Thermal management system with two pumps and three loops

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10843550-B2
Application number	US-201816107885-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2018
Priority date	Aug 21, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A thermal management system comprises two pumps and three coolant loops. The loops are interconnectable such that most if not all of the functions of the thermal management system can be accomplished with one of the two pumps deactivated or inoperable. The thermal management system is selectively configurable to utilize waste heat from a battery, an electrical drivetrain system, and/or a wireless charger to heat cabin air. The thermal management system is further selectively configurable to heat or cool a battery, to cool an electrical drivetrain system, and to cool a wireless charger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management system comprising: a first coolant loop comprising a first pump and a radiator and configured to route coolant to at least one electrical drivetrain system component; a second coolant loop separate from the first coolant loop and comprising a second pump, a high voltage heater, and a heater core, the second coolant loop interconnectable with the first coolant loop via a first four-way valve; a third coolant loop separate from the first and second coolant loops, the third coolant loop comprising a chiller and configured to route coolant to a battery, the third coolant loop interconnectable with the second coolant loop via a second four-way valve separate from the first four-way valve, and interconnectable with the first coolant loop via a third four-way valve separate from the first and second four-way valves; and a coolant conduit configured to route coolant from the second coolant loop to a wireless charger, and from the wireless charger to a fourth four-way valve separate from the first, second, and third four-way valves.

2. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the chiller utilizes a refrigerant separate from the coolant as a working fluid.

3. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the first coolant loop comprises the fourth four-way valve.

4. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the coolant is water.

5. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the first coolant loop comprises a radiator bypass conduit that enables coolant to flow around the radiator.

6. The thermal management system of claim 5 , wherein the first coolant loop comprises a three-way valve selectively configurable to receive coolant from the radiator or to receive coolant from the radiator bypass conduit.

7. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the second four-way valve is configured to route coolant from the second coolant loop into the third coolant loop, and to route coolant from the third coolant loop into the first coolant loop.

8. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the first four-way valve is configured to route coolant from the second coolant loop to the first coolant loop, and to route coolant from the first coolant loop into the second coolant loop.

9. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the third four-way valve is configured to route coolant from the first coolant loop to the third coolant loop, and to route coolant from the third coolant loop into the first coolant loop.

10. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first pump, the second pump, the high voltage heater, the heater core, and the chiller can be selectively activated.

11. An electric vehicle comprising:
a battery;
an electrical drivetrain system comprising at least one motor, the electrical drivetrain system powered by the battery;
a wireless charger for charging the battery; and
a thermal management system, the thermal management system comprising:
a first coolant loop comprising a first pump, a first four-way valve, a second four-way valve, and a radiator, the first coolant loop configured to route coolant to at least a portion of the electrical drivetrain system;
a second coolant loop comprising a second pump, a high voltage heater, a heater core, the first four-way valve, and a third four-way valve; and
a third coolant loop comprising a chiller and the second four-way valve, the third coolant loop configured to route coolant to the battery.

12. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the first four-way valve is selectively configurable to route coolant from the first coolant loop to the second coolant loop, and from the second coolant loop to the first coolant loop.

13. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the second four-way valve is selectively configurable to route coolant from the first coolant loop to the third coolant loop, and from the third coolant loop to the first coolant loop.

14. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the third four-way valve is selectively configurable to route coolant from the second coolant loop to the third coolant loop, and from the third coolant loop to the second coolant loop.

15. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein each of the first pump and the second pump can be selectively deactivated.

16. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , the first coolant loop further comprising a fourth four-way valve, and the thermal management system further comprising a coolant conduit for routing fluid from the second coolant loop to the wireless charger, and from the wireless charger to the fourth four-way valve.

17. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the battery heats coolant in the third coolant loop and the heated coolant is routed to the heater core for heating air flowing therethrough.

18. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the electrical drivetrain system heats coolant in the first coolant loop and the heated coolant is routed to the battery for heating the battery.

19. The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein coolant is routed to the radiator for first stage cooling and to the chiller for second stage cooling before being routed to one of the battery and the electrical drivetrain system.

20. A system for managing thermal energy in a vehicle, comprising:
a first coolant loop comprising a first pump and a radiator, the first coolant loop configured to extract heat from at least a portion of an electrical drivetrain system, the first pump being selectively operable;
a second coolant loop comprising a second pump, a high voltage heater, and a heater core, each of the second pump, the high voltage heater, and the heater core being selectively operable, the second coolant loop interconnectable with the first coolant loop via a first four-way valve;
a third coolant loop comprising a selectively operable chiller, the third coolant loop configurable to route coolant to a battery and interconnectable with the first coolant loop via a second four-way valve different than the first four-way valve, and with the second coolant loop via a third four-way valve different than the first and second four-way valves; and
a coolant conduit configured to route coolant from the second coolant loop to a wireless charger, and from the wireless charger to a fourth four-way valve different than the first, second, and third four-way valves.

Assignees

• Nio Usa Inc

Inventors

• Wong Ming Fung

Classifications

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• B60K11/02 Primary

  with liquid cooling · CPC title

• B60K1/00

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• B60K2001/006

  the electric motors · CPC title

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title