DE102022002190A1 - Thermal management arrangement and vehicle with at least one such thermal management arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

In a thermal management arrangement (1) for a vehicle, comprising a number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) and at least one vehicle control unit (4), at least one Part of the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) can be controlled, the thermal management arrangement (1) comprises at least one thermal management module (2), which determines the number electronically controlled and/or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n), which are arranged as an assembly in spatial proximity to one another, and a thermal management control unit (5) is provided , which is arranged in the area of the thermal management module (2) and is used to control at least part of the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n).

Description

The invention relates to a thermal management arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components and at least one vehicle control unit, at least part of the number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components being controllable, and to a vehicle with at least one such thermal management arrangement.

In today's vehicles, especially electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, more and more electronically controlled components, such as electrically adjustable control valves, electrically adjustable pumps, a variety of sensors, etc., are arranged along fluid circuits, such as cooling circuits, of the vehicle. This results in the advantage of demand-based and driving condition-optimized thermal management, which supports driving comfort on the one hand and range optimization on the other. However, the large number of electronically controlled components also means that the number of electrical conductors and the supply of the individual electronically controlled components has increased significantly and leads to complex wiring harness structures. The individual electronically controlled components are arranged decentrally in the vehicle, so that a large number of electrical conductors must be laid within the vehicle in order to signally connect each of the electronically controlled components individually to the vehicle control unit. Especially in the case of hydraulic components of a vehicle, their electrical wiring is carried out by individual connection from a vehicle control unit to the respective component, with the individual component being electrically connected to the respective electrical conductors by individual electrical plug connectors. Furthermore, each of the regulated or controlled components has its own control or electronics. This creates the need to arrange and coordinate a large amount of controls or electronics for this purpose and/or to create very complex wiring harness sets, all of which must be laid in the vehicle. Furthermore, there is an increased potential for errors when creating the wiring harness sets due to their complexity.

For example, from the DE 10 2020 206 268 A1 a thermal management system for a battery of a motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, a battery-electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, is known, which includes a control unit, a first coolant circuit, the first coolant circuit having a battery, a chiller and a first pump, and a second coolant circuit, wherein the second coolant circuit has an auxiliary heater, a heating heat exchanger and a second pump, wherein the first and second coolant circuits are thermally or thermally-fluidically coupled to one another via a coupling device. The control unit is designed in such a way that the performances of the first pump and the second pump are regulated to meet the requirements for thermal management. The complexity of such a thermal management system with multiple cooling circuits with a number of components, such as pumps, batteries, additional heaters, etc., can be seen from this prior art publication, the cooling circuits being coupled to one another and nested within one another.

Also from the US 8,974,942 B2 A very complex battery thermal management system is known. This includes at least a battery, a first thermoelectric arrangement and a second thermoelectric arrangement in thermal connection with the battery, the first and second thermoelectric arrangements each containing thermoelectric devices and the first and second thermoelectric arrangements being electrically connected to one another. Furthermore, the thermoelectric devices of the first thermoelectric arrangement are divided into two groups, a first and a second group, with the thermoelectric devices of the first group and the thermoelectric devices of the second group each being electrically connected in parallel with one another. The thermoelectric devices of the second thermoelectric arrangement are also divided into two groups, in which the thermoelectric devices are connected in parallel with one another in a corresponding manner. The individual thermoelectric devices in turn contain a large number of thermoelectric elements. A circuit electrically connected to the first and second thermoelectric arrangements may selectively switch the first thermoelectric arrangement either in series or in parallel with the second thermoelectric arrangement in response to at least one parameter, the at least one parameter being at least a fluid temperature of a fluid, the is in thermal connection with the battery.

Also from the DE 10 2019 210 577 A1 a thermal management system is known for use in a vehicle, wherein the thermal management system comprises a first cooling circuit for a battery and a second cooling circuit for an electric motor for driving the vehicle, the two cooling circuits being operated by means of a multi-way valve in a first mode of the system and in a first valve position of the multi-way valve in series and in a second mode of the system and are connected in parallel to one another in a second valve position of the multi-way valve. In a third mode of the system and in a third valve position, the multi-way valve assumes an intermediate position in which the coolant flows of the two cooling circuits mix with one another as required. In addition to the two cooling circuits, a bypass path is also provided, as is another multi-way valve and thus additional operating modes. This thermal management system is therefore also very complex.

The same applies to that from the DE 10 2020 206 727 A1 known thermal management system for a battery of a motor vehicle, which also includes a first coolant circuit, a second coolant circuit and a third coolant circuit. The first coolant circuit is thermally-fluidically coupled to the second coolant circuit and/or the third coolant circuit by switching a four-way valve. The first coolant circuit includes a battery, a chiller and a first pump, the second coolant circuit includes an auxiliary heater, a heating heat exchanger and a second pump and the third coolant circuit includes a heat exchanger and a third pump. The complexity of the thermal management system can be seen very clearly in particular from the figures in this prior art publication.

Such a complexity of a thermal management system can also be achieved DE 11 2011 103 888 T5 be removed. The system according to this prior art includes an internal combustion engine and a first coolant that is thermally coupled to the internal combustion engine and is circulated by a first pump. It further includes an electrical component and a second coolant that is thermally coupled to the electrical component and circulated by a second pump. The system further includes a first heat exchanger that transfers thermal energy between the first coolant and the second coolant, and an auxiliary fluid stream having a temperature that is lower than a target operating temperature for the electrical component. The system further includes a second heat exchanger that transfers thermal energy between the second coolant and the additional fluid stream.

