WO2024012165A1

WO2024012165A1 - Multi-way valve, thermal management system, and electric vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2024012165A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/101530
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王飞; 周绘蓝
Original assignee: 舍弗勒技术股份两合公司
Priority date: 2022-07-15
Filing date: 2023-06-20
Publication date: 2024-01-18
Also published as: CN117432835A

Abstract

A multi-way valve, a thermal management system and an electric vehicle. The multi-way valve comprises a housing (11), a gear train (12), liquid input channels (13) and liquid output channels (14). A hollow portion of the housing (11) is partitioned into a plurality of chambers (15), wherein each chamber (15) accommodates an end face valve (16) and the corresponding liquid output channel (14), each chamber (15) communicates with the corresponding liquid input channel (13), and the liquid input channel communicates with the liquid output channel (14) in the corresponding chamber (15). Each end face valve (16) comprises a control opening (161) and a non-opening portion (162); and the end face valve (16) can rotate about an axis thereof, and completely covers a liquid output opening (141) of the liquid output channel so as to control the opening or closing of the liquid output channel. The gear train (12) comprises one driving wheel (121) and a plurality of driven wheels (122), wherein the driven wheels (122) are connected to the end face valves (16) in a one-to-one correspondance, so as to control the end face valves to rotate. The multi-way valve is provided with the gear train, such that the end face valves can be controlled merely by one actuator, the design of an electronic control unit is thus simplified, thereby reducing the cost and saving on the space.

Description

Multi-way valves, thermal management systems and electric vehicles

Technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of electric vehicles. Specifically, the present invention relates to a multi-way valve, a thermal management system and an electric vehicle.

Background technique

Currently, most electric vehicle thermal management systems use an integrated coolant bottle assembly. The coolant bottle assembly includes the coolant bottle and the refrigerant island, or only the coolant bottle, or only the refrigerant island. The coolant bottle includes water pump, multi-way valve, sensor, etc. Among them, multi-way valves, sensors and other components are integrated on the refrigerant island.

The multi-way valve is an integrated valve. Multiple sub-valves are integrated in each chamber of the multi-way valve and can control multiple circuits. The thermal management system requires precise proportional control of the flow rates of the multiple loops in a specific operating mode. In current applications, multiple sub-valves require corresponding actuators to be driven to control multiple circuits, which makes the design of the electronic control unit (ECU) and vehicle communication unit (VCU) more complex and less reliable, which improves the production cost and takes up a lot of space.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a multi-way valve, a thermal management system and an electric vehicle.

The multi-way valve provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes: a housing, a gear train, a plurality of liquid inlet channels and a plurality of liquid outlet channels. The hollow part of the housing is divided into a plurality of chambers, each chamber accommodates an end valve and at least one liquid outlet channel, and each chamber is connected to a corresponding liquid inlet channel, and the liquid inlet channel is connected to a corresponding liquid inlet channel. The liquid outlet channels in the corresponding chambers are connected. The end face valve includes a control opening and a non-opening portion. The end face valve can rotate around its own axis and can completely cover the liquid outlet of the liquid outlet channel to control the opening or closing of the liquid outlet channel. The gear train package It includes a driving wheel and a plurality of driven wheels that are geared to the driving wheel respectively, and the driven wheels are connected to the end valve in one-to-one correspondence to control the rotation of the end valve.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, at least one chamber is provided with a plurality of liquid outlet channels, and the plurality of liquid outlet channels in the same chamber are arranged equidistantly with respect to the axis of the end valve.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the same chamber, the control opening can pass through multiple liquid outlets at the same time, and while the control opening passes through the multiple liquid outlets at the same time, the end face valve rotates through its own Control the opening area ratio between multiple liquid outlet channels.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control opening is configured to control the opening area ratio between all liquid outlet channels in each chamber through its own rotation.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, each chamber is provided with two liquid outlet channels, and the control opening is configured to control the opening area ratio of the two liquid outlet channels in the same chamber through its own rotation.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the end valve is provided with a sector-shaped control opening, wherein the sector center coincides with the axis of the end valve, and the sector-shaped control opening can pass through at least two channels in the chamber at the same time. At least a part of the liquid outlet of each liquid outlet channel.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the end face valve is also provided with other control openings to meet the opening area ratio requirements of each control opening of the multi-way valve.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a sealing ring is provided on the outer edge of the liquid outlet of the liquid outlet channel to form a seal between the outer edge of the liquid outlet of the liquid outlet channel and the non-opening portion of the end valve.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a thermal management system, including the multi-way valve, actuator, kettle, flow channel plate and water pump as described above. Wherein, the actuator is connected with the driving wheel of the gear train to drive the gear train to control the multi-way valve. The multi-way valve, kettle and water pump are arranged on the flow channel plate, one end of the liquid inlet channel is connected to the kettle, one end of the coolant pipeline is connected to the end valve, and the other end is connected to the kettle, forming a Circulation loop, the water pump is connected with the liquid inlet channel to provide circulation power.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides an electric vehicle, including the thermal management system as described above.

