Heat exchanger for cooling

Abstract

To provide a heat exchanger for cooling with a novel structure, which can realize high cooling efficiency stably with a configuration with a small amount of components.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger 10 for cooling, which cools an object to be cooled 34, is configured such that a heat transfer elastic body 14, in which a number of heat conductive fillers 24 are mixed into an elastic base material 22, is formed in close contact with a surface of a heat passage member 12 for cooling; a cooling surface 26, which is allowed to deform in accordance with the object to be cooled 34 and is superimposed on the object to be cooled 34, is formed in the heat transfer elastic body 14; and a heat transfer path is formed between the cooling surface 26 and the heat passage member 12 for cooling by the number of heat conductive fillers 24 in the heat transfer elastic body 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling heat exchanger used for cooling an object to be cooled, such as a battery pack, in an electrically powered vehicle such as an electric automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] In electric vehicles, such as electric cars and hybrid cars, the objects to be cooled, such as battery packs and electronic devices, generate more heat due to their miniaturization and high performance, and cooling performance is becoming increasingly important. Conventionally, cooling heat exchangers have been used to cool battery packs and the like, with cooling passages formed between metal plates that are stacked on top of each other. In this cooling heat exchanger, one plate is stacked on the object to be cooled, such as a battery pack, and the object to be cooled is cooled by cooling the one plate with a refrigerant flowing through the cooling passage.

[0003] In addition, since there is a strong demand for lightweight vehicles in electric vehicles, weight reduction of cooling heat exchangers is also being considered. For example, JP 2020-088108 A (Patent Document 1) proposes that one plate that is overlapped with the cooling target and requires high thermal conductivity is made of a metal cooling panel, and the other plate that does not require thermal conductivity is made of a resin flow path made of a synthetic resin with a lower specific gravity than metal. In Patent Document 1, the resin flow path is plate-shaped, and a groove opening on the surface of the resin flow path is covered with a metal cooling panel to form a cooling passage through which a refrigerant flows inside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-088108 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When using the above-mentioned conventional cooling heat exchanger, a thermally conductive layer is provided between the cooling object, such as a battery pack, and the cooling surface, which is the overlapping surface of the cooling object, in order to efficiently cool the cooling object. The thermally conductive layer is formed, for example, of an elastically deformable sheet or a viscous gel, and fills gaps caused by minute irregularities on each overlapping surface of the cooling surface of the cooling heat exchanger and the cooling object, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the cooling heat exchanger and the cooling object.

[0006] However, since such a thermally conductive layer is provided between the overlapping surfaces of the cooling surface and the cooling object when assembling the cooling heat exchanger and the cooling object, there are problems such as an increase in the number of parts and complication of the assembly work. In particular, the thermally conductive layer needs to be positioned relative to the overlapping surfaces of the cooling surface and the cooling object, but when the cooling object is overlapped on the cooling surface via the thermally conductive layer, there is a risk that the thermally conductive layer will be misaligned, and the effective overlapping area between the cooling surface and the cooling object will become smaller, which may result in a decrease in heat exchange efficiency.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger for cooling having a novel structure that can stably achieve high cooling efficiency with a simple configuration having a small number of parts.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a cooling heat exchanger having the above-mentioned novel structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The following describes preferred embodiments for understanding the present invention, but the embodiments described below are merely illustrative and may be combined with one another as appropriate, and the multiple components described in each embodiment may be recognized and used independently as far as possible, and may also be combined with any of the components described in another embodiment as appropriate. As a result, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various other embodiments may be realized.

[0010] The first aspect is a cooling heat exchanger for cooling an object to be cooled, in which a heat transfer elastomer having a large number of heat conductive fillers mixed into an elastic base material is formed in close contact with the surface of a heat passage member for cooling, the heat transfer elastomer is allowed to deform in accordance with the object to be cooled and a cooling surface is formed in the heat transfer elastomer so as to be superimposed on the object to be cooled, and a heat conduction path between the cooling surface and the heat passage member for cooling is formed by the large number of heat conductive fillers in the heat transfer elastomer.

