CN115519963A

CN115519963A - Temperature regulating system and method

Info

Publication number: CN115519963A
Application number: CN202210444659.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周树民
Original assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Current assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Priority date: 2022-04-26
Filing date: 2022-04-26
Publication date: 2022-12-27

Abstract

The invention relates to a temperature regulating system and a method. The temperature adjustment system is for a vehicle, and includes: air conditioning equipment, which includes first air pipeline (10), first air pipeline (10) includes air intake (10A) and air outlet (10B), electric equipment, and it includes motor (21), wherein, still include the second air pipeline (20) of accomodating motor (21) inside, it includes branch's air intake (20A) and branch's air outlet (20B), branch's air intake (20A) is controlled to be connected or disconnected with the first air pipeline.

Description

Temperature regulating system and method

Technical Field

The invention relates to a tempering system and a tempering method in a vehicle.

Background

An electric motor is provided in the vehicle to perform a specific function. For example, in an electric vehicle, an electric motor is used as a power source of the vehicle. For another example, an electric power steering system is provided in a vehicle, which includes an electric motor and performs steering by means of assist torque provided by the electric motor. Taking the latter as an example, the heat generated by the motor during operation will adversely affect the assist torque provided by the motor, and specifically, when the heat generated by the motor during operation exceeds a predetermined value, the assist torque output by the motor will be controlled to be reduced, even reduced to zero, which makes the assist steering function of the electric power steering system impossible.

Therefore, it is desirable for the electric motor in the vehicle to avoid performance degradation due to heat.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tempering system and a tempering method which can cool an electric motor in a vehicle in a simple and economically advantageous manner to ensure excellent performance of the electric motor.

An aspect of the present invention provides a thermostat system for a vehicle, and includes

An air conditioning apparatus comprising a first air line comprising an air inlet and an air outlet,

an electrically powered device, comprising an electric motor,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the air conditioner also comprises a second air pipeline containing the motor, wherein the second air pipeline comprises a branch air inlet and a branch air outlet, and the branch air inlet is connected with or disconnected from the first air pipeline in a controlled mode.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, further comprising a branch air pipe having one end connected to a position downstream of the motor in the second air pipe and the other end connected to a position downstream of the branch air intake in the first air pipe.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, further comprising a first switching member located at the branch air inlet for allowing air entering from the air inlet to enter the second air pipe in an open state.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, further comprising a second switch member located at a connection position of the branch air pipe and the second air pipe for allowing air passing through the electric motor to enter the first air pipe again in an open state.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air conditioning apparatus further includes a heater located in the first air duct, the heater and the branch air intake are respectively located at two different bypasses downstream of the evaporator, and further includes a third switching member for passing air passing through the evaporator through the heater in an open state.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a connection position between the branch air line and the first air line is located downstream of the heater.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electrically powered device is configured as an electric power steering assist device to provide an assist torque to assist steering of the vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the second and/or third switching element is configured as a regulating valve or gate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first switch member is configured as a regulating valve or a gate.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a temperature regulating method, wherein the temperature regulating method is implemented using any one of the above temperature regulating systems, and comprises the steps of:

a request for cooling of the electric motor is received,

and controlling the branch air inlet to be communicated with the first air pipeline.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first controller for the air conditioner and the second controller for the motor communicate via a CAN bus.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the electric motor is controlled to produce maximum torque with minimum current.

According to an embodiment of the invention, said preset conditions include that said electric motor is used for heating the cabin without overloading itself.

Drawings

Features, advantages and technical effects of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements, and wherein:

fig. 1 schematically shows a tempering system according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a tempering system according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a tempering system according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a tempering system according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 schematically shows a tempering system according to a fifth embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a control method of the motor in the fifth embodiment shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows a flow chart of a tempering method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a tempering system and method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description and drawings are included to illustrate the principles of the invention, which is not limited to the preferred embodiments described, but rather are intended to cover various embodiments of the invention, alone or in any combination, and the scope of the invention is defined by the claims.