The multi-way valve of the present invention is provided with a gear train, so that multiple end valves can be controlled by only one actuator, thereby simplifying the design of the electronic control unit, reducing costs, and saving space. In addition, the present invention adopts an end face valve, and the end face valve is provided with a control opening and a non-opening part. The opening or closing of the liquid outlet of each liquid outlet channel is controlled by the rotation of the end face valve, and each outlet can also be controlled. The opening size of the liquid port allows for a more accurate proportion of the opening area. Moreover, compared with other types of valves, such as butterfly valves, end-face valves have less leakage and better sealing performance.

Description of drawings

In order to explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention more clearly, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. , for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without exerting creative efforts.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a multi-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a front view of a multi-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It should be understood that the above-described drawings are schematic only and are not drawn to actual scale.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

In the automotive field, especially in the field of electric vehicles, thermal management systems need to be set up to control the temperature of various areas and components of the vehicle. For example, the thermal management system needs to control the temperature of the passenger compartment, battery, motor, etc., so it can be equipped with three sets of coolant circulation loops. If the three sets of coolant circulation loops are set up separately, the thermal management system will occupy a large amount of vehicle body space, and the pipelines will be messy and complicated, making pipeline layout difficult and assembly difficult. In addition, it will also affect the system performance and also Bringing difficulties to assembly and maintenance.

In addition, according to the different flow rates of coolant required by each area and component, the flow ratio of each coolant circulation loop needs to be accurately controlled; further, the flow rate of coolant required by different parts included in the components of the same area must be accurately controlled. The flow sizes are also different, so the coolant circulation loop corresponding to the components in the same area needs to be further designed and controlled. Control the flow ratio of coolant in each branch circuit. Therefore, it is necessary to design a multi-way valve that can accurately control the flow ratio of each coolant circulation loop and simplify the design of the electronic control unit (ECU).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a multi-way valve 1 is provided, which may be used, for example, in a thermal management system.

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a multi-way valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-way valve includes a housing 11, a gear train 12, a plurality of liquid inlet channels 13 and a plurality of liquid outlet channels 14. The housing 11 may have a cylindrical structure, as shown in FIG. 1 . The housing 11 includes a hollow portion, which can be divided into a plurality of chambers 15 through partitions 111. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is divided into three chambers 15, each of which is divided into three chambers. The chamber 15 is used to correspondingly control a coolant circulation loop, so it can also be divided into other numbers of chambers according to the number of regional components that need to control the temperature. Each chamber 15 houses an end valve 16 and at least one outlet channel 14 . Each chamber 15 is connected with a corresponding liquid inlet channel 13 . The corresponding liquid inlet channel 13 in each chamber 15 is connected with the corresponding liquid outlet channel 14 . As shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, each chamber 15 is connected to one liquid inlet channel 13 , and each chamber 15 accommodates two liquid outlet channels 14 . The inlet liquid channel 13 passes through the housing 11 and enters the corresponding chamber 15, and is connected with the two liquid outlet channels 14 respectively.

The end valve 16 may be in the shape of a circular piece or a cylinder. The end valve 16 includes a control opening 161 and a non-opening portion 162 outside the control opening. The end valve 16 can completely cover the liquid outlet 141 of the liquid outlet channel 14 . The end valve 16 is configured to control the opening 161 or the non-opening portion 162 through the liquid outlet 141 of the liquid outlet channel 14 by rotating around its own axis to control the opening or closing of the liquid outlet channel 14 .

Further, the gear train 12 includes a driving wheel 121 and a plurality of driven wheels 122 respectively geared with the driving wheel 121 . The driven wheel 122 is connected to the end valve 16 in a one-to-one correspondence to control the rotation of the end valve 16 . In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , the hollow part of the housing 11 is divided into three chambers 15 , each chamber 15 accommodates an end valve 16 respectively. Therefore, the gear train 12 is designed In order to have three driven wheels 122, they are respectively connected to three end valves 16 corresponding to the three chambers 15. The three driven wheels 122 are in gear engagement with the driving wheel 121 located between them. In this way, only one actuator is connected to the driving wheel 121 to drive the three driven wheels 122, thereby controlling Make three end valves 16 in the three chambers 15.

