KR-102962199-B1 - Thermal management system for electric vehicle

KR102962199B1KR 102962199 B1KR102962199 B1KR 102962199B1KR-102962199-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermal management system for an electric vehicle, and its main purpose is to provide a thermal management system for an electric vehicle that can increase the flow rate of the coolant in the coolant line and the flow rate passing through the radiator, and enables the cooling performance to respond to various conditions through coolant flow control. To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a thermal management system for an electric vehicle comprising a water-cooled cooling system for cooling power electronic components and a battery is disclosed, wherein the water-cooled cooling system comprises a first radiator and a first electric water pump, a first coolant line connected to the first radiator and through which coolant is circulated by the first electric water pump, a second radiator and a second electric water pump, a second coolant line connected to the second radiator and through which coolant is circulated by the second electric water pump, and a first flow control device and a second flow control device installed to control the direction of coolant flow between the first coolant line, the second coolant line, and the third coolant line, respectively, at a front position and a rear position of the first radiator and the second radiator, respectively, wherein the third coolant line is installed to connect the first flow control device and the second flow control device.

Inventors

정성빈
조완제
정재은
이현재
박남호
김태희

Assignees

현대자동차주식회사
기아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20210225

Claims (20)

In a thermal management system for an electric vehicle including a water-cooled cooling system for cooling power electronic components and a battery, The above water-cooled cooling system is, A first radiator and a first electric water pump, a first coolant line connected to the first radiator and through which coolant is circulated by the first electric water pump, A second radiator and a second electric water pump, a second coolant line connected to the second radiator and through which coolant is circulated by the second electric water pump, and It includes a first flow control device and a second flow control device installed to control the direction of coolant flow between the first coolant line, the second coolant line, and the third coolant line, respectively, at the front and rear positions of the first radiator and the second radiator. The above third cooling water line is installed to connect the first flow control device and the second flow control device, and At least some of the power electronic components are installed in the first cooling water line between the first flow control device and the second flow control device so as to be cooled by the cooling water, and The remaining parts of the power electronic components are installed in the third cooling water line between the first and second flow control devices so that they are cooled by the cooling water, and A battery is installed in the above second cooling water line to be cooled by the cooling water, and A bypass line is installed connecting the front and rear positions of the second radiator so that the coolant passing through the battery can bypass the second radiator, and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by having a 3-way valve installed at the location where the bypass line branches off from the second coolant line.
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In claim 1, A vehicle drive motor among power electronic components is installed in the first coolant line between the first flow control device and the second flow control device, and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by the installation of an inverter among power electronic components for driving and controlling the vehicle drive motor in the third cooling water line.
In claim 3, The vehicle drive motor installed in the first coolant line includes a front wheel motor for front wheel drive and a rear wheel motor for rear wheel drive, and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle, characterized in that the inverter installed in the third cooling water line includes a front wheel inverter for driving and controlling the front wheel motor and a rear wheel inverter for driving and controlling the rear wheel motor.
In claim 3, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle, characterized in that the above-mentioned third cooling water line further includes an on-board charger for battery charging and a low-voltage DC-DC converter so as to be cooled by the cooling water.
In claim 1, The above first flow control device and second flow control device are operated to control the flow direction of the cooling water according to a control signal output by the controller, and The above controller is, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by outputting a control signal to control the direction of coolant flow so that coolant passing through the first radiator is distributed to the first coolant line and the third coolant line between the two flow control devices and flows in parallel.
In claim 6, The above controller is, When Normal mode is selected among the vehicle's driving modes by the driver, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by outputting a control signal to control the direction of coolant flow so that coolant passing through the first radiator is distributed to the first coolant line and the third coolant line between the two flow control devices and flows in parallel.
In a thermal management system for an electric vehicle including a water-cooled cooling system for cooling power electronic components and a battery, The above water-cooled cooling system is, A first radiator and a first electric water pump, a first coolant line connected to the first radiator and through which coolant is circulated by the first electric water pump, A second radiator and a second electric water pump, a second coolant line connected to the second radiator and through which coolant is circulated by the second electric water pump, and It includes a first flow control device and a second flow control device installed to control the direction of coolant flow between the first coolant line, the second coolant line, and the third coolant line, respectively, at the front and rear positions of the first radiator and the second radiator. The above third cooling water line is installed to connect the first flow control device and the second flow control device, and At least some of the power electronic components are installed in the first cooling water line between the first flow control device and the second flow control device so as to be cooled by the cooling water, and The remaining parts of the power electronic components are installed in the third cooling water line between the first and second flow control devices so that they are cooled by the cooling water, and The above first flow control device and second flow control device are operated to control the flow direction of the cooling water according to a control signal output by the controller, and The above controller is, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by outputting a control signal to control the direction of coolant flow so that coolant passing through one of the two radiators passes through a first coolant line between the two flow control devices, and coolant passing through the other of the two radiators passes through a third coolant line.
