CN111434503B

CN111434503B - Battery cooling method and system for mild hybrid commercial vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN111434503B
Application number: CN201910035381.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘斌; 秦禹
Original assignee: Cummins Inc
Current assignee: Cummins Inc
Priority date: 2019-01-15
Filing date: 2019-01-15
Publication date: 2024-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-15
Also published as: CN111434503A; CN118003857A

Abstract

Battery cooling methods and systems for mild hybrid commercial vehicles. Disclosed is a method of controlling cooling of a mild hybrid vehicle including an engine, a vehicle cooling system, and a battery system, the method comprising: determining whether the engine is operating at zero speed; determining whether the battery system is operating in a peak power region; determining whether a vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of a vehicle; and in response to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating in a peak power region, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle, enabling a mechanical compressor of the vehicle cooling system and enabling an electric compressor of the vehicle cooling system such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled.

Description

Battery cooling method and system for mild hybrid commercial vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to hybrid vehicles and, more particularly, to methods and systems for electrified thermal management in mild hybrid commercial vehicles.

Background

Thermal management of electrical components in a hybrid electric vehicle system is important to provide fuel economy, safety, and reduce wasteful emissions. In mild hybrid systems, the primary system requiring thermal management is the battery system, which should be maintained by thermal control in an efficient safe mode of operation. Without such thermal management, the battery system may be damaged, and its operating efficiency, as well as the operating efficiency of the entire mild hybrid electric vehicle, may be deteriorated. This may result in reduced fuel economy, increased safety risks, and increased emissions, and overall increased cost. In addition, under certain operating conditions, it is also desirable to cool the cabin of the vehicle. Thus, there is a need for a robust architecture for cooling battery systems and cabs in mild hybrid electric vehicles.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of controlling cooling of a mild hybrid vehicle including an engine, a vehicle cooling system, and a battery system, the method comprising the steps of: determining whether the engine is operating at zero speed; determining whether the battery system is operating; determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle; responsive to determining that the battery system is operating by determining whether the battery system is operating in a peak power region; and in response to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating in the peak power region, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle, enabling a first cooling mode that includes enabling a mechanical compressor of the vehicle cooling system and enabling an electric compressor of the vehicle cooling system such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled. One aspect of this embodiment further comprises: in response to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle, a second cooling mode is enabled that includes disabling the electric compressor and enabling the mechanical compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled. Another aspect of this embodiment further comprises: in response to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is not needed to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle, a third cooling mode is enabled that includes disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the battery system is cooled. Another aspect further comprises: in response to determining that the engine is operating at zero speed or that the battery system is not operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle, a fourth cooling mode is enabled that includes disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled. In yet another aspect, the step of determining whether the engine is operating at zero speed includes the steps of: a speed measurement is received from a speed sensor coupled to the engine. In another aspect, the step of determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle comprises the steps of: a signal is received from a control panel of the vehicle cooling system. In yet another aspect, the step of determining whether the battery system is operating includes the steps of: at least one of a state of charge signal and a state of health signal is received from a battery management system of the battery system, and the battery system is determined to be operating when the at least one of the state of charge signal and the state of health signal changes over time. In yet another aspect, the step of determining that the battery system is operating in a peak power region comprises the steps of: it is determined whether a power output of the battery system is greater than a continuous power threshold. In a variant of this aspect, the continuous power threshold is approximately 20kW. In another aspect of this embodiment, the step of activating the mechanical compressor comprises the steps of: a clutch coupled to a compressor band coupled to the mechanical compressor is activated. In yet another aspect of this embodiment, the electric compressor is connected in parallel with the mechanical compressor.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a system for controlling cooling of a mild hybrid vehicle, the vehicle including an engine, a vehicle cooling system, and a battery system, the system comprising: a sensor operatively coupled to the engine and configured to provide a speed signal indicative of an operating speed of the engine; a mechanical compressor; a clutch coupled between the engine and the mechanical compressor; an electric compressor; and a controller comprising a processor and a memory device comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: in response to receiving a speed signal from the sensor, determining whether the engine is operating at zero speed, in response to a battery signal from the battery system indicating an operating parameter of the battery system, determining whether the battery system is operating and if the battery system is operating, determining whether the battery system is operating in a peak power region, in response to an input signal from the vehicle cooling system, determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle, and in response to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating in the peak power region, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle by enabling a first cooling mode that includes enabling the clutch to cause the mechanical compressor to operate and enabling the electric compressor to cause cooling of the cabin of the vehicle and cooling the battery system. In one aspect of this embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to respond to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle by enabling a second cooling mode that includes disabling the electric compressor and enabling the clutch to cause the mechanical compressor to operate, thereby causing cooling of the cabin of the vehicle and cooling of the battery system. In another aspect of this embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to respond to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is not needed to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle by enabling a third cooling mode that includes disabling the clutch to disable the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the battery system is cooled. In yet another aspect, the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to respond to determining that the engine is operating at zero speed or that the battery system is not operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle by enabling a fourth cooling mode that includes disabling the clutch to disable the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled. In yet another aspect, the operating parameter of the battery system is at least one of a state of charge of a battery pack of the battery system and a state of health of the battery pack, the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to determine that the battery system is operating when at least one of the state of charge of the battery pack and the state of health changes over time. In another aspect, the controller determines whether the battery system is operating in the peak power region by determining whether a power output of the battery system is greater than a continuous power threshold. In yet another aspect of this embodiment, the electric compressor is connected in parallel with the mechanical compressor.