In some embodiments, at least one chamber 15 is provided with a plurality of liquid outlet channels 14 . A plurality of liquid outlet channels 14 in the same chamber 15 are arranged equidistantly with respect to the axis of the end valve 16 . It can be understood that the number of liquid outlet channels 14 included in each chamber 15 may be the same or different. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , each chamber 15 may be provided with two liquid outlet channels 14 . The two liquid outlet channels 14 in the same chamber 15 are equidistant relative to the axis of the end valve 16 . In this way, when the control opening 161 passes through the liquid outlet channel 14, it is avoided that the opening area of the liquid outlet 141 and the opening area ratio between the liquid outlet channels 14 are difficult to control due to eccentricity.

In some embodiments, in the same chamber 15 , the control opening 161 can pass through multiple liquid outlets 14 at the same time, and while the control opening 161 passes through the multiple liquid outlets 14 at the same time, the end face valve 16 The opening area ratio between the plurality of liquid outlet channels 14 is controlled by its own rotation.

Figure 2 shows a front view of a multi-way valve according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the liquid outlet 141 may be circular in shape, and the control opening 161 may be circular or sector-shaped. The center of the sector-shaped control opening 161 coincides with the axis of the corresponding end valve 16 . The sector-shaped control opening 161 can pass through at least a part of the liquid outlets 141 of the two liquid outlets 14 in the chamber 15 at the same time.

Specifically, in FIG. 2 , the angle between the center of the two liquid outlet channels 14 in the same chamber 15 and the axis of the end valve 16 is an obtuse angle greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees. The corresponding control opening 161 on the end valve 16 may be fan-shaped, and the circumferential angle of the fan shape is the angle between the center of the two liquid outlets 14 and the axis of the end valve 16 .

As shown in Figure 2, the liquid inlet channel 13 includes a first liquid inlet channel 13a, a second liquid inlet channel 13b and a third liquid inlet channel 13c. The corresponding connected outlet channels 14 of the first liquid inlet channel 13a are the first liquid outlet channel 14a and the second liquid outlet channel 14b, and the corresponding connected liquid outlet channels 14 of the second liquid inlet channel 13b are the third liquid outlet channels 14c and 14c. The fourth liquid outlet channel 14d and the corresponding liquid outlet channels 14 connected with the first liquid inlet channel 13c are the fifth liquid outlet channel 14e and the sixth liquid outlet channel 14f. The end valve 16 in the chamber 15 corresponding to the first liquid inlet channel 13a has a first control opening 161a, the end face valve 16 in the chamber 15 corresponding to the second liquid inlet channel 13b has a second control opening 161b, and the third liquid inlet channel 13b has a second control opening 161b. The end valve 16 in the chamber 15 corresponding to the channel 13c has a third control opening 161c. Among them, No. The first control opening 161a, the second control opening 161b and the third control opening 161c are fan-shaped. Taking the second control opening 161b as an example, in Figure 2, the right half of the second control opening 161b has just fully opened the liquid outlet of the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d, that is, the right edge of the sector-shaped second control opening 161b It coincides with the right edge of the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d, and at this time, the left half of the fan-shaped second control opening 161b coincides with the right edge of the third liquid outlet channel 14c, so that the third liquid outlet channel 14c The liquid outlet is closed. When the end valve 16 rotates counterclockwise, the opening area of the liquid outlet of the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d gradually decreases, and the opening area of the liquid outlet of the third liquid outlet channel 14c gradually increases. Therefore, the opening area of the liquid outlet in the same chamber can be adjusted. The opening area ratio of the two liquid outlet channels controls the flow ratio of the two branch circuits of the same coolant circulation circuit.

In order to implement different working logic, control openings 161 of other shapes or angles can also be designed, or other control openings 161 can be additionally provided. For example, the end valve 16 in the chamber 15 corresponding to the first liquid inlet channel 13a shown in FIG. 2 also has a circular fourth control opening 161d. The fourth control opening 161d has an opening area just enough to completely open the liquid outlet of one liquid outlet channel. The fourth control opening 161d is disposed at a position where its center is 180 degrees relative to the axis of the end valve 16 and the center of the first control opening 161a.

Furthermore, through the design of the gear train 12, each end valve 16 corresponding to the three chambers 15 rotates synchronously with the three driven wheels 122 or according to a certain speed ratio, and driven by the driving wheel 121, can drive three valves 16 at the same time. Each end valve 16 rotates synchronously, thereby being able to control the opening area ratio between all liquid outlet channels in the three chambers 15 .