In claim 8, The above controller is, When the high-performance mode is selected among the vehicle's driving modes by the driver, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by outputting a control signal to control the direction of coolant flow so that coolant passing through one of the two radiators passes through a first coolant line between the two flow control devices, and coolant passing through the other of the two radiators passes through a third coolant line.
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In claim 1, In the above second cooling water line, a third electric water pump and a battery cooling chiller that cools the cooling water passing through the battery by heat exchange between the cooling water and the air conditioner refrigerant are installed, and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized in that, while the flow path on the bypass line side is opened by the above 3-way valve, the coolant circulated by the third electric water pump flows along the second coolant line, passes through the battery and the chiller, and then passes through the bypass line.
In claim 11, The above first flow control device and second flow control device are operated to control the flow direction of the cooling water according to a control signal output by the controller, and The above controller is, When Normal mode is selected among the vehicle's driving modes by the driver, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by outputting a control signal to control the direction of coolant flow, wherein the coolant passing through the first radiator is distributed to a first coolant line and a third coolant line between the two flow control devices so as to flow in parallel, and the coolant passing through the second radiator flows to a second coolant line where the battery is installed for cooling the battery.
In claim 12, The above controller is, When the high-performance mode is selected among the vehicle's driving modes by the driver, Control the 3-way valve to open the flow path on the bypass line side, and The above third electric water pump is driven to allow the cooling water to circulate along the second cooling water line where the battery is installed and the above bypass line, and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by operating the compressor of an air conditioner to allow the refrigerant to pass through the chiller, thereby enabling cooling of the battery by the chiller.
In claim 13, The above first flow control device and second flow control device are operated to control the flow direction of the cooling water according to a control signal output by the controller, and The above controller is, When the high-performance mode is selected among the vehicle's driving modes by the driver, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by outputting a control signal to control the direction of coolant flow so that coolant passing through one of the two radiators passes through a first coolant line between the two flow control devices, and coolant passing through the other of the two radiators passes through a third coolant line.
In claim 1, The above-mentioned first flow control device is, A first flow control valve installed between the first coolant line, the second coolant line, and the third coolant line at the rear end position of the first radiator and the rear end position of the second radiator, and The above second flow control device is, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by a second flow control valve installed between the first coolant line, the second coolant line, and the third coolant line at the shear position of the first radiator and the shear position of the second radiator.
In claim 15, The above-mentioned first flow control valve is a 5-way valve having a first inlet port and a first outlet port, a second inlet port and a second outlet port, and a third outlet port, and A first cooling water line connected to the outlet side of the first radiator is connected to the first inlet port of the first flow control valve, and A first cooling water line connected to a second flow control valve is connected to the first outlet port of the first flow control valve, and A second cooling water line connected to the outlet side of the second radiator is connected to the second inlet port of the first flow control valve, and A second cooling water line connected to the inlet side of the battery's cooling water passage is connected to the second outlet port of the first flow control valve, and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized in that a third coolant line connected to a second flow control valve is connected to the third outlet port of the first flow control valve.
In claim 15, The above-mentioned second flow control valve is a 5-way valve having a first inlet port and a first outlet port, a second inlet port and a second outlet port, and a third inlet port, and A first cooling water line connected from the first outlet port of the first flow control valve is connected to the first inlet port of the second flow control valve, and A first cooling water line connected to the inlet side of the first radiator is connected to the first outlet port of the second flow control valve, and A second cooling water line connected to the outlet side of the battery's cooling water passage is connected to the second inlet port of the second flow control valve, and A second cooling water line connected to the inlet side of the second radiator is connected to the second outlet port of the second flow control valve, and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized in that a third cooling water line connected from the third outlet port of the first flow control valve is connected to the third inlet port of the second flow control valve.
In claim 16, The above-mentioned first flow control device is, A first flow control valve set comprising a connecting line connecting the first coolant line and the second coolant line at the rear end position of the first radiator and the rear end position of the second radiator, and a plurality of valves. The above second flow control device is, A thermal management system for an electric vehicle, characterized by comprising a second flow control valve set including a connecting line connecting the first coolant line and the second coolant line and a plurality of valves at the upstream position of the first radiator and the upstream position of the second radiator.
In claim 18, The above-mentioned first flow control valve set is, A first connecting line installed to connect the first cooling water line and the second cooling water line; A first branch valve, which is a 3-way valve installed at a location where the first connection line branches off from the second cooling water line; and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by including a second branch valve, which is another 3-way valve installed at a location where a third coolant line branches off from the first connection line.
In claim 19, The above second flow control valve set is, A second connecting line installed to connect the first cooling water line and the second cooling water line; A third branch valve, which is a 3-way valve installed at a location where the second connection line branches off from the second cooling water line; and A thermal management system for an electric vehicle characterized by including a fourth branch valve, which is another 3-way valve installed at a location where the third coolant line branches off from the first connection line.

