Cooling module

Abstract

To provide a cooling module capable of effectively using a space.SOLUTION: A cooling module includes a pump for forcibly feeding fluid F, and a manifold 1 having an attachment surface of the pump on an outer wall 1g and internally including a fluid passage L through which the fluid F forcibly fed by the pump flows. A discharge port 132 of the pump is provided inside the manifold 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling module. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been disclosed that avoids the complication of cooling piping through which coolant flows to cool motors, batteries, and the like equipped in vehicles such as electric vehicles (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a thermal management module runner structure in which a coolant flow path is provided in an integrated water channel plate formed by combining a lower substrate and an upper substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] China Utility Model No. 216545710 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the thermal management module runner structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the pump discharge port protrudes outward from the integrated water channel plate, making it impossible to effectively utilize the limited space in the vehicle in which the thermal management module runner structure is placed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a cooling module that can effectively utilize space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above, the characteristic configuration of the cooling module is that it comprises a pump that pressurizes a fluid, and a manifold in which the mounting surface of the pump is provided on an outer wall and which includes a fluid flow path therein through which the fluid pressurized by the pump flows, and in which a discharge outlet of the pump is provided inside the manifold.

[0007] According to this characteristic configuration, the discharge port of the pump is formed inside the manifold, which means that the discharge port of the pump does not protrude outside the manifold, making it possible to effectively utilize the space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cooling module according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cooling module shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pump and its surroundings according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cooling module according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0010] [Cooling module] The cooling module 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cooling module 100. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cooling module 100 shown in Fig. 1. The cooling module 100 is mounted on an electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an "electric vehicle") that runs on electricity. Examples of electric vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

[0011] The cooling module 100 constitutes a part of a cooling system (not shown) that cools a vehicle drive device (e.g., inverter / motor) for driving the vehicle mounted on an electric vehicle, a battery, and other devices to be cooled. The cooling system includes auxiliary devices such as a radiator, a chiller, a pump 2 shown in FIG. 1, a valve 3, and a fluid flow path L (see FIG. 2) through which a fluid F flows for cooling the devices to be cooled. The auxiliary devices and the devices to be cooled (e.g., inverter / motor, battery) are connected via the fluid flow path L. The fluid F is a cooling fluid such as long-life coolant (LLC). However, the fluid F is not limited to cooling fluids such as long-life coolant (LLC), and may be refrigerants such as insulating oils such as paraffin, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs).

[0012] 1 and 2, the cooling module 100 includes a manifold 1, a pump 2, and a valve 3. In this embodiment, two pumps 2 and two valves 3 are provided, and the manifold 1, the two pumps 2, and the two valves 3 are integrated. The pump 2 is an electric water pump, and has substantially the same configuration as the pump 2 except for the position where it is attached to the manifold 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the valve 3 is a rotary valve, and includes an actuator 31 that generates power when supplied with electricity, and a valve body 32 that rotates when power is transmitted from the actuator 31.

[0013] [Manifold] The manifold 1 has a box shape and includes a fluid flow path L therein, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4. The manifold 1 has a first housing 1A and a second housing 1B made of resin. The manifold 1 is formed by joining the first housing 1A and the second housing 1B together by welding or the like. The fluid flow path L is formed by grooves, holes, etc. formed in at least one of the first housing 1A and the second housing 1B.

[0014] 〔pump〕 The pump 2 pumps the fluid F to circulate the fluid F through the fluid flow path L. In the following, the portion of the fluid flow path L upstream of the pump 2 is referred to as the "first flow path L1" (see FIG. 3), and the portion downstream of the pump 2 is referred to as the "second flow path L2" (see FIG. 4).

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the pump 2 has an electric motor 21 that generates power when supplied with electric power, and an impeller 22 that rotates by the power from the electric motor 21.

