CONTROL VALVE AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT ASSEMBLY

A control valve and a thermal management assembly including the control valve are provided. The control valve includes a valve body component and a valve core; the valve body component is provided with interface channels, the valve core is provided with flow guiding channels, there are N flow guiding channels, and there are 2N interface channels, wherein N≥3 and N is an integer; by rotating the valve core, the 2N interface channels can implement communication between each two interface channels in different forms by the N flow guiding channels; in this way, when the control valve is applied to the thermal management assembly, the control valve can control multiple flow paths in the thermal management assembly by rotating the valve core.

This application claims the benefit of the priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202011623241.3, titled “CONTROL VALVE AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT ASSEMBLY”, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on Dec. 31, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present application relates to a control valve and a thermal management assembly.

BACKGROUND

A control valve is generally used to control a flow path in a thermal management system, with the functions of the thermal management system becoming more and more complex, at present, the control of multiple flow paths of the system is generally carried out by multiple control valves, a technical problem to be addressed is to provide a control valve which can control the multiple flow paths of the system by only one control valve, to reduce the occupied space of the thermal management system.

SUMMARY

An object of the present application is to provide a control valve and a thermal management assembly, where the control valve can cope with the control of multiple flow paths in the thermal management assembly.

To achieve the above object, the following technical solutions are provided according to the present application.

A control valve includes a valve body component and a valve core, where the control valve has a valve body cavity, the valve core is at least partially located in the valve body cavity, the valve body component is provided with connecting port passages, the valve core is provided with guide passages, the valve core includes partition plates, a cavity of the valve core is divided into N guide passages by the partition plates, the number of the connecting port passages is defined as 2N, where N≥3 and N is a positive integer, and the valve core is configured to be rotated to realize different forms of pairwise communication among the 2N connecting port passages through the N guide passages.

A thermal management assembly includes a control valve and a fluid assembly, the control valve is the above control valve; the control valve and the fluid assembly can form at least one working fluid loop.

A control valve and a thermal management assembly are provided according to the present application, where the control valve includes a valve body component and a valve core, the valve body component has connecting port passages, the valve core has guide passages, the number of the guide passages is N, and the number of the connecting port passages is 2N, N≥3 and N is a positive integer; by rotating the valve core, the 2N connecting port passages can be in different forms of pairwise communication through the N guide passages. In this way, when the control valve is applied to the thermal management assembly, the control valve can control the multiple flow paths in the thermal management assembly by rotating the valve core, which makes the structure of the thermal management assembly more compact and reduces the occupied space of the thermal management assembly in the thermal management system, and thereby reducing the occupied space of the thermal management system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present application will be further described as follows in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments.

Referring toFIG.1andFIG.2, the control valve can be applied to a vehicle thermal management system, and the vehicle thermal management system includes a new energy vehicle thermal management system. The control valve100includes a drive component1, a valve body component2, a valve stem3, a valve core4and a sealing assembly5. The drive component1and the valve body component2may be fixedly connected by fasteners such as screws. The control valve100has a valve body cavity20, the valve body component2forms at least part of a peripheral wall of the valve body cavity20, at least part of the valve core4is located in the valve body cavity20, one end of the valve stem3is in transmission connection with the drive component1, and the other end of the valve stem3is in transmission connection with the valve core4. In this application, the transmission connection between two components means that power can be transmitted between the two components; the two components may be in an interference fit with each other, or may be closely fitted to each other by fasteners; the two components may be directly connected or may be connected through power transmission structures such as gears for transmission connection. The drive component1outputs a rotating torque to the valve stem3, the valve stem3drives the valve core4to rotate. Of course, in other embodiments, the valve stem3and valve core4may also be provided as an integral structure. The sealing assembly5is located in the valve body cavity20, and is located on a periphery of the valve core4; the sealing assembly5is pressed between the valve core4and the valve body component2, and is pressed in a sealing state. In this embodiment, the drive component1includes a transmission mechanism11, the transmission mechanism11may be a reduction gearing, at least part of the transmission mechanism11is located in the drive component1, and the drive component1is in transmission connection with the valve stem3through the transmission mechanism11. By providing the transmission mechanism11, in case that the rotating torque outputted by the motor of the drive component1cannot directly drive the valve core4to rotate or the rotating torque is insufficient, the rotating torque outputted by the motor can be increased by the transmission mechanism11, and the increased rotating torque is transmitted to the valve core4through the valve stem3, thereby driving the valve core4to rotate. Of course, in other embodiments, when the rotating torque outputted by the motor is enough to drive the valve core4, the drive component1may not include the transmission mechanism11.

