Cooling device

Abstract

The present invention provides a cooling device, which includes: a first refrigerant circuit (10) for circulating a first refrigerant for cooling an internal combustion engine (30); and a second refrigerant circuit (20) which is independently arranged relative to the first refrigerant circuit (10) and for circulating the second refrigerant. The second refrigerant circuit (20) is arranged in a manner that connects a pump (62), an inverter (63), an intercooler (33), and a turbocharger (31). The inverter (63), the intercooler (33), and the turbocharger (31) are arranged on the downstream side of the electric pump (62) in the flow direction of the second refrigerant. The second refrigerant circuit (20) includes a first flow path (22) and a second flow path (23) which are branched in parallel on the downstream side of the pump (62). The inverter (63) and the intercooler (33) are arranged in series in the first flow path (22), and the turbocharger (31) is arranged in the second flow path (23).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooling device for cooling a power source of a hybrid vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various hybrid vehicles have been proposed that include a cooling system for cooling an inverter that controls a running electric motor and a cooling system for cooling an intercooler.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-83918 discloses a cooling device in which a cooling system for cooling an inverter that controls a running electric motor and a cooling system for cooling an intercooler are integrated in a hybrid vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, the cooling device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-83918 does not fully consider integrating the cooling system for the supercharger with the cooling system for cooling the inverter and the cooling system for cooling the intercooler.

[0005] When the cooling system for the supercharger is integrated with the cooling system for cooling the inverter and the cooling system for cooling the intercooler, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of pressure loss due to the increase in flow rate.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a cooling device capable of cooling a power source of a hybrid vehicle while suppressing an increase in flow rate and flow resistance.

[0007] The cooling device disclosed herein is applied to a hybrid vehicle that uses at least one of an internal combustion engine equipped with a supercharger and a propulsion electric motor whose power supply is regulated by an inverter as its power source. The cooling device comprises a first refrigerant circuit, in which a first refrigerant for cooling the internal combustion engine circulates; and a second refrigerant circuit, independent of the first refrigerant circuit, in which a second refrigerant circulates. The second refrigerant circuit is connected to a pump, the inverter, an intercooler, and a turbocharger. The pump circulates the second refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit. The intercooler performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and intake air pressurized by the supercharger. The turbocharger is included in the supercharger. The inverter, the intercooler, and the turbocharger are located downstream of the pump in the direction of flow of the second refrigerant. The second refrigerant circuit includes a first flow path and a second flow path that branch in parallel downstream of the pump. The inverter and the intercooler are arranged in series in the first flow path, and the turbocharger is arranged in the second flow path.

[0008] According to the above configuration, in the second refrigerant circuit, the circuit branches downstream of the pump into the first flow path in which the inverter and the intercooler are arranged in series, and the second flow path in which the turbocharger is arranged.

[0009] Here, assuming that an inverter, an intercooler, and a turbocharger are arranged in parallel downstream of the electric pump, the second refrigerant needs to flow through each of the inverter, the intercooler, and the turbocharger, and the flow rate of the second refrigerant circulating in the second refrigerant circuit increases significantly.

[0010] In this regard, in the above configuration, the inverter and the intercooler are arranged in series in the first flow path, so that the intercooler can be cooled using the second refrigerant that has cooled the inverter. This can suppress an increase in the flow rate of the second refrigerant circulating in the second refrigerant circuit.

[0011] In addition, on the second refrigerant circuit, components such as a turbocharger that require a small amount of the second refrigerant for cooling are arranged in parallel with components such as an inverter and an intercooler that require a larger amount of the second refrigerant for cooling, thereby reducing the flow resistance (pressure loss) of the second refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit.

[0012] In this manner, in the cooling device described above, it is possible to cool the power source of the hybrid vehicle while suppressing an increase in flow rate and an increase in flow resistance.

[0013] In the cooling device of the present disclosure, it is preferable that the second flow path is provided with a regulator that regulates a flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing to the turbocharger.

[0014] According to the above configuration, the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing into the turbocharger can be appropriately controlled by the flow rate adjustment unit.

[0015] In the cooling device of the present disclosure, the flow rate adjustment unit may be a throttle valve.

