US-12617266-B2 - Thermal management system for mobility vehicle

US12617266B2US 12617266 B2US12617266 B2US 12617266B2US-12617266-B2

Abstract

An embodiment thermal management system for a mobility vehicle includes a first coolant line including a battery, a second coolant line including an electrical component including an oil cooler configured to cool a drive motor, a heat exchanger connected to the first coolant line and the second coolant line, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to allow a coolant in the first coolant line to exchange heat with the coolant in the second coolant line, and a controller configured to adjust a temperature of the battery as the coolant in the second coolant line is heated by the oil cooler by allowing the drive motor to generate heat by applying a preset electric current to the drive motor and as the coolant in the first coolant line is heated by heat exchange in the heat exchanger when the battery is required to be heated.

Inventors

Jong Won Kim

Assignees

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230417
Priority Date: 20221129

Claims (20)

1 . A thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, the thermal management system comprising: a first coolant line comprising a battery; a second coolant line comprising an electrical component comprising a plurality of oil coolers, wherein each oil cooler of the plurality of oil coolers is configured to cool a respective drive motor of a plurality of drive motors; a heat exchanger connected to the first coolant line and the second coolant line, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to allow a coolant in the first coolant line to exchange heat with the coolant in the second coolant line; and a controller configured to adjust a temperature of the battery as the coolant in the second coolant line is heated by the plurality of oil coolers by allowing a non-operating drive motor of the plurality of drive motors to generate heat by applying a preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor when the mobility vehicle travels and as the coolant in the first coolant line is heated by heat exchange with the coolant in the second coolant line in the heat exchanger when the battery is required to be heated.
2 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the preset electric current has an electric current value that allows the non-operating drive motor to generate heat in a state in which the non-operating drive motor is restricted.
3 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to raise the temperature of the coolant in the first coolant line by applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor until the temperature of the battery reaches an appropriate temperature.
4 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein: the first coolant line further comprises a first radiator; and a first valve is configured to divide the coolant so that the coolant selectively flows to the first radiator.
5 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein: the second coolant line further comprises a second radiator; and a second valve is configured to divide the coolant so that the coolant selectively flows to the second radiator.
6 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cut off application of the preset electric current for heating the battery when the temperature of the non-operating drive motor reaches a preset limit temperature.
7 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to: identify a plan to charge the mobility vehicle when the mobility vehicle travels; and allow the non-operating drive motor to generate heat by applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor before the mobility vehicle reaches a location at which the mobility vehicle is to be charged.
8 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to: collect information on a distance to a destination; collect information on a temperature of the battery; and wherein applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor to generate heat is based on a determination that the temperature of the battery is lower than a predetermined temperature before the mobility vehicle reaches the destination.
9 . A thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, the thermal management system comprising: a first coolant line comprising a battery; a second coolant line comprising an electrical component comprising a plurality of oil coolers, wherein each oil cooler of the plurality of oil coolers is configured to cool a respective drive motor of a plurality of drive motors; a first water pump provided in the first coolant line; a second water pump provided in the second coolant line; a heat exchanger connected to the first coolant line and the second coolant line, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to allow a coolant in the first coolant line to exchange heat with the coolant in the second coolant line; and a controller configured to adjust a temperature of the battery as the coolant in the second coolant line is heated by the plurality of oil coolers by allowing a non-operating drive motor of the plurality of drive motors to generate heat by applying a preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor when the mobility vehicle travels and as the coolant in the first coolant line is heated by heat exchange with the coolant in the second coolant line in the heat exchanger when the battery is required to be heated.
10 . The method thermal management system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to cut off application of the preset electric current for heating the battery when the temperature of the non-operating drive motor reaches a preset limit temperature.
11 . The thermal management system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to: identify a plan to charge the mobility vehicle when the mobility vehicle travels; and allow the non-operating drive motor to generate heat by applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor before the mobility vehicle reaches a location at which the mobility vehicle is to be charged.
12 . The thermal management system of claim 9 , further comprising: a first radiator provided in the first coolant line; and a first valve configured to divide the coolant so that the coolant selectively flows to the first radiator.
13 . The thermal management system of claim 12 , further comprising: a second radiator provided in the second coolant line; and a second valve configured to divide the coolant so that the coolant selectively flows to the second radiator.
14 . The thermal management system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to: collect information on a distance to a destination; collect information on a temperature of the battery; and wherein applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor to generate heat is based on a determination that the temperature of the battery is lower than a predetermined temperature before the mobility vehicle reaches the destination.
