KR20210142490A - Vehicle batter cooling device and vehicle battery cooling method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle cooling device and a vehicle cooling method using the same, wherein the vehicle cooling device can include: a battery management system for managing a battery; a water pump which operates to circulate a coolant in a coolant pipe passing through the battery; and a battery cooling control unit which receives information for calculating the amount of heat of the battery from the battery management system to calculate the amount of heat, and generates pump control information for controlling the flow rate of the coolant based on the calculated amount of heat.

Description

Vehicle battery cooling device and vehicle battery cooling method using the same

The present invention relates to a vehicle battery cooling apparatus and a vehicle battery cooling method using the same.

Existing automobiles are mechanical devices that move by generating driving force using an engine as a power source, but nowadays, many electronic devices are installed in automobiles to improve convenience.

As the number of electronic devices in a vehicle increases, the importance of a battery for providing electrical energy to the electronic devices is increasing.

In addition, the development of an electric vehicle that moves by generating a driving force using a motor as a power source is in progress, and the biggest core of the electric vehicle is a battery.

As such, as the importance of the battery increases not only in the electric vehicle but also in the conventional vehicle, the management of the battery also becomes important.

As the number of electric devices (including motors) connected to the battery increases, that is, as the amount of current output from the battery increases, the temperature of the battery increases, and the increased temperature may shorten the performance and lifespan of the battery.

On the other hand, when the battery is overcooled, a problem occurs in that the response characteristic of the battery becomes slow.

Therefore, there is a need for a technology capable of maintaining a battery at an appropriate temperature.

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vehicle battery cooling apparatus capable of actively controlling the temperature of a battery and a vehicle battery cooling method using the same.

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vehicle battery cooling device for controlling the flow rate of coolant for cooling the battery by calculating the amount of heat generated by the battery, and a vehicle battery cooling method using the same.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A vehicle cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery management system for managing a battery, a water pump operating to circulate coolant in a coolant pipe passing through the battery, and information for calculating the amount of heat of the battery from the battery management system and a battery cooling controller configured to calculate the amount of heat generated by receiving , and generate pump control information for controlling the flow rate of the coolant based on the calculated amount of heat.

In a vehicle battery cooling method according to another embodiment of the present invention, when the temperature of the battery is equal to or higher than a preset temperature, determining that the battery needs to be cooled is a determining step of determining the need for cooling the battery. A cooling water circulation step to circulate through the battery, obtaining information for calculating the calorific value of the battery, a calorific value calculation step of calculating the calorific value of the battery based on the obtained information, and the calculated calorific value of the battery Based on the water pump flow rate determining step of controlling the flow rate of the cooling water passing through the battery.

The present technology can actively control the temperature of the battery to prevent overcooling or overheating of the battery, thereby preventing the performance and lifespan of the battery from being reduced.

In addition, the present technology can keep the performance of the battery constant, so that the performance and lifespan of the electric devices connected to the battery can be prevented from being reduced.

In addition, various effects directly or indirectly identified through this document may be provided.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a vehicle battery cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for cooling a vehicle battery using a vehicle battery cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even though they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing the embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the component from other components, and the essence, order, or order of the component is not limited by the term. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

1 is a view showing the configuration of a vehicle battery cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented inside a vehicle. In this case, the vehicle battery cooling device may be integrally formed with the vehicle's internal control units, or may be implemented as a separate device and connected to the vehicle's control units by a separate connection means.

1, the vehicle battery cooling device includes a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansion valve 13, an evaporator 14, a radiator 21, a Low Temperature Radiator (LTR), a water pump 22-1, 22-2), 3-way valve (23-1, 23-2, 3-way valve), heat exchanger (30), battery (40), battery management system (50, BMS; Battery Management System), battery cooling control unit ( 60) may be included.

At this time, the compressor 11 , the condenser 12 , the expansion valve 13 , and the evaporator 14 are connected by a refrigerant pipe RP to compress, condense and expand the refrigerant, and vaporize it in the evaporator 14 , the evaporator (14) It can lower the ambient temperature. In general, the compressor 11 , the condenser 12 , the expansion valve 13 , and the evaporator 14 are referred to as a cooling device using a refrigerant, and may be referred to as an air conditioner.

The radiator 21, the water pumps 22-1 and 22-2, and the three-way valves 23-1 and 23-2 are connected to the coolant pipe CP to lower the temperature of the location where the coolant is circulated. . In general, the radiator 21 , the water pumps 22-1 and 22-2 and the three-way valves 23-1 and 23-2 may be referred to as coolant circulation devices.