Also the DE 11 2017 000 575 T5 The complexity of such a thermal management system can be clearly seen. The thermal management device for a vehicle according to this prior art document includes a first heat carrier path portion and a second heat carrier path portion through which a heat carrier flows, a waste heat supply device that supplies waste heat to the heat carrier flowing through the second heat carrier path portion, a heating heat exchanger that supplies heat between Air to be blown into a vehicle interior and the heat medium exchanges to heat the air, a switching portion that switches between a state in which the heat medium circulates between the heating heat exchanger and the first heat medium path portion and a second state in which the heat transfer medium circulates between the heating heat exchanger and the second heat transfer path section, an adjustment section, by means of which a temperature of the heat transfer medium in the first heat transfer path section is adjusted, and a control means. The control means controls an operation of the adjusting portion so that the temperature of the heat transfer medium in the first heat transfer path portion is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. When the switching portion is set, the heat transfer medium is circulated between the heating heat exchanger and the second heat transfer path portion.

From the DE 10 2016 102 116 A1 The complex structure of a battery thermal management system is known, comprising a battery assembly and a coolant subsystem that circulates a coolant through the battery assembly, the battery assembly being heated by a first portion of the coolant from an engine when a temperature of the battery assembly is below a first temperature threshold, and is cooled by a second part of the coolant from a cooling unit when the temperature is above a second temperature threshold. The coolant system includes, among other things, the engine, a radiator, a three-way valve, a temperature sensor, a pump, and a refrigeration circuit that includes the refrigeration unit. It can also be seen that the battery thermal management system contains a number of components that are connected to each other or to the vehicle control unit via various coolant lines and electrical conductors.

From the WO 2015/149764 A1 a cooling system of an internal combustion engine is known which has a complex structure and which is designed as a split cooling system and comprises at least two cooling circuits which are acted upon by a coolant flow from a coolant pump. A heat management module designed as a rotary valve with associated actuators and a thermostat are used to control coolant flows in the cooling circuits. The rotary valve housing has several outlets or connections through which coolant can flow. The thermal management module is to control the first cooling circuit of the cooling system and the thermostat designed as a split cooling thermostat to control the other cooling circuit. In individual warm-up phases of the internal combustion engine, the outputs, a connection of the rotary valve housing designed as a bypass and connected to the coolant pump, as well as the leakage opening of the thermostat can be specifically shut off together or separately as required.

Due to the large number of components of the cooling circuits of a thermal management system and thus also the large number of electrical conductors in order to establish a signal connection from the electronically regulated components to the vehicle control unit, and/or a large number of individual controllers or electronics on the part of the individual electronically regulated or controlled components The design of suitable arrangements of the number of electronically controlled components and the suitable routing paths of electrical conductors within the body of the vehicle is very demanding and the handling of the cable harnesses is very complex. During assembly it is necessary to electrically connect each of the components individually via their connectors, which also takes a lot of time. In the event that individual components fail during the life of the vehicle, replacing them is also very time-consuming and the components may be installed in the vehicle in a difficult to access manner. The bus load of a vehicle data bus, via which the individual bus participants, thus electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the vehicle, are controlled from the vehicle control unit, is also very high. Since the individual electronically controlled components are purchased by the vehicle manufacturer from a wide variety of manufacturers, the administrative effort is also very high and, in particular, interface handling when combining the components is very complex.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of creating a thermal management arrangement for a vehicle and a vehicle with such a thermal management arrangement, the thermal management arrangement comprising a number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components and at least one vehicle control unit, at least part of the number being electronically regulated and / or electrical components can be controlled, which does not have the disadvantages mentioned above and which enables a significantly less complex control of the individual electronically controlled and / or electrical components than the thermal management arrangements of the prior art.

The object is achieved for a thermal management arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1 in that the thermal management arrangement comprises at least one thermal management module, which comprises the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components which are arranged as an assembly in spatial proximity to one another, and that a thermal management control unit is provided, which is arranged in the area of the thermal management module and is used to control at least part of the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components. For a vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, battery-electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle or fuel cell vehicle, the task is solved in that the vehicle comprises at least one such thermal management arrangement. Further developments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

This creates a thermal management arrangement for a vehicle, which comprises at least one thermal management module, in which the number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components are arranged as an assembly in spatial proximity to one another. Furthermore, the thermal management arrangement includes a thermal management control unit, which is arranged in the area of the thermal management module and is used to control at least part of the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components. By providing such a thermal management control unit, it is possible to arrange it centrally, with the thermal management control unit serving to control all or at least part of the number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components. This eliminates the need for a respective control device on the part of the individual electronically controlled and/or electrical components, so that the structure of the thermal management arrangement is significantly less complex than in the solutions of the prior art.

A thermal management arrangement is understood here to mean the subgroup of a thermal management system which includes the electronically controlled and/or electrical components and thermal management control unit as well as the vehicle control unit and the electrical connection(s) between this and the thermal management module or the thermal management control unit includes. Arranging the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components as an assembly in spatial proximity to one another is used here stood that the individual electronically controlled and / or electrical components, for example at least one pump, at least one sensor, at least one actuator, at least one valve, etc., are arranged optimally close or close to one another and as an assembly the at least one thermal management module form. All electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module are arranged on a carrier part. This makes it possible to arrange them optimally close or close to one another. By providing the carrier part of the thermal management module, it is possible to pre-assemble the number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components on the carrier part outside of a vehicle in a space-optimized manner. The carrier part or the thermal management module can be arranged in any spatial arrangement in a vehicle, for example in a horizontal arrangement in space.

The thermal management control unit is advantageously signal-connectable or signal-connected to the at least one vehicle control unit for communication with it and can be controlled by it. The individual electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module are signal-connected to the thermal management control unit in the thermal management module and, on the other hand, the thermal management control unit is connected to the at least one vehicle control unit, so that only one signal connection, in particular a signal line, is connected between the thermal management -Control unit and the at least one vehicle control unit extends. Further advantageously, at least one digital communication bus line is provided for the signal connection of the thermal management control unit and the at least one vehicle control unit.