[0016] The electric motor 21 includes a stator 211 that generates magnetic flux when supplied with electric power, a rotor 212 that rotates about a rotation axis AX as a result of the magnetic flux generated by the stator 211, and a motor cover 213 that houses the stator 211 and the rotor 212. In the following, the direction along the rotation axis AX is referred to as the "X direction." Within the X direction, the direction from the electric motor 21 to the impeller 22 is referred to as the "X1 direction," and the opposite direction is referred to as the "X2 direction."

[0017] The electric motor 21 (stator 211, rotor 212, and motor cover 213) is attached to a mounting surface 1e (see FIG. 3) provided on an outer wall 1g of the manifold 1 in the X1 direction by fastening members such as bolts. The mounting surface 1e is a plane perpendicular to the X direction and is part of the outer wall 1g of the manifold 1. That is, of the pump 2, only the electric motor 21 is provided outside the manifold 1.

[0018] 3 and 4, the manifold 1 also has some of the functions of the pump 2. As described above, in this embodiment, two pumps 2 are attached to the manifold 1, but the configurations of the portions of the manifold 1 to which the two pumps 2 are attached are substantially the same. For this reason, the configuration of one side of the manifold 1 (the end in the X2 direction) will be described below.

[0019] 4, manifold 1 has suction port 11 (suction port of pump 2) which is a connection port with first flow path L1, vortex chamber 12 communicating with suction port 11, and discharge portion 13 communicating with vortex chamber 12. Suction port 11, vortex chamber 12, and discharge portion 13 are provided (formed) in the X1 direction (inside manifold 1) from mounting surface 1e.

[0020] The suction port 11 is circular when viewed in the X direction, and the axis of the suction port 11 is parallel to the X direction. As shown in Fig. 3, the suction port 11 faces a portion of the first housing 1A that houses the valve 3 (valve body 32) (hereinafter referred to as "valve housing 1C") in the X direction. This makes it possible to reduce pressure loss of the fluid F. It also makes it possible to avoid a complex configuration of the fluid flow path L (first flow path L1) between the valve 3 and the suction port 11.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 4, vortex chamber 12 is circular with suction port 11 as its center when viewed along the X direction, and its diameter increases toward the X2 direction. As shown in Fig. 3, impeller 22 is rotatably disposed in vortex chamber 12. In this embodiment, impeller 22 rotates counterclockwise when viewed along the X1 direction. As a result, fluid F is sucked into vortex chamber 12 from first flow path L1 through suction port 11. Fluid F that has flowed into vortex chamber 12 swirls (counterclockwise when viewed along the X1 direction) in conjunction with the rotation of impeller 22, and then flows to discharge section 13.

[0022] 4, discharge section 13 is provided downstream of vortex chamber 12 in the flow direction of fluid F (the rotation direction of impeller 22). Discharge section 13 includes a discharge passage 131 through which fluid F flowing in from vortex chamber 12 flows, and a discharge port 132 (discharge port of pump 2) provided at the end of discharge passage 131. The axis of discharge port 132 is perpendicular to the axis of suction port 11. Hereinafter, the direction along the axis of discharge port 132 is referred to as the "Z direction", and the direction perpendicular to the X direction and Z direction is referred to as the "Y direction".

[0023] Discharge passage 131 extends along the Z direction and expands in diameter toward discharge port 132 (the length in at least the Y direction increases toward the Z1 direction). That is, discharge passage 131 is formed so that the flow path cross-sectional area (the cross-sectional area of ​​discharge passage 131 when cut along a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the mainstream of fluid F) increases toward discharge port 132. More specifically, first outer edge 131a constituting discharge passage 131 extends along the Z direction, and second outer edge 131b of discharge portion 13 extends in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of circular vortex chamber 12. Note that first outer edge 131a is the outer edge of discharge passage 131 on the side closer to vortex chamber 12 when viewed along the X direction, and second outer edge 131b is the outer edge of discharge passage 131 on the side farther from vortex chamber 12 when viewed along the X direction.