In addition, spatially relative terms (such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right," etc.) are used to describe one element's relative positional relationship with another element as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may therefore apply in other orientations than those illustrated in the figures, when used. It will be apparent that although for ease of illustration all of these spatially relative terms refer to the orientation shown in the drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that orientations other than those shown in the drawings may be used.

Example 1

Fig. 1 schematically shows a tempering system according to a first embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 1, the tempering system 1 comprises an air conditioning device that can be used for cooling, heating or ventilating the cabin of a vehicle to provide a comfortable riding environment for the occupants in the vehicle. The air conditioning apparatus includes a first air line 10, and a blower 11 and an evaporator 12 therein, and the first air line 10 includes an inlet 10A and an outlet 10B. In one example, fresh air outside the vehicle or circulating air inside the vehicle may enter the first air line 10 via the air inlet 10A. The air conditioner further includes a first controller (not shown) under the control of which the blower 11 sucks air through the air inlet 10A and the air is supplied from the air outlet 10B to the interior of the vehicle after passing through the evaporator 12, wherein the evaporator 12 may temperature-condition the passing air so that the air conditioner is in a cooling mode, or the evaporator 12 does not temperature-condition the passing air so that the air conditioner is in a ventilation mode. The air conditioning system also comprises a heater 13 in the first air line 10, which heater 13 is used to regulate the temperature of the air passing through so that the air conditioning system is in a heating mode.

The tempering system 1 of the present invention further comprises an electrically powered device comprising an electric motor 21 and a second controller (not shown) for controlling the electric motor 21. As shown in fig. 1, the thermostat system 1 of the invention also comprises a second air line 20, in which second air line 20 an electric motor 21 is accommodated. The second air line 20 includes a branch inlet 20A and a branch outlet 20B, and the branch inlet 20A is connected to a position downstream of the evaporator 12 in the first air line 10, so as to allow air to enter the second air line 20 after passing through the evaporator 12.

As shown in fig. 1, the thermostat system 1 further includes a branch air line 30, one end of the branch air line 30 being connected to a position downstream of the motor 21 in the second air line 20, and the other end thereof being connected to a position downstream of the branch air intake 20A in the first air line 10. Furthermore, the connection between the branch air line 30 and the first air line 10 is located downstream of the heater 13, so that the connection between the branch air line 30 and the first air line 10 is located closer to the air outlet 10B of the first air line 10, so that the temperature regulation system 1 provides the cabin with heated air via the shorter section of the first air line 10, if desired, even only via the branch air line 30, as will be described in more detail below. The heater 13 and the bypass inlet 20A are located in two different bypasses downstream of the evaporator 12, respectively, and it can be appreciated that the different bypass arrangements of the heater 13 and the bypass inlet 20A described above can ensure that air passing through the evaporator 12 can independently pass through the heater 13 and the second air line 20, respectively, which can ensure that the second air line does not affect the original arrangement/configuration of the heater existing in the air conditioning apparatus. In order to activate/deactivate the heating function of the air conditioning apparatus performed by the heater 13, a third switch 14 is further provided, which is controlled by the first controller, the third switch 14 being used to pass the air passing through the evaporator 12 through the heater 13 when turned on. It should be noted that although the heater and the evaporator and the blower are illustrated as being located in the same air line and the blocking/turning on of the path of the air to the heater is achieved by the switching member in the drawings, this first air line should be understood to cover an air line having a structure in which a bypass dedicated to the heater is provided, and at the same time, a switching member is provided for turning on/off the bypass.

And, in order to control the communication between the first air line 10 and the second air line 20, a first switch 22 is also provided, which is controlled by a first controller, and likewise, in order to control the communication between the second air line 20 and the branch air line 30, a second switch 23 is also provided, which is controlled by a second controller. As can be clearly seen from fig. 1, the first switch 22 is located at the branch inlet 22 for allowing, in the open state, air passing through the evaporator 12 to enter the second air line 20, and the second switch 23 is located at the connection of the branch air line 30 with the second air line 20 for allowing, in the open state, air passing through the electric motor 21 to exit from the branch air line 30 (in this case, the branch air line is used as a branch outlet of the second air line so that air in the second air line exits the second air line), and to again enter the first air line 10.