The thermal management control unit is advantageously designed to control at least one actuator and/or at least one sensor and/or at least one pump. Such a sensor may be, for example, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, or another type of sensor used in a thermal management system. At a minimum, the thermal management control unit can be designed to control at least one actuator or actuator of the thermal management arrangement or the thermal management module and/or to control at least one sensor of the thermal management module. The thermal management control unit can thus be used to control different electronically controlled and/or electrical components or to control a number of more than one category of electronically controlled and/or electrical components, such as several actuators and/or one or more Pump.

Further advantageously, at least one electronically controlled component arranged outside the thermal management arrangement can be signal-connectable or signal-connected to the thermal management control unit in order to control the electronically controlled component arranged outside the thermal management arrangement by the thermal management control unit. It is therefore possible to also control electronically controlled components arranged outside the thermal management module via the thermal management control unit. The particularly centrally arranged thermal management control unit can thus control electronic components arranged decentrally with respect to the thermal management module or process their detected signals. Accordingly, decentralized control units of the respective decentralized electronic components can also be saved by providing the thermal management control unit. This not only saves costs for control units on such decentrally arranged electronic components that are not required, but also enables even more efficient control of such electronically controlled components, which is in particular coordinated with the control of the electronically controlled and / or electrical components within the thermal management system. module.

To supply energy to the thermal management control unit, it can be electrically connected or connected to at least one energy source, in particular the on-board electrical system of a vehicle. In particular, it is possible to also integrate such an electrical line for supplying energy to the thermal management control unit into an electrical conductor strand with a number of different electrical conductors, which extends from the thermal management module or its thermal management control unit to the vehicle control unit. Such an electrical conductor strand can therefore contain at least one signal conductor for controlling the central thermal management control unit by, in particular, the vehicle control unit and for communication with it, as well as at least one electrical conductor for supplying energy. It is also possible to provide at least one separate electrical connection for powering the thermal management control unit and/or the electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module.

The thermal management control unit is advantageously integrated into the at least one thermal management module. Such an integration of the thermal management control unit into the at least one thermal management module is understood to mean both installation in such a thermal management module, in particular in a housing thereof, if one is available, as well as arrangement in the area of the thermal management module , for example on or on a housing or a carrier plate of the thermal management module. It is also possible, if the thermal management module provides an electrical collective connector, to integrate the thermal management control unit into the electrical collective connector of the thermal management module or to arrange it on it or to arrange it in the area of the electrical collective connector. Providing the at least one thermal management module with such an electrical collective connector, wherein the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components of the thermal management module can be electrically connected or connected to the electrical collective connector of the at least one thermal management module and an electrical conductor strand between the electrical Collective connector of the thermal management module and / or the thermal management control unit and the vehicle control unit can be arranged or arranged, proves to save a large number of individual electrical conductors that extend between the thermal management module and the vehicle control unit or the arrangement of several electrical connectors on the part of Thermal management module is advantageous because only one electrical connector at the end of the electrical conductor strand needs to be plugged into the electrical collective connector of the at least one thermal management module. In particular, the thermal management control unit can therefore be integrated into this electrical collective connector or can be arranged on or on this or in the area of this electrical collective connector. This makes it possible to achieve an even further reduction in the required installation space, since no further installation space is required in the area of the thermal management module for arranging the thermal management control unit. In order to supply electrical energy to at least part of the electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module and/or the thermal management control unit, the thermal management module can also be provided with at least one additional electrical connector and at least one electrical power line can be connected or connected to this or become. It is therefore possible to provide at least one further electrical connector on the thermal management module, to which at least one electrical line for powering the thermal management control unit and/or the components of the thermal management module can be connected. The electrical collective connector is then used either exclusively for connecting data and control lines and not for connecting electrical power line(s) or only for connecting certain electrical power lines. For example, such a separate electrical power line can be provided for pumps and actuators and connected to the thermal management module. Instead of just one electrical collective connector and just one electrical conductor strand, at least one electrical connector can be provided in addition to this for connecting an electrical power line to the thermal management module.

As already mentioned, the thermal management control unit can be controlled by the vehicle control unit. Additionally or alternatively, the thermal management control unit may include its own control algorithm for medium distribution to and from the number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components and between them. The thermal management module can therefore form a self-contained unit with a clear allocation of responsibilities to the individual electronically controlled and/or electrical components. The thermal management control unit, as the central control electronics, takes over the control or regulation of all components of the thermal management module on the one hand and, on the other hand, the communication with the at least one vehicle control unit. The thermal management control unit can therefore be formed, for example, by a microcontroller that includes control software that enables a desired medium distribution within the thermal management system or the thermal management arrangement by controlling or regulating the individual electronically controlled and / or electrical components of the thermal management module.

The thermal management control unit integrated in the thermal management module, in particular in the area of its electrical collective connector, can, as a central control device of the thermal management module, significantly reduce the number of electrical conductors laid between the individual electronically controlled and / or electrical components and the at least one vehicle control unit . The number of electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module can be electrically and signally controlled using the provided electrical collective connector within the thermal management module be bound. Relatively short electrical conductors can therefore be advanced within the thermal management module, so that the laying of individual electrical conductors within the vehicle from each of the electronically controlled and/or electrical components to the at least one vehicle control device is no longer necessary. Since the thermal management control unit is also arranged in the area of the thermal management module, in particular in its electrical collective connector, it is possible to lay only a single electrical conductor strand between the electrical collective connector on the thermal management module and the at least one vehicle control unit. This reduces the effort required to route such electrical conductors within the vehicle. Furthermore, only a single process is required on the part of the vehicle manufacturer, since only the electrical conductor strand needs to be plugged into the electrical collective connector of the thermal management module on the one hand and the at least one vehicle control unit on the other hand. Since only one thermal management control unit is provided, the susceptibility to errors is also reduced, which can otherwise occur in control units assigned to individual electronically controlled components and usually means complex troubleshooting. This problem no longer occurs when the centrally located thermal management control unit is provided.

