EP2357545A1

EP2357545A1 - Cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller

Info

Publication number: EP2357545A1
Application number: EP09827170A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dong Wang
Original assignee: Chery Automobile Co Ltd
Current assignee: Chery Automobile Co Ltd
Priority date: 2008-11-18
Filing date: 2009-11-16
Publication date: 2011-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2029-11-16
Also published as: CN101419475A; EP2357545A4; EP2357545B1; WO2010057421A1

Abstract

A cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller is provided. The cooling system comprises a control unit(8), a plurality of flow control valves(1), a water pump(4), a diverter(2), many condensers(3), a water tank(5) and a plurality of cooling benches(6) with temperature sensors. The control unit(8) receives temperature signals from temperature sensors of the cooling benches(6), and sends control signals to the water pump(4), the flow control valves (1) and the diverter(2) in order to control the operation of the water pump(4), the flow control valves(1) and the diverter (2). The cooling water that is pumped from the water tank(5) by water pump(4) is split and carried to the flow control valves(1) and flow to the cooling benches(6) that are communicated with the flow control valves(1). The cooling water flowing through the cooling benches(6) is converged into the diverter (2), and is then fed back to the water tank(5) after flowing through one or several condensers(3). The cooling system of the present invention is realized in water circulation cooling method. The control unit has reliable temperature control means for each cooling bench, so as to ensure that all of the components to be cooled, which includes a vehicle controller and a motor, can operate within the temperature range required for their respective testing.

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a testing system for a hybrid power vehicle, in particular to a cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller.

Description of the Prior art

With energy crisis aggravating and people's environmental consciousness improved, new energy-based vehicles featuring low energy consumption, environment friendliness and high efficiency have become a new trend in the development of automobile industry. Having both the advantage of an electric vehicle in terms of low emission and the advantage of an internal combustion engine vehicle in terms of high energy density, HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) is receiving increasing attention.
The hybrid electric vehicle involved in the present invention refers to an intermediate level hybrid (ISG, integrated starter and generator) vehicle. In addition to having the regular configuration of a conventional automobile, an ISG vehicle also comprises core components such as a hybrid power vehicle controller, a hybrid power motor (an ISG motor, a motor integrating the functions of starting and power generation) mounted between the engine and the transmission gear box and a high voltage power battery. The hybrid electric vehicle related in this invention has such the critical functions as, automatic starting/stopping of the motor, auxiliary driving and energy recovery, etc., therefore the hybrid electric vehicle features reduced oil consumption of the engine. The performance of such core components as the hybrid power vehicle controller and the hybrid power motor has direct influence on the performance of the hybrid vehicle as a whole and the fuel cost economy, and the lifetime of these core components also produce direct influence on the service life of the hybrid power vehicle. Therefore, a testing lifetime system, which simulates the operating characteristics of a hybrid power vehicle in an accelerated aging process, is needed to test or verify the potential life of the hybrid power vehicle controller during the design and production stages, so as to find a potential malfunction and a risk in advance and thus reduce the operating risks of the hybrid power vehicle.
The accelerated testing lifetime is a common testing lifetime method. In the process of accelerated testing lifetime, the hybrid power vehicle controller and the motor are placed in an environment of high humidity, where the temperature fluctuates cyclically within an extensive range, and where so do the load and the power supply voltage of the vehicle. Thus, the operation temperature of both the hybrid power vehicle controller and the hybrid power motor is instable. Once their actual operating temperature exceeds the normal temperature range, both the controller and the motor can be burned down, resulting in failure of the testing and damage to the whole testing lifetime system. Therefore, in the testing lifetime system for the hybrid power vehicle controller, a cooling system must be provided to ensure that the critical components, such as the hybrid power vehicle controller and the motor are operating within normal temperature range. On the other hand, since the motor and the hybrid power vehicle controller require different temperature range in the process of testing, this cooling system must be able to provide different cooling capacities for different components, so that each of these components is operating within its specific temperature range required for the testing and thus the requirement for testing is met.