In the battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, both the refrigerant and the coolant may be configured to pass through the heat exchanger 30 . Accordingly, both the refrigerant pipe RP and the cooling water pipe CP may be connected to the heat exchanger 30 . Meanwhile, the coolant pipe CP may be configured to pass through the battery 40 .

The heat exchanger 30 may reduce the temperature of the battery 30 by absorbing heat emitted from the battery 40 .

The battery 40 may supply the charged electric energy to the electronic device and the motor installed in the vehicle by charging the electric energy.

The battery management system 50 is a system for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery 40 , and the temperature (Tcell) of the battery 40, the temperature of the coolant passing through the battery 40 (Tsup, Trtn), the battery 40 The charge/discharge current I, the voltage V of the battery 40, and the like may be provided to the battery cooling control unit 60 .

In this case, the temperature of the cooling water passing through the battery 40 may include the cooling water temperature Tsup before passing through the battery 40 and the cooling water temperature Trtn after passing through the battery 40 .

The battery cooling control unit 60 includes the temperature (Tcell) of the battery 40 provided from the battery management system 50, the coolant temperature (Tsup, Trtn) before/after passing through the battery 40, and the charge of the battery 40 . The discharge current I and the voltage V of the battery 40 may be provided.

The battery cooling controller 60 may receive the external air temperature Tamb from a temperature sensor that detects the external air temperature.

The battery cooling control unit 60 includes the temperature (Tcell) of the battery 40, the coolant temperature (Tsup, Trtn) before/after passing through the battery 40, the charge/discharge current (I) of the battery 40, the battery 40 ), the amount of heat generated by the battery 40 may be calculated based on the voltage V and the external air temperature Tamb, and the target cooling heat Qreq may be calculated based on the calculated amount of heat.

In addition, the battery cooling control unit 60 controls the flow rate of the cooling water entering the battery 40 through the cooling water pipe CP passing through the battery 40 based on the calculated target cooling heat quantity Qreq. Pump control information (Mc) can be created.

Referring to FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of the present invention, water pumps 22-1 and 22-2 include a first water pump 22-1 and a battery 40 used to send coolant toward a radiator 21. It may include a second water pump 22-2 used to direct cooling water to the side.

In this case, the pump control information Mc generated from the battery cooling controller 60 may be provided to the second water pump 22 - 2 .

The process of calculating the calorific value Qt of the battery 40, calculating the target cooling heat quantity Qreq, and generating the pump control information Mc in the battery cooling control unit 60 will be described in more detail as follows. At this time, in calculating the calorific value of the battery 40, it is assumed that all irreversible energy is converted into thermal energy, the thermal conductivity is constant in the radial direction, the physical properties of the battery do not change during charging and discharging, and there is no convection in the electrolyte. .

First, the process of calculating the calorific value (Qt) of the battery 40 is the amount of heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery (Qs), the amount of heat generated by the battery charging/discharging cycle (Qp), and the convective heat transfer of the battery 40. It can be divided into the process of calculating the cooling amount (Qb) by

The amount of heat Qs generated during charging and discharging of the battery is an amount of heat due to entropy change, and may include an amount of heat absorbed when the battery 40 is charged and a heat amount when the battery 40 is discharged.

의 계산식에 의해 산출될 수 있다. The amount of heat (Qs) generated during battery charging and discharging is

It can be calculated by the formula of

는 엔트로피 변화를 의미하며 보통 방전시에는

로 가정할 수 있다. F는 페러데이 상수로서

이고, n은 반응과 관계된 수로서 리튬이온 배터리의 경우 n=1일 수 있다. I는 충방전 전류일 수 있다.In this case, Tcell is the battery temperature,

is the entropy change, and in normal discharge,

can be assumed as F is the Faraday constant

, and n is a number related to the reaction, and in the case of a lithium-ion battery, n=1. I may be a charge/discharge current.

Any loss of energy due to polarization can be generated as heat, assuming that all irreversible energy is converted to thermal energy.

의 계산식에 의해 산출될 수 있다. Therefore, the amount of heat generated by the battery charge/discharge cycle (Qp) is

It can be calculated by the formula of

는 개방 회로 전압(open circuit voltage, OCV)이고, I는 충방전 전류일 수 있다. 또한,

는

로 나타낼 수 있기 때문에 Qp는

으로 나타낼 수 있다. R은 배터리(40)의 내부 저항(internal resistance)일 수 있다.In this case, V is the battery voltage,

may be an open circuit voltage (OCV), and I may be a charge/discharge current. In addition,

Is

Since Qp can be expressed as

can be expressed as R may be the internal resistance of the battery 40 .

Accordingly, the amount of heat generated by the battery charge/discharge cycle Qp may be determined by the internal resistance R of the battery.