Furthermore, the costs for the thermal management arrangement can also be reduced, since instead of many control units, which in the prior art would be arranged on or in the range of the number of electronically controlled components, only one thermal management control unit is now provided. This also optimizes redundancies. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve a weight reduction because the large number of individual control units on the individual electronically controlled components is eliminated. The installation space can also be reduced in comparison to the solutions of the prior art, in which the electronically controlled components are each provided with their own control units, since these control units provide the thermal management control unit, which is arranged centrally and controls the electronically regulated components, the individual control units can be saved. In particular, only one microcontroller is provided as a thermal management control unit, which results in a significant reduction in components. The thermal management control unit can be designed in such a way that the power levels provided for different electronically controlled and/or electrical components are combined in a component-specific manner during control, so that control can be adapted to the components. Furthermore, it is possible to design sensors, such as temperature sensors, without their own additional housing or their own electrical connector, since these will be part of the thermal management module and thus within the thermal management module with its electrical collective connector and via this with the thermal management control unit can be connected. The data that the sensor, in particular the temperature sensor, detects can be transmitted to the at least one vehicle control unit accordingly via the electrical conductor strand between the at least one vehicle control unit and the at least one thermal management module.

Since only one electrical conductor strand can extend between the vehicle control unit and the thermal management module, further interfaces in the area of the vehicle control unit can also be reduced, which on the one hand simplifies assembly at the vehicle operator and on the other hand shortens assembly time. Furthermore, the physical interfaces on the vehicle control unit can also be reduced, such as the I/O pins or pins on the controller, the PINs on the vehicle control unit, etc. The thermal management control unit can also control the individual electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module can be optimized, since it is possible, for example, to take over the control of movement sequences to achieve switching states of valves of the thermal management arrangement or of their thermal management module for several components. Particularly good and quick filling with medium can be achieved using an optimized sequence of controls. By providing the thermal management control unit in the thermal management module or in its area, it is also possible to carry out the medium temperature control, in particular fluid temperature control, of a power electronics as a component of the thermal management system directly in the thermal management module. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a separate fluid circuit via which the temperature control of the power electronic component takes place, as is required in the prior art. Particularly advantageously, the at least one thermal management module can therefore comprise, as electronically controlled and/or electrical components, at least one pump with an electric motor and at least one valve with an actuator, in particular at least one pump with an electric motor, at least one valve with an actuator and at least one sensor. This electronically Regulated and/or electrical components can advantageously be arranged in a structural unit and/or on or on at least one unit provided with fluidic conductors, in particular fluid channels, and fluidic connections for supplying fluidic components of the thermal management module with at least one fluidic medium. The thermal management module is connected to fluid circuits of the vehicle thermal management system via the fluidic connections, whereby the individual partial circuits of the vehicle's thermal management system can be fluidically controlled. Accordingly, a sub-circuit for temperature control of the vehicle electronics, a sub-circuit for temperature control of the battery of the vehicle and a sub-circuit for temperature control of the interior of the vehicle can be provided, with the thermal management module or its thermal management control unit for regulating or controlling the partial mass flows in the individual sub-circuits. The vehicle can be, for example, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle (BEV = Battery Electric Vehicle), i.e. a battery-electric vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle (FC vehicle).

The data recorded by the sensors as electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module can be read and processed directly by the thermal management control unit. Since this no longer has to be done in the vehicle control unit, the bus load of the data bus within the vehicle can be reduced.

The performance of the at least one vehicle control unit can also be reduced in this way, since the processing of these sensor data takes place decentrally in the thermal management control unit. By digitizing the sensor signals already in the thermal management control unit, it is also possible to obtain digital signals without additional individual costs, which can be processed directly and, if necessary, transmitted to the at least one vehicle control unit via a digital communication bus. In particular, it is also possible to save costs for digital individual sensors, since inexpensive analog individual sensors can be used in the thermal management module. Since a signal connection from sensors arranged outside the thermal management module to the thermal management control unit is also possible, their signals and characteristic values can also be processed by the thermal management control unit. This is particularly advantageous for system-relevant sensors, since their signals can be detected by the thermal management control unit and used as a basis for controlling the individual components of the thermal management module. When controlling the individual components of the thermal management module, you can react directly to the data recorded by the system-relevant sensors.

As already mentioned above, it is possible for the thermal management module to communicate with the at least one vehicle control unit of the vehicle via the thermal management control unit via a digital communication bus, such as a CAN bus or LIN bus. In particular, the thermal management control unit can be controlled by the at least one vehicle control unit, or corresponding control algorithms for medium control are already stored in the thermal management control unit, so that it independently regulates or controls the fluid distribution/medium distribution by controlling the corresponding components within the Thermal management module can be made. For example, a status table can be stored in the thermal management control unit, which enables the vehicle manufacturer to move several valves to a desired position using a single command. For example, with stack valves, additional movements are required in order to reach the defined switching states of the valve parts of the stack valve. The control of these additional movements is advantageously taken over by the thermal management control unit, so that the effort on the part of the vehicle manufacturer is reduced in this regard and the bus load of the data bus that leads to the vehicle control unit can also be reduced. Furthermore, by providing the thermal management control unit in the area of or in the thermal management module, error safety can be created with regard to the individual electronically controlled and / or electrical components of the thermal management module. This refers in particular to switching pumps on and off when the valves change state, preventing the components from moving in block mode, coordinating the controls of the individual electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module with one another and with each other, as well as all movements Actuators and valves. Furthermore, a mechanical coupling of the valves can be provided instead of an electronic one or a switchable transmission as an alternative to actuators or actuators. By mechanically coupling the individual control options for the valves of the thermal management module, it is possible to adjust several valves of the thermal management module at the same time using a single command.