Summary of the Invention

In view of the defects of prior art, the technical object of the present invention is to provide a cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller, such that each critical component of the hybrid power vehicle ,such as the controller and the motor, can operate within its specific temperature range required for the testing lifetime.
The technical object of the present invention is realized by employing the following technical solution:
A cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller comprises a control unit, a flow control valve, a water pump, a diverter, a condenser, a water tank and a cooling bench with temperature sensor; the control unit receives temperature signals from the temperature sensors of the cooling benches and sends control signals to the water pump, the flow control valves and to the diverter such as to control the operation of the water pump, the flow control valves and the diverter; the cooling water that is pumped from the water tank by the water pump is split and carried to the flow control valves and the cooling benches that are communicated with the flow control valves; the cooling water flowing through the cooling benches is converged into the diverter , and is then fed back to the water tank after flowing through one or several condensers.
In the process of testing, the components to be cooled including the hybrid power vehicle controller and the motor are placed on the cooling benches, good contact between the components to be cooled and the cooling benches ensured. After the vehicle controller and the motor start operating, their temperatures gradually rise. The control unit receives temperature signals from the temperature sensors of the cooling benches and controls the operation of the water pump, the flow control valves and the diverter corresponding to the received temperature signals. When the temperature of a cooling bench exceeds the predetermined temperature range, the control unit issues signal to instruct the flow control valve communicated with this cooling bench to increase flow amount and the flow rate of cooling water in this cooling bench so that heat dissipation and temperature reduction of the components to be cooled on this cooling bench can be accelerated. When the temperatures of multiple or all the cooling benches exceed the predetermined temperature ranges, the control unit issues signal to instruct the water pump to increase power and increase the circulation speed of cooling water in the cooling system. The control unit also issues signal to instruct the diverter to divert the cooling water in the diverter to the multiple condensers for cooling and thus increase the heat dissipation. When the temperature of any cooling bench is lower than the predetermined temperature range, the control unit will instruct the diverter cease flow division, so that the cooling water from the diverter may only flow into one condenser for cooling. In such cases, the control unit could also reduce the flow of the corresponding flow control valve or the power of the water pump or even close the corresponding flow control valve, so that the temperature of each cooling bench can be maintained within respective predetermined range.
The components to be cooled on different cooling benches are operated in different conditions, so that the cooling water for these different components are different in temperature and flow rate. The cooling water directly flow into the condenser without being thoroughly mixed, and the unstable temperature of the cooling water is unfavorable to the working of the condensers. Therefore, a heat exchanger controlled by the control unit is provided in the cooling system so that the cooling water flowing out of the cooling benches is firstly converged into the heat exchanger, and is then fed back to flow into the diverter. In this way, when there are major temperature differences among the cooling water of different cooling benches, the control unit may send control signal to accelerate the heat exchange rate of the cooling water in the heat exchanger, so that the temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the heat exchanger may remain reasonably stable as the system allows; that is, the temperature will fluctuate slowly and slightly instead of rapidly and intensively.
An alternative configuration for accelerating heat exchange of the cooling water may be as such: the cooling system also includes a heat exchanger controlled by the control unit; the cooling water flowing out of the cooling benches is firstly flowed through heat exchanger after being flowed through the condenser, and is then fed back to the water tank.
The cooling system of the present invention comprises at least two flow control valves and two condensers. After the motor and the vehicle controller are placed on the cooling bench, they can operate within their respective appropriate temperature range. And depending on actual situation, more flow control valves and condensers may be provided in the cooling system.
The control unit is a singlechip or a computer.
The heat exchanger is a container provided with a plurality of water inlets and one water outlet, and a stirring device is provided in the container, As long as the stirring rate is increased, the mixing speed of the cooling water in the container can be increased and the temperature become even.
The cooling bench is made of mutually communicating hollow metal pipes, and the cooling bench is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet at its two ends; the cooling bench is a hollow bench made of metal plates and provided with a concave cavity, and the cooling bench is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet at its two ends. The cooling water enters from the water inlet, flows through the bench and finally flows out from the water outlet. The metal material of the cooling bench should have good heat conductivity, and it should be appropriate for manufacturing. Since the cooling bench has a concave cavity, and the components to be cooled are placed in the concave cavity, the contact area between the cooling bench and the components to be cooled can be increased so that the cooling effect can be improved.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of the present invention is based on water circulation cooling method, featuring simple structure and low manufacturing cost. The control unit has reliable temperature control means for each of the cooling benches, so as to ensure that each of the components such as the vehicle controller and the motor to be cooled, , can operate within the temperature range required for their respective test. Therefore, the cooling system provided in the present invention is appropriate for the testing lifetime of a hybrid power vehicle controller.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is the structural diagram of the cooling system of embodiment 1 ;
Fig. 2 is the structure diagram of the cooling system of embodiment 2.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

