Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to thermal management strategies in electric vehicles, and more particularly to thermal management strategies for heating/cooling the cabin and battery(ies) in electric vehicles.
BACKGROUND
[002] Thermal management of batteries is a critical component of the thermal management system in electric vehicle (EV). The battery(ies) need to be kept at an optimal temperature to ensure that the battery functions efficiently and maintains its longevity. If the battery gets too cold, the battery can become sluggish and may not provide enough power to drive the vehicle. On the other hand, if the battery gets too hot, the battery can degrade quickly, leading to a shorter lifespan. Current solutions typically use multiple Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heaters for heating the battery(ies). However, the usage of PTC heaters will have an impact on the range of the vehicle. Further, managing the temperature of the battery(ies) and cabin in the EV can consume a lot of energy, which can adversely affect the range of the EV.
[003] Hence, there is a need in the art for solutions which will overcome the above mentioned drawback(s), among others.
OBJECTS
[004] The principal object of embodiments herein is to disclose systems and methods to achieve heating of cabin of an Electric Vehicle (EV), along with one or more batteries present in the EV, wherein an air conditioning compressor is used in combination with a plurality of refrigerant and coolant circuit components to achieve the heating of cabin and battery at lesser energy consumption.
[005] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating at least one embodiment and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[006] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the following illustrator drawings. Embodiments herein are illustrated by way of examples in the accompanying drawings, and in which:
[007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle constructed, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[008] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle constructed, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[009] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a vehicle thermal management process in an electric vehicle configured in a cabin and battery heating mode, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0010] FIGs. 4A and 4B are block diagrams illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle of the present disclosure configured in battery and cabin cooling mode respectively, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0011] FIGs. 5A and 5B are block diagrams illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle of the present disclosure configured in a cabin heating and battery cooling mode respectively, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0013] For the purposes of interpreting this specification, the definitions (as defined herein) will apply and whenever appropriate the terms used in singular will also include the plural and vice versa. It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purposes of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms “comprising”, “having” and “including” are to be construed as open-ended terms unless otherwise noted.
[0014] The words/phrases "exemplary", “example”, “illustration”, “in an instance”, “and the like”, “and so on”, “etc.”, “etcetera”, “e.g.,”, “i.e.,” are merely used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein using the words/phrases "exemplary", “example”, “illustration”, “in an instance”, “and the like”, “and so on”, “etc.”, “etcetera”, “e.g.,”, “i.e.,” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
[0015] Embodiments herein may be described and illustrated in terms of blocks which carry out a described function or functions. These blocks, which may be referred to herein as managers, units, modules, hardware components or the like, are physically implemented by analog and/or digital circuits such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuits and the like, and may optionally be driven by a firmware. The circuits may, for example, be embodied in one or more semiconductor chips, or on substrate supports such as printed circuit boards and the like. The circuits constituting a block may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or by a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry), or by a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions of the block and a processor to perform other functions of the block. Each block of the embodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting and discrete blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, the blocks of the embodiments may be physically combined into more complex blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
[0016] It should be noted that elements in the drawings are illustrated for the purposes of this description and ease of understanding and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flowcharts/sequence diagrams illustrate the method in terms of the steps required for understanding of aspects of the embodiments as disclosed herein. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the present embodiments so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Furthermore, in terms of the system, one or more components/modules which comprise the system may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the present embodiments so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
[0017] The accompanying drawings are used to help easily understand various technical features and it should be understood that the embodiments presented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. As such, the present disclosure should be construed to extend to any modifications, equivalents, and substitutes in addition to those which are particularly set out in the accompanying drawings and the corresponding description. Usage of words such as first, second, third etc., to describe components/elements/steps is for the purposes of this description and should not be construed as sequential ordering/placement/occurrence unless specified otherwise.
[0018] The embodiments herein achieve systems and methods to achieve heating of a cabin of an Electric Vehicle (EV), along with one or more batteries present in the EV. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 7, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0019] Embodiments herein disclose systems and methods to achieve heating of the cabin of an Electric Vehicle (EV), along with one or more batteries present in the EV, wherein an air conditioning compressor is used in combination with a plurality of refrigerant and coolant circuit components to achieve the heating of the cabin and the battery at lesser energy consumption. The EV as referred to herein can be any EV with at least one cabin.
