Automobile expansion tank

Abstract

The invention discloses an automobile expansion tank which comprises an expansion tank shell and an expansion tank pressure cover arranged at the top of the expansion tank shell, a degassing port and a water return port are formed in the expansion tank shell, and a group of reinforcing rib plates are arranged in the expansion tank shell to divide an inner cavity of the expansion tank into a plurality of independent sub-cavities. And the bottom and the top of each sub-cavity are communicated with each other. The automobile expansion tank is reasonable in internal structural design, the through type reinforcing rib plates are arranged in the automobile expansion tank, an inner cavity of the expansion tank is divided into a plurality of independent small cavities, the circulation holes are formed in the bottoms of the adjacent cavity rib plates, the communicated exhaust through holes are formed in the tops of the adjacent cavity rib plates, anti-freezing liquid circulates and smoothly flows among the cavities, the structural strength is high, and exhaust is smooth.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automobile expansion boxes, in particular to an internal structure of an automobile expansion box. Background Art

[0002] As a key component in the automotive cooling system, the automotive expansion tank assembly must be kept with sufficient antifreeze during operation. The function of the expansion tank is that when the coolant expands due to heat, part of the coolant flows into the expansion tank; and when the coolant cools down, part of the coolant flow is sucked back into the engine, which plays the role of storing and compensating the coolant. There are two marks on the outer surface of the expansion tank - MAX and MIN marks, and the liquid level of the expansion tank should be between the two marked lines. When adding coolant to the expansion tank, the liquid level should not exceed the "MAX" line to reserve coolant. In addition, there are a pressure relief valve and a vacuum valve inside the pressure cap of the expansion tank. When the system pressure is greater than the specified pressure, the pressure relief valve opens to release the pressure. When the system pressure is lower than the specified pressure, the vacuum valve opens to replenish the pressure of the system, and at the same time, under the action of atmospheric pressure, the system is compensated for coolant.

[0003] Under the pressure of energy and environmental protection, new energy vehicles will undoubtedly become the development direction of future vehicles, so pure electric vehicles (BEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), etc. Taking pure electric vehicles (BEV) as an example, the cooling system is divided into low-temperature cooling system, auxiliary heating system and battery cooling system, and each system is equipped with an expansion box. Due to the influence of the layout environment, the expansion box is mostly irregular in structure. In order to meet the strength and functional requirements of the expansion box, the internal structure design of the expansion box is extremely important.

[0004] For example, patent CN216429758U discloses an automobile expansion box, which includes a box body, an air inlet pipe is arranged on one side of the box body, a water outlet pipe is arranged at the lower part of the box body, and the interior of the box body is divided into multiple chambers by multiple partitions arranged side by side. The partitions are provided with water holes to connect the chambers to avoid the coolant from shaking violently and producing abnormal noises; its internal structure design is unreasonable, the water holes are through holes that pass through the top and bottom, which affects the structural strength, and bubbles are easily generated when the liquid collides with the edge of the partition. The interior of the expansion box is in a gas-liquid mixed state for a long time, which causes the antifreeze liquid level in the expansion box to rise, exceed the MAX position, and even fill the entire expansion box, and leak out from the pressure cap, causing misjudgment. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an automobile expansion box, which has good structural strength, allows antifreeze to flow smoothly inside the expansion box and discharges gas generated in the system smoothly.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] The automobile expansion box comprises an expansion box shell and an expansion box pressure cap arranged on the top of the expansion box shell. The expansion box shell is provided with a degassing port and a water return port. A group of reinforcing rib plates are arranged inside the expansion box shell to divide the inner cavity of the expansion box into a plurality of independent sub-cavities, and the bottom and top of each sub-cavity are connected.

[0008] Further:

[0009] The group of reinforcing ribs is an integral structure of ribs connected together.

[0010] The reinforcing rib plate is a penetrating reinforcing rib structure in the expansion tank shell.

[0011] The expansion tank pressure cover is arranged corresponding to a sub-cavity structure, and an inward convex rib structure is arranged in the expansion tank shell corresponding to the expansion tank pressure cover.

[0012] A bottom flow hole communicating with adjacent sub-cavities is provided at the bottom of the reinforcing rib plate in the expansion tank shell.

[0013] An exhaust through hole communicating with adjacent sub-cavities is provided on the top of the reinforcing rib plate in the expansion tank shell.

[0014] An internal gas-liquid separation structure is provided in the expansion tank shell at the positions corresponding to each degassing port and water return port.

[0015] The expansion box shell comprises an expansion box upper shell and an expansion box lower shell, the reinforcing rib plates of the expansion box upper shell and the expansion box lower shell are arranged correspondingly, and the expansion box upper shell and the expansion box lower shell are welded by hot plate to form an integral shell structure.

[0016] The internal gas-liquid separation structure is a separation cavity arranged in the sub-cavity.

