Hybrid vehicle and air-conditioning system thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9604631-B2
Application number	US-201415110562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2014
Priority date	Jan 9, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle and an air-conditioning system thereof. A heating part of the air-conditioning system may be provided with an electric heating device ( 120, 220 ) and a water heating device ( 130, 230 ), the electric heating device ( 120, 220 ) is turned on and the water heating device ( 130, 230 ) is turned off when the temperature of engine cooling water is lower than a preset temperature threshold, and the electric heating device ( 120, 220 ) is turned off and the water heating device ( 130, 230 ) is turned on when the temperature is higher than the preset temperature threshold. A refrigerating part of the air-conditioning system may comprise a mechanical compressor and selected auxiliary power units ( 20 ) as a portion of a plurality of auxiliary power units, and when cold air flow needs to be supplied, an air-conditioning controller ( 110, 210 ) sends an enabling instruction to a power controller ( 61 ) to control the selected auxiliary power units ( 20 ) to enter a forced working mode. The air-conditioning system of the present invention can rapidly supply heat while reducing electricity consumption of a whole vehicle, and can also achieve good refrigerating effects in low cost and reduce energy consumption. The air-conditioning system according to the present invention is especially suitable for a series hybrid vehicle with a plurality of auxiliary power units.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning system for a series hybrid vehicle for selectively supplying required hot air flow or cold air flow to the series hybrid vehicle's cabin, wherein the series hybrid vehicle comprises a power system for driving the vehicle and the power system comprises:
a main power unit including a power battery and a traction electromotor;
a plurality of auxiliary power units, wherein each of the auxiliary power units respectively and independently receives fuel from a fuel source, converts chemical energy in the fuel into electric energy and outputs the electric energy to a common current bus, and each of auxiliary power units comprises an engine for converting the chemical energy in the fuel into mechanical energy and a generator for converting the mechanical energy of the engine into the electric energy; and
a power controller for controlling the engine of each of the plurality of auxiliary power units to work according to a preset control strategy;
the air-conditioning system comprising:
an electric heating device having an electric heating element, which is configured for receiving the electric energy from the common current bus of the series hybrid vehicle, and converting the electric energy into heat energy by the electric heating element to heat air flow to be supplied to the cabin;
a water heating device having a heat exchange element, which is configured for receiving circulating cooling water respectively from a corresponding plurality of cooling loops of a corresponding plurality of engines of the plurality of auxiliary power units, and transferring heat of the circulating cooling water by the heat exchange element to the air flow to be supplied to the cabin;
temperature sensors each of which is arranged at a corresponding cooling loop for detecting the cooling water temperature of the circulating cooling water in the corresponding cooling loop; and
an air-conditioning controller configured, in the case of supplying the hot air flow to the cabin, to selectively turn on or off the electric heating device and/or the water heating device according to the cooling water temperature detected by the temperature sensors; wherein the water heating device is turned on and the electric heating device is turned off when the cooling water temperature in at least a preset number of cooling loops among the plurality of cooling loops reaches a preset temperature threshold, otherwise, the electric heating device is turned on.

2. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cooling loops is respectively provided with a switch element for selectively turning on or off water supply to the water heating device; and
the air-conditioning controller is further configured to control the switch elements when the water heating device is turned on, so that the water heating device only receives the circulating cooling water from the corresponding cooling loops of which the cooling water temperature reaches the preset temperature threshold.

3. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the air-conditioning controller is further configured to turn off the water heating device when the electric heating device is turned on.

4. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the preset number is one.

5. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the preset number is about one third or half of the total number of the plurality of cooling loops.

6. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
selected auxiliary power unit(s) which are a portion of the plurality of auxiliary power units, wherein each of the selected auxiliary power units has a common working mode and a forced working mode; in the common working mode, the power controller selectively controls the engines of the selected auxiliary power units to run or stop according to the preset control strategy; in the forced working mode, the power controller controls the engines of the selected auxiliary power units to start running or constantly run without stopping; and
a mechanical compressor for refrigerating, which is in mechanical transmission connection with the engines of the selected auxiliary power units and driven by the engines to run;
wherein the air-conditioning controller is further configured to send an enabling instruction to the power controller when it is required to supply the cold air flow to the cabin, and in response to the received enabling instruction, the power controller controls the selected auxiliary power units to enter the forced working mode.

7. The air-conditioning system according to claim 6 , wherein the air-conditioning controller is further configured to send a disabling instruction to the power controller when it is not required to supply the cold air flow to the cabin, and in response to the received disabling instruction, the power controller controls the selected auxiliary power units to enter the common working mode.

8. The air-conditioning system according to claim 6 , wherein the number of the portion of the plurality of auxiliary power units is one.

9. A series hybrid vehicle comprising a power system for driving the vehicle and an air-conditioning system for regulating a cabin temperature;
wherein the power system comprises:
a main power unit including a power battery and a traction electromotor;
a plurality of auxiliary power units, wherein each of the auxiliary power units respectively and independently receives fuel from a fuel source, converts chemical energy in the fuel into electric energy and outputs the electric energy to a common current bus, and each of the auxiliary power units comprises an engine for converting the chemical energy in the fuel into mechanical energy and a generator for converting the mechanical energy of the engine into the electric energy; and
a power controller for controlling the engine of each of the plurality of auxiliary power units to work according to a preset control strategy; wherein a number of the plurality of auxiliary power units are selected auxiliary power units, and each of the selected auxiliary power units has a common working mode and a forced working mode;
in the common working mode, the power controller selectively controls the engine of the selected auxiliary power unit to run or stop according to the preset control strategy; in the forced working mode, the power controller controls the engine of the selected auxiliary power unit to start running or constantly run without stopping; and
wherein the air-conditioning system comprises:
a mechanical compressor, which is in mechanical transmission connection with the engines of the selected auxiliary power units and driven by the engines to run; and
an air-conditioning controller configured to send an enabling instruction to the power controller when the mechanical compressor is required to work; wherein the power controller controls the selected auxiliary power units to enter the forced working mode in response to the received enabling instruction.

10. The series hybrid vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the air-conditioning controller is further configured to send a disabling instruction to the power controller when the mechanical compressor is not required to work; and in response to the received disabling instruction, the power controller controls the selected auxiliary power units to enter the common working mode.

11. The series hybrid vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the number of the selected auxiliary power units is one.

Assignees

• Zhejiang Geely Automobile Res Inst Co Ltd
• Geely Holding Group Co Ltd
• Zhejiang Geely Automotive Reseach Inst Co Ltd
• Geely Holding Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Shufu

Classifications

• B60K6/46

  Series type · CPC title

• Y10S903/93

  Conjoint control of different elements · CPC title

• B60H1/00885

  Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps (B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485) · CPC title

• B60H1/034

  from the cooling liquid of the propulsion plant and from an electric heating device · CPC title

• Y02T10/88

  Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses · CPC title