Thermal management system of battery for electric vehicle
AssigneesKia Motors Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company
InventorsYong Hwan Choi, Dal Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal management system of a battery for an electric vehicle is provided. The thermal management system controls a temperature of an electric vehicle battery by utilizing a heat pipe connected to a battery module and an insulating pack case and a thermoelectric module connected to the heat pipe and the pack case. The heat pipe performs bidirectional heat exchange and the thermoelectric module heats and cools the heat pipe through current direction change.
Claims11
A thermal management system of an electric vehicle battery including a battery module and an insulating pack case encapsulating the battery module, comprising:
- a heat pipe connected to the battery module and the insulating pack case, wherein the heat pipe performs bidirectional heat exchange;
- and
- a thermoelectric module connected to the heat pipe and the insulating pack case, wherein the thermoelectric module heats and cools the heat pipe by changing the direction of the current.
A method for controlling the temperature of a battery, the method comprising:
- determining, by a controller, whether or not to apply a voltage to a thermoelectric module based on a sensed temperature of a battery module;
- in response to the temperature of the battery module being greater than a first temperature and less than a second temperature, determining, by the controller, not to apply a voltage to the thermoelectric module, wherein the thermoelectric module transfers heat generated from the heat pipe to outside of the insulating pack case;
- in response to the temperature of the battery module being greater than or equal to the second temperature, applying, by the controller, a positive voltage to the thermoelectric module, wherein the thermoelectric module absorbs the heat of the heat pipe and radiates the heat to outside of the insulating pack case;
- and
- in response to the temperature of the battery module being less than or equal to the first temperature, applying, by the controller, a negative voltage to the thermoelectric module, wherein the thermoelectric module absorbs heat from outside of the pack case and transfers the heat to the heat pipe.
A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a controller, the computer readable medium comprising:
- program instructions that determine whether or not to apply a voltage to a thermoelectric module based on a sensed temperature of a battery module;
- program instructions that determine not to apply a voltage to the thermoelectric module in response to the temperature of the battery module being greater than a first temperature and less than a second temperature, wherein the thermoelectric module transfers heat generated from the heat pipe to outside of the insulating pack case;
- program instructions that apply a positive voltage to the thermoelectric module in response to the temperature of the battery module being greater than or equal to the second temperature, wherein the thermoelectric module absorbs the heat of the heat pipe and radiates the heat to outside of the insulating pack case;
- and
- program instructions that apply a negative voltage to the thermoelectric module in response to the temperature of the battery module being less than or equal to the first temperature, wherein the thermoelectric module absorbs heat from outside of the pack case and transfers the heat to the heat pipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.