FR3107209A1 - DEVICE FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT OF THE COMBUSTION ENGINE AND THE INTERIOR OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SAID DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermal management device for a motor vehicle provided with a passenger compartment and equipped with an engine, said device comprising, on the one hand, a heat transfer liquid circuit (R) ensuring the cooling of the engine (M ) and opening downstream of the engine into a liquid outlet housing (B) and, on the other hand, a heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment provided with a heat source (4) and an air heater (3), characterized in that it comprises a three-way solenoid valve (1) intended to isolate or connect said cooling circuit (R) and said heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment and of which a first way is connected to the unit heater (3) and is coupled to a main non-return valve (2), a second channel is connected to the housing (B) of the coolant circuit and a third channel is connected to the unit heater (3) via said heat source (4). Figure 1

Description

THERMAL MANAGEMENT DEVICE FOR THE COMBUSTION ENGINE AND THE CABIN OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SAID DEVICE

The invention applies to the field of thermal management of motor vehicles.

More specifically, the invention relates, primarily, to a device capable of and intended to ensure, in a motor vehicle, optimal and detailed thermal conditioning, both of the internal combustion engine and of the passenger compartment.

In the alternative, the invention relates to a method for implementing this thermal device with a view to facilitating both cold starting of the engine and heating of the passenger compartment, engine off or running.

The powertrains of motor vehicles generally comprise several thermal function circuits in which a heat transfer fluid circulates. The engine cooling circuit and the heating or heating circuit of the passenger compartment of the vehicle constitute such heat transfer fluidic circuits.

These two circuits can be linked, in order to allow the transfer of heat from the engine to the passenger compartment and thus limit the vehicle's energy consumption by eliminating the use of an additional system.

The passenger compartment heating circuit is provided, in the traditional manner, with a heat source such as a burner, an electric heater or even a heat energy storer, capable of supplying the air heater circuit of the passenger compartment. in coolant and thus to ensure its preliminary heating before starting the engine and, alternatively, the de-icing of the windscreen.

Such a thermal conditioning system has its own water pump and a temperature control probe. If a burner heating system is used, the latter is supplied, via a metering pump, with the vehicle's fuel. A solenoid valve is used to direct the flow of heat transfer fluid through different pipes (air heater channel or heat transfer channel). water outlet from the cooling circuit) according to a control law.

However, this solution necessarily entails an additional cost to modify and adapt the conventional cooling circuit, in particular, due to the addition of additional elements in the unit heater circuit (heater, water pump, solenoid valve, etc.) and the necessary integration of non-return valves in order to guarantee, despite this adaptation, a sufficient flow of fluid in the engine cooling circuit.

Systems for the management and thermal conditioning of the powertrain of motor vehicles already exist, such as that described in patent FR3064674. This system comprises a coolant circulation circuit in which are integrated an engine cooling heat exchanger, a heater circuit, a coolant liquid outlet box, a circulation pump for this liquid and various connection conduits.

However, the air heater circuit of the passenger compartment is not autonomous because it is controlled directly or indirectly by the regulation system. of the cooling circuit. However, this regulation system is complex and energy-intensive because the control of the valves requires sensors and cables, or transmitters and receivers, making it possible to send orders to the valves from an on-board computer.

In this context, the invention proposes a technical solution consisting in installing on the vehicle a new air heater circuit capable of being connected or isolated from the engine cooling circuit and thus making it possible to ensure autonomy for the heating process of the passenger compartment. while improving the thermal conditions of the powertrain for a cold start.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a thermal management device for a motor vehicle provided with a passenger compartment and equipped with an engine, said device comprising, on the one hand, a heat transfer liquid circuit ensuring the cooling of the engine and opening downstream of the engine into a liquid outlet box (B) and, on the other hand, a circuit for heating the passenger compartment provided with a heat source and an air heater, characterized in that it comprises a three-way solenoid valve intended to isolate or connect said cooling circuit and said passenger compartment heating circuit and of which a first way is connected to the air heater and is coupled to a main non-return valve , a second channel is connected to the case of the heat transfer liquid circuit and a third channel is connected to the unit heater via said heat source.

According to a preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the first channel and the second channel of the three-way solenoid valve are input channels connected, respectively, to the output of the heater and to the output of the control box. heat transfer liquid while the third way of the solenoid valve is an output way connected to the inlet of the air heater.

According to an advantageous characteristic, the heat source is mounted in parallel on a loop of the passenger compartment heating circuit which comprises a heat transfer liquid circulation pump coupled to the heat source and ensuring the connection of said source to the air heater via an auxiliary check valve.

According to the invention, provision is made for the main non-return valve to be mounted between the outlet of the unit heater and the inlet of the cooling circuit.

