Patent Application
20240262164
This application claims priority from German Patent Application No. 102023200937.4, filed Feb. 6, 2023, the entirety of which is hereby fully incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a thermal management module. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, which has such a thermal management module.
Thermal management modules are used in modern temperature control units such as air conditioning systems and cooling units, in particular in electric vehicles, to control the temperature of a vehicle interior or a vehicle battery. These thermal management modules normally comprise numerous components, e.g. heat exchangers, refrigerant containers, etc. and are attached to a motor vehicle body, e.g. for an electric vehicle, with a mount.
To improve the collision behavior of a motor vehicle, current motor vehicles have different collision levels, which result in different deformations, depending on the forces acting on them. The disadvantage with the thermal management modules from the prior art is that they are in the form of a unified block, and can have an adverse effect on the collision behavior of the motor vehicle when a collision level is exceeded because they are displaced as a block.
The present invention therefore addresses the problem of creating an improved, or at least alternative, design for a thermal management module, which is distinguished in particular by an improved collision behavior.
This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
The present invention is based on the general idea of equipping a thermal management module with a separating plane that breaks in a collision, with which is it is possible to integrate the thermal management module in a vehicle such that it breaks apart at the separating plane in the event of a collision, and the two module parts do not have a combined negative impact on the collision behavior, as has been the case so far with a thermal management module that remains intact and is displaced as a whole in a collision. The thermal management module according to the invention comprises a first module part and a second module part, as well as a mount comprising a first mount part and a second mount part. The first module part of the thermal management module is attached to the first mount part and the second module part is attached to the second mount part. They can be attached with screws, for example. The two module parts are connected to one another for fluid exchange by fluid lines. The mount is designed according to the invention such that it acts on the thermal management module when subjected to the effects of a predefined force, as in the case of a collision for example, such that it breaks apart between the first mount part and second mount part, and the two module parts are only still connected to one another by the flexible fluid lines, but no longer by the mount. This has the significant advantage that in comparison to previous thermal management modules, which are displaced as a whole in a motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, they can now be separated in a defined manner at the collision plane or separating plane, which can have a very positive effect on the overall collision behavior. In modern automotive engineering, the motor vehicles are equipped with so-called crash boxes and crash systems, which become deformed in a predefined manner to absorb energy in a collision. A thermal management module that remains intact because it does not have a separating plane or collision plane, is displaced as a whole in a collision, which can have a negative impact in some cases on the deformation and therefore on the collision behavior. This negative impact may be because it was not possible to anticipate the collision behavior of prior thermal management modules, which could result in an unanticipated impact of the thermal management module with other components. With the mount according to the invention, which breaks apart between the first mount part and second mount part when subjected to the effects of a predefined force, e.g. in a collision, it is possible to create a thermal management module that breaks apart in a predefined manner during a collision, without having a combined negative impact because of the remaining flexible connection of the two module parts of the thermal management module in a collision by the connecting lines.
In an advantageous embodiment of the thermal management module according to the invention, the mount has a breaking point between the first mount part and the second mount part. This breaking point can be obtained with a cross section weakening, or cross section tapering, or, purely theoretically, another material could also be used at the breaking point. This breaking point can be created easily, and allows the mount, and therefore the thermal management module, to break apart in a predefined manner during a collision.
In another advantageous embodiment of the thermal management module according to the invention, the connecting lines form a sealed and flexible connection between the first module part and second module part when the mount breaks apart. These connecting lines can be formed by flexible hoses, for example, which maintain a fluid-tight connection between the two module parts of the thermal management module in a collision, and prevent contamination of the environment and a combined impact of the module parts. Purely theoretically, it is also possible to use tubes that are soft or have predefined bending points where they can bend in a predefined manner in a collision, i.e. if the mount breaks apart.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the thermal management module according to the invention, the first module part has a refrigerant receiver and/or a first heat exchanger. The second module part can have a second and third heat exchanger, with a flange between them in which fluid channels are located that connect the second heat exchanger to the third heat exchanger for fluid exchange, and a first receiver for a valve assembly. There can also be a second flange on the second heat exchanger or third heat exchanger, which has a second receiver for a second valve assembly. It is therefore possible to place at least one valve assembly on both the first flange and second flange in the second module part, such that the first flange, between the two heat exchangers does not have to be excessively wide. This also reduces the necessary installation space. The different components of the thermal management module can be spatially separated as a result of the design of the first module part and second module part described above, such that a fluid connection of the two module parts through the separating plane, or collision plane, is only obtained through the connecting lines.