In yet another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a controller for controlling cooling of a mild hybrid vehicle, the vehicle including an engine, a vehicle cooling system, and a battery system, the controller comprising: a processor; and a memory device comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: determining whether the engine is operating at zero speed; determining whether the battery system is operating; determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle; responsive to determining that the battery system is operating by determining whether the battery system is operating in a peak power region; and in response to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating in a peak power region, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, enabling a first cooling mode that includes enabling a mechanical compressor of the vehicle cooling system and enabling an electric compressor of the vehicle cooling system such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled. In one aspect of this embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to: in response to determining that the engine is not operating at zero speed, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is not needed to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a second cooling mode is enabled that includes disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the battery system is cooled. In another aspect, the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to: in response to determining that the engine is operating at zero speed or that the battery system is not operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a third cooling mode is enabled that includes disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled.

Drawings

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a mild hybrid vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cooling architecture according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of a control system for the cooling architecture of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling the operation of the cooling architecture of FIG. 2.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.

Detailed Description

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described below. The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the exemplary embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings.

The term "coupled" and variants thereof are used to include both arrangements in which two or more components are in direct physical contact and arrangements in which two or more components are not in direct contact with each other (e.g., the components are "coupled" via at least a third component) but still cooperate or interact with each other. Moreover, the terms "coupled," "coupled," and variations thereof refer to any connection of machine elements known in the art, including, but not limited to, connections with bolts, screws, threads, magnets, electromagnets, adhesives, friction clamps, welding, snaps, clips, and the like.

Throughout this disclosure and in the claims, numerical terms such as first and second are used to reference various components or features. Such use is not intended to indicate ordering of such components or features. Rather, numerical terms are used to aid the reader in identifying the referenced components or features and should not be construed narrowly to provide a particular order of components or features.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the embodiments provided may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, and/or combinations thereof. The programming code according to an embodiment may be implemented in any viable programming language, such as C, C ++, HTML, XTML, JAVA, or any other viable high-level programming language, or a combination of high-level and low-level programming languages.

Referring now to FIG. 1, components of a conventional mild hybrid vehicle ("MHV") are shown in conceptual diagram. As shown, MHV 10 generally includes an engine 12, a motor generator ("MG") 14, an exhaust aftertreatment system 18, a powertrain 20, a battery system 21, and a vehicle cooling system 25. In some applications, the engine 12 is an internal combustion engine that uses a fuel such as diesel, gasoline, natural gas, or some combination thereof to generate power that is converted, inter alia, to motion of the MHV 10. In other applications, other types of engines may be used. MG14 may be any of a number of different devices configured to convert electrical energy into mechanical motion and vice versa. Although MG14 is shown as a single device, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that separate devices (e.g., a motor separate from a generator) may be used. MG14 is coupled to engine 12 by a belt 22, which represents a plurality of components as described herein. In some applications, operation of the MG14 is controlled by a motor control unit ("MCU") 24, which in this example includes a DC-AC converter that provides three-phase AC power to the MG 14. MCU 24 is coupled to battery system 21, which battery system 21 includes a battery management system ("BMU") 26, a plurality of battery packs 16, and a battery cooling system 23. In some embodiments, the BMU 26 controls the operation of the battery pack 16 and provides information to the MCU 24 such as battery state of charge and state of health information. In addition, DC power is supplied from the battery pack 16 to the MCU 24 under the control of the BMS 26. In some applications, the battery pack 16 comprises a plurality of lithium ion battery packs, although in other applications, a variety of other suitable energy storage techniques may be used.

