FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10; rule 13]
TITLE: A THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR A BATTERY PACK AND A
VEHICLE THEREOF
Name and Address of the Applicant:
TATA MOTORS PASSENGER VEHICLES LIMITED of Floor 3, 4, Plot-18, Nanavati
Mahalaya, Mudhana Shetty Marg, BSE, Fort, Mumbai, Mumbai City, Maharashtra, 400001
.
Nationality: Indian
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates in general to the field of automobiles. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to cooling and thermal management systems in a vehicle. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a thermal management system for a battery pack of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Generally, vehicles are equipped with cooling systems such as Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit, which are utilized for cooling a cabin of the vehicle. In some vehicles, such cooling system are additionally employed for cooling components including a battery pack associated with the vehicle. The battery pack may be, for example, a battery pack powering a traction motor of the vehicle, which may be an electric vehicle (EV).
Due to operation under varied ambient temperatures and the requirement of cooling both the cabin and the battery pack, the compressor of the HVAC unit may be strained. Additionally, the compressor may be operable by power derivable from the battery pack, while such operation of the compressor may be employable for cooling the battery pack. Such recurrent operations of the battery pack and the compressor may in-turn reduce range of the vehicle.
The drawbacks/difficulties/disadvantages/limitations of the conventional techniques/systems explained in the background section are just for exemplary purpose and the disclosure would never limit its scope only such limitations. A person skilled in the art would understand that this disclosure and below mentioned description may also solve other problems or overcome the other drawbacks/disadvantages of the conventional arts which are not explicitly captured above.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE:
One or more shortcomings of conventional methods or systems are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through a system and a method as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a thermal management system for a battery pack of a vehicle is disclosed. The thermal management system comprises a battery

cooling circuit configured to circulate a coolant for cooling the battery pack. The thermal management system further includes a radiator fluidly connected to the battery cooling circuit. The radiator is configured to receive and cool the coolant with air passing therethrough. Further, the thermal management system includes a sprayer unit which is configured to spray a spray fluid on the radiator to cool the coolant in the radiator. The thermal management system also includes a control unit that is communicatively coupled to the battery cooling circuit. The control unit is configured to determine, based on an ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack, whether the sprayer fluid is to be sprayed on the radiator by the sprayer unit, to regulate temperature of the battery pack.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for regulating thermal management system for a battery pack of a vehicle is disclosed. The method comprising steps of determining, by a control unit, difference between an ambient temperature and a coolant temperature. Based on the determination, the control unit is further configured to determine that the coolant is to be cooled in a radiator, by using at least one of ambient air and a spray fluid, which causes flow of the coolant to the radiator.
In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle comprising a battery pack associated with the power unit and a thermal management system for the battery pack. The thermal management system comprising a battery cooling circuit configured to circulate a coolant for cooling the battery pack. The thermal management system further includes a radiator fluidly connected to the battery cooling circuit. The radiator being configured to receive and cool the coolant with air passing therethrough. Further, the thermal management system includes a sprayer unit which is configured to spray a spray fluid on the radiator to cool the coolant in the radiator. The thermal management system also includes a control unit that is communicatively coupled to the battery cooling circuit. The control unit is configured to determine, based on an ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack, whether or an amount of the sprayer fluid to be sprayed on the radiator by the sprayer unit, to regulate temperature of the battery pack.
It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
Figure 1 is a block diagram of a thermal management system for a battery pack of a vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2 illustrates a portion of a vehicle including the thermal management system operable with a heating ventilation air conditioning unit for regulating temperature of the battery pack, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the system of Figure 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4 is a flow chart depict a method for regulating a thermal management system for a battery pack of a vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present disclosure. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of

the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While the embodiments in the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
It is to be noted that a person skilled in the art would be motivated from the present disclosure and modify various features of the method or the system, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, such modifications are considered to be part of the disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings show only those specific details that are pertinent to understand the embodiments of the present disclosure, so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein. Also, the system of the present disclosure may be employed in any kind of vehicle ranging from passenger vehicles to commercial vehicles. However, the vehicle is not illustrated in the drawings of the disclosure is for the purpose of simplicity.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a device, system, method and assembly that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, method, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or device proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or device.
In an embodiment, fluid coupling between two components may refer to the two components being coupled in a way that a fluid can pass between the two components.
In an embodiment, the term “ambient temperature” and “ambient air temperature” may be interchangeably referred, as each of said refer to temperature of surroundings of the vehicle, from where the air is being drawn for operation of the system.