Referring toFIG.3andFIG.4, the valve body component2includes a main valve body21, the main valve body21includes a side wall22and multiple connecting port portions in communication with an outside, and the side wall22is connected with the connecting port portions. Specifically, in this embodiment, the main valve body21includes eight connecting port portions, namely a first connecting port portion211, a second connecting port portion212, a third connecting port portion213, a fourth connecting port portion214, a fifth connecting port portion215, a sixth connecting port portion216, a seventh connecting port portion217, and an eighth connecting port portion218, and the eight connecting port portions are arranged along a periphery of the side wall22in the listed sequence. In this embodiment, the connecting port portions are circumferentially distributed along the periphery of the side wall22. For example, the connecting port portions are equidistantly distributed along the outer circumference of the side wall22and each extends away from the valve body cavity20along a radial direction of the side wall22, and the connecting port portions are located at a same height position or substantially located at a of the main valve body21. The main valve body21has a first cavity210, and there're eight connecting port passages corresponding to the eight connecting port portions respectively, at least part of each of the connecting port passages is located at the corresponding connecting port portion; the eight connecting port passages includes a first connecting port passage211′, a second connecting port passage212′, a third connecting port passage213′, a fourth connecting port passage214′, a fifth connecting port passage215′, a sixth connecting port passage216′, a seventh connecting port passage217′, an eighth connecting port passage218′. For example, the first connecting port portion211corresponds to the first connecting port passage211′, and the second connecting port portion212corresponds to the second connecting port passage212′, as far as the main valve body21is concerned, the eight connecting port passages are respectively in communication with the first cavity210.

Referring toFIG.1toFIG.4, the valve body component2further includes a cover24, the cover24is fixedly connected with the main valve body21, specifically, the fixed connection between the cover and the main valve body may be realized by welding, or gluing, or snap-in connection, or interference fit. Further, in order to prevent the leakage of working fluid, it is necessary to seal the cover24and the main valve body21. The cover24is assembled with the main valve body21to form the valve body cavity20, and the valve body cavity20at least partially coincides with the first cavity210. The main valve body21further includes a protrusion23, and the protrusion23is located between two adjacent connecting port passages along a circumferential direction of the side wall22. The number of the protrusion23may be one or more, and the protrusion23may extend inward to the valve body cavity20along the radial direction of the side wall22, or the protrusion23may extend inward to the valve body cavity20in a direction intersecting with the radial direction, or the protrusion23extends in the radial direction, opposite to the connecting port portion, of the side wall22. A protruding height of the protrusion23to the valve body cavity20does not exceed a thickness of the sealing assembly5, and the protrusion23is provided for limiting or fixing the sealing assembly5. Specifically, the sealing assembly5is provided with a notch51(referring toFIG.1), the sealing assembly5is located in the valve body cavity20, the notch51and the protrusion23are fitted with each other in the form of a interference fit or a limiting fit, so that the sealing assembly5and the main valve body21can be better limited or fixed. The sealing assembly5is further provided with a through hole52in communication with the connecting port passage. In this embodiment, the sealing assembly5has eight through holes52corresponding to the eight connecting port passages respectively, and the eight connecting port passages are in communication with the eight through holes respectively. The valve body component2may be made of a plastic material through injection molding, for example, the plastic material may be polyamide (PA) material, or polyphthalamide (PPA) material, or nylon material, etc. The main body material of the sealing assembly5may be made of a plastic material through injection molding, for example, fluorine-containing polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) or other high molecular polymers may be used; or the sealing assembly5may be an integral structure formed by an elastic piece and a sealing piece, the elastic piece may be made of materials including rubber, the sealing piece may be made of materials including Teflon. The elastic piece is located between the sealing piece and the side wall22, and the sealing piece is in contact with the valve core4. In addition, with cooperation between the notch51with the protrusion23, alignment of the sealing assembly5may be performed, so that the eight through holes of the sealing assembly5are in one-to-one correspondence with the eight connecting port passages respectively.

