Hear exchanger

Abstract

To provide a heat exchanger in which a surface area in a circulation space is enlarged.SOLUTION: A first panel 20 of a heat exchanger 10 has a first plate portion, a plurality of first salient portions which are erected from the first plate portion, and salient to a circulation space, a first outer wall portion which is formed along an external periphery of the first plate portion, an inlet of the circulation space, and an outlet of the circulation space. A second panel 22 of the heat exchanger 10 has a second plate portion opposing the first plate portion, a plurality of second salient portions which are erected from the second plate portion, and salient to the circulation space, and a second outer wall portion which is formed along an external periphery of the second plate portion. The first outer wall portion and the second wall portion are fused to each other over entire peripheries, and form the circulation space between the first plate portion and the second plate portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger having a flow space through which a fluid can move. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a heat exchanger having a casing through which a heat exchange medium flows. The casing has a casing body having a rectangular shape in a plan view and a cover member having a rectangular shape in a plan view. The casing body and the cover member have a metal foil layer, a resin sealant layer laminated on the inner surface side of the metal foil layer, and a resin protective layer laminated on the outer surface of the metal foil layer 51. The cover member has inner fins that are recessed on the surface and protrude into the casing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-194695 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the inner fins are formed by bending the cover member, but bending processing does not allow for many inner fins to be provided, and there is a demand for further increasing the surface area inside the casing.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger that increases the surface area within the flow space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first panel formed by injection molding a resin material, and a second panel formed by injection molding a resin material and superimposed on the first panel to form a fluid circulation space between the first panel and the first panel. The first panel has a first plate portion, a first protrusion formed in a plurality of portions standing from the first plate portion and protruding into the circulation space, a first outer wall portion formed along the outer periphery of the first plate portion, an inlet of the circulation space, and an outlet of the circulation space. The second panel has a second plate portion facing the first plate portion, a second protrusion formed in a plurality of portions standing from the second plate portion and protruding into the circulation space, and a second outer wall portion formed along the outer periphery of the second plate portion. The first outer wall portion and the second outer wall portion are welded over the entire periphery to form a circulation space between the first plate portion and the second plate portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat exchanger that increases the surface area within the flow space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the heat exchanger of the embodiment, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the heat exchanger of the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the heat exchanger of the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the assembly of the first heat exchanger. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 1(b) taken along line AA. [Diagram 5] 1(a) sectional view of the heat exchanger taken along line BB. FIG. [Figure 6] 13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining a method of assembling a heat exchanger according to a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of a heat exchanger 10 of an embodiment, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the heat exchanger 10 of the embodiment. The heat exchanger 10 is used to cool a battery module such as an inverter. The heat exchanger 10 is configured by stacking a first heat exchanger 12 and a second heat exchanger 14, and a flat-plate-shaped battery module is sandwiched between the first heat exchanger 12 and the second heat exchanger 14 to cool the battery module. Note that a thermally conductive sheet may be provided between the battery module and each of the first heat exchanger 12 and the second heat exchanger 14.

[0010] The first heat exchanger 12 is formed by overlapping a first panel 20 and a second panel 22, and has a flow space therein. The second heat exchanger 14 is formed by overlapping a first panel 24 and a second panel 26, and has a flow space therein. The flow spaces of the first heat exchanger 12 and the second heat exchanger 14 form flow paths that allow the movement of fluids such as a coolant.

[0011] The coolant enters the flow space of the heat exchanger 10 to pick up heat, moves from the heat exchanger 10 to an external radiator where it is cooled, and then re-enters the heat exchanger 10. In this way, the heat exchanger 10 constitutes part of the cooling circuit, allowing the circulating coolant to enter and exit.

[0012] The first panel 20, the second panel 22, the first panel 24, and the second panel 26 are formed by injection molding a resin material. By forming the heat exchanger 10 only from a resin material, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design.

[0013] Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the heat exchanger 10 of the embodiment. Also, Fig. 3 is a view for explaining the assembly of the first heat exchanger 12. The heat exchanger 10 includes the first heat exchanger 12, the second heat exchanger 14, a first seal ring 16a, a second seal ring 16b, a third seal ring 18a, and a fourth seal ring 18b.