Henceforth, the present disclosure is explained with the help of figures illustrating a thermal management system for a battery pack and a method thereof. However, such exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limitations of the present disclosure, since the method may be used on other types of vehicles where such need arises. A person skilled in the art can envisage various such embodiments without deviating from scope of the present disclosure.
Figure 1 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating a block diagram of a thermal management system (50). The thermal management system (50) [hereinafter referred to as the system (50)], among other elements/components, includes a battery cooling circuit (1), a radiator (2), a sprayer unit (3), and a control unit (4). The system (50) is configured to regulate temperature of one or more components of the vehicle (100), such as a battery pack (10) associated with the vehicle (100). In an embodiment, the one or more components may also include a power unit (11) associated with the vehicle (100), which can be seen in Figure 2. The power unit (11) may be an engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. Further, the power unit (11) may be configured to and may be capable of either directly or indirectly operating the system (50). In the illustrative embodiment, the battery cooling circuit (1) of the system (50) may include a pump (1c) [as seen in Figure 3] which may be operable by the power unit (11), or may be operable by other sources of power such as battery modules [not seen in figures] in the battery pack (10) associated with the vehicle (100).
In an embodiment, the battery cooling circuit (1) is configured to circulate a coolant for cooling the battery pack (10), where such coolant may be in fluid state, such as liquid, and may be capable of either flowing around or in proximity to the battery modules of the battery pack (10) for cooling. The coolant may be pumped by a pump (1c) and circulated from a tank (1b) (shown in Fig. 3) associated with the battery cooling circuit (1). In an embodiment, the coolant may be re-circulated to the tank (1b) after passing through the battery pack (10).
In the illustrative embodiment, to regulate temperature of the coolant and thereby optimize cooling of the battery pack (10), the system (50) includes a radiator (2) which is fluidly connected to the battery cooling circuit (1). In one implementation, the radiator (2) may be associated with the power unit (11) and the HVAC unit (5), or may be dedicated to the system (50) for regulating temperature of the battery pack (10), or the radiator (2) may be associated with the power unit (11) for operating with the HVAC unit (5) for cabin cooling, and be part of the system (11) for regulating temperature of the battery pack (10). The radiator (2) is configured to receive and cool the coolant. For such operation, the radiator (2) may be

structured to allow air to pass through the radiator (2) for selectively cooling the coolant being channelized therethrough. The air passing through the radiator (2) may draw heat from the coolant being channelized through the radiator (2) by means of convection and/or radiation heat transfer so that temperature of the coolant exiting the radiator (2) is lower than temperature of the coolant at entry into the radiator (2). The degree of cooling of the coolant may depend on ambient temperature of the air. For example, a low ambient temperature may mean that the air drawn is cool and can cool the coolant significantly. Accordingly, when the ambient temperature is substantially lower than temperature attained or at which the battery pack (10) may be operated, the coolant of the battery cooling circuit (1) may be configured to regulate such temperature of the battery pack (10) based on operation of the radiator (2) and air being passed therethrough.
The system (50) further includes a sprayer unit (3) which is configured to spray a spray fluid on the radiator (2), as can be seen in Figures 2 and 3. Such operation of the sprayer unit (3) [distinctly depicted by referral numerals 3a, 3b, 3c in Figures 2 and 3] may be performed to regulate temperature of the coolant being channelized through the radiator (2), in case reduction in temperature of the coolant due to passage of the air through the radiator (2) alone may be insufficient for regulating temperature of the battery pack (10). For such operation of the sprayer unit (3), temperature of the coolant in or exiting the battery pack (10) and the ambient temperature may be sensed by a temperature sensor (1a). In the illustrative embodiment, the spray fluid is configured to cool the air passing through the radiator (2), and/or surface of the radiator (2), to in-turn cool the coolant in the radiator (2), based on sensing the ambient temperature by the temperature sensor (1a). The sprayer unit (3) is operated to regulate temperature of the coolant being channelized through the radiator (2), in response to the ambient temperature being less than temperature of the battery pack (10) by less than a first threshold temperature. Further, the spray fluid from the sprayer unit (3) may be one or more of water, glycol, and any other fluid that may be capable of the cooling air passing through the radiator (2). Such passive cooling of the coolant may in-turn regulate temperature of the battery pack (10).
The system (50) further includes a control unit (4) which may be communicatively coupled to the battery cooling circuit (1). The control unit (4) is configured to determine, based on the ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack (10), whether the spray fluid is to be sprayed on the radiator (2) by the sprayer unit (3), to regulate temperature of the battery pack