[0024] Fluid F that flows from vortex chamber 12 into discharge section 13 flows through discharge passage 131 and is then discharged from discharge port 132. Hereinafter, among the Z directions, the direction along the direction in which fluid F (the main flow of fluid F) is discharged from discharge port 132 is referred to as the "Z1 direction," and the opposite direction is referred to as the "Z2 direction."

[0025] [Flow path connection chamber] The manifold 1 further has a flow path connection chamber 14 into which the fluid F discharged from the discharge port 132 flows.

[0026] The flow path connection chamber 14 communicates with the discharge passage 131 (discharge port 132) and also communicates with the second flow path L2. That is, the flow path connection chamber 14 is provided between the discharge port 132 and the second flow path L2 (fluid flow path L).

[0027] In this embodiment, the flow path connection chamber 14 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and when viewed along the X direction, has a substantially rectangular shape with the Y direction as the longitudinal direction.

[0028] The flow path connection chamber 14 has an inlet 141 communicating with the discharge passage 131 (discharge port 132) and an outlet 142 communicating with the fluid flow path L (second flow path L2). The fluid F that has flowed into the flow path connection chamber 14 via the discharge port 132 and the outlet 142 flows through the inlet 141 to the second flow path L2.

[0029] The inlet 141 and the outlet 142 are provided apart in the Y direction (in this embodiment, they are provided at the furthest positions in the Y direction of the flow path connection chamber 14). Note that the direction from the inlet 141 to the outlet 142 in the Y direction is referred to as the "Y1 direction", and the opposite direction is referred to as the "Y2 direction".

[0030] The axis of the inlet 141 is parallel to the Z direction, and the axes of the outlet 142 and the second flow path L2 are parallel to the X direction. In other words, the axis of the outlet 142 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the inlet 141 (discharge port 132) and parallel to the axis of the suction port 11.

[0031] The flow path connection chamber 14 is provided as a buffer (surplus space) for allowing the fluid F discharged from the pump 2 to flow smoothly to the second flow path L2, and has a sufficient volume so as not to affect the pressure loss of the fluid F. In the present embodiment, the flow path connection chamber 14 is configured to have a larger space (flow path cross-sectional area) through which the fluid F can flow than the second flow path L2.

[0032] In this embodiment, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path connection chamber 14 (hereinafter referred to as the "first flow path cross-sectional area S1") is configured to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port 11 (hereinafter referred to as the "second flow path cross-sectional area S2"). The first flow path cross-sectional area S1 is the area of ​​a cross section when the flow path connection chamber 14 is cut along the Z direction, and the second flow path cross-sectional area S2 is the area of ​​the suction port 11 when viewed along the X direction.

[0033] As described above, according to the above configuration, the discharge portion 13 (discharge port 132) is provided inside the manifold 1. In other words, the discharge portion 13 does not protrude to the outside of the manifold 1. In other words, the projected area of ​​the cooling module 100 along the Z direction is reduced. This allows the cooling module 100 to be made more compact. This improves the freedom of design of the space around the cooling module 100, and allows the space of the vehicle in which the cooling module 100 is disposed to be used effectively (improving space efficiency).

[0034] For example, in a configuration in which the discharge port of the pump protrudes to the outside of the manifold 1, it is necessary to fasten hoses through which the fluid flows to the discharge port protruding to the outside. However, according to this embodiment, the discharge section 13 (discharge opening 132) is provided inside the manifold 1, and the discharge opening 132 communicates with the second flow path L2 via the flow path connection chamber 14. This eliminates the need to fasten hoses to the discharge section 13. As a result, the efficiency (ease of installation) of the work of mounting the cooling module 100 on the vehicle is improved.

[0035] [Summary of the above embodiment] In the above embodiment, the following configurations are envisaged.

[0036] (1) The cooling module 100 includes a pump 2 that pumps a fluid F, and a manifold 1 having a mounting surface 1e of the pump 2 provided on an outer wall 1g and including a fluid flow path L therein through which the fluid F pumped by the pump 2 flows, and an outlet 132 of the pump 2 is provided inside the manifold 1.

