Non-flow cooling method and unit

Abstract

A cooling method and a cooling unit (4) for a vehicle (1) for cooling a radiation block (5); wherein the cooling unit (4) comprises an inlet port (6), an outlet port (7), a conduit (8) fluidly connecting the inlet port (6) with the outlet port (7), a pneumatic system (9) mounted along the conduit (8), and a radiation system (12) mounted along the conduit (8); the method comprising the steps of: delivering an air flow (A) through the inlet port (6) into the conduit (8); cooling a carrier fluid (f) flowing through the radiation system (12) by means of the air flow (A); and generating a thrust force (Fs) by means of the air flow (A) exiting from the outlet port (7).

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102025000005607, filed on March 19, 2025, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to an off-flow cooling method and an off-flow cooling unit for motor vehicles. Background Technology

[0004] As is well known, motor vehicles include cooling units with radiant masses located in the front region to cool the coolant using airflow generated by the vehicle's own movement. Known types of radiant masses need to withstand high airflow, especially in sports cars. In particular, in sports cars, the radiant mass may occupy a large portion of the front region. More specifically, the air intakes used to guide airflow through the radiant mass may occupy a significant portion of the vehicle's front nose.

[0005] Traditional cooling units have the following drawbacks: they generate significant aerodynamic drag due to the size of the radiating blocks. Furthermore, the operation of traditional cooling units depends on the vehicle's speed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a cooling unit that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages.

[0007] A method for cooling a radiating block of a cooling unit in a vehicle; wherein the cooling unit includes: an inlet port, an outlet port, a conduit fluidly connecting the inlet port and the outlet port, a pneumatic system mounted along the conduit, and a radiating unit mounted along the conduit, wherein a carrier fluid flows through the radiating unit during use; the method includes the following steps:

[0008] - The airflow is delivered through the inlet port into the inlet pipe of the duct;

[0009] - The airflow cools the fluid carrying the radiation unit;

[0010] - The airflow is delivered to the outlet pipe of the duct by means of the pneumatic system;

[0011] - Thrust is generated by means of the airflow discharged from the outlet port.

[0012] In one embodiment, the method includes increasing the pressure of the airflow by means of the pneumatic system; wherein the pneumatic system is adjusted according to the forward speed of the vehicle.

[0013] In one embodiment, the cooling unit includes a plurality of inlet ports and a plurality of inlet pipes; wherein the radiation unit includes a plurality of radiation systems, each radiation system being installed along a respective inlet pipe; wherein each radiation system is fluidly connected to the radiation block to allow the carrier fluid to circulate; wherein the delivery step includes: simultaneously delivering corresponding airflows toward the pneumatic system via the plurality of inlet ports.

[0014] In one embodiment, one or more inlet ports are provided to deliver an overpressure airflow into the duct; the method includes the step of drawing the airflow by means of the inlet ports.

[0015] In one embodiment, the suction step includes suctioning an overpressure airflow at the wheel arches of the vehicle.

[0016] In one embodiment, one or more inlet ports are provided to generate negative pressure in a corresponding external area of ​​the vehicle; wherein the suction step includes suctioning an airflow to increase the negative pressure at the bottom of the vehicle.

[0017] In one embodiment, the radiating element is the radiating block; wherein the radiating element is installed along the outlet pipe; wherein the step of generating thrust includes heating the airflow by means of the radiating element.

[0018] According to the present invention, a cooling unit and a motor vehicle are provided.

[0019] The cooling unit includes: an inlet port, an outlet port, a conduit that fluidly connects the inlet port and the outlet port, a pneumatic system installed along the conduit, and a radiating unit installed along the conduit. In use, a fluid-carrying agent flows through the radiating unit.

[0020] In one embodiment, the outlet port is configured to generate thrust by means of the airflow.

[0021] In one embodiment, the cooling unit includes a plurality of inlet ports; wherein the conduit includes a plurality of inlet pipes, each inlet pipe connecting the inlet port to the pneumatic system; wherein the radiation unit includes a plurality of radiation systems, each radiation system being installed along a respective inlet pipe; wherein each radiation system is fluidly connected to the radiation block to allow the carrier fluid to circulate.

[0022] In one embodiment, the radiation unit is the radiation block; wherein the radiation unit is installed along the outlet pipe to heat the airflow during use.