(10). In an embodiment, the control unit (4) may be communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor (1a) in the battery cooling circuit (1), where the control unit (4) is configured to determine temperature of the coolant exiting the battery pack (10) and/or temperature of the battery pack (10). The control unit (4) is further configured to determine the ambient temperature by one or more means including a temperature sensor located in the vehicle (100). The control unit (4), based on determination of the ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack (10), is configured to operate the sprayer unit (3) to reduce temperature of the air passing through the radiator (2) when the ambient temperature is less than the temperature of the coolant in or exiting the battery pack (2) by a temperature less than a first threshold temperature. That is, when it is determined that the ambient air is insufficient to cause sufficient cooling of the coolant, and consequently, is insufficient to reduce temperature of the battery pack (10) to a permissible range, the spray fluid may be sprayed on the radiator (2) to achieve additional cooling of the air. Such a spraying may cool the air sufficiently to cause a sufficient cooling of the coolant for regulating temperature of the battery pack (10). In an embodiment, the first threshold temperature may be a preset temperature value that may be stored and/or processed by a processor and/or a memory unit associated with the vehicle (100). The first threshold temperature may be either a fixed value or a dynamic value which may vary based on the ambient temperature in which the vehicle (100) may be operated.
For example, considering that temperature of the battery pack (10) may be required to be maintained less than 40 °C, the ambient temperature is at 27 °C, and that temperature of the coolant in and/or exiting the battery pack (10) is at 30 °C and also that the first threshold temperature is 5 °C. Thus, the ambient temperature is less than the coolant temperature by less than the first threshold temperature. Accordingly, the control unit (4) is configured to operate the sprayer unit (3) to reduce temperature of the coolant, as the ambient air may not be capable of reducing temperature of the coolant for in-turn reducing temperature of the battery pack (10). The control unit (4) is further configured to regulate operation of the spray unit (3) for regulating quantity of the spray fluid being sprayed about the radiator (2), to cool and regulate temperature of the coolant exiting the radiator (2) to less than or about 20 °C, in order to suitably reduce temperature of the battery pack (10). For example, for a lesser difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the coolant, more spray fluid is sprayed on the radiator. The spraying of a larger amount of spray fluid ensures a greater cooling of the air, thereby achieving a greater cooling of the coolant. Here, it is to be noted that the

