Assembly and method for cooling a traction battery of a vehicle using fuel

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an assembly for a vehicle, in particular for a hybrid electric vehicle. The assembly includes at least one fuel tank having the form of a saddle tank. The assembly further includes at least one traction battery that is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the fuel tank, and at least one fuel pump arranged in the fuel tank. The fuel pump can convey a fuel from within the fuel tank to an internal-combustion engine of the hybrid electric vehicle. To provide a cooling system for the traction battery, the traction battery can be thermally connected to an active tank portion of the fuel tank, in which the fuel pump is arranged. The traction battery can be connected to the active tank portion via a bridge portion of the fuel tank, which is connected in a communicating manner to a passive tank portion of the fuel tank. Fuel in the passive tank portion can be conveyed into the active tank portion.

Claims

1. An assembly of a vehicle, comprising: at least one fuel tank including an active tank portion, a bridge portion, and a passive tank portion; at least one traction battery that is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the active tank portion of the fuel tank; and at least one fuel pump that is arranged in the active tank portion of the fuel tank, the at least one fuel pump configured to convey a fuel in the fuel tank to an internal-combustion engine of the vehicle, the fuel pump configured to connect in a communicating manner to the passive tank portion of the fuel tank via the bridge portion such that the fuel pump can convey fuel into the active tank portion from the passive tank portion.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the traction battery is arranged on a floor of the active tank portion.

4. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one partition projecting into an interior of the fuel tank from a bottom wall of the bridge portion.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the at least one partition extends in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the entire bridge portion.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the traction battery is thermally connected to the fuel tank at least partially via a heat-conducting paste.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the traction battery is thermally connected to the fuel tank at least partially via at least one heat-distribution plate.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the tank has the form of a saddle tank.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a lowermost floor of the active tank portion is vertically higher than a lowermost floor of the passive tank portion.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the tank has the form of a saddle tank, and a lowermost floor of the active tank portion is vertically higher than a lowermost floor of the passive tank portion, and further comprising a partition projecting into an interior of the fuel tank from a bottom wall of the bridge portion, the partition extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the entire bridge portion.

11. An assembly of a vehicle, comprising: at least one fuel tank including an active tank portion, a bridge portion, and a passive tank portion; at least one traction battery that is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the active tank portion of the fuel tank; a conveying line extending from the passive tank portion, through the bridge portion, to the active tank portion; and at least one fuel pump that is arranged in the active tank portion of the fuel tank; and the at least one fuel pump configured to communicate fuel from the active tank portion to an internal-combustion engine of the vehicle, the conveying line configured to communicate fuel from the passive tank portion to the active tank portion as the at least one fuel pump communicates fuel from the active tank portion to the internal-combustion engine.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle.

13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the conveying line is configured to communicate fuel from the passive tank portion to the active tank portion by virtue of underpressure, wherein a lowermost floor of the active tank portion is vertically higher than a lowermost floor of the passive tank portion.

14. The assembly of claim 13, further comprising a Venturi nozzle that generates the underpressure.

15. The assembly of claim 11, further comprising at least one partition projecting into an interior of the fuel tank from a bottom wall of the bridge portion.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the at least one partition extends in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the entire bridge portion.

17. A method of cooling a traction battery, comprising: communicating fuel from a passive tank portion of a fuel tank, through a bridge portion of the fuel tank, to an active tank portion, wherein at least one traction battery is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the active tank portion of the fuel tank; and communicating fuel from the active tank portion to an internal combustion engine of a hybrid electric vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising using underpressure to draw fuel through a conveying line from the passive tank portion, through the bridge portion, to the active tank portion.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising generating the underpressure using a Venturi nozzle.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a lowermost floor of the active tank portion is vertically higher than a lowermost floor of the passive tank portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The various features and advantages of the disclosed examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description. The figures that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic bottom view of a rear portion of an embodiment of a hybrid electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic sectional representation of the hybrid electric vehicle shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) This disclosure relates to an assembly for a vehicle, in particular for a hybrid electric vehicle. The assembly includes at least one fuel tank that can take the form of a saddle tank. At least one traction battery is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the fuel tank. At least one fuel pump, arranged in the fuel tank, helps to convey a fuel from the fuel tank to an internal-combustion engine of the vehicle, in particular the hybrid electric vehicle.

(5) The features and measures set out individually in the following description can be combined with each other in any technically advantageous manner to provide other embodiments of the present disclosure.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a schematic bottom view of a rear portion of an embodiment of a vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. The example vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle 1, which in the following will be designated as a hybrid electric vehicle 1. The hybrid electric vehicle 1 exhibits an underbody 2 with two lateral side members 3 and 4. In addition, a portion of an exhaust pipe 5 is shown. The exhaust pipe 5 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

(7) The hybrid electric vehicle 1 includes an assembly 6 having a fuel tank 7 taking the form of a saddle tank, a traction battery 8 arranged outside the fuel tank 7 and thermally connected to the fuel tank 7, and a fuel pump 9, arranged in the fuel tank 7. The fuel pump 9 can convey a fuel which is available in the fuel tank 7 to an internal-combustion engine, not shown, of the hybrid electric vehicle 1.