The self-sufficient unit of the thermal management module can in particular be arranged centrally in the vehicle. It can also advantageously include all fluidic lines required for conveying medium, such as coolant, to and from the individual components of the thermal management module in addition to the electrical conductors, with the coolant flowing or being able to flow through various coolant circuits to vehicle components, such as at least a battery, any existing electrical auxiliary heaters, combustion engines, power electronics, etc. to be tempered in a desired manner.

The thermal management module can be completely pre-assembled, i.e. including all electronically controlled and/or electrical components, fluidic conductors, electrical conductors and fluidic connections as well as the electrical collective connector and the thermal management control unit. This thermal management module can be arranged in the vehicle as a compact unit and connected electrically or signally to the vehicle control unit via the electrical conductor strand.

• 1 eine Prinzipskizze einer Thermomanagementanordnung des Standes der Technik, umfassend eine Anzahl von n Pumpen, n Aktuatoren und n Sensoren, die jeweils einzeln über elektrische Leiter mit einem elektrischen Sammelverbinder einer Fahrzeugsteuerungseinheit elektrisch verbunden sind, wobei die Pumpen und Ventile jeweils eigene Steuerungseinheiten aufweisen,
• 2 eine Prinzipskizze einer Variante einer Thermomanagementanordnung des Standes der Technik, bei der eine Anzahl von n Pumpen, n Aktuatoren und n Sensoren jeweils einzeln elektrisch mit drei elektrischen Sammelverbindern einer Fahrzeugsteuerungseinheit elektrisch verbunden sind, wobei die Pumpen und Ventile jeweils eigene Steuerungseinheiten aufweisen,
• 3 eine Prinzipskizze einer ersten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Thermomanagementanordnung, umfassend ein Thermomanagement-Modul mit einer Anzahl von n Pumpen, n Aktuatoren und n Sensoren sowie einem elektrischen Sammelverbinder, der über einen elektrischen Leiterstrang mit einem elektrischen Sammelverbinder einer Fahrzeugsteuerungseinheit elektrisch verbunden ist, und einer erfindungsgemäßen Thermomanagement-Steuerungseinheit, die in das Thermomanagement-Modul integriert ist,
• 4 eine Prinzipskizze des Aufbaus einer erfindungsgemäßen Thermomanagement-Steuerungseinheit eines erfindungsgemäßen Thermomanagement-Moduls einer erfindungsgemäßen Thermomanagementanordnung, wobei die Thermomanagement-Steuerungseinheit mit einer Fahrzeugsteuerungseinheit über einen elektrischen Leiterstrang, umfassend unterschiedliche elektrische Leiter, elektrisch verbunden ist, und
• 5 eine Prinzipskizze eines Thermomanagementsystems des Standes der Technik, umfassend mehrere verschachtelte Kühlkreisläufe eines Fahrzeugs mit jeweils einzelnen elektrischen Leitern, die von den einzelnen Komponenten der Kühlkreisläufe zu einer Fahrzeugsteuerungseinheit führen.

To explain the invention in more detail, exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. These show in:

• 1 a schematic diagram of a thermal management arrangement of the prior art, comprising a number of n pumps, n actuators and n sensors, each of which is electrically connected individually via electrical conductors to an electrical collective connector of a vehicle control unit, the pumps and valves each having their own control units,
• 2 a schematic diagram of a variant of a thermal management arrangement of the prior art, in which a number of n pumps, n actuators and n sensors are each individually electrically connected to three electrical collective connectors of a vehicle control unit, the pumps and valves each having their own control units,
• 3 a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a thermal management arrangement according to the invention, comprising a thermal management module with a number of n pumps, n actuators and n sensors as well as an electrical collective connector, which is electrically connected via an electrical conductor strand to an electrical collective connector of a vehicle control unit, and a thermal management according to the invention -Control unit integrated into the thermal management module,
• 4 a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal management control unit according to the invention of a thermal management module according to the invention of a thermal management arrangement according to the invention, wherein the thermal management control unit is electrically connected to a vehicle control unit via an electrical conductor strand, comprising different electrical conductors, and
• 5 a schematic sketch of a thermal management system of the prior art, comprising several nested cooling circuits of a vehicle, each with individual electrical conductors which lead from the individual components of the cooling circuits to a vehicle control unit.

In 5 is a schematic sketch of a thermal management system 110 of the prior art shown with a large number of electronically controlled and electrical components. These components are in particular one or more batteries, control units 115, 116, 117, 119, chillers, pumps 105, electrical auxiliary heaters, heating heat exchangers, valves 118, sensors 120, electric motors and power electronics. In the in 5 In the example of a thermal management system 110 shown, several cooling circuits 100, 101, 102 are shown nested one inside the other. Furthermore, a large number of electrical conductors 103 are shown, each of which is routed from the individual components of the three cooling circuits 100, 101, 102 to a vehicle control unit 104. These electrical conductors 103 include power conductors, signal conductors, data conductors and must be accommodated in a suitable manner within a vehicle or the vehicle body, resulting in very complex wiring harness structures. The higher the number of components in the cooling circuits, the more complex the wiring harness structures and the space required for them become. Furthermore, the space required for the respective electronically controlled components, such as the pumps 105 and valves 118, is comparatively large due to their additional control units 115, 116, 117, 119.

In the 1 and 2 Variants of the thermal management system 110 of the prior art are shown, each comprising several pumps 105, actuators 106 and sensors 107. Each of the pumps 105 has its own control unit 115. Each of the pumps 105, actuators 106 and sensors 107 is according to the prior art variant 1 via the electrical collective connector 111 with the vehicle control unit 104 electrically connected or in the variant according to 2 with three individual electrical connectors 112, 113 and 114 of the vehicle control unit 104. Like that 1 and 2 It is not difficult to see that a large number of control units and electrical conductors 103, 108, 109 must be laid within a vehicle in which the thermal management system 110 is arranged, the electrical conductors including, among other things, signal conductors and data conductors in order to accommodate those detected by the sensors To be able to send signals to the vehicle control unit 104 and its control signals for controlling the actuators 106. Due to the large number of individual components and control units of these as well as electrical conductors, installing these into a vehicle involves a very high amount of work and also high costs for the large number of individual components and different electrical conductors, all of which are routed to the vehicle control unit 104 have to, and a lot of effort is associated with laying them in the vehicle.