The exhaust aftertreatment system 18 is shown in simplified form as including a diesel oxidation catalyst 28, a diesel particulate filter 30, and a selective catalytic reduction catalyst 32. Exhaust aftertreatment system 18 removes harmful particulate matter and chemicals from the exhaust gas produced by engine 12 in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

Combustion occurring within engine 12 causes rotation of a crankshaft (94 in fig. 2) in a conventional manner to provide torque or power to driveline 20. In one application, the powertrain 20 includes a clutch 34 coupled to a transmission 36, which in turn is coupled to a final drive 38 that integrates one or more differentials 40 to deliver torque to a plurality of drive wheels 42 of the MHV 10. The operation of the powertrain system 20 and variations thereof is known to those skilled in the art.

In addition to controlling the flow of DC power to the MCU 24, the BMS 26 also controls the flow of DC power from the battery pack 16 to the DC/DC converter 44. In this example, the battery pack 16 of the MHV 10 generates 48 volts of DC power for use by the MG14 (after conversion to AC power) in the manner described above. The DC/DC converter 44 converts 48VDC power to 24VDC, which is suitable for use with the various components of the MHV 10, as shown by the 24V load 46 of fig. 1. In other applications, different voltages may be used.

Control of the operation of the various components of the MHV 10 is provided by various controllers in addition to the MCU 24. In this example, advanced control is provided by a hybrid control module ("HCM") 48 coupled to the MCU 24, an engine control module ("ECM") 50, the BMS 26, the DC/DC converter 44, a transmission control module ("TCM") 52, and a thermal management control unit ("TMCU") 54. In this example, the HCM 48 is coupled to these various devices and systems through a CAN bus 56. However, it should be appreciated that any of a variety of suitable connections and networks, wired or wireless, may be used. The ECM 50 provides functional control of the engine 12, the aftertreatment system 18, and other engine related components in a conventional manner. The TCM 52 similarly provides functional control of the powertrain 20 in a manner known to those skilled in the art. While ECM 50, HCM 48, MCU 24, TCM 52, and TMCU 54 are shown as separate devices, in some embodiments, the various functions of each device may be performed by a combination of devices and/or distributed across multiple devices. Therefore, for the purpose of simplifying this description, these various devices will be collectively referred to simply as "controller 55" hereinafter.

In certain embodiments, the controller 55 may include a non-transitory memory with instructions that, in response to execution by a processor, cause the processor to determine a speed or torque value of the engine 12 and/or various pressure and temperature values as described herein based on input measurements from appropriate sensors. The processor, non-transitory memory, and controller 55 are not particularly limited and may be physically separate, for example.

In some implementations, the controller 55 may form part of a processing subsystem including one or more computing devices with memory, processing, and communication hardware. The controller 55 may be a single device or a distributed device, and the functions of the controller 55 may be performed by hardware and/or as computer instructions on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as non-transitory memory.

In certain embodiments, the controller 55 includes one or more interpreters, determinants, evaluators, regulators, and/or processors that functionally execute the operations of the controller 55. The description herein including an interpreter, determiner, evaluator, regulator and/or processor is to emphasize structural independence of certain aspects of controller 55 and illustrates a set of operations and responsibilities of controller 55. Other groupings that perform similar overall operations are understood to be within the scope of the present disclosure. The interpreter, determiner, evaluator, regulator, and processor can be implemented in hardware and/or as computer instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and can be distributed across various hardware or computer-based components.

Examples and non-limiting implementation elements that functionally perform the operations of controller 55 include sensors that provide any of the values identified herein, sensors that provide any of the values that are precursors to the values identified herein, data links and/or network hardware, including communication chips, oscillating crystals, communication links, cables, twisted pair wires, coaxial wires, shielded wires, transmitters, receivers and/or transceivers, logic circuits, hardwired logic circuits, reconfigurable logic circuits in certain non-transient states configured according to module specifications, any actuators (including at least electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic actuators), solenoids, operational amplifiers, analog control elements (springs, filters, integrators, adders, subtractors, gain elements), and/or digital control elements.