Referring toFIG.5andFIG.6, the valve core4may be made of a plastic material through one-piece injection molding, for example, the valve core may be made of nylon material or polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) material through injection molding. The valve core4has multiple guide passages, in this embodiment, the valve core4has four guide passages, namely a first guide passage401, a second guide passage402, a third guide passage403and a fourth guide passage404. The guide passages are separated by partition plates, specifically, the valve core4includes a first partition plate41, a second partition plate42, a third partition plate43, and a fourth partition plate44; the first partition plate41, the second partition plate42and the fourth partition plate44have extending directions intersect in pairs, and the three partition plates are connected in pairs; the third partition plate43and the fourth partition plate44are spaced apart; in the radial direction of the valve core4, by taking the fourth partition plate44as a benchmark, both the first partition plate41and the second partition plate42are located at one side of the fourth partition plate44, and the third partition plate43is located at the other side of the fourth partition plate44.

The valve core4further includes a first end wall45and a second end wall46, along the axial direction of the valve core4, at least part of the partition plate is located between the first end wall45and the second end wall46. Two edges of each of the partition plates in the axial direction of the valve core4are defined as two ends, and two edges of each of the partition plates in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the valve core4are defined as two sides, one end of each of the partition plates in the axial direction of the valve core4is connected with the first end wall45, the other end of each of the partition plates in the axial direction of the valve core4is connected with the second end wall46, one side of the first partition plate41is connected with the second partition plate42, the other side of the first partition plate41is connected with the fourth partition plate44. Specifically, the second partition plate42includes a first section421and a second section422, the first section421and the second section422intersect in their respective extension directions, one side of the first partition plate41is connected with a junction of the first section421and the second section422, one side of the second partition plate42is flush with an outer edge of the first end wall45and/or an outer edge of the second end wall46. In this embodiment, when the main body of the valve core4is a columnar structure, the other side of the first partition plate41is flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and the outer edge of the second end wall46. In an embodiment, when the main body of the valve core4is a conical structure or other structure, the end of the other side of the first partition plate41is flush with the outer edge of the corresponding first end wall45or the outer edge of the corresponding second end wall46, the positional relationship between other partition plates and the end walls is similar to the positional relationship between the first partition plate and the end walls. The other side of the second partition plate42is connected with the fourth partition plate44, one side of the fourth partition plate44is flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and/or the outer edge of the second end wall46, the other side of the fourth partition plate44is flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and/or the outer edge of the second end wall46. The third partition plate43and the fourth partition plate44are spaced apart, the third partition plate43is not directly connected with the fourth partition plate44, both sides of the third partition plate43are flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45, and/or both sides of the third partition plate43are flush with the outer edge of the second end wall46. A first guide passage401and a second guide passage402are formed among the first partition plate41, the second partition plate42, the fourth partition plate44, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of valve core4, both the first guide passage401and the second guide passage402are located at one side of the fourth partition plate44, and the first guide passage401and the second guide passage402may be symmetrically distributed; a third guide passage403is formed among the third partition plate43, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; a fourth guide passage404is formed among the fourth partition plate44, the third partition plate43, the first end wall45and the second end wall46. In the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of valve core4, both the third guide passage403and the fourth guide passage404are located at the other side of the fourth partition plate44, the fourth guide passage404is located closer to the fourth partition plate44than the third guide passage403. In this embodiment, the shape and size of the first end wall45may be the same as those of the second end wall46, a plane is defined to be perpendicular to a central axis X-X of the valve core4, a projection of the first end wall45and a projection of the second end wall46on this plane are circular and coincide with each other, a projection of the first end wall45and/or a projection of the second end wall46on this plane is divided into two parts with equal or substantially equal areas by a projection of the fourth partition plate44on this plane. Since the first partition plate41, the second partition plate42and the fourth partition plate44are connected with one another, the projections of the first partition plate41, the second partition plate42and the fourth partition plate44on this plane are combined to form a substantially triangular structure.