[0017] The cross section of the separation cavity is an arc-shaped structure.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0019] The internal structure of the automobile expansion box is reasonably designed, and a through-type reinforcing rib plate is arranged inside to divide the inner cavity of the expansion box into a number of independent small cavities. Flow holes are arranged at the bottom of the rib plates of adjacent cavities, and interconnecting exhaust holes are arranged at the tops of the rib plates of adjacent cavities. The antifreeze circulates smoothly between the cavities, and the structure has high strength and smooth exhaust. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The following is a brief description of the contents and symbols in the drawings of this specification:

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the expansion tank assembly of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the upper shell of the expansion tank of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the lower shell of the expansion tank of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the gas-liquid separation structure of the expansion box of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 and Figure 6 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas-liquid separation structure position of the present invention.

[0026] In the figure:

[0027] 1. Expansion box pressure cover, 2. Expansion box upper shell, 3. Expansion box lower shell, 4. Internal gas-liquid separation structure, 401. Liquid cavity, 402. Gas-liquid mixing cavity, 403. Flow hole, 404. Exhaust hole, 5. Expansion box support column, 6. Degassing port, 7. Expansion box water inlet, 8. Expansion box water outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Various terms are used throughout this disclosure to describe the physical shape or arrangement of features. Many of these terms are used to describe features that conform to a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical geometry with the feature as the radius and a central axis perpendicular to the radius. Unless a different meaning is specified, the terms are given the following meanings. The terms "longitudinal," "longitudinal," "axial," and "axially" refer to a direction, dimension, or orientation parallel to the central axis. The terms "radial" and "radially" refer to a direction, dimension, or orientation perpendicular to the central axis. The terms "inward" and "inwardly" refer to a direction, dimension, or orientation extending in a radial direction toward the central axis. The terms "outward" and "outwardly" refer to a direction, dimension, or orientation extending in a radial direction away from the central axis.

[0029] In the specification, relative terms such as "horizontal", "vertical", "upward", "downward", "top" and "bottom" and derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontal", "downward", "upward", etc.) should be interpreted as referring to the direction being described or shown in the drawings being discussed. These relative terms are for convenience of description and are generally not intended to require a particular orientation.

[0030] The specific implementation modes of the present invention will be further explained in detail below through the description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, the automobile expansion box comprises an expansion box shell and an expansion box pressure cap 1 arranged on the top of the expansion box shell; the expansion box shell is a plastic shell structure, and the shell edge is provided with an ear plate for installation and fixing, and the ear plate is provided with a fixing hole; after the expansion box pressure cap is opened, antifreeze coolant can be added into the expansion box shell.

[0032] The expansion tank shell is provided with a degassing port and a water return port. The degassing port is used to connect to the external degassing pipe. The lowest liquid level of the coolant in the expansion tank must be higher than the highest point of the engine and motor water circuit. The water outlet pipe of the expansion tank cannot exceed the height of the lowest scale line. The degassing pipe must ensure smooth exhaust of the cooling system. The degassing pipe port on the expansion tank must be located higher than the highest liquid level of the expansion tank and higher than the degassing port on the engine or radiator.

[0033] A set of reinforcing rib plates is provided in the expansion box shell to divide the inner cavity of the expansion box into several independent sub-cavities, and the bottom and top of each sub-cavity are connected. The reinforcing rib plate is a penetrating reinforcing rib structure in the expansion box shell.

[0034] The present invention has a through-type reinforcing rib plate inside, which divides the inner cavity of the expansion box into a number of independent small cavities. A flow hole 403 is provided at the bottom of the rib plate of adjacent cavities, and a connecting exhaust hole 404 is provided at the top of the rib plate of adjacent cavities. The antifreeze liquid circulates smoothly between the cavities, and the structure has high strength and smooth exhaust.

[0035] A set of reinforcing ribs is an integral structure of ribs connected together. Further, the expansion box shell includes an expansion box upper shell 2 and an expansion box lower shell 3, the reinforcing ribs of the expansion box upper shell and the expansion box lower shell are arranged correspondingly, and the expansion box upper shell and the expansion box lower shell are formed into an integral shell structure by hot plate welding.

[0036] The expansion tank pressure cap corresponds to a sub-cavity structure, and an inward convex rib structure is provided in the expansion tank shell corresponding to the expansion tank pressure cap, so as to improve the structural strength and prevent the coolant in the shell from impacting the pressure cap.

[0037] Preferably, the bottom of the reinforcement plate in the expansion tank shell is provided with a bottom flow hole connecting adjacent sub-cavities, so that the antifreeze liquid circulates between the cavities. The top of the reinforcement plate in the expansion tank shell is provided with an exhaust hole connecting adjacent sub-cavities to prevent gas from being blocked in a certain area and unable to circulate.

[0038] An expansion box support column 5 is provided at the bottom of the lower shell of the expansion box, and an expansion box water outlet 8 is provided on one side of the lower shell of the expansion box; a degassing port 6 and an expansion box water inlet 7 are provided on the upper shell of the expansion box; and the top cavity in the shell is connected to the degassing port 6;

[0039] An internal gas-liquid separation structure 4 is provided in the expansion tank shell at each degassing port and water return port; the internal gas-liquid separation structure is a separation cavity arranged in the sub-cavity; the bottom of the separation cavity is a liquid cavity 401, and the top of the liquid cavity is a gas-liquid mixing cavity 402; the cross-section of the separation cavity is an arc-shaped structure; gas-liquid separation is achieved, and the problem of rising liquid level is solved at the same time.