[0023] A motor vehicle includes a cooling unit according to any of the above embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Hereinafter, in order to more clearly understand the present invention, embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0025] - Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a motor vehicle according to the present invention, with some parts removed for clarity;

[0026] - Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling unit according to the present invention, with some parts removed for clarity;

[0027] - Figure 3 Similar to Figure 2 This illustrates a variation of the cooling unit according to the invention;

[0028] - Figure 4 yes Figure 2 or Figure 3 A detailed illustration;

[0029] - Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A detailed illustration;

[0030] - Figure 6 It shows Figure 2 An alternative embodiment of the cooling unit shown;

[0031] - Figure 7 It shows Figure 3 An alternative embodiment of the cooling unit shown. Detailed Implementation

[0032] exist Figure 1 In the accompanying drawings, reference numeral 1 is used to generally denote a motor vehicle that includes, in a known manner: a load-bearing structure (e.g., body and / or chassis) defining a passenger compartment 2 configured to accommodate at least one driver and possibly one or more passengers; and a body cover 3 that externally covers the load-bearing structure.

[0033] As is well known, a motor vehicle 1 has: a longitudinal axis X, commonly referred to as the roll axis; a lateral axis Y, commonly referred to as the pitch axis; and a vertical axis Z, commonly referred to as the yaw axis.

[0034] Motor vehicle 1 performs rotational and translational motion on the horizontal support plane π in a known manner. The terms "front," "rear," "right," "left," "top," "bottom," "upstream," and "downstream," etc., are used with reference to the forward direction v of motor vehicle 1. The terms "exterior," "interior," etc., are used with reference to the passenger compartment where the driver sits while operating motor vehicle 1. The term "depth" refers to the extension along the longitudinal axis X; the term "width" refers to the extension along the transverse axis Y; and the term "height" refers to the extension along the vertical axis Z.

[0035] The motor vehicle 1 includes a cooling unit 4, which is configured to cool the radiant block 5 regardless of the speed of the motor vehicle 1, as further described below.

[0036] According to the present invention, the cooling unit 4 includes one or more inlet ports 6, one or more outlet ports 7, and a conduit 8 that fluidly connects each inlet port 6 to its corresponding outlet port 7. The number and arrangement of the inlet ports 6 and outlet ports 7 are variable. The number of inlet ports 6 and outlet ports 7 can be different. The cooling unit 4 includes a pneumatic system 9 mounted along the conduit 8. The pneumatic system 9 can be, for example, a suction machine, a booster fan, or a compressor. The pneumatic system 9 is configured to regulate the airflow A along the conduit 8, as described in more detail below.

[0037] according to Figure 2 In the example shown, cooling unit 4 includes two inlet ports 6 and one outlet port 7. Conduit 8 includes, for each inlet port 6, a corresponding inlet pipe 10 connecting the inlet port 6 to the pneumatic system 9. In other words, cooling unit 4 includes two inlet pipes 10, hereinafter referred to as the right-side pipe and the left-side pipe (one for each inlet port 6). According to the example shown, conduit 8 also includes an outlet pipe 11 connecting the pneumatic system 9 to the outlet port 7.

[0038] According to a variant not shown, the cooling unit 4 may include multiple pneumatic systems; in this case, the multiple pneumatic systems are installed along the duct 8 to operate in series or in parallel with each other.

[0039] according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the cooling unit 4 further includes one or more radiation systems 12, each radiation system 12 mounted along the conduit 8. The number and distribution of the radiation systems 12 are variable. According to the illustrated example, the radiation systems 12 are mounted along the inlet conduit 10, as described in more detail below.

[0040] like Figure 2 , 3As shown in more detail in Figure 4, each radiant system 12 is configured to be installed within a corresponding section of the pipe. For example, the radiant system 12 may be cylindrical, and its dimensions may allow it to be fitted into the interior of each pipe. By way of example only, the diameter of the radiant system 12 may be between 80 and 100 mm. Figure 5 In the example shown, the radiation system 12 includes a coil 13 configured to allow flow of a fluid f and has an inlet 14 and an outlet 15. According to the illustrated example, the coil 13 comprises a helically curved tube that occupies a large portion of the flow cross-section of each conduit. Preferably, according to the illustrated example, the inlet 14 and outlet 15 of the coil 13 are arranged side-by-side.

[0041] The radiant system 12 includes a fixing system 17 configured to secure the coil 13 inside the conduit 10. According to the illustrated example, the fixing system 17 includes a grid 18 made of metal mesh, which occupies a cross-section of the conduit. The coil 13 is then fixed to the grid 18. The shape and size of the coil 13 and the fixing system 17 are variable.

[0042] Each radiation system 12 is connected to the radiation block 5 to allow the exchange of fluid f.

[0043] According to the example shown in the figure, advantageously, the outlet port 7 and / or outlet duct 11 are shaped such that the airflow A from the pneumatic system 9 at the outlet port 7 can generate aerodynamic thrust Fs.

[0044] according to Figure 2 In the example shown, each inlet port 6 is installed at each wheel cover 20. Each inlet port 6 is configured to draw in overpressured airflow A near the wheel cover 20. Preferably, the pneumatic system 9 is configured to operate in a thrust mode; in other words, according to Figure 2 In the example shown, pneumatic system 9 is a blower or compressor.