Referring toFIG.2, the valve core4is located in the valve body cavity20, the sealing assembly5is located on the periphery of the valve core4; the outer edge of the first end wall45, the outer edge of the second end wall46, and the sides, which are flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and the outer edge of the second end wall46, of the partition plates are sealingly abutted against an inner side face of the sealing assembly5respectively. In this way, the guide passages can be sealed off by the sealing assembly5, so that the guide passages are not directly communicated.

When the control valve100is applied in the thermal management system, one or more working modes of the control valve may be selected by the system; specifically, different working modes can be selected and controlled by rotating the valve core according to different needs of the system. For example, in this embodiment, the control valve100has eight connecting port passages, the valve core4has four guide passages, every time the valve core4rotates by 45 degrees, the control valve switches the working mode once; as the valve core4rotates by 360 degrees, the control valve can realize eight working modes. Referring toFIG.7toFIG.11, a thermal management assembly is provided according to this embodiment, the thermal management system includes a thermal management assembly, and the thermal management assembly200has at least one working fluid loop. In this embodiment, the thermal management assembly200includes a control valve100and a fluid assembly, the control valve100and the fluid assembly can form at least one working fluid loop; in some embodiments, the fluid assembly includes a first pump201, a second pump202, a battery heat exchange component203, a first heat exchanger204, an electronic device cooling component205, a radiator206, a second heat exchanger207, and pipeline for communicating the components, where the working fluid may be a cooling liquid and the radiator may be an air-cooled radiator.

In the thermal management assembly200, the control valve100includes at least one of the following five working modes, which are specifically as follows.

Referring toFIG.7, a first working mode is shown, a position of the valve core4in this case is defined as an initial position, that is, a rotated angle of the valve core4is defined as 0 degrees; in this case, the first connecting port passage211′ is in communication with the second connecting port passage212′ through the first guide passage401, the third connecting port passage213′ is in communication with the fourth connecting port passage214′ through the second guide passage402, the fifth connecting port passage215′ is in communication with the eighth connecting port passage218′ through the fourth guide passage404. In the first working mode, the sixth connecting port passage216′ is in communication with the seventh connecting port passage217′ through the third guide passage403, but the above two connecting port passages have no using function in this case; specifically, in the first working mode, the second pump202does not start, the sixth connecting port passage216′ and the seventh connecting port passage217′ do not participate in the circulation of the cooling liquid.

In the first working mode, the first pump201starts, the cooling liquid (which may be water or other cooling liquids) in the pipeline flows to the first heat exchanger204under the action of the first pump201, the cooling liquid in the first heat exchanger204exchanges heat with the working fluid of another fluid loop in the heat management system (such as a refrigerant in a refrigerant loop or a cooling liquid in another cooling liquid loop). In this embodiment, specifically, the cooling liquid in the first heat exchanger exchanges heat with the cooling liquid in the another cooling liquid loop, the cooling liquid, after being cooled by the first heat exchanger204, flows to an electronic device cooling component205; the cooling liquid in the electronic device cooling component205exchanges heat with a heat source of the electronic device in the vehicle, to absorb the heat of the heat source of the electronic device and then flows to the third connecting port passage213′, and after flowing through the second guide passage402, the cooling liquid flows out of the fourth connecting port passage214′ and flows to the air-cooled radiator206; the cooling liquid in the air-cooled radiator206exchanges heat with air, after being cooled by the air-cooled radiator206, the cooling liquid flows to the fifth connecting port passage215′, then flows through the fourth guide passage404and flows out of the eighth connecting port passage218′, and finally flows to the battery heat exchange component203; the cooling liquid in the battery heat exchange component203exchanges heat with the battery pack of the vehicle, to heat the battery pack with the residual heat after heat dissipation by the air-cooled radiator206, then flows to the first connecting port passage211; and finally, the cooling liquid flows through the first guide passage401and then flows out of the second connecting port passage212′ to flow to the first pump201for the next working cycle. It should be noted that, the main reason for heating the battery pack is that, in winter or in a low-temperature environment, the temperature of the battery pack is low when the vehicle starts, so heating the battery pack is helpful for the temperature of the battery to quickly enter the working range, to make the battery pack work normally.