[0020] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle constructed according to a described embodiment. The vehicle thermal management system 100 includes a vehicle heat pump system 104, a battery system coolant loop 103, and a drive train coolant loop 102. A control system 101 controls the operation of the components of vehicle thermal management system 100 and the components of the various embodiments of the vehicle thermal management system (as shown in FIG. 2 and thereafter). The components of the vehicle thermal management system 100 are interconnected via tubing and/or piping. Generally, tubing describes a structure that supports the transport of refrigerant across the vehicle thermal management system, while piping includes structure(s) that support the transport of coolant across the vehicle thermal management system. The control system 101 controls the vehicle heat pump system 104, the battery system coolant loop 103, and the drive train coolant loop via a wired and/or wireless communication links.
[0021] The battery system coolant loop 103 includes a battery system 111. The battery system 111 includes a plurality of individual batteries constructed according to one or more embodiments as disclosed herein.
[0022] The vehicle heat pump system 104 includes an electric compressor 112, a condenser 113, an evaporator 114, a 3-way refrigerant flow control valve (RFCV) 115, a coolant flow control valve (CFCV) 116, a chiller 117, a water cooled condenser (WCC) 118, a low capacity coolant heater 119, a solenoid 120, and a cabin heater 121. Each of the components of the vehicle thermal management system 100 can be powered by the battery system 111 and controlled by the control system 101. The coolant flow control valve 116 causes the battery system coolant loop 103 to serially couple to the cabin heater 121 when in a heating mode. The vehicle thermal management system 100 is configured to operate to exchange heat and/or cooling between and among the battery system 111, the at least one drive train component and a cabin of the vehicle. The RFCV 115 can be used to direct the refrigerant, based on a mode being currently used.
[0023] Examples of the modes as referred to herein can be, a heating mode, a cooling mode, a cabin heating mode, and a cabin heating and battery cooling mode.
[0024] In the heating mode (which can be activated in scenarios, such as, but not limited to, extreme temperature conditions below zero degree Celsius), both the cabin and the battery system 111 can be heated, which can be used to kickstart the battery system 111. Consider that the vehicle is running and temperature of at least one cell in the battery system starts to rise beyond a pre-defined threshold temperature (for example, 30 degrees, 35 degrees, 40 degrees, 45 degrees, and so on), then the cooling mode can be activated. In the cooling mode, both the cabin and the battery system 111 are cooled.
[0025] For the cabin heating mode to be activated, the vehicle has to be running. In the cabin heating mode, heat produced by the battery system 111 can be used for heating the cabin of the vehicle. In an embodiment herein, consider that the vehicle is operating in extreme low temperature conditions (such as, but not limited to, < 15 degree Celsius, < 10 degree Celsius, < 5 degree Celsius, < 0 degree Celsius, and so on). In an embodiment herein, the user can set a desired cabin temperature, and the heat from the battery system 111 can be used to maintain the cabin at the user desired temperature. In an embodiment herein, the user can set a fan speed and/or a heating rate, and the heat from the battery system 111 can be used to maintain the cabin at the user set fan speed and/or heating rate.
[0026] In the cabin heating and battery cooling mode, the cabin can be heated using normal mechanisms (as implemented in one or more vehicles), based on requirements of one or more occupants of the vehicle. In an embodiment herein, the cabin can be heated by transferring the hot refrigerant through the water cooled condenser 118. The battery system 111 can be cooled using normal mechanisms (as implemented in one or more vehicles), on a temperature of the battery system 111 exceeding one or more temperature thresholds. In an embodiment herein, the battery system 111 can be cooled by transferring cool refrigerant from the water cooled condenser 118, though the chiller 117.
[0027] In the cabin cooling mode, the cabin can be cooled using normal mechanisms (as implemented in one or more vehicles), based on requirements of one or more occupants of the vehicle.
[0028] The drive train coolant loop 102 may further include a radiator 105, a reservoir 106, an on-board charger 107, an electric power control unit 108, a pump 109 and, a motor 110.
[0029] As depicted in the vehicle thermal management system 100, the vehicle heat pump system 104 can source heat from the drive train coolant loop 102, the battery system coolant loop 103, and/or the ambient.
[0030] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle wherein the vehicle thermal management system 200 includes a vehicle heat pump system 104, a battery system coolant loop 103, and a drive train coolant loop 102 in thermal communication with at least one drive train component. The battery system coolant loop 103 can be in thermal communication with the battery system 111. A control system (not shown) can control operation of the components of the vehicle thermal management system 200. The components of the vehicle thermal management system 200 are interconnected via tubing and/or piping. Generally, tubing describes a structure that supports the transport of refrigerant across the vehicle thermal management system, while piping describing structure(s) that support the transport of coolant across the vehicle thermal management system.