[0045] Advantageously, the cooling unit 4 includes a control unit 30, which is connected to and configured to exchange signals with the control module 31 of the vehicle 1 and the pneumatic system 9. The control module 31 is configured to exchange signals with the control unit 30 regarding the instantaneous operating status of the vehicle 1, such as the forward speed of the vehicle 1 and the temperature of the radiant block 5.

[0046] The control unit 30 is configured to adjust the pneumatic system 9 according to the following conditions: the instantaneous forward speed of the vehicle 1; and / or the instantaneous state of the radial block 5.

[0047] Specifically, the control unit 30 itself includes a storage unit 32 and a computing unit 33.

[0048] Storage unit 32 is configured to contain correlation data between the response parameter r and the operating parameter w of pneumatic system 9.

[0049] For example, storage unit 32 contains multiple tables that associate response parameters r with running parameters w.

[0050] The response parameter r includes the driving parameters of the pneumatic system 9. For example, the response parameter r includes the rotational speed of the pneumatic system 9.

[0051] The operating parameters w include: the instantaneous speed of vehicle 1; and the temperature of the radiating block 5.

[0052] The calculation unit 30 is configured to select appropriate associated data based on the detected operating parameter w.

[0053] according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the radiating block 5 is a conventional type of radiator and is positioned at the front of the vehicle 1. In other words, according to... Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the radiating block 5 is a component located at a distance relative to the outlet pipe 11.

[0054] exist Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the accompanying drawings, reference numeral 104 indicates another different embodiment of the cooling unit according to the invention. Figure 6 and Figure 7 In, with Figure 2 and Figure 3 The components shared by all components in the scheme shown are given the same number, and for the sake of simplicity, they will not be described in detail here.

[0055] Unlike the above-described scheme, the cooling unit 104 includes a radiant block 105 mounted along the outlet pipe 11. The cooling unit 104 does not have a radiant system along the inlet pipe 10. In this case, advantageously, the radiant block 105 is located at the rear of the vehicle 1, providing greater design freedom for the front of the vehicle 1 itself.

[0056] When using the cooling unit 4 of the above type, each inlet port 6 allows a corresponding airflow A to enter its respective inlet pipe 10. According to... Figure 2 In the example shown, vehicle 1 includes multiple inlet ports 6 installed at each wheel arch 20. During vehicle 1 operation, overpressure air typically exists at these locations. In other words, generally, due to the overall aerodynamic characteristics of vehicle 1, there is excessive overpressure with an upward vertical component at the wheel arch 20, which adversely affects the stability of vehicle 1. Figure 2As shown, overpressured air is conveyed into the inlet pipe 10 through the inlet port 6 along with the airflow A, flowing towards the pneumatic system 9. Preferably, the pneumatic system 9 is a blower that increases the kinetic energy of the air discharged from the outlet port 7. Preferably, the outlet port 7 is configured to generate thrust Fs through the airflow A at the outlet.

[0057] Advantageously, the control unit 30 instantaneously detects the speed of the vehicle 1 and the temperature of the radiant block 5 from the control module 31. Based on the signals detected by the control module 31, the control unit adjusts the operation of the pneumatic system 9 to achieve a determined flow rate of airflow A through the duct 8.

[0058] Advantageously, during the flow through the duct 8, the airflow A is used to cool the carrier fluid f flowing through each radiant system 12. Specifically, for each radiant system 12, hot carrier fluid fh enters and cold carrier fluid fc exits. Preferably, the carrier fluid f is exchanged with the radiant block 5; in particular, the radiant block 5 sends hot carrier fluid fh to each radiant system 12 and receives cold carrier fluid fc from each radiant system 12. Thus, advantageously, each radiant system 12 contributes to cooling the carrier fluid f circulating in the radiant block 5. This allows at least a portion of the radiating surface of the radiant block 5 to be distributed among the multiple radiant systems 12 mounted within the duct 8. This makes it possible to reduce the overall size of a single radiant block 5, thereby reducing the size of the cooling unit 4 at the front nose of the vehicle 1.

[0059] according to Figure 3 In the variant shown, the inlet port 6 is installed in a manner that draws airflow A from the bottom of the vehicle 1. In this case, preferably, the pneumatic system 9 is a suction machine and is configured to allow airflow A to be drawn from the bottom of the vehicle 1.

[0060] In use, according to Figure 3 In the variant shown, the airflow A drawn in from the bottom of vehicle 1 is conveyed into inlet pipe 10 and expelled through outlet port 7. Advantageously, the fact that airflow A is drawn in from the bottom of vehicle 1 increases the suction effect, thereby improving the stability of vehicle 1 itself.

[0061] The embodiment of cooling unit 104 is used in a similar manner to that described above for cooling unit 4. The difference is that the radiating block 5 is mounted along the outlet duct 11 and cooled by the airflow A exiting the outlet duct 11. Advantageously, the arrangement of the radiating block 5 along the outlet duct 11 heats the airflow A by increasing the achievable thrust Fs.

