooling fluid and a main radiator to cool the cooling fluid that can be short-circuited;
wherein the cooling circuit includes a battery radiator as a second, secondary radiator to directly transfer heat conveyed by the hot cooling fluid to the battery when the main radiator of the cooling circuit is short-circuited,
wherein the cooling circuit includes a cold start pipe, a first end of the cold start pipe being connected as a bypass between the battery radiator and the first heat source and a second end of the cold start pipe being arranged upstream of a heat exchanger, a pump being arranged in a branch including the battery radiator, and a cold start valve enabling, in a first, cold start position, the cooling fluid to flow in a loop by short-circuiting simultaneously the first heat source and the main radiator,
wherein when the first heat source exceeds a predetermined temperature the cold start valve can be set to a second heating position in which the cooling fluid flows in a loop through the first heat source and then a second heat source before reaching the battery, the cold start pipe being blocked, and
wherein the cold start valve can be set to a third position in which the battery radiator is short-circuited, the cooling circuit including a second pump to enable circulation of the cooling fluid between the first heat source and the main radiator.

2. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second heat source of the cooling circuit is formed by the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger is arranged directly upstream of the battery radiator and makes it possible to transfer heat from the air-conditioning fluid directly to the cooling fluid, the heat exchanger being arranged directly downstream of the compressor in the air-conditioning circuit.

3. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the air-conditioning circuit includes:
a modulation pipe that is adapted to short-circuit the at least one evaporator, the modulation pipe being positioned downstream of a condenser and upstream of the compressor, by controlling a modulation valve when the air-conditioning circuit is operating in a heat pump mode; and
an expansion valve that is arranged in a bypass between the heat exchanger and the condenser, a bypass valve enabling control of the passage of the air-conditioning fluid in the expansion valve in the heat pump mode of the air-conditioning circuit.

4. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the cooling circuit includes thermo plungers that are configured to heat the cooling fluid.

5. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a part of the heat exchanger through which the air-conditioning fluid flows forms a condenser.

6. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first heat source is formed by an electronic control unit that controls electrical charging of the battery.

7. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the at least one evaporator includes a second evaporator, positioned in parallel with the first evaporator, to cool air in a ventilation duct of the passenger compartment.

8. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the first evaporator and the second evaporator are connected in parallel to the compressor via a common pipe, the compressor being positioned downstream of the first evaporator and the second evaporator.

9. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the second evaporator is also short-circuited by controlling the modulation valve when the air-conditioning circuit is operating in the heat pump mode.

Assignees

• Renault Sas

Inventors

• Janier Benoit
• David Pascal

Classifications

• B60K11/02 Primary

  with liquid cooling · CPC title

• B60H1/00278 Primary

  for the battery · CPC title

• B60K2001/005

  the electric storage means · CPC title

• B60H2001/00928

  comprising a secondary circuit · CPC title

• B60H1/00921

  where the flow direction of the refrigerant does not change and there is an extra subcondenser, e.g. in an air duct · CPC title