In some embodiments, a sealing ring 17 is provided on the outer edge of the liquid outlet 141 of the liquid outlet channel 14 to connect the outer edge of the liquid outlet 141 of the liquid outlet channel 14 with the non-opening portion 162 of the end valve 16 A seal is formed between them, which can effectively reduce leakage in the coolant circulation loop.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a thermal management system. Figure 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the thermal management system includes the multi-way valve 1, actuator 2, kettle 3, flow channel plate 4 and water pump 5 as mentioned above. The actuator 2 is connected to the driving wheel 121 of the gear train 12 to drive the gear train 12 to control the multi-way valve 1 . The multi-way valve 2, kettle 3 and water pump 5 are arranged on the flow channel plate 4, one end of the liquid inlet channel 13 is connected to the kettle 3, and one end of the coolant pipeline 6 is connected to the end valve 16 , the other end is connected with the kettle 3 to form a circulation loop, and the water pump 5 is connected with the liquid inlet channel 13 to provide Provide circulation power.

The thermal management system can be applied to electric vehicles, for example, to control the temperature of the passenger compartment, battery, motor, etc. According to the different flow rates of coolant required by each area and component, the flow ratio of each coolant circulation loop needs to be accurately controlled; and, for the flow rate of coolant required by different parts included in the same area, are also different, so it is also necessary to accurately control the flow ratio of the branch circuits corresponding to different parts of the coolant circulation circuit of the same component.

The thermal management system according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following five working modes. Referring to Figure 2, each working mode is explained as follows.

Working mode 1: In the state shown in Figure 2, the first liquid outlet channel 14a is closed, the second liquid outlet channel 14b is fully opened, the third liquid outlet channel 14c is closed, the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d is fully opened, and the fifth liquid outlet channel 14d is fully opened. The liquid outlet channel 14e is closed, and the sixth liquid outlet channel 14f is fully opened;

Working mode two: On the basis of working mode one, the three end valves 16 rotate synchronously in a clockwise direction at a certain angle. The first liquid outlet channel 14a is partially opened, the second liquid outlet channel 14b is partially opened, and the third liquid outlet channel 14c is closed. , the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d is fully opened, the fifth liquid outlet channel 14e is closed, and the sixth liquid outlet channel 14f is fully opened;

Working mode three: Based on working mode two, the three end valves 16 continue to rotate clockwise at a certain angle, the first liquid outlet channel 14a is closed, the second liquid outlet channel 14b is fully opened, and the third liquid outlet channel 14c is closed. , the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d is fully opened, the fifth liquid outlet channel 14e is closed, and the sixth liquid outlet channel 14f is fully opened;

Working mode four: Based on working mode one, the three end valves 16 rotate synchronously in the counterclockwise direction at a certain angle. The first liquid outlet channel 14a is partially opened, the second liquid outlet channel 14b is partially opened, and the third liquid outlet channel 14c is partially opened. Open, the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d is partially opened, the fifth liquid outlet channel 14e is partially opened, and the sixth liquid outlet channel 14f is partially opened;

Working mode five: Based on working mode four, the three end valves 16 continue to rotate synchronously in the counterclockwise direction at a certain angle. The first liquid outlet channel 14a is partially opened, the second liquid outlet channel 14b is partially opened, and the third liquid outlet channel 14c is partially opened. Partially opened, the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d is partially opened, the fifth liquid outlet channel 14e is partially opened, and the sixth liquid outlet channel 14f is partially opened.

In the above working mode, the rotation angle is related to the opening area ratio of each liquid outlet channel 14 . For example, in practical applications, it may be required to realize in working mode 4: the opening area ratio of the first liquid outlet channel 14a and the second liquid outlet channel 14b is 80:20, the third liquid outlet channel 14c and the fourth liquid outlet channel 14d The opening area ratio is 80:20, and the opening area ratio of the fifth liquid outlet channel 14e and the sixth liquid outlet channel 14f is 80:20. Of course, other opening area ratios can also be set.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide an electric vehicle, including the thermal management system as described above, so that the flow ratio of each coolant circulation loop can be more accurately controlled.

Although possible embodiments are exemplarily described in the above description, it should be understood that there are still numerous variations of the embodiments through combinations of all known technical features and embodiments that are otherwise readily apparent to the skilled person. Furthermore, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are merely examples, and such embodiments do not limit the scope, application, and configuration of the present invention in any way. The foregoing description is intended to provide skilled persons with technical guidance for transforming at least one exemplary embodiment, in which various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the claims, especially regarding the Changes in the functionality and structure of components.

