Battery coolant circuit control
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAngel Fernando PORRAS, Timothy Noah BLATCHLEY
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a refrigerant system having a chiller and a coolant system having a chiller loop and a radiator loop. The chiller loop is arranged to circulate coolant through the chiller, and the radiator loop is arranged to circulate coolant through a battery, a radiator, and a bypass valve connected to a bypass conduit. A controller is configured to, in response to an ambient-air temperature exceeding a battery-coolant temperature, actuate the valve to circulate coolant to the bypass conduit to skip the radiator.
Claims20
A thermal-management system for a traction battery of a hybrid vehicle, the thermal-management system comprising:
- a refrigerant subsystem including a compressor, a condenser, a battery chiller, and an evaporator;
- a coolant subsystem including
- a proportioning valve having first and second outlets, and an inlet connected in fluid communication with an outlet side of the traction battery via an outlet conduit,
- a temperature sensor disposed on the outlet conduit and configured to output a signal indicative of a coolant temperature,
- a chiller loop connected in fluid communication with the first outlet and arranged to convey coolant through the chiller to transfer heat from the coolant subsystem to the refrigerant subsystem, and
- a radiator loop connected in fluid communication with the second outlet and arranged to convey coolant through the radiator to transfer heat from the coolant subsystem to outside air, the radiator loop having a bypass valve configured to route coolant around the radiator via a bypass line when the valve is actuated to a bypass position and configured to route coolant to the radiator when the valve is actuated to a radiator position;
- and
- a controller configured to, in response to the proportioning valve directing at least a portion of the coolant to the second outlet and the outside air temperature exceeding the coolant temperature, actuate the bypass valve to the bypass position.
A vehicle comprising:
- a refrigerant system including a chiller;
- a coolant system including
- a chiller loop arranged to circulate coolant through the chiller, and
- a radiator loop arranged to circulate coolant through a battery, a radiator, and
- a bypass valve connected to a bypass conduit;
- and
- a controller configured to, in response to an ambient-air temperature exceeding a battery-coolant temperature, actuate the valve to circulate coolant to the bypass conduit to skip the radiator.
A method of controlling a thermal-management system, comprising:
- circulating refrigerant through a chiller;
- circulating coolant through a traction battery, a radiator, the chiller, a proportioning valve, and a bypass valve;
- and
- in response to the proportioning valve routing at least a portion of the coolant to the bypass valve and an ambient-air temperature exceeding a temperature of the coolant, actuating the bypass valve to a bypass position where the coolant bypasses the radiator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.