values described above are exemplary and shall not be construed limitation of the present disclosure.
In an embodiment, the control unit (4) may determine temperature of the coolant exiting the battery pack (10), instead of temperature of the battery pack (10), as the coolant temperature is indicative of temperature of the battery pack (10).
As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sprayer unit (3) is fluidly coupled to the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit associated with the vehicle (100). In an embodiment, the spray fluid of the sprayer unit (3) is collected based on operation of the HVAC unit (5), where such collected spray fluid may be condensate from the HVAC unit (5) and stored in a storage unit (3a). The stored condensate may be pumped by a fluid pump (3b) on a sprayer (3c). Here, the term “condensate” may refer to cool water that may condense and flow (or drip-off) during cooling of air in an evaporator (5c) or a chiller apparatus (5a) associated with the HVAC unit (5). The spray fluid may be configured to flow downstream of the HVAC unit (5) and may be collected in the storage unit (3a) of the sprayer unit (3) during operation of the HVAC unit (5). In an embodiment, the spray fluid may be filled into the storage unit (3a) of the sprayer unit (3) externally by way of filler elements (3d) [as seen in Figure 2], in conjunction with collecting condensate from the HVAC unit (5). Due to such configuration, quantity of the spray fluid may be maintained in the sprayer unit (3) for operation.
For optimizing cooling of the coolant, and in-turn the battery pack (10), by the system (50), the control unit (4) is configured to regulate operation of the sprayer unit (3) to increase discharge of the spray fluid in response to decrease in a difference between the temperature of the coolant and the ambient temperature. That is, when difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the battery pack (10) (consequently, temperature of the coolant) is less, the control unit (4) is configured to operate the sprayer unit (3) to increase discharge of the spray fluid being sprayed on the radiator (2). Accordingly, if the temperature difference between the spray fluid and the coolant is less, more spray fluid may be sprayed. The operation of the sprayer unit (3), by the control unit (4) of the system (50), may minimize or avert requirement of operating the HVAC unit (5) for cooling the battery pack (10), thereby reducing load on the power unit (11) of the vehicle (100).
As referred to in Figure 3, the battery cooling circuit (1) is fluidly coupled to the HVAC unit (5), where the chiller apparatus (5a) is associated with the battery cooling unit and the HVAC

unit (5), to selectively regulate temperature of the coolant if required. In the HVAC unit (5), the chiller apparatus (5a) may be positioned between a condenser (5d) and a compressor (5b), while may be parallel to the evaporator (5c) to selectively receive the refrigerant of the HVAC unit (5).
In an implementation, the chiller apparatus (5a) is configured to regulate temperature of the coolant of the battery cooling circuit (1) using the refrigerant of the HVAC unit (5). In another implementation, the chiller apparatus (5a) is configured to allow passage of the coolant from the radiator (2) to the battery pack (10) without causing any cooling of the coolant passing therethrough. Accordingly, the chiller apparatus (5a) may be configured to cool the coolant passing therethrough based on an operational signal from the control unit (4), or the chiller apparatus (5a) may be configured to merely allow flow of the coolant therethrough without causing any cooling of the coolant, when the operational signal is not transmitted by the control unit (4). Also, the battery cooling circuit (1) or the system (100) includes a first valve (6) and a second valve (7c) to regulate flow of the coolant between the battery pack (10), the chiller apparatus (5a) and the radiator (2). The first valve (6) may be operated by the control unit (4), to cause flow of the coolant from the battery pack (10) to one of the radiator (2) or chiller apparatus (5a) (i.e., either the radiator (2) or the chiller apparatus (5a)). The second valve (7c) may be opened by the control unit (4), to cause flow of the coolant from the radiator (2) to chiller apparatus (5a), while the second valve (7c) may be closed by the control unit (4), to prevent reverse flow of the coolant from the first valve (6) to the radiator (2). That is, when the coolant from the battery pack (10) is to be prevented from flowing to the radiator (2), position of the first valve (6) may be adjusted such that the coolant flows from the battery pack (10) to the chiller apparatus (5a). In addition, the second valve (7c) may be closed, so that the coolant flowing to the chiller apparatus (5a) does not flow to the radiator (2) through the second valve (7c). The decision of whether to cause the coolant to flow to the chiller apparatus (5a) or to the radiator (2) and the decision of whether to open or close the second valve (7c) may be performed by the control unit (4) based on the ambient temperature, as would be explained later.
In the battery cooling circuit (1), the chiller apparatus (5a) may be fluidly coupled with the pump (1c) through which the chiller apparatus (5a) may supply cooled coolant back to the battery pack (10). In an embodiment, the tank (1b) may act as a buffer to selectively supplying the coolant for circulation through and cooling of the battery pack (10). The coolant exiting