In 3 a first embodiment of a thermal management arrangement 1 according to the invention is shown. In this case, the problem of the prior art explained above is resolved, since all pumps 10a, 10b to 10n, actuators 11a, 11b to 11n and sensors 13a, 13b to 13n are arranged in spatial proximity to one another and as an assembly to form a thermal management module 2 are summarized. The suffix “n” here stands for an indefinite or arbitrary number of pumps or actuators or sensors. In addition to these electronically controlled and / or electrical components of the pumps 10a, 10b to 10n, actuators 11a, 11b to 11n and sensors 13a, 13b to 13n, the thermal management module 2 also includes a thermal management control unit 5, which is integrated into the thermal management module 2 is integrated. This is used to control the individual components of the pumps 10a, 10b to 10n, actuators 11a, 11b to 11n and sensors 13a, 13b to 13n. Therefore, all of these components are electrically connected to the thermal management control unit 5 via electrical conductors 15a, 15b, 15n or electrical conductor pairs 14a, 14b, 14n, 16a, 16b, 16n. To electrically and signally connect the thermal management control unit 5 to the vehicle control unit 4, only an electrical conductor strand 3 is laid within the vehicle from the thermal management module 2 to the vehicle control unit 4. In order to provide a uniform connection for all components of the thermal management module 2, the thermal management module 2 also has an electrical collective connector 20. The electrical conductors and conductor pairs laid from the components of the thermal management module 2 to the thermal management control unit 5 are connected to an electrical conductor strand 3 via this. Instead of an electrical conductor strand, comprising all electrical, signal and data conductors, at least one separate power line can also be provided and connected to the thermal management module 2 via an electrical connector arranged thereon or the electrical collective connector. In particular, at least some of the components of the thermal management module 2 can be supplied with electrical energy via this power line. The electrical energy supply is then not provided by the vehicle control unit 4, but independently of it. However, communication and control continue to take place between the vehicle control unit 4 and the thermal management control unit 5. In particular, the pumps and actuators can be supplied with electrical energy via such a separate power line.

The vehicle control unit 4 according to 3 also has an electrical collective connector 40. The electrical conductor strand 3 is or is connected to this. Instead of this one electrical collective connector 40, the vehicle control unit 4 can have more than one electrical connector, for example three individual electrical connectors, with which the electrical conductor strand 3 or its respective electrical conductors and conductor groups are/are electrically connected.

Due to the provision of the thermal management control unit 5, compared to the prior art, the complete intelligence regarding the control is no longer in the vehicle control unit 4, but at least for the components of the thermal management module 2 in the thermal management control unit 5. This can be applied to the pumps 10a , 10b, 10n and valves as well as actuators 11a, 11b, 11n and sensors 12a, 12b, 12n and control them accordingly in the desired manner and receive the data recorded by the sensors and, if necessary, also process it and / or send it to the vehicle control unit 4. The thermal management control unit 5 can be designed, for example, as a microcontroller. A clear and unambiguous assignment of responsibilities within the thermal management module 2 can be defined in the thermal management control unit 5. The thermal management control unit 5 is therefore used, on the one hand, to control or regulate all electronically controlled and/or electrical components of the thermal management module 2, in particular by means of control software, and, on the other hand, to communicate with the vehicle control unit 4 of a vehicle. It can come through externally The vehicle control unit 4 can be controlled, can additionally or alternatively contain its own control algorithms for the distribution of medium or for fluid distribution within the fluid paths and fluid circuits of the thermal management system 1 of a vehicle.

Like that 3 and 4 As can be seen, in the thermal management arrangement 1 it is possible to provide or arrange the electrical conductor strand 3 as a single conductor strand between the thermal management module 2 or its thermal management control unit 5 and the vehicle control unit 4, thus reducing the workload for laying electrical conductors within the vehicle to be kept as low as possible. Only the electrical conductor strand 3 is routed within the vehicle from the thermal management module 2 to the vehicle control unit 4.

The electrical conductor strand 3 includes different types of electrical conductors 32, 33, 34, such as 4 can be removed, the electrical conductor 32 being designed, for example, for conducting high electrical currents, for example as a power current conductor, in order to supply the pumps 10a, 10b, 10n with power, and the electrical conductor 33, for example, being designed as a bus conductor for transmitting signals To transmit data and signals, such as control signals, from the vehicle control unit 4 to the thermal management control unit 5 and vice versa. This electrical conductor 33 or at least one further electrical conductor can also be designed to be suitable for transmitting sensor signals from the sensors 12a, 12b, 12n. An electrical conductor 34 can also be provided for conducting electrical currents to supply power to the thermal management control unit 5, whereby power can be provided, for example, by the on-board electrical system voltage of a vehicle. This electrical conductor 34 can also be part of the electrical conductor strand 3, like 4 can be seen. In particular, it is possible to use at least one optical cable as the data and/or control line(s). In this case, the electrical collective connector 20 on the thermal management module 2 and the electrical collective connector 40 on the vehicle control unit 4 are designed accordingly for connecting at least one such optical cable.

The electrical collective connector 40 of the vehicle control unit 4 is designed so that these different electrical conductors can be connected there. The electrical collective connector 40 thus has differently designed plug connectors in order to be able to connect the different electrical conductors there. There are also electrical connectors 30, 31 (see 3 ), such as electrical connectors, which are arranged at the ends of the electrical conductor strand 3, are designed in a corresponding manner to enable signal transmission or transmission of currents, including high electrical currents.

