Thermal management system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9827824-B2
Application number	US-201314423665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2013
Priority date	Aug 28, 2012
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A first-pump arrangement flow path, temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow paths, and a second-pump arrangement flow path are connected to a communication flow path in this order from one end side to the other end side of the communication flow path. A first heat exchanger is disposed in the first-pump arrangement flow path among numerous flow paths, which is connected to the communication flow path at a position on a side of the first-pump arrangement flow path, rather than the flow path in which a second heat exchanger is disposed. The switching portion is operated to establish communication between plural flow paths, starting from the flow path connected to the communication flow path at the position closest to the one end side among the numerous flow paths, up to the flow path connected to the communication flow path at an n-th position counted from the one end side among the numerous flow paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first pump and a second pump sucking and discharging a heat medium;
a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger exchanging heat with the heat medium, to change a temperature of the heat medium;
at least one of temperature adjustment target devices, each of which has a temperature adjusted by the heat medium;
numerous flow paths allowing the heat medium to flow therethrough, the numerous flow paths including a first-pump arrangement flow path in which the first pump is disposed, a second-pump arrangement flow path in which the second pump is disposed, and a temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow path in which one or more of the temperature adjustment target devices is disposed;
a switching portion connected to one ends of the numerous flow paths, and adapted to allow the numerous flow paths to selectively communicate with each other; and
a communication flow path connected to the other ends of the numerous flow paths in parallel with each other, and adapted to allow the numerous flow paths to communicate with each other, wherein
the first-pump arrangement flow path, the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow path, and the second-pump arrangement flow path are connected to the communication flow path in this order, from one end side of the communication flow path toward the other end side of the communication flow path,
the first heat exchanger is disposed in one flow path among the numerous flow paths, that is connected to the communication flow path at a position on a side of the first-pump arrangement flow path, rather than the second-pump arrangement flow path in which the second heat exchanger is disposed, and
the switching portion is operated to have communication between plural flow paths among the numerous flow paths, starting from the one flow path connected to the communication flow path at a position closest to the one end side of the communication flow path, up to a flow path connected to the communication flow path at an n-th position counted from the one end side of the communication flow path.

2. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the switching portion is operated such that the first-pump arrangement flow path is included in the plural flow paths, and that the second-pump arrangement flow path is included in a flow path other than the plural flow paths, among the numerous flow paths.

3. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow paths, wherein
the temperature adjustment target devices are respectively arranged in the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow paths, and
an allowable temperature of the temperature adjustment target device disposed in the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow path positioned on the one end side of the communication passage, among the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow paths, is equal to or higher than an allowable temperature of the temperature adjustment target device disposed in the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow path positioned on the other end side of the communication passage, among the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow paths.

4. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein,
in a case where the first pump, the first heat exchanger, and the at least one of the temperature adjustment target devices communicate each other to allow the plural flow paths to form a first heat medium circuit, while two or more flow paths among the numerous flow paths, which are flow paths other than the plural flow paths, and which include the second-pump arrangement flow path, communicate each other to form a second heat medium circuit,
the switching portion is operated such that the second pump, the second heat exchanger, and the temperature adjustment target device communicate each other to form the second heat medium circuit, (i) when a temperature of the heat medium in the first heat medium circuit is detected or estimated to exceed a predetermined temperature, or (ii) when a temperature of the heat medium in the first heat medium circuit is predicted to exceed a predetermined temperature.

5. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one of the temperature adjustment target devices, forming the first heat medium circuit, is included in the second heat medium circuit.

6. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the at least one of the temperature adjustment target devices includes an electric device that generates heat when being energized, and
the first heat exchanger is an air-heat medium heat exchanger that exchanges heat between air and the heat medium.

7. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the at least one of the temperature adjustment target devices includes a battery cooler that cools a battery with the heat medium,
the first heat exchanger is an air-heat medium heat exchanger exchanging heat between air and the heat medium, and
the second heat exchanger is a chiller exchanging heat between a low-pressure refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle and the heat medium.

8. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where
(i) the at least one of the temperature adjustment target devices includes a condenser exchanging heat between a high-pressure refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle and the heat medium, an inverter converting a direct-current power into an alternate-current power, and a battery cooler cooling a battery with the heat medium,
(ii) the first heat exchanger is an air-heat medium heat exchanger exchanging heat between air and the heat medium,
(iii) the air-heat medium heat exchanger is disposed in the first-pump arrangement flow path,
(iv) the second heat exchanger is a chiller exchanging heat between a low-pressure refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle and the heat medium,
(v) the chiller is disposed in the second-pump arrangement flow path,
(vi) the flow path among the numerous flow paths, in which the condenser is disposed, is a condenser arrangement flow path,
(vii) the flow path among the numerous flow paths, in which the inverter is disposed, is an inverter arrangement flow path, and
(viii) the flow path among the numerous flow paths, in which the battery cooler is disposed, is a battery cooler arrangement flow path,
the first-pump arrangement flow path, the condenser arrangement flow path, the inverter arrangement flow path, the battery cooler arrangement flow path, and the second-pump arrangement flow path are connected in this order to the communication flow path from the one end side to the other end side of the communication flow path.

9. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein
the temperature-adjustment target-device arrangement flow path includes the condenser arrangement flow path, the inverter arrangement flow path, and the battery cooler arrangement flow path, and
the condenser arrangement flow path, the inverter arrangement flow path, and the battery cooler arrangement flow path are connected to the communication flow path in this order from one end side to the other end side of the communication flow path.

10. The thermal management system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the first heat exchanger is an air-heat medium heat exchanger exchanging heat between air and the heat medium,
when an abnormality is assumed or determined to occu

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Enomoto Norihiko
• Kakehashi Nobuharu
• Nishikawa Michio

Classifications

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title

• B60K11/02

  with liquid cooling · CPC title

• B60L2240/36

  Temperature of vehicle components or parts · CPC title

• B60L2240/545

  Temperature · CPC title

• B60L2240/525

  Temperature of converter or components thereof · CPC title