List of reference signs
1. Multi-way valve; 11. Housing; 111. Partition plate; 12. Gear train; 121. Driving wheel; 122. Driven wheel;
13. Liquid inlet channel; 13a. First liquid inlet channel; 13b. Second liquid inlet channel; 13c. Third liquid inlet channel; 14. Liquid outlet channel; 14a. First liquid outlet channel; 14b. Second liquid outlet Channel; 14c. The third liquid outlet channel; 14d. The fourth liquid outlet channel; 14e. The fifth liquid outlet channel; 14f. The sixth liquid outlet channel; 141. Liquid outlet; 15. Chamber; 16. End valve; 161. Control opening; 161a. First control opening; 161b. Second control opening; 161c. Third control opening; 161d. Fourth control opening; 162. Non-opening part; 17. Sealing ring;
2.Actuator;
3. Kettle;
4.Flow channel plate;
5.Water pump
6. Coolant pipeline.

Claims

A multi-way valve includes a housing (11), a gear train (12), a plurality of liquid inlet channels (13) and a plurality of liquid outlet channels (14); characterized by:

The hollow part of the housing (11) is divided into a plurality of chambers (15), each chamber (15) accommodates an end valve (16) and at least one liquid outlet channel (14), and each chamber (15) (15) is connected with the corresponding liquid inlet channel (13), which is connected with the corresponding liquid outlet channel (14) in the chamber (15); wherein, the end face valve (16 ) includes a control opening (161) and a non-opening portion (162). The end valve (16) can rotate around its own axis and can completely cover the liquid outlet (141) of the liquid outlet channel (14) to control all The opening or closing of the liquid outlet channel (14);

The gear train (12) includes a driving wheel (121) and a plurality of driven wheels (122) that are respectively toothed with the driving wheel (121). The driven wheels (122) correspond to the end valve (122) in a one-to-one correspondence. 16) Connect to control the rotation of the end valve (16).
The multi-way valve according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one chamber (15) is provided with multiple liquid outlet channels (14), and multiple liquid outlet channels (14) in the same chamber (15) are provided with are equidistant with respect to the axis of the end valve (16).
The multi-way valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, in the same chamber (15), the control opening (161) can pass through multiple liquid outlets (14) at the same time, and in the control opening (15) 161) While passing through multiple liquid outlet channels (14) at the same time, the end face valve (16) controls the opening area ratio between the multiple liquid outlet channels (14) through its own rotation.
The multi-way valve according to claim 3, characterized in that the control opening (161) is configured to control the opening area ratio between all the liquid outlets (14) in each chamber (15) through its own rotation.
The multi-way valve according to claim 3, characterized in that each chamber (15) is provided with There are two liquid outlet channels (14), and the control opening (161) is configured to control the opening area ratio of the two liquid outlet channels (14) in the same chamber (15) through its own rotation.
The multi-way valve according to claim 5, characterized in that the end valve (16) is provided with a sector-shaped control opening (161), wherein the sector-shaped fan center and the axis of the end valve (16) Overlapping, the sector-shaped control opening (161) can at least pass through at least a part of the liquid outlets (141) of the two liquid outlets (14) in the chamber (15) at the same time.
The multi-way valve according to claim 6, characterized in that the end face valve (16) is also provided with other control openings (161) to control the outlet of each liquid outlet channel (14) of the multi-way valve (1). The ratio of opening areas between liquid ports (141).
The multi-way valve according to claim 1, characterized in that a sealing ring (17) is provided on the outer edge of the liquid outlet (141) of the liquid outlet channel (14) to seal the liquid outlet channel (14). A seal is formed between the outer edge of the liquid outlet (141) and the non-opening portion (162) of the end valve (16).
A thermal management system, including the multi-way valve (1), actuator (2), kettle (3), flow channel plate (4) and water pump (5) as claimed in claims 1-8;

Wherein, the actuator (2) is connected to the driving wheel (121) of the gear train (12) to drive the gear train (12) to control the multi-way valve (1);

The multi-way valve (2), kettle (3) and water pump (5) are arranged on the flow channel plate (4), and one end of the liquid inlet channel (13) is connected with the kettle (3) for cooling. One end of the liquid pipeline (6) is connected to the end valve (16), and the other end is connected to the kettle (3) to form a circulation loop. The water pump (5) is connected to the liquid inlet channel (13) to provide circulation power. .
An electric vehicle including the thermal management system as claimed in claim 9.