# US 11,110,808 B2 · Thermal management system for vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,110,808 B2 - Document ID: US11110808B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/323,562 - Filed: 2017-11-21 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-12-07 - Assignees: Hanon Systems - Applicants: Hanon Systems - Inventors: Hae Jun Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11110808B2 ## CPC - B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) - B60H 1/00: Heating, cooling or ventilating devices - B60H 1/00278: {for the battery} - B60H 1/00385: {for vehicles having an electrical drive, e.g. hybrid or fuel cell} - B60H 1/14: other than from cooling liquid of the plant - B60H 1/22: the heat source being other than the propulsion plant {(B60H1/00492 takes precedence)} - B60K 11/02: with liquid cooling - B60L 58/26: by cooling - B60H 2001/00307: {Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow} - B60L 2240/34: Cabin temperature - B60L 2240/36: Temperature of vehicle components or parts - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle thermal management system for thermally managing electronic components for an autonomous vehicle. The thermal management system includes a refrigerant line, a compressor which sucks in and compresses a refrigerant and then discharges the refrigerant in a high-temperature, high-pressure, gaseous state, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant by subjecting the refrigerant to heat exchange with air, a first expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant, and an evaporator which is provided inside an air-conditioning case and subjects the refrigerant to heat exchange with the air being discharged into a vehicle interior for air-conditioning the vehicle interior. A cooling system of the electronic components required for autonomous driving of the vehicle is connected to a branched refrigerant line branched from the refrigerant line. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A thermal management system for a vehicle comprising a refrigerant cycle for carrying out air-conditioning of the interior of the vehicle, wherein a compressor for inhaling and compressing refrigerant and discharging the refrigerant in a gaseous state of high temperature and high pressure, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the air, a first expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant, and an evaporator disposed inside an air-conditioning case to exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air discharged to the interior of the vehicle are disposed along a refrigerant line, which is a flow passage of the refrigerant; and wherein a cooling system of electronic components required for autonomous driving of the vehicle is connected to a first coolant line; wherein the electronic components are located along the first coolant line, and wherein a chiller is located along the first coolant line and along a refrigerant branch line branching off from the refrigerant line for exchanging heat between coolant in the first coolant line and refrigerant in the refrigerant branch line; wherein a coolant branch line is branched from the first coolant line at upstream and downstream sides of the electronic components such that the coolant branch line bypasses the electronic components, and wherein a battery is located along the coolant branch line; wherein a heater for heating the coolant is provided along the first coolant line downstream of the chiller, and a branch point of the first coolant line and the coolant branch line is formed on the downstream side of the heater such that the heater is located between the chiller and the branch point, and wherein a first valve is located at the branch point for selectively flowing the coolant toward the electronic components along the first coolant line and the battery along the coolant branch line to selectively pass coolant heated by the heater to the electronic components and the battery. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The thermal management system according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant branch line branches off from the refrigerant line at the upstream side of the first expansion valve and is connected to the refrigerant line at the downstream side of the evaporator, and a second expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant is disposed along the refrigerant branch line at the upstream side of the chiller so that the chiller is arranged in parallel with the evaporator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The thermal management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a second coolant line branching off from the first coolant line at the upstream side of the chiller and bypassing the chiller; a low-temperature radiator disposed along the second coolant line to exchange heat between the coolant and the air; and a second valve for making the coolant selectively flow toward the chiller and the low-temperature radiator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The thermal management system according to claim 3, wherein the low-temperature radiator is arranged side by side with the condenser at a front of the vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The thermal management system according to claim 3, further comprising: a third coolant line branching off from the second coolant line at the downstream side of the low-temperature radiator and connected to the upstream side of the low-temperature radiator, wherein the third coolant line passes a vehicle power heat source part. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The thermal management system according to claim 5, further comprising: a third valve disposed at a branch point between the second coolant line and the third coolant line to make the coolant selectively flow toward the vehicle power heat source part and the first coolant line. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The thermal management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a coolant temperature sensor disposed along the first coolant line to sense temperature of the coolant, wherein the coolant temperature sensor is arranged at the upstream side of the electronic components. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The thermal management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a first water pump along the first coolant line and a second water pump disposed along the coolant branch line to circulate the coolant, wherein the first water pump is located upstream of and adjacent to the electronic components, and the second water pump is located upstream of and adjacent to the battery.