Referring toFIG.8, a second working mode is shown, on the basis of the first working mode, the valve core4rotates by 45 degrees counterclockwise to reach the position shown inFIG.8, in this case, the first connecting port passage211′ is in communication with the sixth connecting port passage216′ through the fourth guide passage404, and the second connecting port passage212′ is in communication with the third connecting port passage213′ through the first guide passage401, the seventh connecting port passage217′ is in communication with the eighth connecting port passage218′ through the third guide passage403. In the second working mode, the fourth connecting port passage214′ is in communication with the fifth connecting port passage215′ through the second guide passage402, but the above two connecting port passages have no using function in this case, that is, in the second working mode, the fourth connecting port passage214′ and the fifth connecting port passage215′ do not participate in the circulation of the cooling liquid.

In the second working mode, the second pump202starts, the cooling liquid cooled by the second heat exchanger207flows to the seventh connecting port passage217′ under the action of the second pump202; after flowing through the third guide passage403, the cooling liquid flows out of the eighth connecting port passage218′ and flows to the battery heat exchange component203; the cooling liquid in the battery heat exchange component203exchanges heat with the battery pack, absorbs the heat of the battery pack and then flows to the first connecting port passage211; and after flowing through the fourth guide passage404, the cooling liquid flows out of the sixth connecting port passage216′ and flows to the second heat exchanger207; the cooling liquid in the second heat exchanger207exchanges heat with the working fluid in another loop of the thermal management system. In this embodiment, specifically, the cooling liquid in the second heat exchanger exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the refrigerant loop, and the cooling liquid, after being cooled by the second heat exchanger207, flows to the second pump202for the next working cycle. The first pump201starts, the cooling liquid flows to the first heat exchanger204under the action of the first pump201, and then flows to the electronic device cooling component205after being cooled by the first heat exchanger204, the cooling liquid in the electronic device cooling component205exchanges heat with the heat source of the electronic device, absorbs the heat of the heat source of the electronic device and flows to the third connecting port passage213′, then the cooling liquid flows through the first guide passage401and flows out of the second connecting port passage212′, and then flows to the first pump201for the next working cycle. In the second working mode, the cooling liquid performs heat exchange to the battery pack and the heat source of the electronic device respectively, so as to cool the battery pack and the heat source of the electronic device.

Referring toFIG.9, a third working mode is shown, on the basis of the first working mode, the valve core4rotates by 90 degrees counterclockwise to the position shown inFIG.9, the second connecting port passage212′ is in communication with the seventh connecting port passage217′ through the fourth guide passage404, the third connecting port passage213′ is in communication with the fourth connecting port passage214′ through the first guide passage401, and the fifth connecting port passage215′ is in communication with the sixth connecting port passage216′ through the second guide passage402. In the third working mode, the first connecting port passage211′ is in communication with the eighth connecting port passage218′ through the third guide passage403, but the above two connecting port passages have no using function in this case, that is, in the third working mode, the first connecting port passage211′ and the eighth connecting port passage218′ do not participate in the circulation of the cooling liquid.