The present invention is also based on the general idea of equipping a motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, with the thermal management module described above, and by this means, significantly improve the collision behavior of the motor vehicle. This is because the thermal management module can also break apart at a collision plane because it breaks apart at the crash plane or separating plane in a collision, and can therefore become deformed in a controlled manner.
In an advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, the mount is attached to the motor vehicle body with its first mount part and/or its second mount part. This means that the entire thermal management module can be attached to the motor vehicle body with just its first mount part, such that the second module part of the thermal management module, connected to the second mount part, can move freely in a collision. It is also conceivable for the mount to be attached to the motor vehicle body with both its first mount part and second mount part, in which case it can be attached to different parts of the body. This can ensure that the first mount part, and therefore the first module part of the thermal management module, can become deformed with a first body part, and the second mount part, with the second module part, can be deformed with a second body part.
Other important features and advantages of the invention can be derived from the dependent claims, the drawings, and the description in reference to the drawings.
It should be clear that the features specified above and described below can be used not only in the combinations given therein, but also in other combinations or in and of themselves, without abandoning the scope of the present invention. Components of a higher level unit specified above and in the following, e.g. a device, apparatus or assembly, that are indicated separately, can form separate parts or components of this unit or be integral parts or sections thereof, even if they are not shown as such in the drawings.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and shall be explained in greater detail below, in which the same reference symbols are used for the same, similar, or functionally similar components.
Therein, schematically:
As shown in
The thermal management module 1 is used in a motor vehicle, e.g. an electric vehicle, and results in a controlled breaking in a collision, having a positive effect on the overall collision behavior. This is because the mount 4 is designed to act on the thermal management module when subjected to the effects of a predefined force such as that during a collision, in that it breaks apart between the first mount part 5 and second mount part 6. A possible break line 10 or breaking plane 9 is shown in
This break line 10 or breaking plane 9 between the first mount part 5 and second mount part 6 can be obtained with a breaking point, in particular obtained with a cross section tapering or material weakening.
The connecting lines 7, only one of which is visible in
Purely theoretically, the connecting lines 7 can also be designed to break in a collision, i.e. when the first module part 2 moves in relation to the second module part 3, and thus enable independent movement thereof.
The first module part 2 can contain a refrigerant receiver 11 and/or a first heat exchanger, while the second module part 3 can contain a second heat exchanger 12 and a third heat exchanger 13, for example. There can be a first flange 14 between the second heat exchanger 12 and the third heat exchanger 13, in which cooling channels are located that connect the second heat exchanger 12 to the third heat exchanger 13 for fluid exchange, and which has a first receiver for a first valve assembly 15, e.g. an expansion valve. A second flange 16 that has a second receiver for a second valve assembly, not shown in detail, can be located on the second heat exchanger 12 or third heat exchanger 13, in this case the third heat exchanger 13. This second flange 16 makes it possible to reduce the width of the first flange 14 and therefore reduce the necessary installation space.
In general, the thermal management module 1 can be attached to the body 17 of a motor vehicle 8 with its mount 4, i.e. its first mount part 5 and/or second mount part 6. In
Purely theoretically, it is also conceivable for the mount to be attached to the body 17 of a motor vehicle 8 with its first mount part 5 and second mount part 6, in which case the first mount part 5 can be attached to a different part of the body than the second mount part 6.
On the whole, a significantly improved collision behavior can be obtained with the thermal management module 1 according to the invention, by means of which battery cooling or air conditioning in a vehicle interior can be controlled, because the thermal management module 1 is no longer displaced as a cohesive, unified block in a collision, but instead can become deformed in individual parts, when the two mount parts 5, 6 break apart.
The specification can be readily understood with reference to the following Numbered Paragraphs:
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102023200937.4 | Feb 2023 | DE | national |