from the battery pack (10) may be passed through the chiller apparatus (5a). The coolant may then be further cooled within the chiller apparatus (5a) before being pumped to the battery pack (10) or may be simply conveyed to the battery pack (10) without causing any cooling to the coolant. The control unit (4) may be configured to channelize the coolant to flow through the chiller apparatus (5a) regardless of the ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack (10). i.e., the coolant is configured to flow through the chiller apparatus (5a) even when the ambient temperature determined by the control unit is any of or beyond the first threshold value, a second threshold value or a third threshold value. The control unit (4) may be configured to cause flow of the refrigerant through the chiller apparatus (5a) to cool the coolant when the ambient temperature is determined to be greater than the second threshold value, where the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value. The second threshold value may be an ambient temperature for which the radiator (2) alone cannot achieve sufficient cooling of the coolant, even when sprayed on by the spray fluid. For example, when temperature of the battery pack (5) is to be maintained less than 40 °C, the second threshold temperature may be about 37 °C. To cause cooling of the coolant in the chiller apparatus (5a) that is preliminarily cooled in the radiator (2), the control unit (4) is configured to operate the chiller apparatus (5a) to cool the coolant being received from the radiator (2), using the refrigerant being supplied through the HVAC unit (5). To cause the flow of the coolant through the radiator (2) and the chiller apparatus (5a), the control unit (4) may adjust position of the first valve (6) such that the coolant exiting the battery pack (10) flows to the radiator (2). The coolant is then cooled in the radiator (2) using the ambient air and the sprayed fluid. The cooled coolant then flows to the chiller apparatus (5a) through the second valve (7c), for further cooling. Due to such operation by the control unit (4), the coolant may be further cooled in the chiller apparatus (5a), before being supplied to the battery pack (10) for cooling. In this manner, the radiator (2) and the chiller apparatus (5a) operate in tandem to achieve the cooling of the coolant when the ambient temperature is higher than the second threshold temperature. It may be understood that if the ambient temperature is lower than the second threshold, the control unit (4) may not cause flow of the refrigerant through the chiller apparatus (5a). In such a case, the chiller apparatus (5a) merely serves to convey the coolant received from the radiator (2) back to the battery pack (10).
In one implementation, when the ambient temperature is determined to be greater than the third threshold value that is greater than the second threshold value, the control unit (4) may determine that the radiator (2) cannot cool the coolant, and that the cooling is to be performed

solely in the chiller apparatus (5a). In such a case, the control unit (4) may adjust position of the first valve (6) such that the coolant exiting the battery pack (10) flows to the chiller apparatus (5a) and not to the radiator (2). Further, the second valve (7c) may be closed to prevent flow of the coolant flowing to the radiator (2) and direct the coolant towards the chiller apparatus (5a). Accordingly, the coolant is made to bypass the radiator (2) and flow directly from the battery pack (10) to the chiller apparatus (5a) for cooling. For instance, the control unit (4) is configured to close the second valve (7c), when the ambient temperature is relatively high, for example 42 °C (as referred above for the third threshold value), the coolant may be channelized to the chiller apparatus (5a) directly from the battery pack (10). Based on operation of the second valve (7c), the coolant from the battery pack (10) is configured to bypass the radiator (2) and flow to the chiller apparatus (5a) for cooling.
In one embodiment of the disclosure, the control unit (4) may be implemented by any computing systems that is utilized to implement the features of the present disclosure. The control unit (4) may comprise a processing unit and one or more memory units associated with the vehicle (100). The processing unit may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system -generated requests. The processing unit may be a specialized processing units such as integrated system (50) (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. The processing unit may include a microprocessor, such as AMD Athlon, Duron or Opteron, ARM’s application, embedded or secure processors, IBM PowerPC, Intel’s Core, Itanium, Xeon, Celeron or other line of processors, etc. The processing unit may be implemented using mainframe, distributed processor, multi-core, parallel, grid, or other architectures. Some embodiments may utilize embedded technologies like application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.
In one embodiment, the control unit (4) may include one or more memory units, which may be disposed in communication with one or more memory units (e.g., RAM, ROM etc.) associated with the vehicle (100) via a storage interface. The storage interface may connect to the one or more memory units including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computing system interface (SCSI), etc. The one or more memory units may further include a

drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, redundant array of independent discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc. Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., are non-transitory. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
Referring now to Figure 4 which is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating a flow chart of a method for regulating the thermal management system (50) for the battery pack (10) of the vehicle (100). In an embodiment, the method may be implemented in any vehicle (100) including, but not limited to, a passenger vehicle (100), a commercial vehicle (100), a mobility vehicle (100), and any other vehicle (100). Also, the system (50) may be operated in the vehicle (100) being powered by the power unit (11) which may be one or more of the engine, the electric motor, and a combination thereof.
The method may describe in the general context of processor executable instructions in the control unit (4). Generally, the executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.
At block 301, the control unit (4) is configured to determine difference between the ambient temperature and temperature of the coolant in or exiting the battery pack (10) of the system (50). In an implementation, the control unit (4) may be communicatively coupled with one or more temperature sensors (1a) that may be associated with various components of the vehicle

(100), where the control unit (4) may be configured to receive signals from the one or more temperature sensors (1a) to determine the ambient temperature and temperature of the coolant of the system (50). Based on determination of difference between the ambient temperature and temperature of the coolant in or exiting the battery pack (10), the control unit (4), as seen in block 303, is configured to determine that the coolant is to be cooled using at least one of the ambient air or a spray fluid being discharged by the sprayer unit (3) associated with the system (50). In an embodiment, the coolant may be cooled by passing through the radiator (2) alone, when the ambient temperature is low and capable of regulating temperature of the coolant upon passing through the radiator (2). Further, when the ambient temperature is high and the difference between the temperature of the coolant exiting the battery pack (10) and the ambient temperature is less than a threshold, the ambient air may not be sufficient to regulate temperature of the coolant on passing through the radiator (2) alone. During such condition, the control unit (4) may operate the sprayer unit (3) to discharge the spray fluid on the radiator (2) to cool the coolant passing through the radiator (2). In the illustrative embodiment, the control unit (4) is configured to cool the coolant in the radiator (2) based on controlling at least one of passing of the ambient air or by discharging (or spraying) the spray fluid by the sprayer unit (3). Such regulated operation by the control unit (4) may cause flow of the coolant to the radiator (2) at optimal temperature for cooling the battery pack (10), as seen in block 305. Also, due to such operation of the system (50), concurrent operation of components such as the compressor (5b) is avoided, whereby range and/or performance of the vehicle (100) may be unhindered.
For example, when the ambient temperature is at 10 °C and considering that temperature of the battery pack (10) may be required to be maintained between 10 °C to 40 °C, then the control unit (4) is configured to not operate the sprayer unit (3) of the system (50), as the ambient air alone may cool the coolant to cause reduction of the battery pack temperature to less than 40 °C. The control unit (4), may in-turn, allow cooling of the coolant based on operation of the radiator (2) alone, for regulating temperature of the battery pack (10) of the vehicle (100). Also, when the ambient temperature is at 25 °C, then the control unit (4) may be configured to operate the sprayer unit (3) for regulating temperature of the coolant by discharging the spray fluid to cool air around the radiator (2) for in-turn cooling the coolant passing therethrough, as the ambient air is relatively hotter and may not cause battery pack cooling to less than 40 °C. Further, the control unit (4) may regulate operation of the sprayer unit (3) to increase discharge of the spray fluid in response to decrease in a difference between the temperature of the coolant