15 . A method of operating a thermal management system that comprises a first coolant line comprising a battery, a second coolant line comprising an electrical component comprising a plurality of oil coolers, and a heat exchanger connected to the first coolant line and the second coolant line, the method comprising: cooling a plurality of drive motors of a mobility vehicle with the plurality of oil coolers, wherein each oil cooler of the plurality of oil coolers is configured to cool a respective drive motor of the plurality of drive motors; using the heat exchanger to allow a coolant in the first coolant line to exchange heat with the coolant in the second coolant line; and adjusting a temperature of the battery as the coolant in the second coolant line is heated by the plurality of oil coolers by allowing a non-operating drive motor of the plurality of drive motors to generate heat by applying a preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor when the mobility vehicle travels and as the coolant in the first coolant line is heated by heat exchange with the coolant in the second coolant line in the heat exchanger when the battery is required to be heated.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the preset electric current has an electric current value that allows the non-operating drive motor to generate heat in a state in which the non-operating drive motor is restricted.
17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising raising the temperature of the coolant in the first coolant line by applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor until the temperature of the battery reaches an appropriate temperature.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising cutting off application of the preset electric current when the temperature of the non-operating drive motor reaches a preset limit temperature.
19 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: identifying a plan to charge the mobility vehicle when the mobility vehicle travels; and allowing the non-operating drive motor to generate heat by applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor before the mobility vehicle reaches a location at which the mobility vehicle is to be charged.
20 . The method of claim 15 , the method further comprising: collecting information on a distance to a destination; collecting information on a temperature of the battery; and wherein applying the preset electric current to the non-operating drive motor to generate heat is based on a determination that the temperature of the battery is lower than a predetermined temperature before the mobility vehicle reaches the destination.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0162853, filed on Nov. 29, 2022, which application is hereby incorporated herein by this reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a thermal management system for a mobility vehicle. BACKGROUND Recently, a lithium polymer battery (LiPB), which is a next-generation secondary battery, is in the limelight as a battery used for an environmental-friendly vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The lithium polymer battery is a secondary battery that uses a solid electrolyte having excellent ionic conductance. A liquid electrolyte battery has a risk of a leak of an electrolyte and has a problem in that an organic solvent used for the electrolyte is a flammable material. In contrast, the solid electrolyte battery, such as the lithium polymer battery, is advantageous in that a likelihood of a leak of an electrolyte, a risk of explosion, and internal resistance are low, energy density is high, and a lifespan does not deteriorate, even though the solid electrolyte battery is not fully charged and/or discharged, because there is no memory effect. However, in a low-temperature region, the internal resistance of the battery rapidly increases as a state of charge (SOC) decreases, which causes a problem in that a discharge output deteriorates. That is, a traveling condition of a mobility vehicle is determined depending on a temperature of the battery and an output in accordance with the SOC. Therefore, it is necessary to raise a temperature of the battery in a low-temperature state to an appropriate temperature to ensure power performance of the mobility vehicle at a low temperature. In addition, in case that the battery in a low-temperature state is charged, overvoltages of positive and negative electrodes are asymmetrically increased. For this reason, a charge capacity is decreased in comparison with room-temperature charging, and the voltage of the negative electrode is inevitably decreased to a very low voltage. In this case, metallic lithium is precipitated in the battery. In case that the above-mentioned process is repeated over a long period of time, there is a risk of degradation in performance of the battery and a risk of an internal short circuit. As battery heating systems in the related art, there have been known a battery heating system that raises a temperature of a battery by heating a coolant, which circulates in a battery pack, by using a coolant heater, and a battery heating system that heats air at the periphery of a battery by using a heater assembly that surrounds a battery module. In particular, in case that the coolant heater is applied, the coolant heater is applied as a PTC. For this reason, there is a problem in that electric power consumption increases, and there is a limitation in quickly adjusting a temperature of the coolant only by using the coolant heater. Further, the application of the coolant heater increases a weight and manufacturing costs. The foregoing explained as the background is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art. SUMMARY The present invention relates to a thermal management system for a mobility vehicle. Particular embodiments relate to a thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, in which a coolant heater, which is a means for raising a temperature of a battery, is eliminated, and a temperature of the battery is adjusted by raising a temperature of a circulating coolant by heat generated from a drive motor. Embodiments of the present invention can solve problems in the art and provide a thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, which is capable of adjusting a temperature of a battery even though a coolant heater is eliminated, reducing the time required to heat the battery, stably adjusting the temperature of the battery, and reducing manufacturing costs and a weight by using devices applied to an electric mobility vehicle. An embodiment of the present invention provides a thermal management system for a mobility vehicle, the thermal management system including a first coolant line including a battery and configured to allow a coolant to circulate therethrough, a second coolant line including an electrical component including an oil cooler for cooling a drive motor, the second coolant line configured to allow the coolant to circulate therethrough, a heat exchanger connected to the first coolant line and the second coolant line and configured to allow the coolants to exchange heat with each other, and a controller configured to adjust a temperature of the battery as the coolant in the second coolant line is heated by the oil cooler by allowing the drive motor to generate heat by applying a preset electri