Preferably, the main non-return valve is connected to a pump integrated into the engine coolant circuit.

According to a specific variant embodiment of the invention, the device comprises a sensor for the internal temperature of the coolant which is coupled to the three-way solenoid valve to automatically control the opening or closing of its two inlet channels.

Another object of the invention is a process for thermal conditioning of a motor vehicle by means of the device as defined above, characterized in that, prior to starting the engine, the heating circuit of the passenger compartment is isolated of the engine cooling circuit by closing the second inlet port of the solenoid valve and by jointly opening its first inlet port while activating the heat source to heat the passenger compartment.

According to one characteristic of this method, it is provided that, after starting the engine and when the temperature of the engine coolant reaches the temperature of the coolant of the passenger compartment heating circuit, the first inlet port of the passenger compartment is closed. the solenoid valve and its second inlet port is opened to communicate the coolant outlet unit with the passenger compartment heating circuit.

According to a variant implementation of the method, when the cooling circuit communicates with the passenger compartment heating circuit, the heat source is deactivated.

Yet another object of the invention is a motor vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine and a thermal conditioning device having the characteristics defined above.

The thermal conditioning device of the invention applies to vehicles fitted with an internal combustion engine and is suitable and intended for isolating or connecting the engine cooling circuit and the passenger compartment heating circuit by means of a solenoid valve coupled to a non-return valve.

Heating of the passenger compartment is thus obtained more quickly and can be ensured in all circumstances, engine running or engine off, which improves the comfort of the vehicle.

The invention also makes it possible to optimize the rise in temperature of the coolant and of the oil in the powertrain and to avoid excess fuel consumption at cold start, in particular, in countries located in climatic zones. say "great cold" (northern Europe, Russia, Canada ...). The CO2 gain is significant when the three-way solenoid valve isolates the two circuits and the heat source is jointly deactivated.

In addition, the invention makes it possible to dispense with long developments for the development of the calibration of the engine during cold starts and to standardize the architecture of the air heater circuit for heating the passenger compartment for different engines and, in particular , for hybrid vehicles (thermal/electric), of the “ plug-in ” type.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the description which follows, with reference to the appended figures detailed below.

is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the thermal management device according to the invention applied to a motor vehicle equipped with a combustion engine.

is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the heating circuit for the passenger compartment of the vehicle fitted with the device of FIG. 1.

is a diagram representing the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the engine off where only the elements appearing dark are activated.

is a diagram representing the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the engine running where only the elements appearing dark are activated.

For greater clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs in the description and in the figure.

Naturally, the modes of implementation of the method of the invention illustrated by the figures presented above and described below, are given only by way of non-limiting examples. It is explicitly provided that it is possible to propose and combine different modes to propose others.

The invention relates to the field of thermal management of motor vehicles equipped with a powertrain comprising an internal combustion engine or a hybrid engine. More specifically, the invention relates both to a device and to a method intended to ensure, in an optimal manner, both the cooling of the engine and the heating of the passenger compartment for such vehicles.

The powertrain fitted to these vehicles comprises, in a traditional manner and as illustrated by FIG. 1, on the one hand, a circuit R ensuring the circulation of a cooling liquid which opens downstream of the engine M into an outlet box , on the other hand, a circuit C ensuring the heating of the passenger compartment, the latter being provided, in particular, with a heat source 4 and with a unit heater exchanger 3 (or a radiator) situated in the passenger compartment.

The heat source 4 is mounted in parallel on a loop of the passenger compartment heating circuit C and consists, for example, of a burner supplied with fuel (from the vehicle's fuel tank or any other fuel) or running on electrical energy or even a heat energy storer. This heat source 4 is intended to heat a heat transfer liquid which is then routed through the heating circuit C to the unit heater exchanger 3.

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, the passenger compartment heating circuit C further comprises a pump 40 for circulating the coolant liquid which is coupled to the heat source 4 and which ensures its connection to the heater 3 via a check valve 41 (Figure 2). In this way, the loop comprising the heat source 4 can be disconnected from the rest of the heating circuit C, as will be described later.

According to the invention, the device comprises, on the one hand, a three-way solenoid valve 1 mounted between the heater 3 and the heat source 4 and, on the other hand, a main non-return valve 2 which is mounted between the heater 3 and the inlet 5 of the cooling circuit R. In this configuration, the solenoid valve 1 makes it possible to isolate or connect the cooling circuit R of the engine M and the circuit C comprising the heater 3 while continuing to ensuring the passenger compartment is satisfactorily heated.

To this end, the solenoid valve 1 comprises a first inlet channel 11 which is connected to the outlet of the air heater 3 and is coupled to the non-return valve 2, a second inlet channel 12 which is connected to the outlet of the housing B of the cooling heat transfer liquid circuit and a third output channel 13 which is connected to the inlet of the heater 3 via the loop of the heat source 4, as illustrated in detail by Figure 2.