Certain operations described herein include operations for interpreting and/or determining one or more parameters or data structures. Interpretation or determination as utilized herein includes receiving a value by any method known in the art, including at least receiving a value from a data link or network communication, receiving an electronic signal (e.g., a voltage, frequency, current, PWM signal, or pressure signal) indicative of the value, receiving a computer-generated parameter indicative of the value, reading the value from a memory location on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, receiving the value as an operational parameter by any means known in the art, and/or receiving a value from which an interpretation parameter can be calculated, and/or by reference to a default value that is interpreted as a parameter value.

The controller 55 controls operation of the vehicle cooling system 25 and the battery system 21 in the manner described herein. More specifically, the controller 55 ensures that the battery cooling system 23 maintains the battery pack 16 in a fully cooled operating state corresponding to efficient safe operation, and that the vehicle cooling system 25 provides a desired level of vehicle cabin cooling while reducing the power consumption of the MHC 10 and emissions of the engine 12.

Referring now to fig. 2, components of the battery system 21 and the vehicle cooling system 25 are shown in communication with a controller 55. As shown, the battery system 21 generally includes a battery pack 16, a condensing plate 58, an electric water pump 60, and a water tank 62. A coolant temperature sensor 64 is mounted at a location for sensing the coolant temperature at the inlet of the condensing plate 58. The battery pack temperature sensor 66 is mounted at a position for sensing the temperature of the battery pack 16. It should be appreciated that while only one coolant temperature sensor 64 and one battery pack temperature sensor 66 are depicted in this example, in other examples, multiple temperature sensors may be used.

In operation, water is drawn from the water tank 62 by the pump 60 and flows through the chiller 68 used in both the battery system 21 and the vehicle cooling system 25. Chilled water is routed from chiller 68 to condensing plate 58 and then recycled through system 21. Chilled water in the condensing plate 58 absorbs heat generated by the battery pack 16 to maintain efficient and safe operation of the battery pack 16. Without such thermal management and depending on the operating conditions, the battery pack 16 may generate unacceptable amounts of heat, which may damage components of the battery system 21 and/or degrade its performance in terms of efficiency and other performance metrics, as is known in the art.

The vehicle cooling system 25 generally includes the basic components of a refrigeration system, including an evaporator circuit and a chiller circuit. The evaporation circuit generally includes a mechanical compressor 70, a condenser 72, an evaporation circuit expansion valve 74, and an evaporator 76. The vaporization circuit also includes a first mixing valve 78, a second mixing valve 80, a third mixing valve 82, a fourth mixing valve 84, an evaporator temperature sensor 86, and a pressure sensor 88. Finally, an electric compressor 92 is coupled in parallel with the mechanical compressor 70 of the evaporation circuit between the mixing valve 80 and the mixing valve 82. The cooler circuit of the vehicle cooling system 25 includes a cooler circuit expansion valve 90 and a portion of the cooler 68.

As known to those skilled in the art, in the evaporating circuit of the vehicle cooling system 25, low pressure refrigerant gas flows into the compressor 70, being compressed into high pressure gas in the compressor 70. The high pressure gas flows through mixing valve 88 into condenser 72 where it condenses to a liquid and releases heat to the outside air. The liquid then flows through the mixing valve 84 into the expansion valve 74, which restricts the flow of the liquid and reduces the pressure of the liquid as it exits the expansion valve 74. The low pressure liquid then flows through the evaporator 76 where heat from the internal air is absorbed, thereby converting the liquid back into a gas. The low pressure, higher temperature gas then flows through mixing valve 78 and mixing valve 80, returns to compressor 70, is compressed in compressor 70 and the cycle is repeated.

In the chiller circuit, a portion of the liquid from the condenser 72 flows through the mixing valve 84 into the chiller circuit expansion valve 90 where it is converted back into gas before flowing through the chiller 68. The gaseous refrigerant from the cooler 68 is combined with the gaseous refrigerant from the evaporator 76 at a mixing valve 78.