[0016] According to the above configuration, electronic control is not required for adjusting the flow rate of the second refrigerant, and the configuration and flow rate control can be simplified.

[0017] The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing a cooling device according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2It is a diagram showing the configuration of a cooling device of a reference example.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing the configuration of a cooling device of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the embodiments described below, identical or common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings and their description will not be repeated.

[0022] (Implementation Method)

[0023] Figure 1 : is a diagram showing the configuration of a cooling device according to an embodiment. Figure 1 , the cooling device 100 according to the embodiment will be described.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, the cooling device 100 of the embodiment is applied to a hybrid vehicle that uses at least one of an internal combustion engine 30 including a supercharger and a running electric motor 70 whose electric power is regulated by an inverter 63 as a power source for running the vehicle.

[0025] The driving force output from the internal combustion engine 30 is used not only for vehicle propulsion but also for operating the generator. The power generated by the generator and the power supplied from an external power source can be stored in the power storage device. Furthermore, the power stored in the power storage device is supplied not only to the electric motor for propulsion but also to various onboard devices.

[0026] The cooling device 100 includes a first refrigerant circuit 10 and a second refrigerant circuit 20. A first refrigerant for cooling an internal combustion engine 30 equipped with a turbocharger 31 as a supercharger circulates in the first refrigerant circuit 10. A second refrigerant is provided independently of the first refrigerant circuit 10 and circulates in the second refrigerant circuit 20. It should be noted that the first refrigerant is, for example, cooling water, and the second refrigerant is also, for example, cooling water. The temperature of the second refrigerant is preferably lower than that of the first refrigerant.

[0027] The first refrigerant circuit 10 is provided so as to connect the radiator 55 , the reserve tank 51 , the thermostat 52 , the pump 53 , the internal combustion engine 30 , the heater core 54 , and the like.

[0028] The radiator 55 cools the first refrigerant by exchanging heat between the blown air (outside air) blown from the cooling fan 90 and the first refrigerant flowing through the radiator 55. The reserve tank 51 is a tank for storing excess first refrigerant.

[0029] The thermostat 52 adjusts the flow rate of the first refrigerant cooled by the radiator 55 and flowing to the internal combustion engine 30 via the pump 53 as described later, and the flow rate of the first refrigerant heated by the internal combustion engine 30 and the like and flowing to the internal combustion engine 30 again via the pump 53 without passing through the radiator 55 .

[0030] Pump 53 is an electric pump that draws in and discharges the first refrigerant. Pump 53 may be a belt-driven pump driven by transmitting the driving force of internal combustion engine 30 via a belt. Heater core 54 is used to heat the vehicle interior by dissipating heat from the first refrigerant after passing through internal combustion engine 30.

[0031] The first refrigerant circuit 10 includes a plurality of paths 11a, 11b, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Path 11a sequentially connects the radiator 55, the reserve tank 51, and the thermostat 52. Path 11b is disposed within the internal combustion engine 30 and is connected to path 11a via a pump 53. The first refrigerant flowing through path 11b cools a water jacket (not shown) and the like provided in the internal combustion engine 30.

[0032] A path 11 b extending from an exhaust port 34 provided in the internal combustion engine 30 to the outside of the internal combustion engine 30 branches into a path 12 , a path 13 , and a path 14 .

[0033] Path 12 connects path 11b extending from exhaust port 34 to radiator 55. Path 13 is provided so as to pass through heat exchanger 37 for exchanging heat with ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) described later. Path 14 is provided so as to pass through heater core 54.

[0034] The path 13 and the path 14 merge to form the path 15 . The path 15 functions as a bypass flow path that bypasses the radiator 55 and is provided toward the thermostat 52 .

[0035] In the first refrigerant circuit 10, the first refrigerant can be circulated within the first refrigerant circuit 10 by driving the pump 53. At this time, as described above, the flow rate of the first refrigerant cooled by the radiator 55 and introduced into the internal combustion engine 30, as well as the flow rate of the first refrigerant introduced into the internal combustion engine 30 through the path 15, can be adjusted by the thermostat 52. Thus, the temperature of the first refrigerant flowing within the internal combustion engine 30 can be adjusted.