In the first embodiment according to the invention shown in fig. 1, the second controller of the electrically powered device has not yet issued a cooling request to the first controller of the air-conditioning apparatus, in which case the first controller controls the first switch 22 to be in the closed state to cut off the communication between the first air line 10 and the second air line 20, and the second controller controls the second switch 23 to be in the closed state to cut off the communication between the second air line 20 and the branch air line 30.

Further, the third switching part 14 is controlled to be in an open state by the first controller so that the air passing through the evaporator 12 passes through the heater 13 and then exits from the outlet port 10B, thereby setting the air conditioning apparatus to a heating mode. Of course, this is merely an example, and the air conditioner may also be in a cooling mode in which the third switching member 14 is controlled by the first controller to be in a closed state so that the temperature-conditioned air passing through the evaporator 12 directly exits from the outlet port 10B without passing through the heater 13, or a ventilation mode in which the third switching member 14 is controlled by the first controller to be in a closed state so that the air passing through the evaporator 12 directly exits from the outlet port 10B without passing through the heater 13.

Example 2

Fig. 2 schematically shows a tempering system according to a second embodiment of the invention. Differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment already described with reference to fig. 1 will be mainly described below, and the same will not be described again to avoid redundancy.

After the second controller of the electric equipment 21 issues a cooling request to the first controller of the air conditioning equipment, the first controller controls the first switching element 22 to be in an open state to communicate between the first air line 10 and the second air line 20, and the second controller controls the second switching element 23 to be in a closed position to cut off the communication between the second air line 20 and the branch air line 30, so that after the second controller issues a cooling request to the first controller, air passing through the evaporator 12 enters the second air line 20 via the branch air inlet 20A to cool the electric motor 21, and then exits the second air line 20 via the branch air outlet 20, for example, to be discharged to the outside of the vehicle. Further, the third switching member 14 is controlled to be in the closed position by the first controller, and the fourth switching member 15 at the outlet vent 10B is in the open state, so that the air passing through the evaporator 12 is directly discharged from the outlet vent 10B without passing through the heater 13, thereby setting the air conditioning apparatus to the cooling mode. In other words, the temperature adjustment system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is in the cooling mode for both the cabin and the motor.

Example 3

Fig. 3 schematically shows a tempering system according to a third embodiment of the invention. Differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment already described with reference to fig. 1 will mainly be described below, and the same will not be described again to avoid redundancy.

After the second controller of the electric equipment 21 issues a cooling request to the first controller of the air conditioning equipment, the first controller controls the first switching element 22 to be in an open state to communicate between the first air line 10 and the second air line 20, and the second controller controls the second switching element 23 to be in a closed state to cut off communication between the second air line 20 and the branch air line 30, so that after the second controller issues a cooling request to the first controller, air passing through the evaporator 12 enters the second air line 20 via the branch air inlet 20A to cool the electric motor 21 and then exits the second air line 20 via the branch air outlet 20, for example, to be discharged to the outside of the vehicle. Further, the third switching part 14 is controlled to be in an open state by the first controller so that the air passing through the evaporator 12 passes through the heater 13 and then exits from the outlet port 10B, thereby setting the air conditioning apparatus to a heating mode. In other words, the tempering system according to the third embodiment of the present invention is in a mixed mode of cooling the electric motor 21 and heating the cabin.

Example 4

Fig. 4 schematically shows a tempering system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Differences between the fourth embodiment and the first embodiment already described with reference to fig. 1 will mainly be described below, and the same will not be described again to avoid redundancy.

After the second controller of the electric equipment 21 sends a cooling request to the first controller of the air conditioning equipment, the second controller controls the first switch 22 to be in an open state so as to enable communication between the first air pipeline 10 and the second air pipeline 20, and controls the second switch 23 to be in a closed state so as to cut off communication between the second air pipeline 20 and the branch air pipeline 30, so that after the second controller sends the cooling request to the first controller, air passing through the evaporator 12 enters the second air pipeline 20 through the branch air inlet 20A so as to cool the electric motor 21 and then leaves the second air pipeline 20 through the branch air outlet 20. Further, the third switching member 14 is controlled to be in a closed state by the first controller, and the fourth switching member 15 at the wind outlet 10B is in a closed state, so that the air passing through the evaporator 12 does not pass through the heater 13 and is blocked by the fourth switching member 15 from entering the cabin, thereby not providing any function of the air conditioning apparatus to the cabin. In other words, the temperature adjusting system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is in the cooling mode only for the motor.

