PREDICTIVE REMOTE THERMAL MANAGMENT

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a battery thermal management system for an electric vehicle and related method and vehicle control system. More specifically, the battery thermal management system comprises a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data packets, a control unit connected to the communication unit. The control unit is configured to retrieve vehicle diagnostic data from a plurality of electric vehicles, the data comprising a battery temperature. Furthermore, the control unit is configured to retrieve a planned route of a first vehicle, and environmental data associated with the planned route, determine a thermal management scheme for the first vehicle based on the vehicle diagnostic data and the environmental data. The thermal management scheme comprising instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling of the traction battery pack of the first vehicle. Embodiments of the invention enable precise predictions of the thermal load for traction batteries of electric vehicles, and therefore improved thermal management which reduces maintenance requirements and prolongs the expected lifetime of the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. A battery thermal management system for an electric vehicle comprising a traction battery pack, the system comprising: a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data packets; a control unit connected to the communication unit, the control unit being configured to: retrieve vehicle diagnostic data from a plurality of electric vehicles, the vehicle diagnostic data comprising a temperature of each traction battery pack of each electric vehicle; retrieve a planned route for a first electric vehicle, and environmental data associated with a geographical location of the planned route, the environmental data including weather forecast and topographic data for the planned route; determine a thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle based on the vehicle diagnostic data and the environmental data, the thermal management scheme comprising computer executable instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling of a traction battery pack of the first electric vehicle; and transmit the thermal management scheme to the first electric vehicle.

2. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle diagnostics data further comprises information about cargo weight and cargo distribution of the electric vehicles.

3. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the weather forecast includes at least one of temperature, solar irradiance, and humidity.

4. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to retrieve traffic data associated with the planned route, and wherein the thermal management scheme is further based on the traffic data.

5. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle diagnostic data comprises at least one of a state of charge of each traction battery pack, a state of health of each traction battery pack.

6. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, further comprising a data storage unit comprising historical data, the historical data comprising historical thermal management schemes, and wherein the thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle is further based on the historical data.

7. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to: retrieve a predefined stop at a charging station along the planned route for the first electric vehicle; determine the thermal management scheme further comprises computer executable instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling of the traction battery pack of the first electric vehicle such that the traction battery pack is within a predefined temperature range when the first electric vehicle reaches the predefined stop.

8. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the battery thermal management system is a predictive battery thermal management system for an electric autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle comprising the traction battery pack.

9. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the weather forecast includes at least one of current and expected temperature, current and expected solar irradiance, and current and expected humidity.

10. The battery thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle based on the vehicle diagnostic data and on an expected thermal load on the traction battery pack of the first electric vehicle throughout the planned route, which expected thermal load is based on the environmental data, such that the traction battery pack of the first electric vehicle is kept within an optimum temperature range.

11. A method for thermal management of a traction battery pack of an electric vehicle, the method comprising: retrieving vehicle diagnostic data from a plurality of electric vehicles, the vehicle diagnostic data comprising a temperature of each traction battery pack of each electric vehicle; retrieving a planned route for a first electric vehicle, and environmental data associated with a geographical location of the planned route, the environmental data including weather forecast and topographic data for the planned route; determining a thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle based on the vehicle diagnostic data and the environmental data; and heating and/or cooling the traction battery pack of the first electric vehicle based on the determined thermal management scheme.

12. The method for thermal management of claim 11, the method further comprising: transmitting and receiving data packets in communication circuity that transmits the data packets to and from a battery thermal management system; determining the temperature of the traction battery pack using a temperature sensor; controlling a temperature of the traction battery pack using temperature controls; retrieving a planned route for the electric vehicle from one of a geolocation system of the vehicle and a remote route planning entity by a controller connected to the communication circuitry, the temperature sensor, the heating arrangement and to the cooling arrangement; retrieving by the controller a thermal management scheme associated with the planned route from the battery thermal management system, the thermal management scheme comprising computer executable instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling the traction battery pack; and controlling by the controller the heating arrangement and the cooling arrangement based on the retrieved thermal management scheme.

13. The battery thermal management system of claim 3, wherein the control unit is further configured to retrieve traffic data associated with the planned route, and wherein the thermal management scheme is further based on the traffic data.

14. The battery thermal management system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle diagnostic data comprises at least one of a state of charge of each traction battery pack, a state of health of each traction battery pack.

15. The battery thermal management system according of claim 5, further comprising a data storage unit comprising historical data, the historical data comprising historical thermal management schemes, and wherein the thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle is further based on the historical data.

16. The battery thermal management system of claim 6, wherein the control unit is further configured to: retrieve a predefined stop at a charging station along the planned route for the first electric vehicle; determine the thermal management scheme further comprises computer executable instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling of the traction battery pack of the first electric vehicle such that the traction battery pack is within a predefined temperature range when the first electric vehicle reaches the predefined stop.