[0014] The first panel 20 of the first heat exchanger 12 has a first plate portion 30, a first outer wall portion 32, a first protruding portion 34, a first inlet 36, and a first outlet 38. The first plate portion 30 is formed in a flat plate shape. The first plate portion 30 has a flat surface on the side facing the second heat exchanger 14 (the lower side in FIG. 2), and is configured to come into surface contact with the battery module. The first plate portion 30 is formed longitudinally along the direction from the first inlet 36 toward the first outlet 38.

[0015] The first outer wall portion 32 stands from the first plate portion 30 toward the second panel 22 and is formed along the outer periphery of the first plate portion 30. The first protrusions 34 are formed in a wall shape standing from the first plate portion 30 toward the second panel 22 and protrude into the circulation space.

[0016] The multiple first protrusions 34 are located on the inside of the first outer wall portion 32. The first protrusions 34 are formed in a wave shape when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and extend from the first inlet 36 toward the first outlet 38. The multiple first protrusions 34 are arranged at equal intervals in the width direction.

[0017] The first inlet 36 is opened to allow the coolant to flow into the flow space of the first heat exchanger 12, and is formed as a through hole in the first plate portion 30. The first outlet 38 is opened to allow the coolant to flow out from the flow space of the first heat exchanger 12, and is formed as a through hole in the first plate portion 30.

[0018] The second panel 22 of the first heat exchanger 12 has a second plate portion 40, a second outer wall portion 42, and a second protruding portion 44. The second plate portion 40 is formed in a flat plate shape and in a longitudinal direction. The second plate portion 40 is disposed opposite the first plate portion 30. The second outer wall portion 42 stands from the second plate portion 40 toward the first panel 20, and is formed along the outer periphery of the second plate portion 40.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, the second protrusions 44 are formed in a wall shape erected from the second plate portion 40 toward the first panel 20 and protrude into the circulation space. The second protrusions 44 are located inside the second outer wall portion 42. When viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface, the second protrusions 44 are formed in a wave shape and extend along the longitudinal direction. The second protrusions 44 are arranged at equal intervals in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the second plate portion 40. The second protrusions 46 are arranged outside the second protrusions 44 in the width direction and spaced apart in the longitudinal direction.

[0020] 3 shows the second panel 22 being superimposed on the first panel 20. The first outer wall portion 32 of the first panel 20 and the second outer wall portion 42 of the second panel 22 are welded together around the entire periphery while in contact with each other to form a flow space between the first plate portion 30 and the second plate portion 40. This makes it possible to seal the flow space between the first panel 20 and the second panel 22, and to prevent the cooling water from leaking from any place other than the first inlet 36 and the first outlet 38. Now, with new reference to the drawings, the first heat exchanger 12 in an assembled state will be described.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 10 shown in FIG. 1(b) taken along the line AA. FIG. 4 shows a flow space 48 in the first heat exchanger 12. Many first protrusions 34 and second protrusions 44 protrude into the flow space 48. The first protrusions 34 and second protrusions 44 extend from the first inlet 36 to the first outlet 38, thereby preventing the movement of the cooling liquid from being impeded. The first protrusions 34 and second protrusions 44 can increase the contact area with the cooling liquid moving through the flow space 48, thereby improving the cooling efficiency. The first protrusions 34 and second protrusions 44 are individually designed by injection molding, so that they can be designed to increase the surface area.

[0022] The first protruding portion 34 and the second protruding portion 44 are formed in a wall shape, thereby increasing the contact area with the coolant. Also, the second protruding portion 46 is provided at a position on the outer side of the first protruding portion 34 where the first protruding portion 34 is recessed inward in the width direction, thereby increasing the contact area with the coolant. The first protruding portion 34 and the second protruding portion 44 extend to the vicinity of the first inlet 36 and the first outlet 38.

[0023] The first protrusion 34 enters into the gaps between the second protrusions 44 when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the first plate 30. The first protrusions 34 and the second protrusions 44 are alternately arranged at a distance in the width direction W. The thickness of the first protrusions 34 is determined by the required rigidity, and the interval in the width direction W is determined by the constraints of the injection molding die and the like. Therefore, there is a limit to how small the intervals between the first protrusions 34 can be. This constraint is the same for the second protrusions 44, which are also formed by injection molding. Therefore, the first protrusions 34 and the second protrusions 44 are arranged so as to enter into each other's gaps, so that the gaps between the first protrusions 34 and the second protrusions 44 can be made small. This makes it possible to increase the contact area of ​​the coolant.