Example 5

Differences between the fifth embodiment and the first embodiment already described with reference to fig. 1 will be mainly described below, and the same points will not be described again to avoid redundancy.

After the second control of the electric device 21 issues a cooling request to the first control of the air conditioning system, the first control controls the first switching element 22 to be in the open state to connect the communication between the first air line 10 and the second air line 20 and simultaneously to cut off the continuous flow of air directly in the first air line 10 after the evaporator 12, so that after the second control issues a cooling request to the first control, the air passing through the evaporator 12 can only enter the second air line 20 via the branch air inlet 20A to cool the electric motor 21. Meanwhile, after the first controller of the air-conditioning apparatus issues a cooling request to the second controller of the electric-powered device 21, the second controller, after determining that the preset condition is met, controls the second switching member 23 to be in the open state to connect the communication between the second air line 20 and the branch air line 30, so that the air (air temperature is high) after cooling the electric motor 21 again enters the first air line 10 via the branch air inlet 30B. In addition, the third switch 14 is controlled by the first controller to be in an open state (as shown) or a closed state (not shown), the heater 13 is not operated, and the fourth switch 15 at the air outlet 10B is in an open state, so that the air passing through the evaporator 12 is heated by the motor 21 and then enters the first air pipeline 10 again through the branch air inlet 30B, thereby providing the heating function of the air conditioning equipment for the cabin. In other words, the temperature adjusting system according to the fifth embodiment of the invention is in the heating mode. As an example, the preset condition is that the motor for heating the cabin does not cause itself to be overloaded, for example, if the second controller, after receiving the heating request of the first controller, judges that the heating for heating the cabin would cause itself to be overloaded, the second controller may reject the heating request and set the second switching element 23 to the off state.

As an alternative to the fifth embodiment, the first switching element 22 and the third switching element 14 may each be in the open state shown in fig. 3, so that the heater 13 is likewise used to provide the cabin with the heating function of the air conditioning apparatus, in comparison to the fifth embodiment.

It can be understood that the thermostat system of the present invention uses the existing air conditioner in the vehicle for cooling the motor, and adds less and simpler structure to the existing air conditioner to obtain the thermostat system of the present invention to prevent the performance degradation of the motor due to heat, thereby ensuring excellent performance of the motor. The tempering system of the invention thus has the feature of cooling the electric motor in the vehicle in a simple and cost-effective manner to ensure excellent performance of the electric motor.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a control method of the motor in the fifth embodiment shown in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 6, a curve M indicates a control method of the motor in the fifth embodiment shown in fig. 5, specifically, a horizontal axis in fig. 6 indicates current and a vertical axis indicates torque, an abscissa value of each point on the curve M can be used to indicate a component for providing heat generation in the output quantity of the motor, and an ordinate value of each point on the curve M can be used to indicate a component for providing required torque in the output quantity of the motor, for example, a point P on the curve M, an ordinate value q1 of which indicates a component for providing required torque in the output quantity of the motor, and an abscissa value d2 of which indicates a component for providing heat generation in the output quantity of the motor. In other words, the curve M indicates that the motor is controlled using the "maximum heat control" method, i.e. the motor provides the maximum amount of heat within its own capacity (which can be understood as the rated current) for providing the required torque, and this amount of heat will be used for the heating function of the tempering system of the invention. In contrast, the curve M1 represents a conventional motor control method, and the amount of heat generated in the output of the motor is d1 in order to provide the same required torque q1, as clearly shown in the figure, the motor of the present invention employs a control method that can provide more heat for providing the same required torque than the conventional motor control method. The motor is controlled on the basis of the principle that the maximum torque is generated by the minimum current, that is, the so-called "MTPA (maximum power) method", which is a control method selected based on the knowledge that the heat generation amount of the motor adversely affects the motor, and is a control method widely selected at present. However, in the tempering system of the present invention, the above technical prejudice is overcome.

