Battery thermal management assembly and method
阅读说明:本技术 电池热管理总成和方法 (Battery thermal management assembly and method ) 是由 斯蒂芬·皮恩 安德鲁·查尔斯·萨姆恩 埃里克·比利莫里亚 于 2019-09-02 设计创作,主要内容包括:本公开提供“电池热管理总成和方法”。一种示例性车辆总成尤其包括货厢的内板和外板,以及管理牵引电池的热能水平的热交换模块。所述热交换模块设置在所述内板和所述外板之间的腔室内。一种示例性热管理方法尤其包括通过在热交换模块处在第一流体和第二流体之间交换热能来管理牵引电池内的热能。所述热交换模块设置在货厢的内板和外板之间的腔室内。(The present disclosure provides "battery thermal management assemblies and methods. An exemplary vehicle assembly includes, among other things, inner and outer panels of a cargo compartment, and a heat exchange module that manages a thermal energy level of a traction battery. The heat exchange module is disposed within a chamber between the inner plate and the outer plate. An exemplary thermal management method includes, inter alia, managing thermal energy within a traction battery by exchanging thermal energy between a first fluid and a second fluid at a heat exchange module. The heat exchange module is disposed within a chamber between inner and outer panels of the cargo compartment.)
1. A vehicle assembly, comprising:
inner and outer panels of the cargo compartment; and
a heat exchange module to manage a thermal energy level of a traction battery, the heat exchange module disposed within a cavity between the inner plate and the outer plate.
2. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the heat exchange module is a liquid to air heat exchange module.
3. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, further comprising a fan that passes a flow of air through the heat exchange module, the fan disposed within the chamber, and optionally, further comprising a pump that moves liquid to the heat exchange module, the pump disposed outside the chamber.
4. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, further comprising an inlet that communicates an air flow to the chamber, the inlet opening to a horizontally facing side of a vehicle having the cargo compartment, and optionally, further comprising an outlet that communicates the air flow from the chamber, the outlet opening to a downwardly facing side of the vehicle.
5. The vehicle assembly of claim 4, further comprising at least one vent movable back and forth between a first position that allows more flow through the inlet and a second position that allows less flow through the inlet.
6. The vehicle assembly of claim 4, wherein the inlet is additionally open to a front end of the vehicle.
7. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the chamber is located forward of the wheel well and rearward of the passenger compartment.
8. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the chamber is a first chamber on a driver side of the vehicle and the heat exchange module is a first heat exchange module, the vehicle further comprising a second heat exchange module disposed within a second chamber between an inner panel and an outer panel of the cargo compartment on a passenger side of the vehicle.
9. A method of thermal management, comprising:
to manage thermal energy within the traction battery, thermal energy is exchanged between a first fluid and a second fluid at a heat exchange module disposed within a chamber between inner and outer panels of the cargo compartment.
10. The thermal management method of claim 9, further comprising heating the first fluid with thermal energy from the traction battery and cooling the first fluid at the heat exchange module.
11. The thermal management method of claim 9, wherein said chamber is located forward of a wheel well and rearward of a passenger compartment.
12. The thermal management method of claim 9, wherein the first fluid is a liquid and the second fluid is air, and optionally, the thermal management method further comprises moving the second fluid through the heat exchange module using a fan disposed within the chamber, and optionally, the thermal management method further comprises moving the first fluid through the heat exchange module using a pump disposed outside the chamber.
13. The thermal management method of claim 9, further comprising moving the second fluid to the heat exchange module through an inlet that opens to a horizontally facing side of a vehicle having the cargo compartment, and optionally, the thermal management method further comprises controlling flow of the second fluid to the heat exchange module by moving at least one vent between a first position that allows more flow through the inlet to the heat exchange module and a second position that allows less flow through the inlet to the heat exchange module.
14. The thermal management method of claim 13, wherein said inlet is additionally open to a front of said vehicle.
15. The thermal management method of claim 14, further comprising exhausting the second fluid from the heat exchange module through an outlet that opens to a downward facing side of the vehicle.
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an assembly for managing the thermal energy level of a traction battery, and more particularly, to the packaging of the assembly between the inner and outer panels of a vehicle cargo compartment.
Background
An electrically powered vehicle differs from a conventional motor vehicle in that the electrically powered vehicle uses one or more electric machines that are powered by a traction battery to selectively drive. The electric machine may replace the internal combustion engine or may drive the electric vehicle as a supplement to the internal combustion engine. Example electric vehicles include Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs), and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).
The traction battery is a relatively high voltage battery that selectively powers the electric machine and other electrical loads of the motorized vehicle. The traction battery may include an array of batteries each including a plurality of interconnected battery cells that store energy. Traction batteries for electric vehicles typically include a plurality of arrays, each having individual battery cells that are periodically recharged to supplement the energy necessary to power the electric machine. The battery cells may heat up during charging and discharging, as well as during other phases of operation. Operating a battery cell at a particular temperature may improve the capacity and extend the life of the battery cell. Managing the thermal energy level of the traction battery may facilitate efficient operation.