[0040] When the engine is working, the engine water pump drives the coolant to circulate in the cooling system to cool the engine. As the water temperature continues to rise, steam will be generated in the cooling system. The gas-liquid mixture will be transported to the expansion tank through the engine degassing pipe and the radiator degassing pipe. The gas-liquid mixture will circulate in the expansion tank through the channel at the bottom. Since the gas density is smaller than the coolant, the gas will precipitate from the coolant during the circulation process, and will be concentrated at the pressure cap of the expansion tank through the exhaust hole at the top. After reaching a certain pressure, the pressure relief valve will open to discharge the gas into the atmosphere. The coolant after degassing will continue to participate in the circulation. Due to the different densities of gas and liquid, the gas will float on the upper layer and the liquid will sink to the lower layer, avoiding gas-liquid mixing, achieving gas-liquid separation, and solving the problem of rising liquid level.

[0041] The internal structure of the expansion box of the present invention is reasonably designed, which can meet the strength requirements of the expansion box structure and the functional requirements of the expansion box, ensuring that the antifreeze fluid flows smoothly inside the expansion box and the gas generated in the system is discharged smoothly.

[0042] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are:

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an internal structure design of an expansion box, wherein the expansion box assembly consists of a pressure cap assembly, an expansion box upper shell and an expansion box lower shell, wherein the expansion box upper shell and the expansion box lower shell are welded together by a hot plate welding process.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the internal structure design of an expansion box provided by the present invention has a wall thickness of 3.5 mm to meet the strength requirement of the expansion box structure, and a through-type reinforcing rib is arranged inside to divide the inner cavity of the expansion box into a number of independent small cavities. In order to allow the antifreeze to flow smoothly inside the expansion box, a flow hole is arranged at the bottom of the adjacent cavity partition to allow the antifreeze to circulate between the cavities.

[0045] In order to meet the functional requirements of the expansion box, that is, to adjust the pressure of the automobile cooling system, store and compensate for antifreeze, and degas the automobile cooling system, so that the cooling system operates within a certain pressure range to ensure normal operation. In order to allow the gas in the expansion box to be discharged in time, an exhaust hole is set on the upper part of the adjacent cavity partition and above the MAX line of the expansion box to prevent the gas from being blocked in a certain area and unable to circulate, which will affect the local structure of the expansion box.

[0046] like Figure 4 As shown, in order to avoid the expansion tank being in a gas-liquid mixed state for a long time during the operation of the cooling system, the antifreeze liquid level inside the expansion tank rises, exceeds the MAX position, and even fills the entire expansion tank, and leaks outward from the pressure cap, causing misjudgment. To this end, the present invention provides an internal structure design of the expansion tank, and designs a gas-liquid separation structure at the water return port and two degassing ports of the expansion tank. Due to the different densities of gas and liquid, the gas will float on the upper layer and the liquid will sink to the lower layer to avoid gas-liquid mixing, thereby achieving gas-liquid separation and solving the problem of liquid level increase.

[0047] The above is only an explanation of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the above technical features can be arbitrarily combined to form multiple embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] The present invention is described above by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned method. As long as various non-substantial improvements are made using the concept and technical solution of the present invention, or the concept and technical solution of the present invention are directly applied to other occasions without improvement, they are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automobile expansion tank, comprising an expansion tank shell and an expansion tank pressure cap arranged on the top of the expansion tank shell, wherein the expansion tank shell is provided with a degassing port and a water return port, characterized in that: A group of reinforcing ribs are arranged in the expansion box shell to divide the inner cavity of the expansion box into a plurality of independent sub-cavities, and the bottom and top of each sub-cavity are connected.

2. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The group of reinforcing ribs is an integral structure of ribs connected together.

3. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reinforcing rib plate is a penetrating reinforcing rib structure in the expansion tank shell.

4. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The expansion tank pressure cover is arranged corresponding to a sub-cavity structure, and an inward convex rib structure is arranged in the expansion tank shell corresponding to the expansion tank pressure cover.

5. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bottom flow hole communicating with adjacent sub-cavities is provided at the bottom of the reinforcing rib plate in the expansion tank shell.

6. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: An exhaust through hole communicating with adjacent sub-cavities is provided on the top of the reinforcing rib plate in the expansion tank shell.

7. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: An internal gas-liquid separation structure is provided in the expansion tank shell at the positions corresponding to each degassing port and water return port.

8. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The expansion box shell comprises an expansion box upper shell and an expansion box lower shell, the reinforcing rib plates of the expansion box upper shell and the expansion box lower shell are arranged correspondingly, and the expansion box upper shell and the expansion box lower shell are formed into an integral shell structure by hot plate welding.

9. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 7, characterized in that: The internal gas-liquid separation structure is a separation cavity arranged in the sub-cavity.

10. The automobile expansion tank according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cross section of the separation cavity is an arc-shaped structure.

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