Method and air conditioning unit for air conditioning an interior of an electrically driven vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10589595-B2
Application number	US-201715453665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2014
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

Temperature control of an interior of a motor vehicle having an electrical drive is carried out by a heat pump arrangement having a heating temperature region and a low temperature region, wherein the heating temperature region includes at least one interior heat exchanger thermally coupled to the interior and the low temperature region includes at least one of an exterior heat exchanger and a heat exchanger disposed on a component of the electrical drive. When the interior of the motor vehicle is be temperature-controlled, heat energy from the heating temperature region of the heat pump arrangement is delivered to the interior of the vehicle, and the operating point of the electrical drive is altered such that the generation of thermal losses is controlled in at least one electrical component of the electrical drive, such that the temperature of the low temperature region in the stationary or quasi-stationary operation is controlled at a level so as to ensure that the heat pump arrangement can provide the heating energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for the temperature control of an interior compartment of a motor vehicle having an electric drive by way of a heat pump arrangement having a heating temperature region and having a low-temperature region, wherein the heating temperature region comprises at least one interior compartment heat exchanger which is thermally coupled to the interior compartment, and the low-temperature region comprises at least one of an exterior heat exchanger and a heat exchanger arranged on an electrical component of the electric drive, wherein the method comprises the acts of:
making a first determination as to whether, at an operating point of the electric drive, heat losses generated by the electric drive are sufficient to generate heating energy that satisfies a demand for heating the interior compartment
making a second determination as to whether, based on at least one of the exterior temperature and the air humidity, there is a risk of function-impairing icing occurring in the region of the low-temperature region,
supplying heating energy of the heating temperature region of the heat pump arrangement to the interior compartment of the vehicle in response to the demand that the interior compartment of the motor vehicle is to be temperature-controlled; and
varying the operating point of the electric drive based on the first and second determinations, so as to control the generation of the heat losses such that the temperature of the low-temperature region is, in steady-state or quasi-steady-state operation, controlled to a level which ensures that the heat pump arrangement can provide sufficient heating energy to satisfy the demand that the interior compartment be temperature controlled.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein,
in the event components of the electric drive generate heat losses of a magnitude sufficient to generate the heating energy by way of the heat pump arrangement that satisfies the demand, the method further comprises:
dissipating the heat losses of the component of the electric drive by way of the low-temperature region of the heat pump arrangement,
wherein the temperature of the low-temperature region lies, in steady-state or quasi-steady-state operation, in the region of the temperature of the surroundings of the motor vehicle, and the electric drive is operated in the region of the optimum operating point; and

in the event the electric drive generates heat losses of a magnitude not sufficient to generate the heating energy by way of the heat pump arrangement that satisfies the demand, and if, based on at least one of the exterior temperature and the air humidity, it is determined that there is no risk of function-impairing icing occurring in the region of the low-temperature region, the method further comprises:
dissipating the heat losses of the component of the electric drive by way of the low-temperature region of the heat pump arrangement; and
extracting heat energy from the surroundings by way of the exterior heat exchanger,
wherein the temperature of the low-temperature region lies, in steady-state or quasi-steady-state operation, below the temperature of the surroundings of the motor vehicle, and the electric drive is operated in the region of the optimum operating point.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein,
in the event the electric drive generates, during operation at the optimum operating point, heat losses of a magnitude not sufficient to generate the heating energy by way of the heat pump arrangement that satisfies the demand, and if, based on at least one of the exterior temperature and the air humidity, it is determined that there is a risk of function-impairing icing occurring in the region of the low-temperature region, the method further comprises:
actuating the electric drive outside the optimum operating point such that at least one first electrical component of the electric drive generates, in steady-state or quasi-steady-state operation, heat losses such that the heat pump arrangement can generate the heating energy; and
dissipating the heat losses generated by the at least one first electrical component by way of the low-temperature region of the heat pump arrangement.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein,
in the event the electric drive generates, during operation at the optimum operating point, heat losses of a magnitude not sufficient to generate the heating energy by way of the heat pump arrangement that satisfies the demand, and if, based on at least one of the exterior temperature and the air humidity, it is determined that there is a risk of function-impairing icing occurring in the region of the low-temperature region, the method further comprises:
actuating the electric drive outside the optimum operating point such that at least one first electrical component of the electric drive generates, in steady-state or quasi-steady-state operation, heat losses such that the heat pump arrangement can generate the heating energy; and
dissipating the heat losses generated by the at least one first electrical component by way of the low-temperature region of the heat pump arrangement.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electric drive comprises:
a battery,
an electric machine which is supplied with current from the battery and which drives the motor vehicle, and
a drive control device which controls the supply of current from the battery to the electric machine and/or which controls the charging of the battery with current generated by the electric machine.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heat pump arrangement is actuated such that the temperature of the low-temperature region lies in the range of approximately +/−5 K around a temperature of the surroundings of the motor vehicle.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, with respect to the generation of heat losses, the method further comprises:
providing current by way of the drive control device such that a ratio of a field-forming current and a torque-forming current lies outside an optimum ratio, for the respective operating point, of the field-forming current and the torque-forming current.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, with respect to the generation of heat losses, the method further comprises:
providing current by way of the drive control device such that a ratio of a field-forming current and a torque-forming current lies outside an optimum ratio, for the respective operating point, of the field-forming current and the torque-forming current.

9. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein, with respect to the generation of heat losses, the method further comprises:
providing current by way of the drive control device such that a ratio of a field-forming current and a torque-forming current lies outside an optimum ratio, for the respective operating point, of the field-forming current and the torque-forming current.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, with respect to the generation of heat losses, the method comprises:
actuating a brake of the motor vehicle and actuating the electric drive such that said electric drive is intended to move the motor vehicle;
actuating the drive control device such that only a field-forming current id is supplied to the electric machine;
actuating the electric drive such that the drive control device actuates the electric machine such that a rotating field is generated in the electric machine, without the axle of the electric machine rotating;
in the event the motor vehicle is at a standstill, the method further comprises actuating the electric drive such that the drive control device actuates the electric machine such that the electric machine gen

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Schedel Felix
• Hofmann Philipp
• Horn Oliver
• Satzger Peter
• Moser Markus

Classifications

• B60L1/003 Primary

  to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors · CPC title

• B60H1/00392 Primary

  for electric vehicles having only electric drive means · CPC title

• B60L2240/34

  Cabin temperature · CPC title

• B60H1/143

  the heat being derived from cooling an electric component, e.g. electric motors, electric circuits, fuel cells or batteries · CPC title

• B60L2270/46

  Heat pumps, e.g. for cabin heating · CPC title