Redundant cooling module for an autonomous vehicle computer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11744050-B2
Application number	US-202117479753-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2021
Priority date	May 18, 2020
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed. An example coolant system can be configured in an autonomous vehicle. The system can include a first coolant loop configured with a first series of coolant hoses to communicate a first volume of coolant fluid between a first reservoir, a first coolant pump, a three-way heat exchanger, and a computer system heat exchanger and a second coolant loop configured with a second series of coolant hoses to communicate a second volume of coolant fluid between a second reservoir, a second coolant pump, the three way heat exchanger, and the computer system heat exchanger. The system can further include a third coolant loop configured with a third series of coolant hoses to communicate third volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and an engine heat exchanger of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-way heat exchanger comprising:
one or more first internal channels connected to a first coolant loop configured to communicate a first volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and a computer system heat exchanger;
one or more second internal channels connected to a second coolant loop configured to communicate a second volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and the computer system heat exchanger; and
one or more third internal channels connected to a third coolant loop configured to communicate a third volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and an engine heat exchanger.

2. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the three-way heat exchanger is configured such that the first volume of coolant fluid and the second volume of coolant fluid are each separately cooled in the three-way heat exchanger.

3. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the computer system heat exchanger is associated with a computer system of an autonomous vehicle, and wherein the engine heat exchanger is associated with the autonomous vehicle.

4. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the third coolant loop comprises a vehicle engine coolant loop of an autonomous vehicle, and wherein the engine heat exchanger is associated with the vehicle engine coolant loop.

5. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the first coolant loop comprises a hot-side loop and the second coolant loop comprises a separate hot-side loop, and wherein the third coolant loop comprises a cold-side loop.

6. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the three-way heat exchanger is configured to cool, using the third volume of coolant fluid, at least one of the first volume of coolant fluid and the second volume of coolant fluid.

7. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first internal channels connected to the first coolant loop communicate the first volume of coolant fluid independent from the one or more second internal channels connected to the second coolant loop that communicate the second volume of coolant fluid.

8. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein when the first coolant loop fails, the three-way heat exchanger continues to draw heat from a computer system via at least one of the second coolant loop and the third coolant loop.

9. The three-way heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the three-way heat exchanger is part of a redundant thermal management system which provides multiple independent flows of coolant fluid to a computer system in thermal communication with the computer system heat exchanger.

10. A method comprising:
providing, by a three-way heat exchanger, one or more first internal channels connected to a first coolant loop configured to communicate a first volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and a computer system heat exchanger;
providing, by the three-way heat exchanger, one or more second internal channels connected to a second coolant loop configured to communicate a second volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and the computer system heat exchanger;
providing, by the three-way heat exchanger, one or more third internal channels connected to a third coolant loop configured to communicate a third volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and an engine heat exchanger; and
distributing, by the three-way heat exchanger, the first volume of coolant fluid through the one or more first internal channels, the second volume of coolant fluid through the one or more second internal channels, and the third volume of coolant fluid through the one or more third internal channels.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the three-way heat exchanger is configured such that the first volume of coolant fluid and the second volume of coolant fluid are each separately cooled in the three-way heat exchanger.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the computer system heat exchanger is associated with a computer system of an autonomous vehicle, and wherein the engine heat exchanger is associated with the autonomous vehicle.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the third coolant loop comprises a vehicle engine coolant loop of an autonomous vehicle, and wherein the engine heat exchanger is associated with the vehicle engine coolant loop.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first coolant loop comprises a hot-side loop and the second coolant loop comprises a separate hot-side loop, and wherein the third coolant loop comprises a cold-side loop.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising cooling, via the three-way heat exchanger using the third volume of coolant fluid, at least one of the first volume of coolant fluid and the second volume of coolant fluid.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more first internal channels connected to the first coolant loop communicate the first volume of coolant fluid independent from the one or more second internal channels connected to the second coolant loop that communicate the second volume of coolant fluid.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein when the first coolant loop fails, the three-way heat exchanger continues to draw heat from a computer system via at least one of the second coolant loop and the third coolant loop.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the three-way heat exchanger is part of a redundant thermal management system which provides multiple independent flows of coolant fluid to a computer system in thermal communication with the computer system heat exchanger.

19. A computer system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a three-way heat exchanger comprising:
one or more first internal channels connected to a first coolant loop configured to communicate a first volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and a computer system heat exchanger;
one or more second internal channels connected to a second coolant loop configured to communicate a second volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and the computer system heat exchanger; and
one or more third internal channels connected to a third coolant loop configured to communicate a third volume of coolant fluid between the three-way heat exchanger and an engine heat exchanger.

20. The computer system of claim 19 , wherein the computer system is part of an autonomous vehicle, and wherein the three-way heat exchanger is configured such that the first volume of coolant fluid and the second volume of coolant fluid are each separately cooled in the three-way heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Gm Cruise Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Lo Roger
• Schlotterbeck Brian

Classifications

• H05K7/20872 Primary

  Liquid coolant without phase change · CPC title

• F01P3/12

  Arrangements for cooling other engine or machine parts · CPC title

• H05K7/20263

  Heat dissipaters releasing heat from coolant · CPC title

• H05K7/20272

  Accessories for moving fluid, for expanding fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid, for removing gas or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds · CPC title

• F01P2060/00

  Cooling circuits using auxiliaries · CPC title