[0031] The vehicle heat pump system 104 includes an electric compressor 112, a condenser 113, an evaporator 114, a 3-way refrigerant flow control valve 115, a chiller 117, a water cooled condenser 118, a solenoid 120, a plurality of thermal expansion valves (TXVs) 201, a plurality of electronic expansion valves (EXVs) 202, and an orifice 204. The 3-way refrigerant flow control valve 115 can deliver hot, high-pressure refrigerant to the desired condensers 113, 118. The TXVs 201 can actively control the superheat set point of the evaporator 114. The TXVs 201 can further completely block flow to an evaporator 114, when not required. The EXVs 202 can actively control the superheat set point of the chiller 117. The EXVs 202 can completely block flow to a chiller 117, when not required. The solenoid 120 can be used to control the flow of the refrigerant and/or the coolant. The orifice 204 can bring down the pressure of the vapour refrigerant before entering the compressor again. The components of the vehicle thermal management system 100 of FIG. 1 can be powered by the battery system 111 and controlled by the control system 101.
[0032] The battery system coolant loop 103 includes a pump 112, a reservoir 203, a battery system 111, the chiller 117, a coolant flow control valve 116, a low capacity coolant heater 119, a cabin heater 121, and a T joint and piping, wherein the T joint and piping intercouples these components. The T joint can be used to direct the coolant. The T joint can simultaneously pass the refrigerant to the chiller 117, and the evaporator 114. The coolant flow control valve 116 can be used to direct the coolant, based on the mode being currently used. The drive train coolant loop 102 includes a radiator 105, a reservoir 106, an on-board charger 107, an electric power control unit 108, a pump 109 and, a motor 110. When excess heat is generated by the battery system 111 and/or the drive train components, the coolant can be directed to the radiator 105, wherein the radiator 105 can sink the excess heat from the coolant.
[0033] The on-board charger 107 in the drive train coolant loop 102 is configured to connect to an AC power source to continuously charge the battery system 111. The electric power control unit 108 integrates a number of components (not shown), such as, but not limited to, an inverter, a low voltage converter, a vehicle control unit to manage the power within the electric vehicle. The components of both the battery system coolant loop 103 and the drive train coolant loop 102 can be filled with a coolant such as an alcohol based coolant, or any other coolant.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a vehicle thermal management process in an electric vehicle configured in a cabin and battery heating mode. In an embodiment herein, the battery system 111 and the cabin heater 112 can be placed in series with the coolant flow control valve 116, when the battery system 111 and the cabin heater 112 are comparable in temperature. In step 301, the electric compressor 112 is configured as a heater to heat the cabin and the battery system 111. In step 302, the hot refrigerant from the electric compressor 112 is exchanged with the coolant inside the water cooled condenser (WCC) 118 through the refrigerant flow control valve (RFCV) 115, wherein the water cooled condenser 118 (now active) and the refrigerant flow control valve 115 can split the hot refrigerant between the cabin and the battery system coolant loop 103. When excess heating power is present, the refrigerant flow control valve 115 will direct the hot refrigerant only through the water cooled condenser 118, thereby ensuring sufficient cabin heating. The orifice 204 and the electric compressor 112 can control the overall heating power, wherein the orifice 204 can bring down the pressure of the refrigerant (which can be in a vapour form), before the refrigerant enters the compressor 112 again. In step 303, the hot refrigerant to the water cooled condenser 118 and the heat energy from the low capacity positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater 119 can be used to heat the battery system 111 and the cabin (step 304). In step 305, if the battery system starts to produce heat internally, in step 306, the use of PTC heater is reduced; else steps 303 onwards are repeated. The various actions in method 300 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 3 may be omitted.
[0035] FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle of the present disclosure configured in battery system cooling mode. In the cooling mode, the chiller 117 is operational and the battery system coolant loop exchanges heat with the vehicle heat pump system, so battery will cool down.
[0036] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle of the present disclosure configured in a cabin cooling mode. Here, the evaporator 114 is operational. The cabin will cool down as the cold refrigerant absorbs heat from the cabin in the evaporator 114. In the embodiment herein, the chiller 117 and the evaporator 114 have an electronic expansion valve 202 and a thermal expansion valve 201 respectively and connected to the refrigerant loop in parallel branches.
