Electric vehicle battery cooling using excess cabin air conditioning capacity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10644367-B2
Application number	US-201615285067-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2016
Priority date	Oct 4, 2016
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

A battery thermal management system includes a passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop including at least one evaporator in fluid communication with a chiller and a battery pack coolant loop in fluid communication with the chiller. A controller is configured to determine whether a temperature of the at least one evaporator falls within a predetermined temperature range, and if so to cause a valve to bypass a refrigerant from the air-conditioning refrigerant loop to the chiller. Evaporator temperature is determined by providing at least one evaporator temperature sensor.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A battery thermal management system, comprising:
a passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop comprising at least one evaporator in fluid communication with a chiller;
a battery pack coolant loop in fluid communication with the chiller; and
a controller configured to determine whether a battery pack temperature has reached or exceeded a predetermined upper limit, whether the at least one evaporator is operating, and whether a temperature of the at least one evaporator falls within a predetermined temperature range, and only when the above conditions have been met to cause a valve to bypass a refrigerant from the air-conditioning refrigerant loop to the chiller.

2. The battery thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the valve is a thermal expansion valve (TXV) which controls introduction of the refrigerant into the chiller.

3. An electric vehicle including the battery thermal management system of claim 1 .

4. The battery thermal management system of claim 1 , further including at least one evaporator temperature sensor.

5. The battery thermal management system of claim 2 , further including at least one battery pack temperature sensor.

6. The battery thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop further comprises a compressor.

7. The battery thermal management system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is further configured to prevent the compressor from operating above a predetermined maximum operating pressure.

8. In an electric vehicle, a method for battery pack thermal management, comprising:
configuring a controller to determine whether a temperature of at least one evaporator of a passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop falls within a predetermined temperature range and whether a battery pack temperature has exceeded a predetermined upper limit; and
configuring the controller to, only when the above conditions are met, cause a valve to introduce a refrigerant from the passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop into a chiller in fluid communication with both the passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop and a battery pack coolant loop to transfer excess cooling capacity from the passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop to the battery pack coolant loop.

9. The method of claim 8 , including providing a thermal expansion valve (TXV) to control introduction of the refrigerant into the chiller.

10. The method of claim 8 , including determining a temperature of the at least one evaporator by at least one evaporator temperature sensor.

11. The method of claim 10 , including determining the battery pack temperature by at least one battery pack temperature sensor.

12. The method of claim 8 , further including providing the passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop with a compressor.

13. The method of claim 12 , further including configuring the controller to prevent the compressor from operating above a predetermined maximum operating pressure.

14. A battery thermal management system, comprising:
a passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop comprising at least one evaporator in fluid communication with a chiller;
a battery pack coolant loop in fluid communication with the chiller; and
a controller configured to determine whether a temperature of the at least one evaporator falls within a predetermined temperature range and whether a battery pack temperature has reached or exceeded a predetermined upper limit, and, only when both conditions are met, on request to cause a valve to introduce a refrigerant from the air-conditioning refrigerant loop into the chiller to transfer excess cooling capacity from the passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop to the battery pack coolant loop.

15. The battery thermal management system of claim 14 , further including at least one evaporator temperature sensor.

16. The battery thermal management system of claim 14 , wherein the valve is a thermal expansion valve (TXV) which controls introduction of the refrigerant into the chiller.

17. The battery thermal management system of claim 14 , further including at least one battery pack temperature sensor.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jalilevand Ali
• Koberstein Manfred
• Jackson Kenneth J
• Wallis Michael Steven
• Johnston William Stewart

Classifications

• B60H1/00392

  for electric vehicles having only electric drive means · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2240/545

  Temperature · CPC title

• B60H1/00278 Primary

  for the battery · CPC title

• H01M10/663

  the system being an air-conditioner or an engine · CPC title