[0062] As can be seen from the above, the cooling units 4, 104 according to the present invention improve aerodynamic performance by reducing the radiant blocks exposed to natural airflow. A further aerodynamic advantage is that suction is introduced from overpressure regions (e.g., wheel arches) and exhaust is introduced from low-pressure regions (e.g., the rear wake, often referred to as the "base region").

[0063] Furthermore, the components of the radiation system 12 according to the invention are small in size and easy to install in any location on the motor vehicle 1. In other words, the cooling unit 4 according to the invention has particularly high versatility because it can be adapted to any type of architecture of the motor vehicle 1.

[0064] Advantageously, the cooling units 4, 104 according to the invention produce less air resistance than conventional cooling units because the size of the radiating block 5 is reduced and / or the radiating block 5 is housed at the rear of the motor vehicle 1.

[0065] Advantageously, the operation of the cooling units 4, 104 according to the invention is not affected by the speed of the vehicle 1. In fact, the pneumatic system 9 can be adjusted to achieve a specific flow rate of airflow A through the duct 8 according to the instantaneous speed of the vehicle 1.

Claims

1. A cooling unit (4) for a vehicle (1); A method for cooling the radiant block (5) of 104); wherein, The cooling unit (4); 104) includes: an inlet port (6), an outlet port (7), a conduit (8) fluidly connecting the inlet port (6) and the outlet port (7), a pneumatic system (9) installed along the conduit (8), and a radiation unit (5; 12) installed along the conduit (8), wherein, in use, a carrier fluid (f) flows through the radiation unit (5; 12); the method includes the following steps: - The airflow (A) is delivered through the inlet port (6) into the inlet pipe (10) of the duct (8); - The carrier fluid (f) flowing through the radiation unit (5; 12) is cooled by the airflow (A); - The airflow (A) is delivered to the outlet pipe (11) of the duct (8) by means of the pneumatic system (9); - Thrust (Fs) is generated by means of the airflow (A) discharged from the outlet port (7).

2. The cooling method according to claim 1, wherein, The method includes increasing the pressure of the airflow (A) by means of the pneumatic system (9); wherein the pneumatic system (9) is adjusted according to the forward speed of the vehicle (1).

3. The cooling method according to claim 1, wherein, The cooling unit (4) includes multiple inlet ports (6) and multiple inlet pipes (10); wherein the radiation unit (12) includes multiple radiation systems (12), each radiation system (12) being installed along each inlet pipe (10); wherein each radiation system (12) is fluidly connected to the radiation block (5) to allow the carrier fluid (f) to circulate; wherein the conveying step includes: conveying a corresponding airflow (A) simultaneously toward the pneumatic system (9) by means of the multiple inlet ports (6).

4. The cooling method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, One or more inlet ports (6) are provided to deliver an overpressure airflow (A) into the duct (8); the method includes the step of drawing the airflow (A) by means of the inlet ports (6).

5. The cooling method according to claim 4, wherein, The suction step includes suctioning an overpressure airflow (A) at the wheel arch (20) of the vehicle (1).

6. The cooling method according to claim 1, wherein, One or more inlet ports (6) are provided to generate negative pressure in the corresponding external area of ​​the vehicle (1); wherein the suction step includes suction airflow (A) to increase the negative pressure at the bottom of the vehicle (1).

7. The cooling method according to claim 1, wherein, The radiation unit (5) is the radiation block; wherein the radiation unit (5) is installed along the outlet pipe (11); wherein the step of generating thrust (Fs) includes heating the airflow (A) by means of the radiation unit (5).

8. A cooling unit for a vehicle (1), comprising: The inlet port (6), the outlet port (7), the conduit (8) that fluidly connects the inlet port (6) and the outlet port (7), the pneumatic system (9) installed along the conduit (8), and the radiation unit (5; 12) through which the fluid (f) flows in use.

9. The cooling unit according to claim 8, wherein, The outlet port (7) is configured to generate thrust (Fs) by means of the airflow (A).

10. The cooling unit according to claim 8 or 9, comprising a plurality of inlet ports (6); wherein, The conduit (8) includes a plurality of inlet pipes (10), each inlet pipe (10) connecting the inlet port (6) to the pneumatic system (9); wherein the radiation unit (12) includes a plurality of radiation systems (12), each radiation system (12) being installed along each inlet pipe (10); wherein each radiation system (12) is fluidly connected to the radiation block (5) to allow the carrier fluid (f) to circulate.

11. The cooling unit according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, The radiation unit (5) is the radiation block; wherein the radiation unit (5) is installed along the outlet pipe (11) to heat the airflow (A) during use.

12. A vehicle comprising a cooling unit (4) according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

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