[0036] The internal combustion engine 30 is equipped with a transmission 35. The transmission 35 is, for example, an automatic transmission. A circulation path 40 is provided in the transmission 35 for circulating the ATF. The ATF circulates in the circulation path 40 via an MOP (Mechanical Oil Pump) 36. The aforementioned heat exchanger 37 is disposed in the circulation path 40. As the ATF passes through the heat exchanger 37, it exchanges heat with the first refrigerant flowing in the aforementioned path 13.

[0037] The second refrigerant circuit 20 is provided so as to connect the radiator 65 , the reservoir tank 61 , the pump 62 , the inverter 63 , the oil cooler 64 , the intercooler 33 , and the turbocharger 31 .

[0038] Radiator 65 cools the second refrigerant by exchanging heat between the supply air (outside air) blown from cooling fan 90 and the second refrigerant flowing through radiator 65. Radiator 65 is disposed in front of radiator 55. It should be noted that radiator 80 is disposed in front of radiator 65 and constitutes part of the cooling system for the vehicle's air conditioning.

[0039] The reserve tank 61 is a tank for storing excess second refrigerant. The pump 62 is an electric pump that sucks in and discharges the second refrigerant. The pump 62 circulates the second refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit 20.

[0040] The inverter 63 is a power conversion unit that converts DC power supplied from the power storage device into AC power and outputs the AC power to the running motor 70 .

[0041] The oil cooler 64 is provided to enable heat exchange between the traction motor 70 and the second refrigerant. For example, the oil cooler 64 cools the traction motor 70 by exchanging heat between the oil used to cool the traction motor and the second refrigerant. It should be noted that the oil cooler 64 can be omitted and a water cooling jacket can be provided on the traction motor 70. In this case, the traction motor 70 can be directly cooled by the second refrigerant flowing through the water cooling jacket. This robust cooling of the traction motor 70 allows for a reduction in size, cost, and quality.

[0042] The turbocharger 31 utilizes residual energy from the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine 30 to rotate a turbine (not shown) and thereby supercharge the intake air of the internal combustion engine 30. The intercooler 33 is an intake air cooler that cools the supercharged intake air, which has been compressed to a high temperature by the turbocharger 31, by exchanging heat with a second refrigerant.

[0043] The second refrigerant circuit 20 includes a path 21, a first flow path 22 and a second flow path 23 branching from the path 21, and a merging path 24 where the first flow path 22 and the second flow path 23 merge. The merging path 24 is provided so as to face the radiator 65.

[0044] The path 21 connects the radiator 65, the reservoir tank 61, and the pump 62 in order along the flow direction of the second refrigerant. In this flow direction, downstream of the pump 62, the path 21 branches into a first flow path 22 and a second flow path 23 in parallel.

[0045] The inverter 63, the oil cooler 64, and the intercooler 33 are arranged in series in the first flow path 22. The turbocharger 31 is arranged in the second flow path 23.

[0046] Furthermore, a flow rate adjustment unit 66 for adjusting the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing to the turbocharger 31 is provided in the second flow path 23. The flow rate adjustment unit 66 can appropriately control the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing to the turbocharger.

[0047] For example, a throttle valve, a solenoid valve, etc. can be used as the flow rate adjustment unit 66. When a throttle valve is used as the flow rate adjustment unit 66, electronic control is unnecessary, and the structure and flow rate control can be simplified.

[0048] By driving the pump 62 , the second refrigerant circulates in the second refrigerant circuit 20 . The second refrigerant cooled by the radiator 65 is separated downstream of the pump 62 into the second refrigerant flowing into the first flow path 22 and the second refrigerant flowing into the second flow path 23 .

[0049] The second refrigerant flowing in the first flow path 22 cools the inverter 63, the oil cooler 64, and the intercooler 33. The second refrigerant flowing in the second flow path 23 cools the turbocharger 31. The second refrigerant flowing in the first flow path 22 and the second flow path 23 merges in the merging path 24 and is introduced into the radiator 65.

[0050] The second refrigerant flowing in the path 21 has a flow rate of about 11 L / min, the second refrigerant flowing in the first flow path 22 has a flow rate of about 10 L / min, and the second refrigerant flowing in the second flow path 23 has a flow rate of about 1 L / min.