Description

Thermal management system for electric vehicles The present invention relates to a thermal management system for an electric vehicle, and more specifically, to a thermal management system for an electric vehicle that can increase the flow rate of the coolant in the coolant line and the flow rate passing through the radiator, and enables the cooling performance to respond to various conditions through coolant flow control. Generally, automobiles are equipped with air conditioning systems that heat or cool the interior. In vehicles, the air conditioning system provides a comfortable interior environment by maintaining the vehicle's interior temperature at an optimal level at all times, regardless of changes in the outside temperature. An automotive air conditioning system includes an air conditioning system that circulates refrigerant. The air conditioning system includes, as its main components, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, an expansion valve that expands the refrigerant condensed and liquefied in the condenser, and an evaporator that cools the air blown into the vehicle cabin by utilizing the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant while evaporating the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve. In an air conditioning system, during summer cooling mode, high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor is condensed through the condenser, then circulated back to the compressor via the expansion valve and evaporator. At this stage, the expansion valve expands the condensed liquid refrigerant to a low temperature and low pressure, while the evaporator cools the air through heat exchange with the expanded refrigerant before discharging it into the vehicle's interior to enable indoor cooling. Meanwhile, with the recent increase in interest regarding energy efficiency and environmental pollution, the development of eco-friendly vehicles capable of effectively replacing internal combustion engine cars is underway. Eco-friendly vehicles can be classified into electric vehicles (FCEVs, BEVs) that operate using fuel cells or batteries as power sources, and hybrid vehicles (HEVs, PHEVs) that operate using engines and motors. These eco-friendly vehicles (xEVs) all share the common characteristic of being motor-driven vehicles and electrified vehicles that drive by powering a motor with electricity stored in a battery. In addition, electric vehicles are equipped with a thermal management system to manage the overall thermal performance of the vehicle. A thermal management system can be defined as a system in a broad sense that includes the air conditioning system of the air conditioning unit, a cooling system utilizing coolant or refrigerant for the thermal management and cooling of the power system, and a heat pump system. Here, the cooling system includes components capable of managing the heat of the power system by circulating cooling water to cool or heat the power system. Additionally, the heat pump system can be used as an auxiliary heating device in addition to the main heating device, an electric heater (e.g., PTC heater), and is a system configured to recover waste heat from power electronic (PE) components or batteries for use in heating. The previously disclosed cooling system comprises a reservoir tank for storing cooling water, an electric water pump for pressurizing and circulating cooling water, a radiator and cooling fan for heat dissipation of cooling water, a chiller for cooling cooling water, a cooling water heater for heating cooling water, an electric water pump for pressurizing cooling water, valves for controlling the flow of cooling water, and a cooling circuit comprising cooling water lines connecting these components, and a controller for controlling the cooling water temperature and cooling water flow of the cooling circuit. The cooling system of an electric vehicle controls the temperature of power electronic (PE) components and the battery by circulating coolant along the coolant passages of the PE components for vehicle propulsion and the coolant passages of the battery that supplies operating power to these PE components. Additionally, the cooling system can be configured to cool the PE components and the battery separately or to cool them together as a single unit, as needed. To this end, the cooling system can control the direction of coolant flow by controlling the operation of a 3-way valve. Recently, in electric vehicles, a parallel separate cooling system is being developed to increase the driving range of the vehicle and improve energy efficiency by placing two radiators at the front of the vehicle and configuring parallel cooling water lines that circulate through each radiator to cool power electronic components and batteries separately. Meanwhile, thermal management of the vehicle and its components is a critical aspect of electric vehicles. If the he