의 계산식에 의해 산출될 수 있다. The amount of cooling Qb by convective heat transfer of the battery 40 is

It can be calculated by the formula of

In this case, A may be the surface area of the battery 40 , Tamb may be the external air temperature, h may be a convective heat transfer coefficient, and Tcell may be the battery temperature.

The amount of heat generated (Qt) of the battery 40 is the amount of heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery (Qs), the amount of heat generated by the battery charge/discharge cycle (Qp), and the amount of cooling (Qb) due to convective heat transfer of the battery 40. can

For example, the calorific value Qt of the battery 40 may be calculated as Qs + Qp - Qb.

That is, the calorific value Qt of the battery 40 is obtained by adding the calorific value Qs generated during charging and discharging of the battery and the calorific value Qp generated by the battery charging/discharging cycle. It may be calculated by subtracting the cooling amount Qb by convective heat transfer of the battery 40 from the addition result.

As such, when the calorific value Qt of the battery 40 is calculated, the target cooling calorific value Qreq may be determined based on the calculated calorific value of the battery 40 .

The target amount of cooling heat Qreq may be a value proportional to the amount of heat Qt of the battery 40 .

At this time, in the vehicle battery cooling apparatus and the vehicle battery cooling method using the same according to the embodiment of the present invention, the target cooling heat quantity Qreq and the heat generation amount Qt of the battery 40 are set to one-to-one, but the present invention is not limited thereto. reveal the

Hereinafter, it is assumed that the target cooling heat amount Qreq is the same as the heat amount Qt of the battery 40 .

The greater the amount of coolant provided to the battery 40, the faster the temperature of the battery 40 can be lowered. have.

Accordingly, since the target cooling calorie Qreq also increases when the calorific value Qt of the battery 40 increases, the amount of cooling water provided to the battery 40 must be controlled to increase when the target cooling calorie quantity Qreq increases.

Meanwhile, since the target cooling calorie Qreq also decreases when the calorific value Qt of the battery 40 decreases, when the target cooling calorie Qreq decreases, the amount of cooling water provided to the battery 40 must be controlled to decrease.

The pump control information Mc provided to the second water pump 22 - 2 to control the flow rate of the coolant entering the battery 40 may have a value proportional to the target amount of cooling heat Qreq.

In addition, when the coolant absorbs a lot of heat generated from the battery 40 , it should be controlled to reduce the amount of coolant provided to the battery 40 , and when the coolant absorbs less heat generated from the battery 40 . It should be controlled to increase the amount of coolant provided to the battery 40 .

Accordingly, the pump control information Mc provided to the second water pump 22 - 2 to control the flow rate of the coolant entering the battery 40 has a value inversely proportional to the amount of heat absorbed by the coolant passing through the battery 40 . can have

In this case, the amount of heat absorption of the cooling water may be calculated by a formula of Cc * (Tsup - Trtn). Cc is the specific heat capacity of the coolant, Tsup is the coolant temperature before passing through the battery 40 , and Trtn is the coolant temperature Trtn after passing through the battery 40 .

In summary, the pump control information Mc for controlling the flow rate of the coolant provided to the battery 40 may be proportional to the target amount of cooling heat Qreq and inversely proportional to the amount of heat absorbed by the coolant.

의 계산식으로 산출될 수 있다.Pump control information (Mc) is

It can be calculated by the formula of

A vehicle battery cooling method using the vehicle battery cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for cooling a vehicle battery using a vehicle battery cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the vehicle battery cooling method includes a battery cooling need determination step (S1), a coolant circulation step (S2), an information acquisition step (S3-1, S3-2), a calorific value calculation step (S4), and a water pump flow rate It may include a determining step (S5).

The battery cooling need determination step S1 may include determining that the battery 40 needs cooling when the temperature of the battery 40 rises above a preset temperature.

The cooling water circulation step S2 may include circulating the cooling water through the cooling water pipe CP passing through the battery 40 when it is determined that the cooling of the battery 40 is necessary in the battery cooling determination step S1. .

The information acquisition steps ( S3 - 1 and S3 - 2 ) are steps of acquiring information necessary for calculating the calorific value of the battery 40 , and the temperature (Tcell) of the battery 40 and the battery 40 from the battery management system 50 . ) BMS information acquisition step (S3-1) to obtain information about the coolant temperature (Tsup, Trtn), the charge/discharge current (I) of the battery 40 and the voltage (V) of the battery 40 before/after passing through ) and an external air temperature information acquisition step (S3-2) of acquiring information on the external air temperature from a temperature sensor sensing the external temperature.