17. The battery thermal management system of claim 7, wherein the battery thermal management system is a predictive battery thermal management system for an electric autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle comprising the traction battery pack.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] These and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, wherein:

[0047] FIG. 1 is a schematic block representation of a battery thermal management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] FIG. 2 is a flow-chart representation of a method for thermal management of a traction battery pack of an electric vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] FIG. 3 is a vehicle control system for monitoring and controlling a temperature of a traction battery pack of an electric vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In the following detailed description, some embodiments of the present invention will be described. However, it is to be understood that features of the different embodiments are exchangeable between the embodiments and may be combined in different ways, unless anything else is specifically indicated. Even though in the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well known constructions or functions are not described in detail, so as not to obscure the present invention.

[0051] In FIG. 1 a schematic overview of a battery thermal management system 1 for an electric vehicle 11, 12, 13 having a traction battery pack 22 is shown. The battery thermal management system has a communication unit 2 for transmitting and receiving data packets to and from a remote data repository. In other words, the system 1 has a communication unit 2 for transmitting and receiving data packets to a remote stationary server 7 or client 11, 12, 13, for example through an exterior mobile network via one or more antennas associated with the communication unit.

[0052] In more detail, the communication unit 2 may for example comprise a router configured to use any available data links such as two or more of e.g. GSM, Satellite, DVB-T, HSPA, EDGE, 1x RTT, EVDO, LTE, WiFi (802.11) and WiMAX; and combine them into on virtual network connection. In particular it is preferred to use data links provided through wireless wide area network (WWAN) communication technologies. However, the communication unit 2 may also be configured to communicate with a remote stationary server via wired network connections as well.

[0053] Further, the battery thermal management system 1 comprises a control unit 3 connected to the communication unit 2. The control unit 3 is configured to retrieve 101, 102, 103 vehicle diagnostic data (via the communication unit 2) from a plurality of electric vehicles 11, 12, 13. The control unit 3 may be realized as a software controlled processor. However, the controller may alternatively be realized wholly or partly in hardware. For example, the control unit 3 may be realized as a plurality of computer processing units that together form the control unit 13, i.e. a plurality of computers may be interconnected in order to form the control unit and its functionality as disclosed herein.

[0054] The vehicle diagnostic data comprises at least a temperature of each traction battery pack 22 of each electric vehicle 11, 12, 13. However, the vehicle diagnostic data may additionally comprise information about cargo weight, cargo distribution of the electric vehicles 11, 12, 13, state of charge of each traction battery pack 22 and/or a state of health of each traction battery pack 22.

[0055] Moreover, the control unit 3 is further configured to retrieve a planned route for a first electric vehicle 11. The planned route may either be retrieved 101 from the vehicle data, or from a central route planning entity 5 associated with the first electric vehicle 11. The control unit 3 is further configured to retrieve environmental data associated with the first electric vehicle 11. In more detail, the environmental data 6 includes weather forecast 6 and topographic data (e.g. slopes, sharp turns, etc.) for the planned route. The weather forecast may for example include at least one of temperature, solar irradiance, and humidity. Each of these parameters may be considered to have a noteworthy effect on the battery temperature.

[0056] For example, in reference to the topographic data, if the route includes a relatively large number of inclinations, the required power output from the motor will be relatively high which results in an increased traction battery temperature due to the increased current output as compared to a relatively neutral (little to no slopes) route. In some embodiments, the control unit 3 may be further configured to retrieve traffic data (e.g. traffic load, accidents, congestions/traffic jams, other road blockages, etc.) associated with the planned route. The traffic data may for example be supplied by the central route planning entity 5.

[0057] Moving on, the control unit 3 is configured to determine a thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle based on the retrieved vehicle diagnostic data and the retrieved environmental data. Specifically, the control unit 3 may be configured to determine the thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle 11 based on the vehicle diagnostic data and on an expected thermal load on the traction battery pack 22 of the first electric vehicle 11 throughout the planned route, which expected thermal load in turn is based on the environmental data, preferably such that the traction battery pack 22 of the first electric vehicle 11 is kept within an optimum temperature range. The thermal management scheme comprises computer executable instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling of the traction battery pack 22 of the first electric vehicle 11. The determined thermal management scheme is then transmitted to the first electric vehicle 11 by the control unit 3 via the communication unit 2.

[0058] In an example, the planned route may comprise a large number of hills or inclinations during its initial 30%, which would lead to an increased battery temperature, above an optimal temperature for maximizing current output and range. Assuming that the temperature would pass the predefined threshold temperature after completing approximately 10% of the route, it would be advisable to cool the traction battery pack ahead of the 10% mark. However, from the weather forecast it turns out that the outside temperature will drop shortly, and it is likely that the outside temperature will be sufficient to keep the battery within an optimum temperature range until the 25% mark. Thus, the inventive system allows for such considerations and the resulting thermal management scheme is capable of accounting for such factors, thereby avoiding unnecessary cooling of the traction battery pack which otherwise could have pushed the battery temperature below a lower threshold resulting in impaired output and range.