In the third working mode, the first pump201and the second pump202start, and the cooling liquid, after being cooled by the second heat exchanger207, flows to the seventh connecting port passage217; after flowing through the fourth guide passage404, the cooling liquid flows out of the second connecting port passage212′ and flows to the first heat exchanger204through the first pump201; the cooling liquid can be cooled by the first heat exchanger204again and then flows to the electronic device cooling component205, to exchange heat with the heat source of the electronic device; after absorbing the heat from the heat source of the electronic device, the cooling liquid flows to the third connecting port passage213′, passes through the first guide passage401, then flows out of the fourth connecting port passage214′, and then flows to the air-cooled radiator206; after being cooled by the air-cooled radiator206, the cooling liquid flows to the fifth connecting port passage215′, passes through the second guide passage402and flows out of the sixth connecting port passage216′, to flow to the second heat exchanger207; after being cooled by the second heat exchanger207; the cooling liquid flows to the second pump202for the next working cycle. In the third working mode, after being cooled by the first heat exchanger204, the second heat exchanger207and the air-cooled radiator206, the cooling liquid has a relative low temperature to perform heat exchange with the heat source of electronic device, so that the heat source of electronic device can be cooled quickly.

Referring toFIG.10, a fourth working mode is shown, on the basis of the first working mode, the valve core4rotates by 135 degrees counterclockwise to the position shown inFIG.10, in this case, the first connecting port passage211′ is in communication with the second connecting port passage212′ through the third guide passage403, the third connecting port passage213′ is in communication with the eighth connecting port passage218′ through the fourth guide passage404. In the fourth working mode, the fourth connecting port passage214′ is in communication with the fifth connecting port passage215′ through the first guide passage401, the sixth connecting port passage216′ is in communication with the seventh connecting port passage217′ through the second guide passage402; however, the fourth connecting port passage214′, the fifth connecting port passage215′, the sixth connecting port passage216′ and the seventh connecting port passage217′ have no using function in this case. Specifically, the second pump202does not start, the sixth connecting port passage216′ and the seventh connecting port passage217′ do not participate in the circulation of the cooling liquid; in addition, in the fourth working mode, the fourth connecting port passage214′ and the fifth connecting port passage215′ also do not participate in the circulation of the cooling liquid.

In the fourth working mode, the first pump201starts, the cooling liquid, after being cooled by the first heat exchanger204, flows to the electronic device cooling component205; the cooling liquid in the electronic device cooling component205exchanges heat with the heat source of the electronic device, absorbs the heat of the heat source of the electronic device and flows to the third connecting port passage213′, then passes through the fourth guide passage404, and then flows out of the eighth connecting port passage218′, to flow to the battery heat exchange component203; the cooling liquid in the battery heat exchange component203exchanges heat with the battery pack, to heat the battery pack with the heat absorbed from the heat source of the electronic device, then the cooling liquid flows to the first connecting port passage211′, passes through the third guide passage403and flows out of the second connecting port passage212′, to flow to the first pump201for the next working cycle. Compared with the first working mode, in the fourth working mode, the heat absorbed from the heat source of the electronic device by the cooling liquid directly heats the battery pack without passing through the air-cooled radiator206, which is beneficial to improving the heating speed of the battery pack, to improve the utilization efficiency.

Referring toFIG.11, a fifth working mode is shown, on the basis of the first working mode, the valve core4rotates by 180 degrees counterclockwise to the position shown inFIG.11, in this case, the first connecting port passage211′ is in communication with the fourth connecting port passage214′ through the fourth guide passage404, the second connecting port passage212′ is in communication with the third connecting port passage213′ through the third guide passage403, the fifth connecting port passage215′ is in communication with the sixth connecting port passage216′ through the first guide passage401, and the seventh connecting port passage217′ is in communication with the eighth connecting port passage218′ through the second guide passage402.