Disclosure of Invention
A vehicle assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, inner and outer panels of a cargo compartment, and a heat exchange module that manages a thermal energy level of a traction battery. The heat exchange module is disposed within the chamber between the inner and outer plates.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing assembly, the heat exchange module is a liquid to air heat exchange module.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies includes a fan that passes a flow of air through the heat exchange module, the fan being disposed within the chamber.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies includes a pump to move the liquid to the heat exchange module, the pump disposed outside the chamber.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies includes an inlet that delivers a flow of air to the chamber. The access opening opens to a horizontally facing side of a vehicle having a cargo compartment.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies includes an outlet that communicates a flow of air from the chamber. The outlet opens to the downwardly facing side of the vehicle.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies includes at least one vent that is movable back and forth between a first position that allows more flow through the inlet and a second position that allows less flow through the inlet.
In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies, the inlet additionally opens into a front end of the vehicle.
In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies, the chamber is located forward of the wheel well and rearward of the passenger compartment.
In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing assemblies, the chamber is a first chamber on a driver's side of the vehicle and the heat exchange module is a first heat exchange module. The vehicle also includes a second heat exchange module disposed within a second chamber between inner and outer panels of the cargo compartment on a passenger side of the vehicle.
A thermal management method according to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, inter alia, managing thermal energy within a traction battery by exchanging thermal energy between a first fluid and a second fluid at a heat exchange module. The heat exchange module is disposed in a cavity between the inner and outer panels of the cargo compartment.
Another non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing method includes heating the first fluid with thermal energy from the traction battery, and cooling the first fluid at the heat exchange module.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing method, the chamber is located forward of the wheel well and rearward of the passenger compartment.
In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, the first fluid is a liquid and the second fluid is air.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods includes moving the second fluid through the heat exchange module using a fan disposed within the chamber.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods includes moving the first fluid through the heat exchange module using a pump disposed outside the chamber.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods includes moving the second fluid to the heat exchange module through an inlet that opens to a horizontally facing side of a vehicle having a cargo compartment.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods includes controlling flow of the second fluid to the heat exchange module by moving the at least one vent between a first position that allows more flow through the inlet to the heat exchange module and a second position that allows less flow through the inlet to the heat exchange module.
In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, the inlet additionally opens to a front of the vehicle.
Another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods includes discharging the second fluid from the heat exchange module through an outlet that opens to a downward facing side of the vehicle.
The embodiments, examples and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs, claims or the following description and drawings, including any of their various aspects or respective individual features, may be made independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments unless the features are incompatible.
Drawings
Various features and advantages of the disclosed examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:
fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of an electrically powered vehicle equipped with a cargo compartment for storing and transporting cargo.
Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in fig. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates a close-up view of a region of the vehicle of FIG. 1 with selected portions cut away to show a heat exchange module disposed between inner and outer panels of the cargo compartment.
Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the area shown in fig. 3, the inlet of the heat exchange module having the ventilation member in a first position allowing more flow through the inlet.
Fig. 5 shows the view of fig. 5 with the vent in a second position that allows less flow through the inlet.
Detailed Description
The present disclosure details a thermal management assembly for an electric vehicle. The thermal management assembly includes a heat exchange module encapsulated between inner and outer panels of the cargo compartment. These and other features of the present disclosure are described in more detail in the following paragraphs of this detailed description.
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle 10 including a
The
Referring now to fig. 2 and with continued reference to fig. 1, the
The vehicle 10 also includes a
The exemplary vehicle 10 is a purely electric vehicle. In other examples, the vehicle 10 is a hybrid electric vehicle that selectively uses torque provided by an internal combustion engine (instead of or in addition to an electric motor) to drive wheels. In general, vehicle 10 may be any type of vehicle having a traction battery.
The vehicle 10 includes a vertically downward facing
The vehicle 10 includes a thermal management assembly for, among other things, managing the thermal energy level of the
For purposes of this disclosure, the
Referring now to fig. 3, with continued reference to fig. 1 and 2, a first fluid follows a path P1From the
Within the
In this example, the first fluid is cooled by the second fluid within the
The first fluid that has been cooled at
The
The
The
The
In another example, the
In yet another example, the
In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of venting
An
The
The
The memory portion may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements. The program may be stored as software code in the memory portion and used to selectively open and control the
In the exemplary non-limiting embodiment, the
To begin cooling the
If it is not desired to cool the
Notably, the outlet 98 from the
Features of exemplary embodiments may include packaging the heat exchange module of the thermal management system between panels of the cargo compartment of the vehicle, rather than at the front end of the vehicle behind a front grille, for example. Packaging the heat exchange module between panels of the cargo compartment may provide additional front storage space for the vehicle. Furthermore, the heat exchange module encapsulated between the panels is substantially hidden from view, which reduces the visual impact of the heat exchange module.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of legal protection given to this disclosure can only be determined by studying the following claims.