and the ambient temperature. i.e., when temperature of the coolant (which being measured in or exiting the battery pack (10)). Here, it is to be noted that the values described above are exemplary and shall not be construed limitation of the present disclosure.
In one implementation, the control unit (4) may be configured to selectively operate the sprayer unit (3) and the chiller apparatus (5a) to regulate temperature of the coolant in or exiting the radiator (2) or the battery pack (10). For such operation, the battery cooling circuit (1) or the system (100) further includes the first valve (6) and the second valve (7c). The first valve (6) is operated to cause flow of the coolant from the battery pack (10) to one of the radiator (2) or chiller apparatus (5a). The second valve (7c) is operated to be open by the control unit (4), to cause flow of the coolant from the radiator (2) to chiller apparatus (5a), while the second valve (7c) is closed by the control unit, to prevent reverse flow of the coolant from the first valve (6) to the radiator (2). In the illustrative embodiment, the control unit (4) is configured to cause flow of the refrigerant through the chiller apparatus (5a) to cool the coolant when the ambient temperature is determined to be greater than the second threshold value, where the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value. The second threshold value may be an ambient temperature for which the radiator (2) alone cannot achieve sufficient cooling of the coolant, even when sprayed on by the spray fluid. For example, when temperature of the battery pack (5) is to be maintained less than 40 °C, the second threshold temperature may be about 37 °C. The control unit (4), while maintaining the second valve (7c) in the open state, is configured to operate the chiller apparatus (5a) to cool the coolant being received from the radiator (2), based on the refrigerant being supplied through the HVAC unit (5). Due to such operation by the control unit (4), temperature of the coolant may be regulated and then be supplied from the chiller apparatus (5a) to the battery pack (10) for cooling. In one implementation, the control unit (4) is configured to close the second valve (7c) when the ambient temperature is determined to be greater than the third threshold value, where the third threshold value is greater than the second threshold value. During such operation of the second valve (7c), the coolant is configured to bypass the radiator (2) and flow directly from the battery pack (10) to the chiller apparatus (5a) for cooling. For instance, the control unit (4) is configured to close the second valve (7c), when the ambient temperature is relatively high, for example 42 °C (as referred above for the third threshold value), the coolant may be channelized to the chiller apparatus (5a) directly from the battery pack (10) to reduce temperature of the coolant comparatively in lesser time period, as compared to cooling of the coolant when the ambient temperature is about the second threshold value. Based on operation of the second

valve (7c), the coolant from the battery pack (10) is configured to bypass the radiator (4) and flow to the chiller apparatus (5a) for cooling. Also, such configuration of the second valve (7c) prevents reverse flow of the coolant from the first valve (6) to the radiator (2).
It is to be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art may develop a method and a system (50) of similar configuration without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Such modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Equivalents:
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare

recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

We Claim:
1. A thermal management system (50) for a battery pack (10) of a vehicle (100), the
thermal management system (50) comprising:
a battery cooling circuit (1) configured to circulate a coolant for cooling the battery pack (10);
a radiator (2) fluidly connected to the battery cooling circuit (1), the radiator (2) being configured to receive and cool the coolant with air passing therethrough;
a sprayer unit (3), configured to spray a spray fluid on the radiator (2) to cool the coolant in the radiator (2); and
a control unit (4), communicatively coupled to the battery cooling circuit (1), wherein the control unit (4) is configured to determine, based on an ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack (10), whether the spray fluid is to be sprayed on the radiator (2) by the sprayer unit (3), to regulate temperature of the battery pack (10).
2. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (4) is configured to operate the sprayer unit (3) to reduce temperature of the air passing through the radiator (2) when the ambient temperature is less than the temperature of the coolant in the radiator (2) by a temperature less than a first threshold temperature.
3. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit (4) is configured to determine, based on an ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack (10), an amount of the spray fluid is to be sprayed on the radiator (2).
4. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sprayer unit (3) is fluidly coupled to a Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit associated with the vehicle (100), and wherein the spray fluid of the sprayer unit (3) is adaptably collected based on operation of the HVAC unit (5).
5. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a chiller apparatus (5a) is configured to receive the coolant from the radiator (2) and supply the coolant to the battery pack (10), wherein the control unit (4) is configured to cause flow of a refrigerant of the HVAC unit (5) through the chiller apparatus (5a) to cool the