[0059] In an embodiment, the control unit 3 is configured to retrieve one or more stops at charging stations for the first electric vehicle 11 along the planned route. Further, the control unit 3 is configured to determine a thermal management scheme comprising computer executable instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling of a traction battery pack 22 of the first electric vehicle 11 such that the temperature of the traction battery pack 22 is within a predefined temperature range when the electric vehicle reaches a charging station. Advantageously, battery performance can be increased by charging the battery within a defined temperature range.

[0060] Moreover, by arranging the thermal management system 1 as a centralized system controlling a thermal management scheme for a plurality of vehicles, the data processing power can be increased as well as the data communication efficiency. In more detail, by avoiding local processors (within each vehicle) to retrieve large data sets (e.g. forecasts) and processes these, relatively large cost reductions can be readily achieved due to the increased data management efficiency. For example, a central unit can retrieve a forecast for a relatively large area covering a large number of planned routes for a large number of electric vehicles. Also, historical data can be stored and used for processing efficiency in a less complicated manner (e.g. vehicle B has performed route X a plurality of times, so when vehicle A is to perform route X for the first time, historical data for vehicle B may be utilized).

[0061] In more detail, the thermal management system 1 further has a data storage unit 7 which contains historical data comprising information about historical thermal management schemes. The data storage unit 7 may be a local unit associated with the control unit 3 or a remote data repository accessible via the communication unit 2. The historical thermal management schemes may for example be various thermal management schemes along different routes for a large number of vehicles. By storing thermal management schemes, and subsequently using this historical data for generating future thermal management schemes, the heating/cooling predictions can be more accurate (due to verified data) wherefore the thermal management schemes can be better optimized. The historical data may for example be used to form a self-learning algorithm in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) application.

[0062] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart representation of a method for thermal management of a traction battery pack of an electric vehicle. The method includes a step of retrieving S1 vehicle diagnostic data from a plurality of electric vehicle. The vehicle diagnostic data comprises at least a temperature of the traction battery packs of each electric vehicle, but may however further comprise information about cargo weight, cargo distribution of the electric vehicles, state of charge of each traction battery pack, and/or a state of health of each traction battery pack.

[0063] Further, the method includes retrieving S2 a planned route for a first electric vehicle, and retrieving S3 environmental data associated with a geographical location of the planned route. The environmental data includes a weather forecast and topographic data of the planned route. The weather forecast includes at least one of current and expected temperature, current and expected solar irradiance, and current and expected humidity. The method further includes determining S4 a thermal management scheme for the first electric vehicle based on the vehicle diagnostic data and the environmental data. The thermal management scheme may be further determined S4 based on historical data comprising information about historical thermal management schemes, as discussed in the foregoing. Similarly, the thermal management scheme may be based on one or more planned stops along the planned route for charging the traction battery pack at charging stations, such that the temperature of the traction battery pack is within a predefined range when the first electric vehicle is estimated to recharge according to the planned route.

[0064] Further, the method includes heating and/or cooling S5 the traction battery pack of the first electric vehicle by means of a suitable heating or cooling arrangement provided within the electric vehicle, based on the determined thermal management scheme.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle control system 30 for monitoring and controlling a temperature of a traction battery pack of an electric vehicle 13, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control system 30 comprises communication circuitry 31 for transmitting and receiving data packets to and from a battery thermal management system 1, such as the one illustrated in FIG. 1. The communication circuitry 1 is here illustrated in the form of a data route 32 connected on an antenna 33. However, other realizations are feasible and readily understood by the skilled reader.

[0066] The vehicle control system 30 further comprises a temperature sensor 23 for determining a temperature of the traction battery pack 22, and a temperature control arrangement 28, 29 for controlling a temperature of the traction battery pack. The vehicle control system 30 further has a controller 24 connected to the communication circuitry 31, the temperature sensor 23, the heating arrangement 29, and the cooling arrangement 28. Temperature control can be achieved by a heat transfer medium that might be in a gaseous, liquid, supercritical state or undergo a phase transition. Heat is added or removed either passively through thermal contact with the environment or actively by a heating device, a refrigeration system, or a combination of both. For temperature monitoring purposes, a battery pack may be equipped with an arbitrarily complex set of sensors for the measurement of various physical or even chemical properties. The signals delivered by these sensors are processed by an on board computer (control unit 24).

[0067] The controller 24 is configured to retrieve a planned route for the electric vehicle 13 from a geolocation system 25 of the electric vehicle 13 or from a remote route planning entity (e.g. accessible via a centralized fleet management system). The internal geolocation system 25 may for example be a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, etc. having a local processing unit 26 and one or more antennas 27.

[0068] Further, the controller 24 is configured to retrieve a thermal management scheme associated with the retrieved planned route from the remote battery thermal management system 1. The thermal management scheme comprises computer executable instructions for controlling heating and/or cooling of the traction battery pack. Once the thermal management scheme is executed by the controller 24, it is configured to control the heating arrangement and the cooling arrangement based on the retrieved thermal management scheme.

[0069] The skilled person in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the embodiments described above. The features of the described embodiments may be combined in different ways, and many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting to the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed in the claim. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.