In the fifth working mode, the first pump201starts, the cooling liquid flows to the first heat exchanger204under the action of the first pump201, after being cooled by the first heat exchanger204, the cooling liquid flows to the electronic device cooling component205; the cooling liquid in the electronic device cooling component20exchanges heat with the heat source of the electronic device, after absorbing the heat from the heat source of the electronic device, the cooling liquid flows to the third connecting port passage213′, passes through the third guide passage403and then flows out of the second connecting port passage212′, to flow to the first pump201for the next working cycle. The second pump202starts, the cooling liquid cooled by the second heat exchanger207flows to the seventh connecting port passage217′ under the action of the second pump202, passes the second guide passage402and flows out of the eighth connecting port passage218′, to flow to the battery heat exchange component203; the cooling liquid in the battery heat exchange component203exchanges heat with the battery pack, absorbs the heat of the battery pack and flows to the first connecting port passage211′, then passes through the fourth guide passage404and flows out of the fourth connecting port passage214′, to flow to the air-cooled radiator206; after being cooled by the air-cooled radiator206, the cooling liquid flows to the fifth connecting port passage215′, passes through the first guide passage401and flows out of the sixth connecting port passage216′, to flow to the second heat exchanger207; after being cooled again by the second heat exchanger207, the cooling liquid flows to the second pump202for the next working cycle. Compared with the second working mode, in the fifth working mode, after being cooled by both the air-cooled radiator206and the second heat exchanger207, the cooling liquid has a relative low temperature to perform heat exchange with the battery pack, so that the battery pack can be cooled quickly.

Other working modes of the control valve100in the thermal management module200are not listed one by one. In addition, the counterclockwise direction herein is merely defined by taking the embodiments shown in the figures as examples, which does not limit the counterclockwise direction. It should be noted that, for different thermal management systems, the control valve may have different working modes by rotating the valve core.

In different thermal management systems, in order to enable the control valve to cope with the multi-flow control of different systems, the shape and structure of the partition plates of the valve core may be changed, to realize different forms of pairwise communication among the eight connecting port passages of the control valve, so as to meet the needs of different systems. In this way, on the basis of the first embodiment, in order to make the control valve applicable to different thermal management systems, the following solutions are easily obtained.

Referring toFIG.12andFIG.13, which show a second embodiment of the control valve, in the second embodiment, the shapes, structures and sizes of a first partition plate41′, a second partition plate42′, to third partition plate43′ and a fourth partition plate44′ are the same or similar, the above partitions each includes a first section and a second section having extension directions intersect with each other, the first partition plate41′, the second partition plate42′, the third partition plate43′ and the fourth partition plate44′ are connected in the listed sequence, and the first partition plate41′ is connected with the fourth partition plate44′. Specifically, one side of the first partition plate41′ is connected with a junction of a first section441′ and a second section442′ of the fourth partition plate44′, and the other side of the first partition plate41′ is flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and/or the outer edge of the second end wall46; one side of the second partition plate42′ is connected with a junction of a first section411′ and a second section412′ of the first partition plate41′, and the other side of the second partition plate42′ is flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and/or the outer edge of the second end wall46; one side of the third partition plate43′ is connected with a junction of a first section421′ and a second section422′ of the second partition plate42′, and the other side of the third partition plate43′ is flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and/or the outer edge of the second end wall46; one side of the fourth partition plate44′ is connected with a junction of a first section431′ and a second section432′ of the third partition plate43′, and the other side of the fourth partition plate44′ is flush with the outer edge of the first end wall45and/or the outer edge of the second end wall46. A first guide passage401′ is formed among the first partition plate41′, the fourth partition plate44′, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; a second guide passage402′ is formed among the first partition plate41′, the second partition plate42′, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; a third guide passage403′ is formed among the second partition plate42′, the third partition plate43′, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; a fourth guide passage404′ is formed among the third partition plate43′, the fourth partition plate44′, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; the first guide passage401′, the second guide passage402′, the third guide passage403′ and the fourth guide passage404′ are equidistantly distributed along the periphery of the valve core4. A plane is defined to be perpendicular to a central axis X′-X′ of the valve core4′, a projection of the first end wall45and a projection of the second end wall46on this plane are circular and coincide with each other, projections of the first partition plate41′, the second partition plate42′, the third partition plate43′ and the fourth partition plate44′ on this plane are combined to form a square structure. Other structures of the control valve100′ are the same as those of the first embodiment, which are not described herein. In this way, by rotating the valve core4′, different forms of pairwise communication between two adjacent connecting port passages among the eight connecting port passages can be realized, thus meeting the needs of different thermal management systems.