coolant when the ambient temperature is determined to be greater than a second threshold value.
6. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claim 5, wherein, in response to the ambient temperature being greater than a third threshold value greater than the second threshold value, the control unit (4) is configured to bypass the radiator (2) and cause flow of the coolant directly to the chiller apparatus (5a) for cooling of the coolant.
7. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claim 6, wherein, to enable flow of the coolant to bypass the radiator (2), the thermal management system (50) comprises:
a first valve (6) configured to receive the coolant to be cooled and to supply the coolant to one of the radiator (2) and the chiller apparatus (5a), wherein the control unit (4) is configured to selectively operate the valve (6) to regulate the flow of the coolant; and
a second valve (7c) to prevent reverse flow of the coolant from the first valve (6) to the radiator (2), wherein the control unit (4) is configured to close the second valve (7c) in response to the ambient temperature being greater than the third threshold value.
8. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claims 1 or 4, wherein the sprayer unit (3) comprises a storage unit (3a) configured to collect the spray fluid from the HVAC unit (5), and wherein the spray fluid is condensate discharged during operation of the HVAC unit (5).
9. The thermal management system (50) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (4) is configured to regulate operation of the sprayer unit (3) to increase discharge of the spray fluid in response to decrease in a difference between the temperature of the coolant and the ambient temperature.
10. A method for regulating thermal management system (50) for a battery pack (10) of a vehicle (100), the method comprising:
determining, by a control unit (4), difference between an ambient temperature and a coolant temperature;

based on the determination, determining, by the control unit (4), that the coolant is to be cooled in a radiator (2), by using at least one of ambient air and a spray fluid; and
causing flow of the coolant to the radiator (2).
11. The method as claimed in claim 10, comprises regulating, by the control unit (4), operation of a sprayer unit (3) to increase discharge of the spray fluid in response to decrease in a difference between the temperature of the coolant and the ambient temperature.
12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein determining, by the control unit (4), an amount of the spray fluid to be sprayed on the radiator (2) by the sprayer unit (3), based on an ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack (10), to regulate temperature of the battery pack (10).
13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein causing, by the control unit (4), flow of the coolant to bypass the radiator (2) and flow to a chiller apparatus (5a) to cool the coolant by a refrigerant of the HVAC unit (5) in response to the ambient temperature being greater than a third threshold value, being greater than a second threshold value.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13, comprises operating, by the control unit (4), a first valve (6) to regulate the flow of the coolant, wherein the first valve (6) is configured to receive the coolant to be cooled and to supply the coolant to one of the radiator (2) and the chiller apparatus (5a).
15. The method as claimed in claim 13, comprises operating, by the control unit (4), a second valve (7c) to prevent reverse flow of the coolant from the first valve (6) to the radiator (2), wherein the control unit (4) is configured to close the second valve (7c) in response to the ambient temperature being greater than the third threshold value.
16. A vehicle (100), comprising:
a battery pack (10) associated with the power unit (11); a thermal management system (50) for the battery pack (10), the thermal management system (50) comprising:

a battery cooling circuit (1) configured to circulate a coolant for cooling the battery pack (10);
a radiator (2) fluidly connected to the battery cooling circuit (1), the radiator (2) being configured to receive and cool the coolant with air passing therethrough;
a sprayer unit (3), configured to spray a spray fluid on the radiator (2) to cool the coolant in the radiator (2); and
a control unit (4), communicatively coupled to the battery cooling circuit (1), wherein the control unit (4) is configured to determine, based on ambient temperature and temperature of the battery pack (10), whether the spray fluid is to be sprayed on the radiator (2) by the sprayer unit (3), to regulate temperature of the battery pack (10).
17. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 16, wherein, in response to a determination that the spray fluid is to be sprayed on the radiator (2), the control unit (4) is to determine an amount of spray fluid to be sprayed on the radiator (2).