[0051] As described above, in the cooling device 100 of the embodiment, the second refrigerant circuit 20 branches downstream of the pump 62 into the first flow path 22 in which the inverter 63 and the intercooler 33 are arranged in series, and the second flow path 22 in which the turbocharger 31 is arranged.

[0052] Here, assuming that the inverter 63, the intercooler 33 and the turbocharger 31 are arranged in parallel on the downstream side of the pump 62, the second refrigerant needs to flow through each of the inverter 63, the intercooler 33 and the turbocharger 31, and the flow rate of the second refrigerant circulating in the second refrigerant circuit is greatly increased.

[0053] In this regard, in the cooling device 100 of the embodiment, by arranging the inverter 63 and the intercooler 33 in series in the first flow path 22, the intercooler 33 can be cooled using the second refrigerant that has cooled the inverter 63. Therefore, an increase in the flow rate of the second refrigerant circulating in the second refrigerant circuit 20 can be suppressed.

[0054] In addition, on the second refrigerant circuit 20, components such as the turbocharger 31 that only require a small amount of the second refrigerant for cooling are arranged in parallel with components such as the inverter 63 and the intercooler 33 that require a larger amount of the second refrigerant for cooling, thereby reducing the flow resistance (pressure loss) of the second refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit 20.

[0055] As described above, in the cooling device 100 of the embodiment, it is possible to cool the power source of the hybrid vehicle while suppressing an increase in flow rate and an increase in flow resistance.

[0056] (Reference example)

[0057] Figure 2 : is a diagram showing the configuration of a cooling device of a reference example. Figure 2 , a cooling device 100A according to a reference example will be described.

[0058] like Figure 2 As shown, the cooling device 100A of the reference example differs from the cooling device 100 of the embodiment in the configuration of the second refrigerant circuit 20A. The other configurations are substantially the same.

[0059] The second refrigerant circuit 20A branches into a first flow path 22A and a second flow path 23A, not at the pump 62 but downstream of the oil cooler 64. The intercooler 33 is disposed in the first flow path 22A, and the turbocharger 31 is disposed in the second flow path 23A.

[0060] By driving the pump 62, the second refrigerant circulates in the second refrigerant circuit 20A. After being cooled by the radiator 65, the second refrigerant flows sequentially through the reservoir tank 61, the pump 62, the inverter 63, and the oil cooler 64. Downstream of the oil cooler 64, the second refrigerant is divided into the second refrigerant flowing into the first flow path 22A and the refrigerant flowing into the second flow path 23A.

[0061] The second refrigerant flowing in the first flow path 22A cools the intercooler 33. The second refrigerant flowing in the second flow path 23A cools the turbocharger 31. The second refrigerants flowing in the first flow path 22A and the second flow path 23A merge in the merging path 24 and are introduced into the radiator 65.

[0062] The second refrigerant flowing in the path 21 has a flow rate of, for example, approximately 11 L / min, the second refrigerant flowing in the first flow path 22A has a flow rate of, for example, approximately 10 L / min, and the second refrigerant flowing in the second flow path 23A has a flow rate of, for example, approximately 1 L / min.

[0063] In the cooling device 100A of the reference example, the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing through the second refrigerant circuit 20A is also substantially the same as that of Embodiment 1. Therefore, even when the second refrigerant circuit 20A branches in parallel downstream of the inverter 63 (more specifically, the oil cooler 64) into the first flow path 22A in which the intercooler 33 is disposed and the second flow path 23A in which the turbocharger 31 is disposed, an increase in the flow rate of the second refrigerant circulating in the second refrigerant circuit 20A can be suppressed.

[0064] On the other hand, in the reference example, the second refrigerant circuit 20A branches into the first flow path 22A and the second flow path 23A downstream of the inverter 63. Therefore, compared to the embodiment in which the second refrigerant circuit 20 branches into the first flow path 22 and the second flow path 23 upstream of the inverter 63, the path 21 is longer. Since the second refrigerant with a higher flow rate flows into the path 21, the longer path 21 in the reference example increases the flow resistance of the second refrigerant flowing through the second refrigerant circuit 20A compared to the embodiment. Therefore, to circulate the second refrigerant at the same flow rate as in the embodiment, the capacity of the pump 62 must be increased.