As shown in phantom in FIG. 2, operation of the mechanical compressor 70 is powered by the engine 12 through rotation of the engine crankshaft 94. Controller 55 receives a speed measurement (e.g., RPM) of engine 12 from a speed sensor 95, which speed sensor 95 is depicted as coupled to crankshaft 94. However, it should be appreciated that controller 55 may determine engine speed directly or indirectly from any of a variety of different components, and that speed sensor 95 is intended to represent any component that provides information regarding the operating speed of engine 12. Crankshaft 94 rotates, causing movement of engine belt 22, which, when clutch 96 is activated, causes movement of compressor belt 98. The compressor band 98 is coupled to the mechanical compressor 70 to power operation of the compressor 70 in a conventional manner. The controller 55 communicates with the vehicle cooling system 25 to receive a pressure measurement from the pressure sensor 88 indicative of the pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporating circuit after the compressor 70, a refrigerant temperature measurement from the evaporator temperature sensor 86, control operation of the mechanical compressor 70 by activating and deactivating the clutch 96, control operation of the expansion valve 74, and control operation of the electric compressor 92 as follows. The controller 55 also communicates with the battery system 21 to receive temperature measurements from the temperature sensor 64 regarding coolant in the cooler circuit at the inlet of the condensing plate 58, to receive temperature measurements from the temperature sensor 66 regarding the battery pack 16, and to control operation of the pump 60.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate, given the benefit of this disclosure, that the power consumption of the mechanical compressor 70 is closely related to engine speed as the mechanical compressor 70 is powered by the operation of the engine 12. Thus, in many applications, the mechanical compressor 70 alone may not provide sufficient cooling capacity when the engine 12 is operating at low speeds. Moreover, in some applications, the independently operating electric compressor 92 (i.e., without the mechanical compressor 70) may provide adequate cooling capacity under various operating conditions of the MHV 10, but may require a high voltage electrified system that is unsuitable for mild hybrid applications where low voltage, low cost battery packs 16 are typically used. Accordingly, as described below, the controller 55 controls the operation of the mechanical compressor 70 and the electric compressor 92 in parallel to provide four cooling modes of operation that take advantage of both compressors depending on the operating conditions of the MHV 10.

Four modes of operation of the vehicle cooling system 25 are shown in table 1 below.

Mode	Is it necessary to cool the cabin?	Engine speed>0？	Is battery cooling required for an electric compressor?
				1	Is that	Is that	Is that
2	Is that	Is that	Whether or not
				3	Whether or not	Is that	Is that
4	Is that	Whether or not	Whether or not

TABLE 1 working modes

In mode 1, the vehicle cabin is cooled by HVAC control demands on the MHV 10, and cooling of the battery system 21 is also required, for example, when the MHV 10 is operating in a high temperature environment (e.g., hot weather). In addition, the engine 12 operates at an engine speed greater than zero. In this mode, when powertrain 20 is operating at peak power, controller 55 activates clutch 96 to operate mechanical compressor 70 and also operates electric compressor 92 to supplement the conventional cooling capacity of mechanical compressor 70. In mode 2, the operating conditions of the mhv 10 are such that only the mechanical compressor 70 is required to provide cabin and battery cooling. This is considered a conventional mode of operation of the vehicle cooling system 25 under normal cooling demands. In mode 3, cabin cooling is not required (e.g., MHV 10 operates in cool or cold operating conditions). Therefore, it is only necessary to cool the battery system 21. In this mode, the controller 55 deactivates the clutch 96 to disengage the mechanical compressor 70 and activates only the electric compressor 92. In this way, the energy consumption of the mechanical compressor 70 is eliminated, resulting in a more efficient operation of the engine 12. Finally, in mode 4, cabin cooling is required but the engine 12 is operating at zero speed. Conventional mild hybrid commercial vehicles include only a mechanical compressor 70 to provide cooling to the cabin. Since the mechanical compressor 70 is driven by the compressor belt 98 through the clutch 96, which is driven by the engine belt 22 connected to the crankshaft 94, the mechanical compressor 70 is not operated and cabin cooling is not provided when the engine 12 speed is zero. However, in accordance with the present disclosure, even in mode 4, the electric compressor 92 is not required for battery cooling, and the controller 55 enables the electric compressor 92 to provide continued operation of the vehicle cooling system 25 to cool the vehicle cabin.

Referring now to fig. 3, there is illustrated a high-level functional diagram of control operation for a battery cooling architecture according to the present disclosure. At the highest level, the controller 55 receives feedback from the sensing component 102 to determine the appropriate mode of operation 104, and in response to this determination, controls the operation of the implementation component 106. The operation modes 104 include operation mode 1, operation mode 2, operation mode 3, and operation mode 4, as described above. The implementation assembly 106 includes the electric compressor 92, the clutch 96, the evaporation circuit expansion valve 74, and the water pump 60. Referring to the architecture of fig. 1, the evaporative circuit expansion valve 74 and the water pump 60 are controlled by the TMCU 54, which TMCU 54 is integrated within the HCM 48 in some embodiments. The sensing assembly 102 includes the coolant temperature sensor 64, the battery pack temperature sensor 66, the evaporator temperature sensor 86, the pressure sensor 88, and the speed sensor 95.