Fig. 7 shows a flow chart of a tempering method according to an embodiment of the invention. A temperature adjusting method according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 7.

It should be noted that the temperature control method of the present invention is implemented using the temperature control system described above, and therefore, the temperature control system, and particularly, the respective components thereof, will not be described in detail herein.

As shown in fig. 7, it is confirmed whether the second controller issues a cooling request to the first controller at S100, and if so, air passing through the evaporator is supplied to the second air line via the bypass air inlet in response to the cooling request and under the control of the first controller at S200. It will be appreciated that the features described above with reference to the tempering system of the present invention are equally applicable to the tempering method of the present invention and will not be described here in detail to avoid redundancy.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electric device is configured as an electric power steering assist device, and the electric motor provides an assist torque to assist the vehicle steering under the control of the second controller.

According to an embodiment of the invention, one or more of the first, second and third switching elements are configured as regulating valves or gates. Advantageously, the first controller controls the opening degree of the first switch member and/or the second controller controls the opening degree of the second switch member as required, for example if the current temperature of the electric motor is already too high, the first controller may control the opening degree of the first switch member as required after receiving a cooling request of the second controller, and for example if the required temperature of the cabin is high, the second controller may control the opening degree of the second switch member as required after receiving a heating request of the first controller and determining that preset conditions are met, to ensure comfort of the thermostat system and availability of the electric motor.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first controller and the second controller communicate via a CAN bus. Of course, the communication between the first controller and the second controller may alternatively be implemented in any other communication manner (e.g., a wireless communication manner).

As described above, although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in the description with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A tempering system (1) for a vehicle, comprising

Air conditioning plant comprising a first air line (10), said first air line (10) comprising an air inlet (10A) and an air outlet (10B),

an electrically powered device comprising an electric motor (21),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the air conditioner further comprises a second air pipeline (20) accommodating the motor (21) and comprising a branch air inlet (20A) and a branch air outlet (20B), wherein the branch air inlet (20A) is connected with or disconnected from the first air pipeline in a controlled mode.

2. Tempering system (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a branch air line (30) connected at one end to a location downstream of an electric motor (21) in said second air line (20) and at another end to a location downstream of said branch air intake (20A) in said first air line (10).

3. Tempering system (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a first switching member (22), said first switching member (22) being located at said branch air intake (20A) for allowing air entering from said air intake (10A) to enter said second air line (20) in an open state.

4. Tempering system (1) according to claim 2, further comprising a second switch (23), said second switch (23) being located at a connection position of said branch air line (30) and said second air line (20) for allowing air passing through said electric motor (21) to re-enter said first air line (10) in an open state.

5. Tempering system (1) according to claim 4, wherein said air conditioning apparatus further comprises a heater (13) in said first air line (10), said heater (13) and said branch air intake (20A) being located at two different bypasses downstream of an evaporator (12), respectively, and further comprising a third switch (14), said third switch (14) being for passing air passing through said evaporator (12) through said heater (13) when in an open state.

6. Tempering system (1) according to claim 5, wherein a connection location between said branch air line (30) and said first air line (10) is located downstream of said heater (13).

7. Tempering system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said electrically powered device is configured as an electrically powered steering assistance device to provide an assistance torque to assist vehicle steering.

8. Tempering system (1) according to claim 5, wherein said second and/or third switching element (23, 14) is configured as a regulating valve or door.

9. Tempering system (1) according to claim 3, wherein said first switch member (22) is configured as a regulating valve or a door.

10. Tempering method, characterized in that it is carried out using a tempering system (1) according to any of claims 1-9 and comprises the steps of:

receiving a request for cooling of the electric motor (21),

and controlling the branch air inlet (20A) to be communicated with the first air pipeline (10).

11. Tempering method according to claim 10 wherein a first controller for said air conditioning equipment and a second controller for said electric motor (21) communicate via a CAN bus.

12. Tempering method according to claim 10 wherein said motor is controlled to produce maximum torque with minimum current.

13. A tempering method according to claim 10 wherein said preset conditions include said electric motor being used to heat a cabin without overloading itself.