Thermal management system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9604627-B2
Application number	US-201415108748-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2014
Priority date	Jan 15, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A controller of a thermal management system for a vehicle controls a first switching valve and a second switching valve to set a battery warming-up state in which a heat medium circulates between a battery-temperature adjustment heat exchanger and a heat-medium heating heat exchanger, and the heat medium does not circulate between a coolant-coolant heat exchanger and a heat-medium heating heat exchanger when both a battery and an engine need to be warmed up. In contrast, the controller controls the first switching valve and the second switching valve to set an engine warming-up state in which the heat medium circulates through between the coolant-coolant heat exchanger and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger while the heat medium does not circulate between a battery-temperature adjustment heat exchanger and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger when a temperature of the battery exceeds a target battery warming-up temperature in the battery warming-up state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first pump and a second pump, which are adapted to draw and discharge a heat medium;
a compressor adapted to draw and discharge a refrigerant;
a heat-medium heating heat exchanger that heats the heat medium by exchanging heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the heat medium drawn into and discharged from the second pump;
a decompressor that decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the heat-medium heating heat exchanger;
a heat-medium cooling heat exchanger that cools the heat medium by exchanging heat between the refrigerant decompressed and expanded by the decompressor and the heat medium drawn into and discharged from the first pump;
a heat medium-outside air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the heat medium cooled by the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and outside air;
an air heating heat exchanger that heats ventilation air into a vehicle interior by exchanging sensible heat between the heat medium heated by the heat-medium heating heat exchanger and the ventilation air;
an engine heat transfer portion that transfers heat between an engine outputting a traveling driving force and the heat medium;
a battery heat transfer portion that transfers heat between a battery supplying electric power to a traveling electric motor and the heat medium;
a switching device that switches between a state in which the heat medium circulates through the heat-medium heating heat exchanger and a state in which the heat medium does not circulate through the heat-medium heating heat exchanger with respect to each of the engine heat transfer portion and the battery heat transfer portion; and
a controller that controls the switching device (i) to set a battery warming-up state in which the heat medium circulates between the battery heat transfer portion and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger while the heat medium does not circulate between the engine heat transfer portion and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger when both the battery and engine need to be warmed up; and (ii) to set an engine warming-up state in which the heat medium circulates between the engine heat transfer portion and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger while the heat medium does not circulate between the battery heat transfer portion and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger when a temperature of the battery exceeds a target battery warming-up temperature in the battery warming-up state.

2. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the battery stores a regenerated energy from the vehicle, and
the controller sets the target battery warming-up temperature to a higher value when a state of charge of the battery is higher than the first state-of-charge threshold, compared to that when a state of charge of the battery is lower than the first state-of-charge threshold.

3. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller determines the first state-of-charge threshold to be a higher value as the temperature of the battery is lowered.

4. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller determines the first state-of-charge threshold based on a route plan output from a car navigation system.

5. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the switching device is adapted to switch between a state in which the heat medium circulates and a state in which the heat medium does not circulate, between the air heating heat exchanger and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger, and
the controller controls the switching device in such a manner that the heat medium does not circulate between the air heating heat exchanger and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger, when the heat medium circulates between the battery heat transfer portion and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger while the battery temperature is equal to or lower than a battery temperature threshold.

6. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller controls the switching device in such a manner that the heat medium circulates between the engine heat transfer portion and the heat-medium heating heat exchanger when the battery temperature reaches the target battery warming-up temperature, and a state of charge of the battery is lower than a second state-of-charge threshold.

7. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the controller determines the second state-of-charge threshold to be a higher value as the temperature of the engine is lowered.

8. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a device heat transfer portion that transfers heat between the heat medium and a heat generating device in which an amount of generated heat changes depending on a traveling state of the vehicle, wherein
the device heat transfer portion allows the heat medium to circulate between the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and the device heat transfer portion, and
the controller determines the second state-of-charge threshold based on a route plan output from a car navigation system.

9. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a device heat transfer portion that transfers heat between a device generating heat during operation and the heat medium, wherein
the device heat transfer portion allows the heat medium to circulate between the heat-medium cooling heat exchanger and the device heat transfer portion.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Yamanaka Takashi
• Omi Yasumitsu
• Miura Koji
• Enomoto Norihiko

Classifications

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• Y10S903/903

  having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor · CPC title

• B60L2240/34

  Cabin temperature · CPC title

• F01P2037/02

  starting · CPC title

• B60W2710/246

  Temperature · CPC title