Referring toFIG.14andFIG.15, which show a third embodiment of the control valve, in the third embodiment, a valve core4″ includes a first partition plate41″, a second partition plate42″ and a third partition plate43″. In a direction perpendicular to an axis of the valve core4″, by taking the third partition plate43″ as a benchmark, the first partition plate41″ and the second partition plate42″ are located at both sides of the third partition plate43″ respectively, and the first partition plate41″ and the second partition plate42″ may be symmetrically distributed, the first partition plate41″ and the third partition plate43″ are spaced apart, the first partition plate41″ is not directly connected with the third partition plate43″, the second partition plate42″ and the third partition plate43″ are spaced apart, the second partition plate42″ is not directly connected with the third partition plate43″. A first guide passage401″ is formed among the first partition plate41″, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; a second guide passage402″ is formed among the second partition plate42″, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; a third guide passage403″ is formed among the first partition plate41″, the third partition plate43″, the first end wall45and the second end wall46; and a fourth guide passage404″ is formed among the second partition plate42″, the third partition plate43″, the first end wall45and the second end wall46. The third guide passage403″ is closer to the third partition plate43″ than the first guide passage401″, and the fourth guide passage404″ is closer to the third partition plate43″ than the second guide passage402″. In a direction perpendicular to an axis of the valve core4″, by taking the third partition plate43″ as a benchmark, the first guide passage401″ and the second guide passage402″ are located at both sides of the third partition plate43″ respectively and are symmetrically distributed, and the third guide passage403″ and the fourth guide passage404″ are located at both sides of the third partition plate43″ respectively and are symmetrically distributed. The shape and size of the first partition plate41″ and the second partition plate42″ may be the same. A plane is defined to be perpendicular to a central axis X″-X″ of the valve core4″, a projection of the first partition plate41″ and a projection of the second partition plate42″ on the plane are both substantially C-shaped, and openings of the two C-shaped projections face opposite directions, a projection of the first end wall45and a projection of the second end wall46on this plane are circular and coincide with each other, a projection of the first end wall45and/or a projection of the second end wall46on this plane is divided into two parts with equal or substantially equal areas by a projection of the third partition plate43″ on this plane. Other structures of the control valve100″ are the same as those of the first embodiment, which are not described here.

The embodiments of the control valve100shown inFIG.1toFIG.15are all eight-way valves, that is, there are eight connecting port passages, the valve core has four guide passages, by rotating the valve core, different pairwise communication among the connecting port passages can be realized through the guide passages of the valve core. Of course, in other embodiments, the control valve may have other number of connecting port passages, specifically, it can be defined that the number of connecting port passages of the control valve is 2N, the number of guide passages of the valve core is N, N=2, or N≥3 and N is a positive integer; in this way, by rotating the valve core, different forms of pairwise communication can be realized among the 2N connecting port passages of the control valve through the guide passages. N may be 2, 3, 4, 5 or more. In this specification, N=4 is taken as an example for illustration. In other embodiments, N may be 3, referring toFIG.6, three guide passages may be provided according to the structures and positions of the first guide passage401, the second guide passage402and the third guide passage403, the control valve has six connecting port passages, and different forms of pairwise communication of the six-way valve are realized by rotating the valve core.

It should be noted that, the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application rather than limit the technical solutions described in the present application, for example, the directional definition such as “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”. Although the present application is described in detail in this specification with reference to the above embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that those skilled in the art may still make modification or equivalent replacement to the present application, and all technical solutions and improvements thereof that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application shall be covered within the scope of the claims of the present application.