Dual-mode optimization for a distributed cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12537240-B2
Application number	US-202318384292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2023
Priority date	Oct 26, 2023
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

Typically, electric power sources, such as batteries and fuel cells, require cooling to temperatures near or below ambient temperature for safe and efficient operation. Traditional cooling systems are not be able or practical to cool the components to the required temperatures, due to the lack of temperature differential between the required cooling temperature and the ambient temperature, which drives the heat transfer. Disclosed embodiments optimize the efficiency of a cooling system based on ambient conditions. In particular, embodiments determine input parameters from one or more sensed parameters, such as ambient temperature and ambient pressure, and utilize these input parameters in a process that maximizes the operation of cooling units in the most efficient mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A dynamically-controlled cooling system comprising:
a plurality of cooling units configured to cool an electric power source, wherein each of the plurality of cooling units has a radiator circuit and a refrigeration circuit and operates in a first cooling mode and a second cooling mode; and a machine controller that includes at least one processor configured to
receive one or more parameter values from one or more sensors,
determine a cooling capacity for each of the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode based on a first subset of the one or more parameter values,
determine a cooling efficiency for each of the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode based on a second subset of the one or more parameter values,
determine a cooling demand based on a third subset of the one or more parameter values, and
determine a cooling configuration based on the cooling demand, the cooling capacity, and the cooling efficiency, wherein the cooling configuration indicates one or both of a number of the plurality of cooling units to operate in the first cooling mode or a number of the plurality of cooling units to operate in the second cooling mode.

2 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first subset and the second subset comprise (i) ambient temperature or coolant to ambient temperature gradient and (ii) ambient pressure.

3 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the machine controller comprises a memory that stores a cooling efficiency map for each of the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode, wherein determining the cooling efficiency for the first cooling mode comprises mapping (i) the ambient temperature or coolant to ambient temperature gradient and (ii) the ambient pressure to that cooling efficiency using the cooling efficiency map for the first cooling mode, and wherein determining the cooling efficiency for the second cooling mode comprises mapping the ambient temperature and the ambient pressure to that cooling efficiency using the cooling efficiency map for the second cooling mode.

4 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the machine controller comprises a memory that stores a cooling capacity map for each of the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode, wherein determining the cooling capacity for the first cooling mode comprises mapping the ambient temperature and the ambient pressure to that cooling capacity using the cooling capacity map for the first cooling mode, and wherein determining the cooling capacity for the second cooling mode comprises mapping (i) the ambient temperature or coolant to ambient temperature gradient and (ii) the ambient pressure to that cooling capacity using the cooling capacity map for the second cooling mode.

5 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the third subset comprises battery temperature and cooling temperature.

6 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the machine controller is further configured to activate at least a subset of the plurality of cooling units to operate in the determined cooling configuration.

7 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 1 , wherein determining the cooling configuration comprises:
determining a most efficient cooling mode from among the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode based on the cooling efficiencies for the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode; determining whether or not operation of the plurality of cooling units in the most efficient cooling mode will satisfy the demand based on the cooling capacity for the most efficient cooling mode; and when determining that operation of the plurality of cooling units in the most efficient cooling mode will satisfy the demand, determining the cooling configuration to indicate that a minimum number of the plurality of cooling units required to satisfy the demand are to be operated in the most efficient cooling mode.

8 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 7 , wherein determining the cooling configuration further comprises:
determining a least efficient cooling mode from among the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode based on the cooling efficiencies for the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode; when determining that operation of the plurality of cooling units in the most efficient cooling mode will not satisfy the demand,
determining whether or not operation of the plurality of cooling units in the least efficient cooling mode will satisfy the demand based on the cooling capacity for the least efficient cooling mode, and
when determining that operation of the plurality of cooling units in the least efficient cooling mode will satisfy the demand, determining the cooling configuration to maximize a percentage of the plurality of cooling units operating in the most efficient cooling mode and minimize a percentage of the plurality of cooling units operating in the least efficient cooling mode, while satisfying the demand based on the cooling capacities of the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode.

9 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 8 , wherein determining the cooling configuration further comprises, when determining that operation of the plurality of cooling units in the most efficient cooling mode will not satisfy the demand and when determining that operation of the plurality of cooling units in the least efficient cooling mode will not satisfy the demand, determining the cooling configuration to indicate that all of the plurality of cooling units are to be operated in a highest capacity cooling mode.

10 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cooling units comprises a refrigerant circuit condenser core and a radiator core through which coolant of the electric power source flows, wherein the first cooling mode utilizes the refrigerant circuit condenser core to chill the coolant, and wherein the second cooling mode does not utilize the refrigerant circuit condenser core to chill the coolant.

11 . The dynamically-controlled cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the electric power source comprises a battery.

12 . A mobile equipment comprising:
an electric power source; one or more sensors; and a dynamically-controlled cooling system comprising:
a plurality of cooling units configured to cool the electric power source, wherein each of the plurality of cooling units has a radiator circuit and a refrigeration circuit and operates in a first cooling mode and a second cooling mode;
a machine controller that includes at least one processor configured to
receive one or more parameter values from the one or more sensors,
determine a cooling capacity for each of the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode based on a first subset of the one or more parameter values,
determine a cooling efficiency for each of the first cooling mode and the second cooling mode based on a second subset of the one or more parameter values,
determine a cooling demand based on a third subset of the one or more parameter values, and

determine a cooling configuration based on the cooling demand, the cooling capacity, and the cooling efficiency, wherein the cooling configuration indicates one or both of a number of the plurality of cooling units to operate in the first cooling mode or a number of the plurality of cooling units to operate in the second cooling mode.

13 . The mobile equipment of claim 12 , wherein each of the first subset and the second subset comprise (i) ambient temperature or cool

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Schneider Karl P
• Lane Cameron T
• Olson Andrew

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title

• H01M10/6568

  characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings · CPC title

• H01M10/635 Primary

  based on ambient temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title