Thermal management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12097754-B2
Application number	US-202017615917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2020
Priority date	Jun 3, 2019
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A thermal management system and, more specifically, to a refrigerant system comprising: a compressor, a first heat exchanger, an expansion valve, a second heat exchanger, and an accumulator which are connected in sequence to form a closed loop; and a connection block which connects a heat exchange medium outlet of the expansion valve to a heat exchange medium inlet of the second heat exchanger, and connects a heat exchange medium outlet of the second heat exchanger to a heat exchange medium inlet of the accumulator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal management system comprising:
a first heat exchanger heat-exchanging a heat exchange medium introduced from a compressor;
an expansion valve expanding the heat exchange medium introduced from the first heat exchanger;
a second heat exchanger exchanging heat between the heat exchange medium introduced from the expansion valve and a heating component;
an accumulator storing the heat exchange medium introduced from the second heat exchanger and supplying the heat exchange medium to the compressor;
a connection block connecting a heat exchange medium outlet of the expansion valve and a heat exchange medium inlet of the second heat exchanger to each other and connecting a heat exchange medium outlet of the second heat exchanger and a heat exchange medium inlet of the accumulator to each other;
another expansion valve expanding the heat exchange medium introduced from the first heat exchanger; and
an evaporator heat-exchanging the heat exchange medium introduced from another expansion valve with air supplied to an interior and sending the heat exchange medium to the accumulator.

2. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein
the heating component includes a battery or an electronic component, and
the second heat exchanger cools or heats the heating component.

3. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein
the connection block connects and communicates three or more components to and with each other.

4. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein
the first heat exchanger, the expansion valve, the second heat exchanger, the accumulator, and the connection block are modularized and formed integrally with each other.

5. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein
an inlet through which the heat exchange medium is introduced and an outlet through which the heat exchange medium is discharged are formed on a lower side of the second heat exchanger in a height direction.

6. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein
the connection block is disposed below the expansion valve in a height direction.

7. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein
the accumulator is disposed below the second heat exchanger and the connection block in a height direction.

8. The thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising
another connection block connecting a heat exchange medium outlet of the first heat exchanger and an inlet of the expansion valve to each other.

9. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein a refrigerant flow path penetrating an interior of the connection block is formed,
a sensor mounting part connected to the refrigerant flow path is formed in the connection block,
a sensor can be installed in the sensor mounting part.

10. The thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising
another connection block connecting a heat exchange medium outlet of the first heat exchanger to an inlet of the first expansion valve and an inlet of a second expansion valve.

11. The thermal management system of claim 10 , wherein
the first heat exchanger includes:
a water-cooled condenser primarily heat-exchanging the heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor with a coolant; and
an air-cooled condenser secondarily heat-exchanging the heat exchange medium firstly heat-exchanged while passing through the water-cooled condenser with external air.

12. The thermal management system of claim 11 , further comprising
the second expansion valve connected between the water-cooled condenser and the air-cooled condenser, expanding the heat exchange medium discharged from the water-cooled condenser, and sending the expanded heat exchange medium to the air-cooled condenser.

13. The thermal management system of claim 10 , further comprising
an internal heat exchanger exchanging heat between the heat exchange medium flowing from another connection block to the second expansion valve and the heat exchange medium flowing from the evaporator to the accumulator.

Assignees

• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Hwang In-Guk
• Kim Seong Hun
• Lee Hae-Jun

Classifications

• B60H2001/00949

  comprising additional heating/cooling sources, e.g. second evaporator · CPC title

• B60H2001/00307

  Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow · CPC title

• B60H1/3213

  for increasing the efficiency in a vehicle heat pump · 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

• B60H1/00278

  for the battery · CPC title