Within a vehicle in which the thermal management arrangement 1 is arranged, it is therefore not necessary to lay complex cable harnesses, but only the electrical conductor strand 3 from the thermal management module 2 or its thermal management control unit 5 to the vehicle control device 4. This means one significantly lower expenditure of both time and money compared to individual cabling and the provision of a larger number of individual control units on the electronically controlled and / or electrical components in the prior art, such as in 5 reproduced.

The thermal management control unit 5 can be integrated into the thermal management module 2. In particular, it is possible to integrate the thermal management control unit 5 into the electrical collective connector 20 of the thermal management module 2 or to arrange it on or on this.

4 only shows the thermal management control unit 5 and the vehicle control unit 4, which is electrically and signally connected to the thermal management control unit 5 via the electrical conductor strand 3. As already explained above, the electrical conductor strand 3 comprises different types of electrical conductors 32, 33, 34, which are in 4 are indicated.

The thermal management control unit 5 includes how 4 can be further removed, a main control unit 50, which can be designed, for example, in the form of a microcontroller. The main control unit 50 includes a communication device 51, a signal processing device 52 and a level control device 53 for controlling output power levels. Furthermore, the thermal management control unit 5 includes a unit 54 for common power supply and voltage protection as well as for EMC filtering, thus for shielding. Furthermore, the thermal management control unit 5 includes one or more sensor electronics units 55 for the assignment of the input and output pins, one or more actuator power stages 56 and one or more pump power stages 57. The sensor electronics units 55, actuator power stages 56 and pump power stages 57 are each both with the main control unit 50 and with the unit 54 of the Thermal management control unit 5 electrically and signal connected. The corresponding signal or data lines 58a, 58b, 58c and 58d extend between the main control unit 50 and the at least one sensor electronics unit 55, the at least one actuator power stage 56 and the at least one pump power stage 57. Electrical lines 59a, 59b, 59c and 59d extend to power the sensor electronics unit(s) 55, the actuator power stage(s) 56 and the pump power stage(s) 57 between these and the unit 54. This can also be done in 4 can be removed very well. The signal or data lines 58a, 58b and 58c are brought together in the respective nodes K1 and K2 and are connected to the main control unit 50 via only one signal or data line 58d, while the electrical lines 59a, 59b and 59c are in the node K3 or K4 are brought together and routed to the electrical line 59d, which establishes a connection to the unit 54. To power the main control unit 50, an electrical line 59e is also provided between the main control unit 50 and the unit 54. The unit 54 can, for example, be supplied with electrical energy via the vehicle electrical system, whereby the corresponding electrical supply line can also be part of the electrical conductor strand 3.

In order to avoid interference with signal transmission due to high currents, a separate power supply can be provided, for example. The EMC filtering in the unit 54 also serves as shielding in order to avoid errors in the signal transmission within the thermal management module 2, but also between the thermal management control unit 5 and the vehicle control unit 4. Within the thermal management module 2, electrical conductors and conductor pairs can also be optimally advanced in such a way that corresponding electromagnetic interference caused by high currents in the area of the signal and data lines can be avoided.

In the main control unit 50 of the thermal management control unit 5, separate control algorithms for fluid distribution or medium distribution within fluid circuits can be provided. In this case, even without external control by the vehicle control unit 4, the thermal management control unit 5 can independently control the individual components of the sensors, actuators and pumps in a corresponding manner in order to achieve the desired fluid distribution within the individual fluid circuits of the thermal management system of a vehicle. Furthermore, it is possible to store a status table in the main control unit 50, in particular a microcontroller, which makes it possible to move several valves to a desired position using a single command.

The thermal management module 2 can thus include one or more pumps with an electric motor, one or more valves with an actuator and in particular one or more sensors, which are arranged in a structural unit and/or on a carrier plate or a carrier part and with at least one fluid circuit of a thermal management system of a vehicle in order to control the fluid distribution within it accordingly. The fluid circuit, in particular the cooling water circuit, can comprise several partial circuits, which are fluidically controlled via the thermal management module 2 or its thermal management control unit 5. In one sub-circuit, for example, temperature control of the vehicle electronics can be made possible, in another sub-circuit, temperature control of the vehicle battery and in another sub-circuit, temperature control of the vehicle interior. The thermal management module 2 serves to control or regulate the partial mass flows in the individual partial circuits of the fluid circuit of the thermal management system of the vehicle. Vehicle here can be a battery-electric vehicle, electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle or fuel cell vehicle.

The carrier part of the thermal management module 2 can be used for the installation space-optimized arrangement of the individual components, such as a valve, at least one actuator, at least one pump, at least one sensor, etc., which can be pre-assembled outside of a vehicle, whereby not only the electrical connecting lines between these components, but also fluid lines between them can be pre-assembled on the carrier part of the thermal management module 2. The assembly of the thermal management module 2, which is pre-assembled on the support part, can be arranged at different locations or at several locations in a vehicle, with the arrangement being as close as possible to a component to be regulated, such as a battery in the underbody or in the rear of a vehicle suitable. This allows the fluid paths to be kept as short as possible. Accordingly, several thermal management modules can be arranged in a vehicle. For example, such a thermal management module 2 or its carrier part can have an edge length of approximately 30 cm and thus in particular the carrier part can be designed to be approximately square. Of course, it is also possible to make the thermal management module 2 or its support part larger, if a larger number of components, such as pumps, sensors, actuators, valves, etc., are to be mounted on it. In particular, the thermal management module 2 or its support part has an area of up to half a square meter, in particular only a quarter of a square meter. The arrangement of the thermal management module 2 or its support part in the room can be arbitrary, for example in an approximately horizontal orientation in the room.

