A thermal-management system for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021394580-A1
Application number	US-201917290613-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 25, 2019
Priority date	Oct 31, 2018
Publication date	Dec 23, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a thermal-management system for a vehicle comprising:
at least one calories storage and/or frigories storage (S 1 , S 2 ), at least one element of the vehicle to be heated or cooled, at least one source of calories or frigories, detection means adapted to detect whether calories or frigories are available at one of the said sources, control means able to distribute the calories or frigories available at the sources to the elements to be heated or cooled, according to transient and nominal needs. characterized in that it comprises prediction means capable of making at least one prediction aimed at determining: whether calories or frigories will be available at a later date from any of the said sources and/or, whether a need for calories or frigories will exist at a later date at one of the said elements to be heated or cooled.

First claim

1 .- 12 . (canceled)

13 . A thermal-management system for a vehicle comprising:
at least one calories and/or frigories storage (S 1 , S 2 ) forming a source of calories or frigories, at least one element of the vehicle to be heated or cooled, at least one additional source of calories or frigories, detection means adapted to detect whether calories or frigories are available at one of the said sources, control means able to distribute the calories or frigories available at the sources to the elements to be heated or cooled, according to transient or nominal needs,
characterized in that it comprises prediction means capable of making at least one prediction aimed at determining:
whether calories or frigories will be available at a later date from any of the said sources and/or,
whether a need for calories or frigories will exist at a later date at one of the said elements to be heated or cooled.

and in that it comprises management means capable of:
defining a thermal need for one or more of the elements of the vehicle to be heated or cooled and/or an electrical need for one or more of the elements of the vehicle to be supplied electrically, on the basis of input data relating to the state of the elements of the vehicle to be heated or cooled, and relating to the state of the sources of calories or frigories, of a request from a user and/or of a prediction,
defining an operating mode of the system on the basis of the said thermal need, the said electrical need and/or a prediction,
operating the system's actuators, so as to operate the system according to the chosen operating mode.

14 . A system according to claim 13 , characterized in that the prediction means are capable of calculating the subsequent availability of calories and/or frigories, and/or the subsequent requirements for calories and/or frigories from at least one of the following input data:
data related to the user's habits and/or comfort preferences, in particular:
data related to the vehicle's interior temperature usually desired by the user,
the airflow rate usually desired by the user in the passenger compartment,
distribution of the airflow usually desired by the user in the passenger compartment, between different air-entry points in the passenger compartment, such as air vents,
distribution between the fresh air from outside the passenger compartment and the recycled air from the passenger compartment, usually desired by the user,
the orientation of the air vents usually desired by the user,
data related to the user's driving habits and/or preferences, in particular:
data related to the vehicle's speed,
vehicle's running time,
vehicle's downtime,
vehicle's acceleration,
speed of an internal combustion engine or electric engine of the vehicle,
data related to the user's journey, in particular:
geographical coordinates of the place of departure and/or the place of arrival planned or provided by the user,
real-time geographical coordinates of the vehicle,
meteorological data, such as wind speed and direction, temperature, rainfall, humidity, in particular along the journey, the parking place and/or the planned arrival place,
traffic conditions along the journey,
probability that the user will connect an electric battery of the vehicle to an electric charging station within a given time period,
data related to the health of the electric battery, data related to the state of charge of a battery, in particular:
type of battery charge, such as fast charge or normal charge,
expected charging time.

15 . A system according to claim 14 , characterised in that at least one calories source and/or frigories source also forms an element to be heated or cooled, according to the operating conditions of the vehicle.

16 . A system according to claim 15 , characterized in that it comprises at least one battery capable of forming a source of calories or frigories and/or capable of forming an element to be heated or cooled.

17 . A system according to claim 13 , characterised in that at least one calories source and/or frigories source also forms an element to be heated or cooled, according to the operating conditions of the vehicle.

18 . A system according to claim 13 , characterized in it comprises at least one calories storage (S 1 ) and at least one frigories storage (S 2 ).

19 . A system according to claim 13 , characterized in that it comprises at least one battery capable of forming a source of calories or frigories and/or capable of forming an element to be heated or cooled.

20 . A system according to claim 19 , characterized in that the battery is mounted in a housing accommodating a phase-change material capable of storing calories and/or frigories.

21 . A system according to claim 19 , characterized in that it comprises a device for heating, ventilating and/or conditioning a passenger compartment of the vehicle, comprising:
a refrigerant fluid circuit ( 2 ), a heat-transfer fluid circuit ( 1 ), a first heat exchanger (E 2 ) capable of exchanging heat between the heat-transfer fluid and the air intended to enter the passenger compartment of the vehicle, a second heat exchanger (E 4 ) capable of exchanging heat between the refrigerant fluid and the air intended to enter the passenger compartment of the vehicle and capable of forming a condenser, a third heat exchanger (E 6 ) capable of exchanging heat between the refrigerant fluid and the air intended to enter the passenger compartment of the vehicle and capable of forming an evaporator, at least a fourth heat exchanger (E 1 ), capable of exchanging heat between the refrigerant fluid and the heat-transfer fluid, the control means being able to distribute the calories or frigories between the sources and the elements to be heated and cooled, through the refrigerant fluid circuit, the heat-transfer fluid circuit and/or, from the said exchangers.

22 . A system according to claim 21 , characterized in that the battery is capable of exchanging heat with the heat-transfer fluid.

23 . A system according to claim 13 , characterized in that it comprises a device for heating, ventilating and/or conditioning a passenger compartment of the vehicle, comprising:
a refrigerant fluid circuit ( 2 ), a heat-transfer fluid circuit ( 1 ), a first heat exchanger (E 2 ) capable of exchanging heat between the heat-transfer fluid and the air intended to enter the passenger compartment of the vehicle, a second heat exchanger (E 4 ) capable of exchanging heat between the refrigerant fluid and the air intended to enter the passenger compartment of the vehicle and capable of forming a condenser, a third heat exchanger (E 6 ) capable of exchanging heat between the refrigerant fluid and the air intended to enter the passenger compartment of the vehicle and capable of forming an evaporator, at least a fourth heat exchanger (E 1 ), capable of exchanging heat between the refrigerant fluid and the heat-transfer fluid, the control means being able to distribute the calories or frigories between the sources and the elements to be heated and cooled, through the refrigerant fluid circuit, the heat-transfer fluid circuit and/or, from the said exchangers.

24 . A system according to claim 23 , characterized in that the heating, ventilation and/or conditioning device comprises a fifth heat exchanger capable of exchanging heat between, firstly, the heat-transfer fluid or the refrigerant fluid and, secondly, hot gases from an exhaust line of the vehicle.

25 . A system according to claim 23 , characterized in that the storage is capable of exchanging heat with the heat-transfer fl

Assignees

• Hutchinson

Inventors

• Chopard Fabrice
• De Campos Garcia Hélder Filipe
• Abdallah Ibrahim

Classifications

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T90/14

  Plug-in electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• G08G1/143

  inside the vehicles · CPC title

• B60H1/00492

  comprising regenerative heating or cooling means, e.g. heat accumulators · CPC title