[0037] According to this configuration, the discharge port 132 of the pump 2 is provided inside the manifold 1. In other words, the discharge port 132 of the pump 2 does not protrude outside the manifold 1, so the manifold 1 can be made more compact. At the same time, it is possible to prevent the external shape of the manifold 1 from becoming complicated. As a result, the space in which the manifold 1 is disposed can be effectively utilized.

[0038] (2) In the cooling module 100 of (1), it is preferable that the manifold 1 has a flow path connection chamber 14 between the discharge port 132 and the fluid flow path L.

[0039] According to this configuration, the fluid F discharged from the pump 2 can flow smoothly.

[0040] In the cooling module 100 of (3)(2), the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path connection chamber 14 cut along the axis of the discharge port 132 is preferably larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the suction port 11 through which the fluid F is sucked into the pump 2.

[0041] According to this configuration, the pressure loss of the fluid F can be reduced.

[0042] In the cooling module 100 of (4)(3), it is preferable that an intake port 11 is further provided inside the manifold 1.

[0043] According to this configuration, since the suction port 11 does not protrude to the outside of the manifold 1, it is possible to reduce the size of the manifold 1. At the same time, it is possible to avoid making the external shape of the manifold 1 complicated. As a result, it is possible to effectively utilize the space in which the manifold 1 is arranged.

[0044] Other embodiments Next, other embodiments of the cooling module will be described.

[0045] (1) In the cooling module 100, there is no particular limit to the number of pumps 2 integrated with the manifold 1. There is also no particular limit to the number of valves 3 integrated with the manifold 1. The configuration of the manifold 1 is changed as appropriate depending on the numbers of pumps 2 and valves 3 integrated.

[0046] (2) In the above embodiment, the impeller 22 rotates counterclockwise as viewed in the X1 direction, but the impeller 22 may rotate in the opposite direction (clockwise as viewed in the X1 direction). In this case, the positions at which the discharge portion 13 and the flow path connection chamber 14 are provided are changed depending on the rotation direction of the impeller 22.

[0047] (3) In the above embodiment, the flow path connecting chamber 14 is provided between the discharge port 132 and the second flow path L2, but the flow path connecting chamber 14 may be omitted.

[0048] (4) In the above embodiment, the first flow path cross-sectional area S1 is larger than the second flow path cross-sectional area S2. However, the first flow path cross-sectional area S1 may be equal to the second flow path cross-sectional area S2. Also, the first flow path cross-sectional area S1 may be smaller than the second flow path cross-sectional area S2.

[0049] (5) In the above embodiment, the discharge passage 131 is formed so that the flow passage cross-sectional area increases toward the discharge port 132. However, the flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the discharge passage 131 may be constant.

[0050] (6) The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs. As for other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] The technology disclosed herein can be used in a cooling module. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1: manifold, 1e: mounting surface, 1g: outer wall, 2: pump, 11: suction port, 14: flow path connection chamber, 100: cooling module, 132: discharge port, F: fluid, L: fluid flow path, S1: first flow path cross-sectional area (cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path connection chamber cut), S2: second flow path cross-sectional area (flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port)

Claims

1. A pump for pumping a fluid; a manifold having an attachment surface for the pump provided on an outer wall thereof and including a fluid flow path therein through which the fluid pumped by the pump flows; A cooling module in which the discharge port of the pump is provided inside the manifold.

2. The cooling module according to claim 1 , wherein the manifold has a flow path connection chamber between the discharge port and the fluid flow path.

3. 3. The cooling module according to claim 2, wherein a cross-sectional area of ​​the flow passage connection chamber cut along an axis of the discharge port is larger than a flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​a suction port through which the fluid is sucked into the pump.

4. The cooling module according to claim 3 , wherein the manifold is further provided with the suction port therein.

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