[0024] Returning to Fig. 2, the first panel 24 of the second heat exchanger 14 has a first plate portion 50, a first outer wall portion 52, a first protruding portion 54, a first inlet 56, and a first outlet 58. The first plate portion 50 is formed in a longitudinal, flat plate shape. The first outer wall portion 52 stands from the first plate portion 50 toward the second panel 26, and is formed along the outer periphery of the first plate portion 50.

[0025] The first protrusions 54 are formed in a wall shape standing from the first plate portion 50 toward the second panel 26 and protrude into the circulation space. The first protrusions 54 are formed in a wave shape when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and extend from the first inlet 56 toward the first outlet 58. The multiple first protrusions 54 are arranged at equal intervals in the width direction.

[0026] The first inlet 56 is opened to allow the coolant to flow into the flow space of the second heat exchanger 14, and is formed as a through hole in the first plate portion 50. The first outlet 58 is opened to allow the coolant to flow out from the flow space of the second heat exchanger 14, and is formed as a through hole in the first plate portion 50.

[0027] The second panel 26 of the second heat exchanger 14 has a second plate portion 60, a second outer wall portion 62, a second protruding portion (not shown), a second inlet 66, and a second outlet 68. The second panel 26 of the second heat exchanger 14 differs from the second panel 22 of the first heat exchanger 12 in that it has the second inlet 66 and the second outlet 68. This is because the second heat exchanger 14 is connected to the first heat exchanger 12.

[0028] The second plate portion 60 is formed in a longitudinal, flat plate shape, has a flat surface on the side facing the first heat exchanger 12 (the upper side in FIG. 2), and is configured to come into surface contact with the battery module. The second outer wall portion 62 stands from the second plate portion 60 toward the first panel 24, and is formed along the outer periphery of the second plate portion 60.

[0029] A plurality of second protrusions (not shown) are formed in a wall shape erected from the second plate portion 60 toward the first panel 24 and protrude into the circulation space. The second protrusions are formed in a corrugated shape when viewed perpendicular to the surface and are disposed at equal intervals in the width direction. In the second heat exchanger 14 as well, the plurality of first protrusions 54 and the plurality of second protrusions are disposed alternately and spaced apart in the width direction W. The second inlet 66 and the second outlet 68 are formed as through holes in the second plate portion 60.

[0030] The first seal ring 16a is attached to the second outlet 68 and abuts against the first inlet 36 of the first panel of the first heat exchanger 12 and the second outlet 68 of the second panel of the second heat exchanger 14 to provide a sealing function. The first seal ring 16a abuts against the first outlet 38 of the first panel of the first heat exchanger 12 and the second inlet 66 of the second panel of the second heat exchanger 14 to provide a sealing function.

[0031] The third seal ring 18a is attached to the first inlet 56 and the fourth seal ring 18b is attached to the first outlet 58.

[0032] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the heat exchanger 10 shown in Fig. 1(a). The first heat exchanger 12 and the second heat exchanger 14 are stacked, and the flow space 48 of the first heat exchanger 12 and the flow space 78 of the second heat exchanger 14 are in communication with each other.

[0033] The first outlet 38 has an outer cylinder portion 38a and an inner edge portion 38b. The outer cylinder portion 38a protrudes downward from the first plate portion 30. The inner edge portion 38b is formed in an elongated hole shape, and protrudes radially inward from the base end of the outer cylinder portion 38a.

[0034] The second inlet 66 has an inner cylinder portion 66a and a claw portion 66b. The inner cylinder portion 66a protrudes upward from the second plate portion 60. The claw portion 66b is formed to protrude radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder portion 66a. The claw portion 66b supports the second seal ring 16b so that it does not come off. The tip of the inner cylinder portion 66a abuts or is close to the inner edge portion 38b. This reduces flow path resistance.