The calorific value calculation step S4 is a step of calculating the calorific value of the battery 40 based on the information obtained from the information obtaining steps S3-1 and S3-2, and a target cooling calorific value based on the calorific value of the battery 40 It may include a step of calculating.

The water pump flow rate determination step S5 includes determining the flow rate of the cooling water provided to the battery 40 through the second water pump 22-2 based on the target cooling heat amount calculated in the calorific value calculation step S4. may include

As such, the vehicle battery cooling device and the vehicle battery cooling method using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention are the battery 40 regardless of whether the air conditioner for lowering the coolant temperature or the radiator for lowering the coolant temperature is operated. By controlling the flow rate of the coolant entering the battery by calculating the calorific value of the battery 40 , overheating and overcooling of the battery 40 can be prevented.

That is, the vehicle battery cooling apparatus and the vehicle battery cooling method using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention can obtain information about the battery from the battery management system, calculate the amount of heat generated by the battery, and control the flow rate of the coolant entering the battery. Therefore, it is possible to always monitor the amount of heat generated by the battery, and by continuously controlling the flow rate of the cooling water according to the amount of heat generated by the battery, it is possible to maintain a constant performance of the battery and to prevent the battery life from being shortened.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be possible without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (13)

battery management system to manage the battery;
a water pump operating to circulate cooling water through a cooling water pipe passing through the battery; and
a battery cooling controller configured to receive information for calculating the amount of heat of the battery from the battery management system, calculate the amount of heat, and generate pump control information for controlling the flow rate of the coolant based on the calculated amount of heat;
A vehicle battery cooling system comprising a.
The method according to claim 1,
The water pump is
The battery cooling device for a vehicle, characterized in that for providing the coolant toward the battery.
The method according to claim 1,
The battery cooling control unit,
The battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that receiving the temperature of the battery, the temperature of the coolant passing through the battery, the charging/discharging current of the battery, and the voltage of the battery from the battery management system.
The method according to claim 1,
The battery cooling control unit,
Battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that the amount of heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery, the amount of heat generated by the battery charge/discharge cycle, and the amount of heat generated by the convective heat transfer of the battery are respectively calculated to calculate the amount of heat generated by the battery .
5. The method according to claim 4,
The battery cooling control unit,
The amount of heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery is added to the amount of heat generated by the charge/discharge cycle of the battery, and the amount of heat generated by convective heat transfer of the battery is subtracted from the addition result to calculate the amount of heat generated by the battery. vehicle battery cooling system.
5. The method according to claim 4,
The amount of heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery is
As the amount of heat due to entropy change,
A battery cooling device for a vehicle, characterized in that it includes an amount of heat absorbed when the battery is charged and a heat amount when the battery is discharged.
5. The method according to claim 4,
The amount of heat generated by the battery charge/discharge cycle is
The battery cooling device for a vehicle, characterized in that determined by the internal resistance of the battery and the charging/discharging current of the battery.
5. The method according to claim 4,
The amount of cooling by convective heat transfer of the battery is,
The battery cooling device for a vehicle, characterized in that it is calculated based on the surface area of the battery and the temperature of the outside air flowing into the battery.
The method according to claim 1,
The battery cooling control unit,
Calculating a target cooling heat amount based on the calculated calorific value,
By calculating the amount of heat absorbed by the cooling water passing through the battery,
and generating the pump control information having a value proportional to the target amount of cooling heat and inversely proportional to the amount of heat absorbed by the coolant.
10. The method of claim 9,
The battery cooling control unit,
generating the pump control information to increase the flow rate of the cooling water when the target amount of cooling heat increases;
and generating the pump control information to decrease the flow rate of the coolant when the amount of heat absorbed by the coolant increases.
a battery cooling need determination step of determining that cooling of the battery is necessary when the temperature of the battery is higher than or equal to a preset temperature;
a cooling water circulation step of allowing the cooling water to circulate through the battery when cooling of the battery is required;
obtaining information for calculating the calorific value of the battery;
a calorific value calculating step of calculating a calorific value of the battery based on the obtained information; and
a water pump flow rate determining step of controlling a flow rate of the cooling water passing through the battery based on the calculated calorific value of the battery;
A vehicle battery cooling method comprising a.
12. The method of claim 11,
The step of obtaining the information includes:
obtaining information about the temperature of the battery, the temperature of the coolant passing through the battery, the charging/discharging current of the battery, and the voltage of the battery from the battery management system, and
A method for cooling a vehicle battery, comprising: acquiring information about an external air temperature from a temperature sensor.
12. The method of claim 11,
The water pump flow rate determination step includes:
and providing pump control information generated based on the amount of heat generated by the battery to a water pump that provides the coolant toward the battery.

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