Battery cooling apparatus for vehicle and control method thereof

Abstract

A battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle comprises a battery mounted in a first line through which cooling air can pass and a PE device mounted in a second line through which cooling air can pass. The first line and the second line are connected in parallel as opposed to in series. With the configuration, it possible to implement the optimal cooling function.

1 . A battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
 a battery and a PE device which are mounted in separate spaces, respectively;   an intake duct provided to separately supply air from the interior of the vehicle to the battery and the PE device;   a discharge duct provided to discharge the air passing through the battery from the intake duct to the outside;   a PE discharge duct discharging the air passing through the PE device from the intake duct into the interior of the vehicle or the outside;   a first valve provided in the intake duct separately supplying the air from the interior of the vehicle to the battery and the PE device; and   a second valve provided in the PE discharge duct and adjusting the air passing through the PE device to be discharged to the interior of the vehicle or the outside.   
     
     
         2 . The battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle as defined in  claim 1 , wherein a blower is disposed in the intake duct to suck the air from the interior of the vehicle and send the air to the battery and the PE device,
 the first valve is disposed at the downstream of the blower, and   the intake duct is divided into a battery supply duct supplying air to the battery and a PE supply duct supplying air to the PE device, at the position where the first valve is disposed.   
     
     
         3 . The battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the PE discharge duct is divided into an interior heating duct supplying air to the interior of the vehicle and an external connecting duct connected to the discharge duct to discharge the air to the outside, at the position where the second valve is disposed. 
     
     
         4 . The battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle as defined in  claim 3 , wherein an electric heater heating the air is further disposed at the downstream of the second valve, in the interior heating duct. 
     
     
         5 . A control method of the battery cooling apparatus defined in  claim 2 , comprising:
 a second valve control step that determines whether to supply air cooling the PE device to the interior or discharge the air to the outside of a vehicle, by comparing the current interior temperature with required interior temperature and then controls the second valve on the basis of the determination;   a heating-required first valve control step that determines whether to supply the air sucked from the interior of the vehicle only to the PE device, supply only to the battery, or supply to both of the PE device and the battery, by comparing the current PE device temperature with required PE device temperature and comparing the current battery temperature with required battery temperature, if it is determined at the second valve control step that the current interior temperature is lower than the required interior temperature; and   a non-heating-required first valve control step that determines whether to supply the air sucked from the interior of the vehicle only to the PE device, supply only to the battery, or supply to both of the PE device and the battery, by comparing the current PE device temperature with the required PE device temperature and comparing the current battery temperature with the required battery temperature, if it is determined at the second valve control step the current interior temperature is not lower than the required interior temperature.   
     
     
         6 . The control method as defined in  claim 5 , wherein control is performed to determine whether to operate the blower in the heating-required first valve control step and the non-heating-required first valve control step. 
     
     
         7 . The control method as defined in  claim 6 , wherein if it is determined at the second valve control step that the current interior temperature is lower than the required interior temperature, the air that has cooled the PE device is supplied for heating into the interior heating duct by controlling the second valve, and if it is determined at the second valve control step that the current interior temperature is not lower than the required interior temperature, the air that has cooled the PE device supplied to the external connecting duct. 
     
     
         8 . The control method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein if it is determined at the heating-required first valve control step that the current PE device temperature is higher than the required PE device temperature and the current battery temperature is higher than the required battery temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air to both of the battery supply duct and the PE supply duct,
 if it is determined that the current PE device temperature is higher than the required PE device temperature and the current battery temperature is not higher than the required battery temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air only to the PE supply duct,   if it is determined that the current PE device temperature is not higher than the required PE device temperature, the current battery temperature is higher than the required battery temperature, and the current PE device temperature is higher than the current interior temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air to both of the battery supply duct and the PE supply duct, and if it is determined that the current PE device temperature is not higher than the required PE device temperature, the current battery temperature is higher than the required battery temperature, and the current PE device temperature is not higher than the current interior temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air only to battery supply duct.   
     
     
         9 . The control method as defined in  claim 8 , wherein if it is determined that the current PE device temperature is not higher than the required PE device temperature, the current battery temperature is not higher than the required battery temperature, and the current PE device temperature is higher than the current interior temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air only to the PE supply duct, and
 if it is determined that the PE current temperature is not higher than the required PE device temperature, the current battery temperature is not higher than the required battery temperature, and the current PE device temperature is not higher than the current interior temperature, the blower is stopped.   
     
     
         10 . The control method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein if it is determined that at the non-heating-required first valve control step that the current PE device temperature is higher than the required PE device temperature and the current battery temperature is higher than the required battery temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air to both of the battery supply duct and the PE supply duct,
 if it is determined that the current PE device temperature is higher than the required PE device temperature and the current battery temperature is not higher than the required battery temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air only to the PE supply duct,   if it is determined that the current PE device temperature is not higher than the required PE device temperature and the current battery temperature is higher than the required battery temperature, the blower is operated and the first valve is controlled to send air only to the battery supply duct, and   if it is determined that the PE current temperature is not higher than the required PE device temperature and the current battery temperature is not higher than the required battery temperature, the blower is stopped.   
     
     
         11 . A battery cooling apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
 a battery mounted in a first line through which cooling air can pass; and   a PE device mounted in a second line through which cooling air can pass,   wherein the first line and the second line are connected in parallel.