[0035] The second inlet 66 of the second heat exchanger 14 is inserted into the first outlet 38 of the first heat exchanger 12, that is, inserted inside and connected to the first outlet 38. A second seal ring 16b is provided between the inner cylinder portion 66a of the second inlet 66 and the outer cylinder portion 38a of the first outlet 38. This second seal ring 16b is supported by claw portions 66b so as not to come off, which makes it easy to assemble the second inlet 66 and the first outlet 38.

[0036] In the embodiment, the inner cylinder portion 66a is inserted into the outer cylinder portion 38a, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the inner cylinder portion 66a may be inserted from the outside into the outer cylinder portion 38a. In this case, a claw portion that prevents the second seal ring 16b from coming off is provided in the first outlet 38 of the first heat exchanger 12. In other words, the second inlet 66 of the second heat exchanger 14 is connected to the first outlet 38 of the first heat exchanger 12 by being inserted into or out of the first outlet 38. Alternatively, a claw portion that supports the second seal ring 16b may be formed in one of the first outlet 38 and the second inlet 66.

[0037] The first outlet 58 has a cylindrical portion 58a and a claw portion 58b. The cylindrical portion 58a protrudes downward from the first panel 20. The claw portion 58b protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 58a. The fourth seal ring 18b is supported by the claw portion 58b so as not to come off.

[0038] The first inlet 36 and the second outlet 68 are also connected in a similar configuration to the first outlet 38 and the second inlet 66. That is, the second outlet 68 is connected to the first inlet 36 of the first heat exchanger 12 by being inserted or inserted therein. Also, a claw portion for supporting the first seal ring 16a is formed on one of the first inlet 36 and the second outlet 68. This makes it easy to assemble the first heat exchanger 12 and the second heat exchanger 14.

[0039] The second outer wall portion 42 has a welding portion 42a and a protruding wall portion 42b. The welding portion 42a is fitted to and welded to the upper end surface of the first outer wall portion 32. The protruding wall portion 42b protrudes further than the welding portion 42a and is located inside the welding portion 42a.

[0040] The protruding wall portion 42b fits inside the first outer wall portion 32 and abuts or is close to the inner surface of the first outer wall portion 32 for positioning. The protruding wall portion 42b makes the welding process easier. Furthermore, positioning by the protruding wall portion 42b makes it easier to alternately insert the first protruding portion 34 and the second protruding portion 44. The protruding wall portion 42b is not limited to being provided on the second panel 22 side, and may be provided on the first panel 20 side. The first outer wall portion 52 has a welding portion 52a and a protruding wall portion 52b.

[0041] 5 shows the second protrusion 44 in contact with the first plate portion 30, but this need not be the case. That is, the second protrusion 44 abuts against or is close to the first plate portion 30. The first protrusion 34 of the first panel 20 also abuts against or is close to the second plate portion 40. The first protrusion 54 and the second protrusion of the second panel 26 also abut against or are close to the opposing plate portion. In any case, the first protrusion 34 and the second protrusion 44 are formed to be sufficiently long, and are provided so as to overlap when viewed in the width direction.

[0042] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of assembling the heat exchanger of the modified example. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 100 of the modified example. The heat exchanger of the modified example differs from the heat exchanger 10 shown in Fig. 1(a) in that a snap-fit ​​structure is used for assembling the first heat exchanger 112 and the second heat exchanger 114.

[0043] The first panel 120 of the first heat exchanger 112 further has an elastic claw portion 70 and a support portion 72. The elastic claw portion 70 extends from the support portion 72 toward the first plate portion 30 and is formed to be flexible. The support portion 72 is formed in a bridge shape and supports the elastic claw portion 70.

[0044] The second panel 126 of the second heat exchanger 114 further has an engagement portion 74 and a hole forming portion 76. The hole forming portion 76 stands in a rectangular shape from the second plate portion 60 of the second panel 126 and forms a rectangular hole in the center. The engagement portion 74 is located at the upper stage of the hole forming portion 76 and receives the elastic claw portion 70.

[0045] When the first heat exchanger 112 and the second heat exchanger 114 are brought closer to each other, the elastic claw portion 70 bends against the engagement portion 74, and when it reaches the hole of the hole forming portion 76, it returns to its original shape and engages with the engagement portion 74. As shown in Fig. 7, the elastic claw portion 70 engages with the engagement portion 74, and the movement of the first heat exchanger 112 and the second heat exchanger 114 in the direction away from each other is restricted.