Referring now to fig. 3 and 4, a method for controlling the operation of the battery cooling architecture will be described. As shown in block 108 of fig. 4, the controller 55 monitors measurements from the sensing assembly 102 to determine if cabin cooling is required, if the engine 12 is operating at zero speed, and if the battery system 21 is operating in a peak power region. For the purposes of this disclosure, peak power region refers to the operating state of battery system 21 in which battery pack 16 outputs high power, thereby generating high heat, resulting in high battery cooling requirements. For the battery packs 16 described herein, the high power output corresponds to a power output above a continuous power threshold, which may vary depending on the battery pack 16 being used. In one example, the continuous power threshold may be 20kw and the peak power may be 30kw. In such an example, if the controller 55 determines that the battery system 21 is outputting power between 20kw and 30kw, the controller 55 will infer that the battery system 21 is operating in the peak power region and will respond to the high cooling demand of the battery system 21 as described herein. At block 110, the controller 55 determines whether the engine 12 is operating at a speed based on the measurement from the speed sensor 95 and determines whether the battery system 21 is operating based on the measurement from the BMS 26 of the battery system 21. The controller 55 may determine whether the battery system 21 is operating by monitoring an operating parameter of the battery system 21, such as the state of charge or power output of the battery pack 15. If these monitored parameters do not change, or if the parameters indicate that the battery pack 15 is being charged (e.g., during regenerative braking of the HEV 10), then the controller 55 will typically infer that the battery system 21 is not operating. If both conditions are met, the controller 55 determines at block 112 whether the vehicle operator requires cabin cooling based on control panel input signals from the vehicle cooling system 25 (e.g., control of the vehicle HVAC system). If cabin cooling is required, at block 114, the controller 55 determines whether the battery system 21 is operating at peak power as described above. If so, the controller 55 controls the implementation component 106 to implement mode 1 operation. More specifically, controller 55 maintains clutch 96 activated such that mechanical compressor 70 remains active and motor compressor 92 is activated to supplement the operation of mechanical compressor 70. At block 114, if the battery system 21 is not operating at peak power, the controller 55 controls the implementation component 106 to implement mode 2 operation, as indicated at block 118. In mode 2, the controller 55 deactivates the electric compressor 92 because normal cooling demand conditions only require the use of the mechanical compressor 70.

Returning to block 112, if the speed of the engine 12 is greater than zero, the battery system 21 is operating, and the vehicle operator does not require cabin cooling, then at block 120 the controller 55 controls the implementation component 106 to implement mode 3 operation. As indicated above, under these conditions, operation of the electric compressor 92 alone consumes less power than operation of the mechanical compressor 70 and is sufficient to ensure adequate cooling of the battery system 21. If, at block 110, the controller 55 determines that the speed of the engine 12 is zero and/or the battery system 21 is not operating, then, at block 122, the controller 55 determines whether the vehicle operator requires cabin cooling. If not, then controller 55 takes no action, as indicated at block 124. On the other hand, if the vehicle operator requests cabin cooling, the controller 55 controls the implementation component 106 to implement mode 4 operation. As indicated above, in mode 4, the controller 55 activates the electric compressor 92 to power the operation of the evaporative circuit of the vehicle cooling system 25. In this way, cabin cooling is provided even if the engine 12 is not powering operation of the powertrain 20.

While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Moreover, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Moreover, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent example functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element. Accordingly, the scope is not to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless explicitly so stated, but rather "one or more".

Furthermore, where a phrase similar to "A, B, or at least one of C" is used in the claims, the phrase is intended to be construed to mean that there may be a single a in an embodiment, a single B in an embodiment, a single C in an embodiment, or any combination of elements A, B or C in a single embodiment; for example, a and B, A and C, B and C, or a and B and C.

Systems, methods, and devices are provided herein. In the detailed description herein, references to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading this description, one of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand how to implement the present disclosure in alternative embodiments.

Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim herein should be construed in accordance with the specification of 35 u.s.c. ≡112 (f) unless the phrase "means for. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of controlling cooling of a mild hybrid vehicle including an engine, a vehicle cooling system, and a battery system, the method comprising:

determining whether a speed of the engine is zero;

determining whether the battery system is operating;

determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle;

determining whether the battery system is operating in a peak power region in response to determining that the battery system is operating; and

in response to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating in the peak power region, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a first cooling mode is enabled, the first cooling mode including enabling a mechanical compressor of the vehicle cooling system and enabling an electric compressor of the vehicle cooling system such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

responsive to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a second cooling mode is enabled, the second cooling mode including disabling the electric compressor and enabling the mechanical compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

in response to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is not required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a third cooling mode is enabled, the third cooling mode including disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the battery system is cooled.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

responsive to determining that the speed of the engine is zero or that the battery system is not operating and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a fourth cooling mode is enabled, the fourth cooling mode including disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the speed of the engine is zero comprises: a speed measurement is received from a speed sensor coupled to the engine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle comprises: signals from a control panel of the vehicle cooling system are received.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the battery system is operating comprises: at least one of a state of charge signal and a state of health signal from a battery management system of the battery system is received and the battery system is determined to be operating when the at least one of the state of charge signal and the state of health signal changes over time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the battery system is operating in a peak power region comprises: it is determined whether a power output of the battery system is greater than a continuous power threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the continuous power threshold is 20kW.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of activating the mechanical compressor comprises: a clutch coupled to a compressor band coupled to the mechanical compressor is activated.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electric compressor is connected in parallel with the mechanical compressor.

12. A system for controlling cooling of a mild hybrid vehicle including an engine, a vehicle cooling system, and a battery system, the system comprising:

A sensor operatively coupled to the engine and configured to provide a speed signal indicative of an operating speed of the engine;

a mechanical compressor;

a clutch coupled between the engine and the mechanical compressor;

an electric compressor; and

a controller comprising a processor and a memory device comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to

In response to receiving the speed signal from the sensor, determining whether the speed of the engine is zero,

determining whether the battery system is operating in response to a battery signal from the battery system indicating an operating parameter of the battery system, and if the battery system is operating, determining whether the battery system is operating in a peak power region,

determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle in response to an input signal from the vehicle cooling system, and

a first cooling mode is enabled in response to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating in the peak power region, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, the first cooling mode including enabling the clutch to operate the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to

A second cooling mode is enabled in response to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, the second cooling mode including disabling the electric compressor and enabling the clutch to operate the mechanical compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to

A third cooling mode is enabled in response to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is not required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, the third cooling mode including disabling the clutch to disable the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the battery system is cooled.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to

A fourth cooling mode is enabled in response to determining that the speed of the engine is zero or that the battery system is not operating and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, the fourth cooling mode including disabling the clutch to disable the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the operating parameter of the battery system is at least one of a state of charge of a battery pack of the battery system and a state of health of the battery pack, the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to determine that the battery system is operating when at least one of the state of charge of the battery pack and the state of health changes over time.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller determines whether the battery system is operating in the peak power region by determining whether a power output of the battery system is greater than a continuous power threshold.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the electric compressor is connected in parallel with the mechanical compressor.

19. A controller for controlling cooling of a mild hybrid vehicle, the vehicle including an engine, a vehicle cooling system, and a battery system, the controller comprising:

processor and method for controlling the same

Memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to

It is determined whether the speed of the engine is zero,

it is determined whether the battery system is operating,

determining whether the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to a cabin of the vehicle,

determining whether the battery system is operating in a peak power region in response to determining that the battery system is operating, and

in response to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating in a peak power region, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a first cooling mode is enabled, the first cooling mode including enabling a mechanical compressor of the vehicle cooling system and enabling an electric compressor of the vehicle cooling system such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled and the battery system is cooled.

20. The controller of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to

Responsive to determining that the speed of the engine is not zero, determining that the battery system is operating, and determining that the vehicle cooling system is not required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a second cooling mode is enabled, the second cooling mode including disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the battery system is cooled.

21. The controller of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the controller to

In response to determining that the speed of the engine is zero or that the battery system is not operating and determining that the vehicle cooling system is required to provide cooling to the cabin of the vehicle, a third cooling mode is enabled, the third cooling mode including disabling the mechanical compressor and enabling the electric compressor such that the cabin of the vehicle is cooled.