Thermal management system and valve thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12372159-B2
Application number	US-202418757381-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2024
Priority date	Oct 17, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

The patent discloses a thermal management system and a valve thereof. The valve comprises a valve house and a valve core that can be rotatably mounted in the valve house. A plurality of inner valve ports and a plurality of outer valve ports are defined in an axial end of the valve house. The inner valve ports and the outer valve ports are arranged at intervals along the circumference of valve house. the valve core defines a plurality of inner flow channels and a plurality of outer flow channels extending through one of axial ends of the valve core. the inner flow channels are located at a radial inner side of the outer flow channels and are not in communication with each other inside the valve core. The inner flow channels are corresponding to the inner valve ports. The outer flow channels are corresponding to the outer valve ports. In response to the valve core rotating to different positions relative to the valve house, the inner flow channels selectively communicate with different inner valve ports, and the outer flow channel selectively communicate with different outer valve ports.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve comprising a valve house and a valve core rotatably mounted in the valve house, wherein
a plurality of inner valve ports and a plurality of outer valve ports are defined in an axial end of the valve house; the inner valve ports are arranged at intervals along a circumferential direction of the valve house, the outer valve ports are arranged at intervals along a circumferential direction of the valve house; the inner valve ports are located on a radial inner side of the outer valve ports; the valve core defines a plurality of inner flow channels and a plurality of outer flow channels extending through one of two axial ends of the valve core facing the end of the valve house with the inner/outer valve ports and prevented from liquid communication at the other one axial end; the inner flow channels are located at a radial inner side of the outer flow channels, and are not in communication with each other inside the valve core, each of the inner flow channels is configured to overlap and communicate with two of the inner valve ports in an axial direction to enable the two inner valve ports to be interconnected with each other, each of the outer flow channels is configured to overlap and communicate with two of the outer valve ports in the axial direction to enable the two outer valve ports to be interconnected with each other; in response to the valve core rotating to different positions relative to the valve house, the inner flow channels selectively communicate with different inner valve ports, and the outer flow channel selectively communicate with different outer valve ports.

2. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inner flow channels comprises two inner flow channels, the plurality of inner valve ports comprises six inner valve ports, each inner flow channel is configured to enable two or three of the inner valve ports to be interconnected with one another.

3. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of outer flow channels comprises three outer flow channels, the plurality of outer valve ports comprises three outer valve ports, each outer flow channel is configured to enable two or three of the inner valve ports to be interconnected with one another.

4. The valve of claim 1 , wherein each of the inner valve ports and outer valve ports is sector-annular, and each of the inner flow channels and outer flow channels is sector-annular; all of the inner valve ports are arranged on a circle, and all of the outer valve ports are arranged on a circle; all of the inner flow channels are arranged on a circle which overlaps axially with the circle where the inner valve ports are located, and all of the outer flow channels are arranged on a circle, which overlaps axially with the circle where the outer valve ports are located.

5. The valve of claim 4 , wherein a circumferential width of each of the outer flow channels is 2 times that of each of the outer valve ports; a circumferential width of each of the inner flow channels is 3 times that of each of the outer valve ports; a circumferential width of one of the inner valve ports is equivalent to that of the outer valve ports, and a width of another one of the inner valve ports is 2 times that of the outer valve ports.

6. The valve of claim 4 , wherein the valve core further comprises a shared flow channel E 0 , and the shared flow channel extends radially through both of the circles on which the inner flow channel and the outer flow channel are respectively located and is configured to enable a fluid communication between selected one of the inner valve ports and one of the outer valve ports.

7. The valve of claim 4 , wherein the valve core defines a first air hole and a second air hole, the first air hole is located on the circle where the inner flow channels are located and communicates with one of the inner flow channels, and the second air hole is located on the circle where the outer flow channel are located and communicates with one of the outer flow channels.

8. The valve of claim 1 , wherein a dynamic friction ring is mounted to an axial end of the valve core, a static friction ring is installed inside the valve house, the dynamic friction ring and the static friction ring axially abuts against each other to form a dynamic seal therebetween.

9. A thermal management system, comprising a first fluid circuit, a second fluid circuit, a third circuit and the valve of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid circuit is connected to at least two of inner valve ports of the valve; the second fluid circuit is connected to at least two of the inner valve ports of valve, but different from the inner ports connected to the first fluid circuit; the third circuit is connected to at least two of the outer valve ports of the valve.

10. The thermal management system of claim 9 , wherein,
a traction motor and a radiator are connected in series in the first fluid circuit, an inlet of the traction motor is defined as a first inlet of the first fluid circuit, an outlet of the radiator is defined as a first outlet of the first fluid circuit; the first inlet and the first outlet of the first fluid circuit are respectively connected to two of the inner valve ports of the valve;
a battery and a chiller are connected in series in the second fluid circuit, an inlet of the battery is defined as a second inlet of the second fluid circuit, an outlet of the chiller is defined as a second outlet of the second fluid circuit; the second inlet and the second outlet of the second fluid circuit are respectively connected to two of the inner valve ports, but different from the inner valve ports connected to the first fluid circuit;
a heater and a blower warming core are connected in series in the third fluid circuit, an inlet of the heater is defined as a third inlet of the third circuit, an outlet of blower warming core is defined as a third outlet of the third circuit; the third inlet and the third outlet of the third circuit are respectively connected to two of the outer valve ports of the valve.

11. The thermal management system of claim 10 , wherein,
a first tee joint is arranged between an outlet of the traction motor and an inlet of the radiator, input and output ports of the first tee joint is connected to three of the inner valve ports of valve respectively;
a second tee joint is arranged between an outlet of the battery and an inlet of the chiller, input and output ports of the second tee joint are connected to other three inner valve ports of the valve respectively;
a third tee joint is arranged between the outlet of the heater and the inlet of the blower warming core, input and output ports of the third tee joint are respectively connected two the three outer valve ports of the valve.

12. The thermal management system of claim 11 , wherein the chiller is provided with a first fluid path, a second fluid path and a third fluid path; the first fluid path is connected between the third tee joint and the corresponding outer valve port of the valve; the second fluid path is connected between the second tee joint and the corresponding one of the inner valve ports; the third fluid path is provided for flow of refrigerant.

13. The thermal management system of claim 12 , wherein the chiller is made up of two heat exchanging units, one of which is provided with the first fluid path and the second fluid path, and the other one is provided with the second fluid path and the third fluid path.

14. The thermal management system of claim 11 , wherein,
the plurality of inner valve ports comprises a first inner valve port, a second inner valve port, a third inner valve port, a fourth inner valve port, a

Assignees

• Johnson Electric Int Ag

Inventors

• Chen Anbang
• Qu Tao
• Tao Xiaohe
• Wang Dong
• Zhao Yong
• Liu Xiaoyu
• Wang Haitao
• Qin Ruifeng

Classifications

• F16K27/044

  slide valves with flat obturating members · CPC title

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title

• B60L58/27

  by heating · CPC title

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• F01P7/165

  characterised by systems with two or more loops · CPC title