[0046] In this way, the first heat exchanger 112 and the second heat exchanger 114 have a snap-fit ​​structure that connects them to each other. The snap-fit ​​structure is composed of the elastic claw portion 70, the support portion 72, the engagement portion 74, and the hole forming portion 76. The snap-fit ​​structure is provided not only on the longitudinal outer side of the first outlet 38 and the second inlet 66, but also on the longitudinal outer side of the first inlet 36 and the second outlet 68. The snap-fit ​​structure allows the first heat exchanger 112 and the second heat exchanger 114 to be easily integrated together.

[0047] Although an embodiment has been shown in which the elastic claw portion 70 is provided on the first heat exchanger 112 and the engagement portion 74 is provided on the second heat exchanger 114, the engagement portion 74 and the hole forming portion 76 may be provided on the first heat exchanger 112, and the elastic claw portion 70 and the support portion 72 may be provided on the second heat exchanger 114.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications such as design changes may be made to each embodiment based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such modified embodiments may also be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0049] In the embodiment, the heat exchanger 10 is stacked in two stages, the first heat exchanger 12 and the second heat exchanger 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the heat exchanger 10 may be stacked in three or more stages. The heat exchanger 10 may also be a single layer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10 heat exchanger, 12 first heat exchanger, 14 second heat exchanger, 16a first seal ring, 16b second seal ring, 18a third seal ring, 18b fourth seal ring, 20 first panel, 22 second panel, 24 first panel, 26 second panel, 30 first plate portion, 32 first outer wall portion, 34 first protrusion portion, 36 first inlet, 38 first outlet, 38a outer tubular portion, 38b inner edge portion, 40 second plate portion, 42 second outer wall portion, 44, 46 second protrusion portion, 48 flow space, 50 first plate portion, 52 first outer wall portion, 54 first protrusion portion, 56 first inlet, 58 first outlet, 58a tubular portion, 58b claw portion, 60 second plate portion, 62 second outer wall portion, 66 second inlet, 66a inner cylinder portion, 66b claw portion, 68 second outlet, 70 elastic claw portion, 72 support portion, 74 engagement portion, 76 hole forming portion, 78 flow space.

Claims

1. a first panel formed by injection molding a resin material; a second panel formed by injection molding a resin material and overlapping the first panel to form a fluid flow space between the first panel and the second panel; The first panel comprises: A first plate portion; a first protruding portion formed in a plurality of directions from the first plate portion and protruding into the flow space; A first outer wall portion formed along an outer periphery of the first plate portion; An entrance to the flow space; an outlet of the flow space; The second panel is A second plate portion opposed to the first plate portion; a second protruding portion formed in a plurality of directions from the second plate portion and protruding into the flow space; A second outer wall portion formed along an outer periphery of the second plate portion, A heat exchanger characterized in that the first outer wall portion and the second outer wall portion are welded to each other around their entire periphery to form the flow space between the first plate portion and the second plate portion.

2. The first protrusion and the second protrusion are each formed in a wall shape, The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first protrusion is inserted into gaps between the second protrusions when viewed in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the first plate portion.

3. the heat exchanger includes a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger including the first panel and the second panel, respectively; the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are stacked; The second panel of the second heat exchanger is an outlet of the first heat exchanger, the outlet being either internally or externally connected to the inlet; an inlet connected internally or externally to the outlet of the first heat exchanger; a first seal ring is provided between the inlet of the first panel of the first heat exchanger and the outlet of the second panel of the second heat exchanger; a second seal ring is provided between the outlet of the first panel of the first heat exchanger and the inlet of the second panel of the second heat exchanger; a claw portion for supporting the first seal ring is formed at one of the inlet of the first panel of the first heat exchanger and the outlet of the second panel of the second heat exchanger; 3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a claw portion for supporting the second seal ring is formed at one of the outlet of the first panel of the first heat exchanger and the inlet of the second panel of the second heat exchanger.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 3 , wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger have a snap-fit ​​structure for connecting with each other.

Images