(8) The fuel tank 7 exhibits an active tank portion 10, in which the fuel pump 9 is arranged, a passive tank portion 11, and a bridge portion 12 connecting the active tank portion 10 to the passive tank portion 11 in communicating manner. The active tank portion 10 has a smaller overall height than the passive tank portion 11, as is illustrated in FIG. 2. The bridge portion 12 has the smallest overall height and defines on the floor a tunnel through which the exhaust pipe 5 is guided, as is also illustrated in FIG. 2. On a bottom wall of the bridge portion 12 is a partition 20, projecting into the fuel tank 7. The partition 20 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the entire bridge portion 12.

(9) In the different Figures, identical components are always provided with the same reference numerals, for which reason they are generally also only described once.

(10) The traction battery 8 may have been thermally connected to the fuel tank 7 at least partially via a heat-conducting paste, not shown. The traction battery 8 is connected via a battery terminal 13 to further electric components, not shown, of the hybrid electric vehicle 1.

(11) The example traction battery 8 exhibits several battery modules shown in FIG. 2, which are each directly connected thermally and physically to a heat-distribution plate, illustrated in FIG. 2, of the traction battery 8, which in turn is directly connected thermally and physically to a battery housing 14 of the traction battery 8. The battery housing 14 is thermally connected to the active tank portion 10, for instance via the heat-conducting paste which is not shown.

(12) Connected to the fuel pump 9 on the pressure side is a fuel supply line 15 which is used for supplying an internal-combustion engine, not shown, of the hybrid electric vehicle 1 with fuel. Moreover, connected to the pressure side of the fuel pump 9 is a conveying unit 16 with which the fuel can be conveyed out of the passive tank portion 11 into the active tank portion 10, the structure and mode of operation of said conveying unit becoming clear from FIG. 2.

(13) The traction battery 8 is accordingly thermally connected to the active tank portion 10 of the fuel tank 7, in which the fuel pump 9 is arranged and which is connected in communicating manner via the bridge portion 12 of the fuel tank 7 to the passive tank portion 11 of the fuel tank 7, from which the fuel can be conveyed into the active tank portion 10. In particular, the traction battery 8 is arranged on the floor below the active tank portion 10 or geodetically lower than the active tank portion 10.

(14) FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional representation of the hybrid electric vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the active tank portion 10 has a smaller overall height than the passive tank portion 11. In addition, it can be seen that the bridge portion 12 has the smallest overall height and defines on the floor a tunnel 17 through which the exhaust pipe 5 is guided. Moreover, two battery modules 18 of the traction battery 8 are shown which are each directly connected thermally and physically to the heat-distribution plate 19 of the traction battery 8. Arranged on the bottom wall of the bridge portion 12 is the partition 20 projecting into the fuel tank 7, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the entire bridge portion 12.

(15) As shown, a lowermost floor of the active tank portion is vertically higher than a lowermost floor of the passive tank portion. Vertical for purposes of this disclosure refers to the general orientation of the vehicle during operation and with reference to ground or the horizon.

(16) The conveying unit 16 exhibits a line 21 branching off from the fuel supply line 15, with which some of the fuel 22 aspirated with the fuel pump 9 can be supplied again to the active tank portion 10. Attached to line 21 is a conveying line 23 which extends right into the vicinity of the bottom of the passive tank portion 11. When the fuel pump 9 is activated, fuel 22 flows through line 21, which exhibits a Venturi nozzle 25, to which the conveying line 23 is attached. By virtue of the underpressure generated with the Venturi nozzle 25, the fuel 22 is aspirated via the conveying line 23 and supplied to the active tank portion 10 via line 21. The flows of fuel existing when the fuel pump 9 is activated are indicated by the arrows.

(17) Although exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described in particular with reference to hybrid vehicles, purely electric vehicles are also included within the scope of this disclosure. Although purely electric vehicles may have no internal combustion engine for driving the vehicle, they may have fuel-operated units, such as, for example, fuel-operated auxiliary heating systems. These electric vehicles naturally have in this regard a fuel tank which stores the fuel for the fuel-operated units. This fuel tank of the purely electric vehicle or the fuel which is stored in the fuel tank can be used as described above for cooling the battery as required, by using the above described fuel tank arrangements and configurations, for example.

(18) The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure. Thus, the scope of legal protection given to this disclosure can only be determined by studying the following claims.