[0065] It should be noted that, in the reference example, when the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing in the path 21 is less than that in the embodiment, the capacity of the pump 62 can also be set to the same level as that in the embodiment. For example, the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing in the path 21 can be set to about 10 L / min. In this case, the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing in the first flow path 22A can be set to about 9 L / min, and the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing in the second flow path 23A can be set to about 1 L / min. On the other hand, in this case, the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing in the intercooler 33 is reduced compared with the embodiment. Therefore, in order to improve the cooling performance of the intercooler 33 and increase the output of the internal combustion engine 30, the cooling device 100 of the preferred embodiment is used.

[0066] (Comparative Example)

[0067] Figure 3 : is a diagram showing the structure of a cooling device of a comparative example. Figure 3 , a cooling device 100X of a comparative example will be described.

[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, the cooling device 100X of the comparative example differs from the cooling device 100 of Embodiment 1 in the configuration of the second refrigerant circuit 20X. The other configurations are substantially the same.

[0069] In the second refrigerant circuit 20X, the flow path branches into a first flow path 22X and a second flow path 23X downstream of the pump 62. However, the second flow path 23X further branches in parallel into a first branch path 231 and a second branch path 232. Specifically, in the second refrigerant circuit 20X, the inverter 63, the oil cooler 64, and the turbocharger 31 are arranged in parallel downstream of the pump 62.

[0070] The inverter 63 and the oil cooler 64 are arranged in the first flow path 22X. On the second flow path 23X side, the intercooler 33 is arranged in the first branch path 231 , and the turbocharger 31 is arranged in the second branch path 232 .

[0071] In this case, the second refrigerant needs to flow through each of the inverter 63 , the intercooler 33 , and the turbocharger 31 .

[0072] The flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing through the first flow path 22X, which is equipped with the inverter 63 and the oil cooler 64, is approximately 10 L / min. The flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing through the first branch path 231, which is equipped with the intercooler 33, is approximately 10 L / min, and the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing through the second branch path 232, which is equipped with the turbocharger 31, is approximately 1 L / min. In other words, the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing through the second flow path 23X is approximately 11 L / min. In this case, the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing through the path 21 is approximately 21 L / min, significantly increasing the flow rate of the second refrigerant circulating in the second refrigerant circuit 20X compared to Embodiment 1.

[0073] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and is intended to encompass all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalents.

Claims

1. A cooling device for a hybrid vehicle that uses at least one of an internal combustion engine equipped with a supercharger and a driving electric motor whose electric power is regulated by an inverter as a power source for the vehicle, wherein: The cooling device comprises: a first refrigerant circuit in which a first refrigerant for cooling the internal combustion engine circulates; and The second refrigerant circuit is independently provided with respect to the first refrigerant circuit, and the second refrigerant circulates in the second refrigerant circuit. The second refrigerant circuit is provided by connecting a pump, the inverter, an intercooler, and a turbocharger. The pump is used to circulate the second refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit. The intercooler performs heat exchange between the intake air pressurized by the supercharger and the refrigerant. The turbocharger is included in the supercharger. The inverter, the intercooler, and the turbocharger are arranged on the downstream side of the pump in the flow direction of the second refrigerant. The second refrigerant circuit includes a first flow path and a second flow path branched in parallel on the downstream side of the pump and the upstream side of the inverter. In the second refrigerant circuit, the turbocharger, which requires a small amount of the second refrigerant for cooling, is arranged in parallel with the inverter and the intercooler, which require a large amount of the second refrigerant for cooling, so as to reduce the pressure loss of the second refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit. The inverter and the intercooler are arranged in series in the first flow path. The turbocharger is arranged in the second flow path. The flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing in the first flow path is greater than the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing in the second flow path.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein: The second flow path is provided with a flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts the flow rate of the second refrigerant flowing into the turbocharger.

3. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein: The flow adjustment part is a throttle valve.

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