The technical solution of the present invention is described in details with reference to the attached drawings and the specific embodiments.
Embodiment 1 :
Fig. 1 is the structural diagram of the cooling system of embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 1, a cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller is provided comprises one control unit 8, four flow control valves 1, one water pump 4, one diverter 2, two condensers 3, one water tank 5 and four cooling benches 6 with temperature sensors. The control unit 8 is connected with other components such as the temperature sensors of the cooling benches 6, the water pump 4, the flow control valves 1 and the diverter2 with communication cables (The communication cables are represented in dotted line in Fig. 1).
The water pump 4 is connected with the water tank 5 via pipelines. The cooling water that is pumped from the water tank 5 by the water pump 4 is split and carried to the flow control valves 1. Each of the flow control valves 1 is communicated with one hollow cooling bench 6 in which components to be cooled are placed. After being regulated by the flow control valves 1, the cooling water flowing out of the flow control valves 1 is flowed to the corresponding cooling benches 6 in order to cool down the components to be cooled on the cooling benches 6. The cooling water flowing out of the cooling benches 6 is converged into a heat exchanger 7. After being stirred and being mixed thoroughly in the heat exchanger 7, the cooling water is flowed into the diverter 2, whereby the cooling water is split and carried to one or two condensers 3 corresponding to the instruction of the control unit 8, and then the cooling water is fed back to the water tank 5.
After the cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller starts operating, the control unit 8 acquires the temperature data of the cooling benches 6 through temperature sensors. When the temperature of the cooling benches 6 rises to a certain value, the control unit 8 outputs instruction to the water pump 4 such that the water pump 4 rotates at a fixed speed and drives the cooling water to circulate in the cooling system, so that the cooling system starts to work. When the temperature of a cooling bench 6 needs to be mildly decreased, the control unit 8 increases the water circulation flow rate and flow amount of this cooling bench 6 by regulating the flow control valve 1 corresponding to this cooling bench 6, in this way the operating temperature of this cooling bench 6 is mildly decreased. When the temperature of a cooling bench 6 needs to be reduced quickly and in great measure, the control unit 8 further increases the rotate speed of the water pump 4 and instructs the diverter 2 to split and divert the cooling water to flow through two condensers 3 for cooling so as to accelerate the cooling, in addition to using the flow control valve 1 to increase the flow rate and flow amount of water circulation. When the testing need is to test the lifetime of a vehicle controller working continuously in high temperature environment, the control unit 8 can decrease or switch off the flow of the flow control valve 1 corresponding to the vehicle controller so as to control its cooling capability, and so that the temperature of the vehicle controller will rise due to its self-heating. Based on the above working process, the control unit realizes the temperature control over the components to be cooled such as the vehicle controller and the motor, so as to ensure that these components to be cooled such as the vehicle controller and the motor can operate within the temperature range required for testing.
Embodiment 2 :
Fig. 2 is the structural diagram of the cooling system of embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 2, this embodiment differs from embodiment 1 in that the heat exchanger 7 in embodiment 2 is placed between the condenser 3 and the water tank 5. The cooling waters flowing through the cooling benches 6 is firstly flowed through the heat exchanger 7 after being flowed through the condenser 3, and is then fed back to the water tank 5. In this way, it is also feasible to accelerate the heat exchange of cooling water in the case that there is major difference in the lengths of the cooling water circulation paths where the condensers 3 are located in the testing system of some vehicle models.

Claims

A cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller, characterized in the following: the cooling system comprises a control unit, a flow control valve, a water pump, a diverter, a condenser, a water tank and a cooling bench with temperature sensor; the control unit receives temperature signals from the temperature sensors of the cooling benches and sends control signals to the water pump, the flow control valves and to the diverter such as to control the operation of the water pump, the flow control valves and the diverter; the cooling water that is pumped from the water tank by the water pump is split and carried to the flow control valves and the cooling benches that are communicated with the flow control valves; the cooling water flowing through the cooling benches is converged into the diverter, and is then fed back to the water tank after flowing through one or several condensers.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of claim 1, wherein the cooling system also comprises a heat exchanger controlled by the control unit; the cooling water flowing out of the cooling benches is firstly converged into the heat exchanger, and is then fed back to the diverter.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of claim 1, wherein the cooling system also comprises a heat exchanger controlled by the control unit; the cooling waters flowing out of the cooling benches is firstly flowed through the heat exchanger after being flowed through the condenser, and is then fed back to the water tank.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of any of claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the cooling system is provided with at least two flow control valves and two condensers.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of claim 4, wherein the control unit is a singlechip or a computer.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of claim 2 or 3, wherein the heat exchanger is a container provided with a plurality of water inlets and one water outlet, and a stirring device is provided in the container.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of claim 4 , wherein each of the cooling benches is made of mutually communicating hollow metal pipes, and the cooling bench is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet at its two ends.
The cooling system for testing lifetime of hybrid power vehicle controller of claim 4 , wherein each of the cooling benches is a hollow bench made of metal plates and provided with a concave cavity, and the cooling bench is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet at its two ends.