Before starting the M engine, the vehicle is in a thermal pre-conditioning phase of the passenger compartment. In this phase, the first input channel 11 of the solenoid valve 1 is open while the second input channel 12 is closed.

The three-way solenoid valve 1 then isolates the circuit C of the air heater 3 from the cooling circuit R of the engine (shown in light lines in FIG. 3A). In this phase, the heat source 4 and the associated pump 40 are activated (shown in dark lines in FIG. 3A).

This operation can be carried out several minutes before the activation of the combustion engine and possibly be controlled remotely thanks to an on-board computer and a program managed by the user.

During this phase, the heat transfer liquid therefore circulates in a closed loop in the heating circuit C going, via the pump 40, to the heat source 4 and to the unit heater 3 where its calories are transferred then to the solenoid valve 1 before returning to pump 40 (in the direction of the arrows). The liquid heated by the heat source 4 provides the calories necessary for the air heater 3 to regulate the temperature of the air inside the passenger compartment.

Thus, with this mode of thermal conditioning, the cooling circuit R of the engine is not subject to the thermodynamic influence of the heating circuit C of the passenger compartment and the liquid is not subject to a rise in temperature, which facilitates subsequent starting at cold.

Once the heat engine M has started and when the temperature of the coolant reaches the temperature of the heat transfer liquid of the heating circuit C, the first inlet channel 11 of the solenoid valve 1 is closed and its second inlet channel is opened. 12 to communicate the coolant outlet housing B with the passenger compartment heating circuit C, as illustrated by FIG. 3B.

To this end, the device of the invention comprises a probe or a sensor (not shown) of the internal temperature of the coolant which is coupled to said solenoid valve 1 to automatically control the opening or closing of its two channels of entry 11, 12.

The coolant, leaving box B via line 6, is loaded with calories from engine M and can be injected into circuit C where heater 3 heats the passenger compartment. If necessary, the heat source 4 can then be deactivated to reduce energy consumption.

During this phase, the heat transfer liquid then circulates (in the direction of the arrows) from the cooling circuit R of the motor M to the outlet box B then in the direction of the solenoid valve 1 to the unit heater 3 where its calories are transferred before returning to the engine M, via the main non-return valve 2 and the pipe 5, under the action of the pump integrated into the coolant circuit (not shown).

Claims (10)

Device for thermal management of a motor vehicle provided with a passenger compartment and equipped with an engine, said device comprising, on the one hand, a circuit (R) of heat transfer liquid ensuring the cooling of the engine (M) and opening downstream of the engine in a liquid outlet box (B) and, on the other hand, a heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment provided with a heat source (4) and an air heater (3), characterized in that it comprises a three-way solenoid valve (1) intended to isolate or connect said cooling circuit (R) and said heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment and of which a first way (11) is connected to the heater (3) and is coupled to a main non-return valve (2), a second path (12) is connected to the case (B) of the heat transfer liquid circuit and a third path (13) is connected to the heater (3) via said heat source (4). Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first channel and the second channel of the three-way solenoid valve (1) are input channels connected, respectively, to the outlet of the air heater (3) and to the outlet of the case (B) of heat transfer liquid while the third way of the solenoid valve (1) is an output way connected to the inlet of the heater (3). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said heat source (4) is mounted in parallel on a loop of the heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment which comprises a pump (40) for circulating the heat transfer liquid coupled to the heat source (4) and ensuring the connection of said source to the air heater (3) via an auxiliary non-return valve (41). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main non-return valve (2) is mounted between the outlet of the air heater (3) and the inlet of the cooling circuit (R). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main non-return valve (2) is connected to a pump integrated into the coolant circuit (R) of the engine (M). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a sensor of the internal temperature of the cooling liquid which is coupled to the said solenoid valve (1) to automatically control the opening or closing of its two flow paths. input (11, 12). Process for thermal conditioning of a motor vehicle by means of the device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, prior to starting the engine (M), the heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment is isolated from the circuit cooling (R) of the engine by closing the second channel (12) of the solenoid valve (1) and by opening its first channel (11) while simultaneously activating the heat source (4) to heat the passenger compartment. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that, after starting the engine (M), when the temperature of the engine cooling liquid reaches the temperature of the heat transfer liquid of the heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment, the first channel (11) of the solenoid valve (1) and its second channel (12) is opened to communicate the coolant outlet housing (B) with the heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that when the cooling circuit (R) communicates with the heating circuit (C) of the passenger compartment, the heat source (4) is deactivated. Motor vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine and a thermal conditioning device according to one of Claims 1 to 5.