There can therefore only be an inflow and an outflow of fluid to or from the thermal management module 2 and only an electrical connection via the electrical conductor strand 3, which is arranged between the vehicle control unit 4 and the thermal management control unit 5 or the thermal management module 2 is to be provided. A self-sufficient unit is thus created with respect to the thermal management module 2, which can be arranged at a suitable location in a vehicle, in particular centrally in the vehicle, and which contains the electronically regulated and/or electrical components of a thermal management system, thus the electronically regulated and/or or electrical components that are arranged in a thermal management system along cooling circuits for temperature control of fluid, such as coolant.

In addition to the embodiment variants of a thermal management arrangement for a vehicle described above and shown in the figures, numerous others can be formed, in particular any combinations of the features mentioned above, each with a number of electronically controlled and / or electronic components, such as pumps, actuators, valves , sensors, are arranged as an assembly in spatial proximity to one another and are combined as at least one thermal management module and a thermal management control unit is provided, which is arranged in the area of the thermal management module and for controlling at least part of the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components.

Reference symbol list

1

Thermal management arrangement

2

Thermal management module

3

electrical conductor strand

4

Vehicle control unit

5

Thermal management control unit

10a

pump

10b

pump

10n

pump

11a

actuator

11b

actuator

11n

actuator

12a

sensor

12b

sensor

12n

sensor

14a

electrical conductor pair

14b

electrical conductor pair

14n

electrical conductor pair

15a

electrical line

15b

electrical line

15n

electrical conductor

16a

electrical conductor pair

16b

electrical conductor pair

16n

electrical conductor pair

20

electrical collective connector

30

electrical connector

31

electrical connector

32

electrical conductor

33

electrical conductor

34

electrical conductor

40

electrical collective connector

50

Main control unit/microcontroller

51

Communication facility

52

Signal processing device

53

Step control device

54

Unit

55

Sensor electronics unit for input/output pins

56

Actuator power level

57

Pump performance level

58a

Signal or data line

58b

Signal or data line

58c

Signal or data line

58d

Signal or data line

59a

electrical line

59b

electrical line

59c

electrical line

59d

electrical line

59e

electrical line

100

first cooling circuit

101

second cooling circuit

102

third cooling circuit

103

electrical conductor

104

Vehicle control unit

105

pump

106

actuator

107

sensor

108

electrical conductor

109

electrical conductor

110

Thermal management system

111

electrical collective connector

112

electrical connector

113

electrical connector

114

electrical connector

115

Control unit

116

Control unit

117

Control unit

118

Valve

119

Control unit

120

sensor

K

junction

K1

junction

K2

junction

K3

junction

K4

junction

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102020206268 A1 [0003]
• US 8974942 B2 [0004]
• DE 102019210577 A1 [0005]
• DE 102020206727 A1 [0006]
• DE 112011103888 T5 [0007]
• DE 112017000575 T5 [0008]
• DE 102016102116 A1 [0009]
• WO 2015/149764 A1 [0010]

Claims (12)

Thermal management arrangement (1) for a vehicle, comprising a number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) and at least one vehicle control unit (4), at least part of which Number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) can be controlled, characterized in that the thermal management arrangement (1) comprises at least one thermal management module (2), which the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n), which are arranged as an assembly in spatial proximity to one another, and that a thermal management control unit (5 ) is provided, which is arranged in the area of the thermal management module (2) and for controlling at least part of the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) serves. Thermal management arrangement (1). Claim 1 , characterized in that the thermal management control unit (5) is integrated into the at least one thermal management module (2). Thermal management arrangement (1). Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the thermal management control unit (5) can be signal-connected or signal-connected to the at least one vehicle control unit (4) for communication with it and can be controlled by it, in particular at least one digital communication bus line for signal connection of the thermal management control unit (5) and the at least a vehicle control unit (4) is provided. Thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal management control unit (5) has its own control algorithm for medium distribution to and from the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n , 12a, 12b, 12n) and between these. Thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in order to supply energy to the thermal management control unit (5), it can be electrically connected or is connected to at least one energy source, in particular the on-board electrical system of a vehicle. Thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one electronically controlled component arranged outside the thermal management arrangement (1) is signal-connectable or signal-connected to the thermal management control unit (5) for controlling the at least one arranged outside the thermal management arrangement (1). electronically controlled component by the thermal management control unit (5). Thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal management control unit (5) for controlling at least one actuator (11a, 11b, 11n) and / or at least one sensor (12a, 12b, 12n) and / or at least a pump (10a, 10b, 10n) is formed. Thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one thermal management module (2) comprises, as electronically controlled and/or electrical components, at least one pump with an electric motor and at least one valve with an actuator, in particular at least one pump with an electric motor , at least one valve with an actuator and at least one sensor, these electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) in a structural unit and / or on or on at least one A unit provided with fluidic conductors, in particular fluid channels, and fluidic connections for supplying fluidic components of the thermal management module (2) with at least one fluidic medium are arranged. Thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one thermal management module (2) is provided with an electrical collective connector (20), the number of electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) of the thermal management module (2) is electrically connectable or connected to the electrical collective connector (20) of the at least one thermal management module (2) and an electrical conductor strand (3) between the Electrical collective connector (20) of the at least one thermal management module (2) and / or the thermal management control unit (5) and the vehicle control unit (4) can be arranged or is arranged. Thermal management arrangement (1). Claim 9 , characterized in that the thermal management control unit (5) in the electrical collective connector (20) is integrated or arranged on it or is arranged in the area of its electrical collective connector (20). Thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for electrical energy supply at least part of the electronically controlled and / or electrical components (10a, 10b, 10n, 11a, 11b, 11n, 12a, 12b, 12n) of the thermal management Module (2) and / or the thermal management control unit (5), the thermal management module (2) is provided with at least one additional electrical connector and at least one electrical power line can be connected or connected to it. Vehicle, in particular electric vehicle, battery-electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle or fuel cell vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle comprises at least one thermal management arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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