[0037] FIGs. 5A and 5B are block diagrams illustrating a vehicle thermal management system of an electric vehicle of the present disclosure configured in a cabin heating and in a battery cooling mode respectively. In embodiments as disclosed herein, the cabin heating and battery cooling mode is configured with the refrigerant flow control valve 115 and the coolant flow control valve 116. As depicted in FIG. 5A, the hot refrigerant can be used to increase the coolant temperature through water cooled condenser 118 for heating the cabin. As depicted in FIG. 5B, the cold refrigerant can be used to decrease the coolant temperature through the chiller 117 for cooling the battery system 111.
[0038] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The elements include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0039] The embodiment disclosed herein describes systems and methods to achieve heating of a cabin of an Electric Vehicle (EV), along with one or more batteries present in the EV. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in at least one embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g., Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of portable device that can be programmed. The device may also include means which could be e.g., hardware means like e.g., an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g., an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g., using a plurality of CPUs.
[0040] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments and examples, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein can be practiced with modification within the scope of the embodiments as described herein.
, Claims:We claim,
1. A thermal management system (100) for an Electric Vehicle (EV) comprising:
a control unit (101) configured to:
control a vehicle heat pump system (104), a battery system coolant loop (103), a water cooled condenser (118), and a drive train coolant loop (102) in at least one of a cabin and battery heating mode, a cabin and battery cooling mode, a cabin heating and battery cooling mode, a cabin heating mode, and a cabin cooling mode.
2. The thermal management system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery system coolant loop (103) is in thermal communication with a battery system (111).
3. The thermal management system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle heat pump system (104) comprises an electric compressor (112), a condenser (113), an evaporator (114), and a chiller (117).
4. The thermal management system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (101) is configured to control the vehicle heat pump system (104), the battery system coolant loop (103), the water cooled condenser (118), and the drive train coolant loop (102) based upon at least one of an ambient temperature, a cabin temperature in the EV, and/or a battery system temperature.
5. The thermal management system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the cabin and battery heating mode, the control unit (101) is configured to:
operate an electric compressor (112) for heating at least one cabin and at least one battery system (111);
exchange a hot refrigerant from the electric compressor (112) with a coolant inside the water cooled condenser (118) through a refrigerant flow control valve (115);
combine a heat energy from the electric compressor and a low-capacity positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater (119);
heat at least one cabin and at least one battery system; and
reduce the use of the PTC heater, if the battery system starts to produce heat internally.
6. The thermal management system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the cabin and battery cooling mode, the control unit (101) is configured to:
transfer the heat from the coolant to cold refrigerant using a chiller (117); and
remove heat from the cabin using an evaporator (114).
7. The thermal management system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the cabin heating and battery cooling mode, the control unit (101) is configured to:
heat the cabin by transferring the hot refrigerant through the water cooled condenser (118); and
cool a battery system (111) by transferring cool refrigerant from the water cooled condenser (118), through the chiller (117).
8. A method (300) for performing thermal management system (100) in an Electric Vehicle (EV), the method comprising:
controlling, by a control unit, a vehicle heat pump system (104), a battery system coolant loop (103), and a water cooled condenser (118), in at least one of a cabin and battery heating mode, a cabin and battery cooling mode, a cabin heating and battery cooling mode, a cabin heating mode, and a cabin cooling mode.
9. The method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein in the cabin and battery heating mode, the method further comprises:
operating, by the control unit, an electric compressor (112) for heating at least one cabin and at least one battery system (111);
exchanging, by the control unit, a hot refrigerant from the electric compressor (112) with a coolant inside the water cooled condenser (118) through a refrigerant flow control valve (115), wherein the water cooled condenser (118) and the refrigerant flow control valve (115) split the hot refrigerant between the cabin and the battery system coolant loop (103);
combining, by the control unit, a heat energy from the electric compressor and a low-capacity positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater (119);
heating, by the control unit, the at least one cabin and the at least one battery system; and
reducing, by the control unit, the use of PTC heater if the battery system starts to produce heat internally.
10. The method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein in the cabin and battery cooling mode, the method further comprises:
transferring, by the control unit, the heat from the coolant to cold refrigerant using a chiller (117); and
removing, by the control unit, the heat from the cabin using an evaporator (114).
11. The method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein in the cabin heating and battery cooling mode, the method further comprises:
heating, by the control unit, the cabin by transferring the hot refrigerant through the water cooled condenser (118); and
cooling, by the control unit, the battery system (111) by transferring cool refrigerant from the water cooled condenser (118), through the chiller (117).