[0011] According to the heat exchanger for cooling constructed according to this embodiment, the heat path member for cooling and the object to be cooled can be brought into close contact with each other via the heat transfer elastomer without providing a separate heat conductive layer between the heat path member for cooling and the object to be cooled. Moreover, the heat transfer elastomer in which a large number of heat conductive fillers are mixed into the elastic base material has a heat transfer path formed by the large number of heat conductive fillers, so that even if it is interposed between the cooling surface and the heat path member for cooling, it fully allows the transfer of heat between the cooling surface and the heat path member for cooling. Therefore, effective cooling of the object to be cooled by efficient heat exchange between the heat path member for cooling and the object to be cooled can be realized with a small number of parts.

[0012] Furthermore, since the heat transfer elastomer is formed in intimate contact with the surface of the heat path member for cooling, for example, when an object to be cooled is placed over the cooling surface, the heat transfer elastomer does not shift relative to the heat path member for cooling, and the cooling surface is held in position relative to the heat path member for cooling. Therefore, the cooling surface is stably cooled by the heat path member, and stable cooling of the object to be cooled placed over the cooling surface is achieved.

[0013] In a second aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the first aspect, the numerous thermally conductive fillers are oriented in a straight line extending in the opposing direction between the thermal passage member for cooling and the cooling surface, so that the thermal conduction path is formed by the numerous thermally conductive fillers in a form extending in the opposing direction between the thermal passage member for cooling and the cooling surface.

[0014] According to the heat exchanger for cooling constructed according to the present embodiment, the heat transfer path extending in the opposing direction between the heat path member for cooling and the cooling surface superimposed on the object to be cooled efficiently transfers heat between the heat path member for cooling and the object to be cooled, thereby effectively cooling the object to be cooled. In particular, the heat transfer path extending in the opposing direction between the heat path member for cooling and the cooling surface transfers heat from the heat path member for cooling to the cooling surface via a short path, thereby further improving the cooling efficiency.

[0015] In a third aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the first or second aspect, the thermally conductive filler is formed of a magnetic material, and a large number of the thermally conductive fillers are oriented in a form that forms a magnetic path in a specific direction inside the heat transfer elastomer.

[0016] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, for example, by applying a magnetic field during molding of the heat transfer elastomer, it is possible to orient the heat conductive filler in a specific direction, and a heat conduction path can be formed easily with high thermal conductivity.

[0017] A fourth aspect is a cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cooling heat passage member includes a pipe member, and a cooling passage through which a cooling heat medium flows is formed by an inner hole of the pipe member.

[0018] In the heat exchanger for cooling constructed according to the present embodiment, the pipe members are kept in a cooled state by the heat medium for cooling flowing through the inner holes of the pipe members, so that the object to be cooled is continuously cooled by heat exchange between the pipe members and the object to be cooled. In addition, since the wall of the cooling passage is made of the pipe members, it is possible to prevent the heat medium from leaking out of the cooling passage.

[0019] A fifth aspect is the cooling heat exchanger according to the fourth aspect, wherein the pipe members are made of a non-magnetic material and the thermally conductive filler is made of a magnetic material.

[0020] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, for example, when a magnetic field is applied during molding of a heat transfer elastomer to orient the heat conductive filler in a specific direction, if the pipe member is formed from a non-magnetic material, the pipe member will not disturb the magnetic field by, for example, inducing magnetic flux, making it easier to form the desired heat conduction path.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the fourth or fifth aspect, the portion of the pipe member that is fixed to the heat transfer elastomer is formed into a flattened cylindrical shape that is wide when projected in a direction perpendicular to the cooling surface.

[0022] According to a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the projection area of ​​the pipe member relative to the cooling surface is increased, so that the cooling surface can be cooled more efficiently.

[0023] A seventh aspect is a heat exchanger for cooling according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the heat passage member for cooling includes a bag body having a cooling passage therein through which a heat medium for cooling flows.

[0024] According to the heat exchanger for cooling constructed according to the present embodiment, the heat path member for cooling is a bag body, which makes it easy to manufacture the heat path member. In addition, by flowing a heat medium for cooling through the cooling passage formed inside the bag body, the bag body is maintained in a cooled state, and the cooling object is continuously cooled by heat exchange between the bag body and the cooling object. In addition, since the heat path member for cooling itself constituted by a bag body is allowed to deform on its surface, the deformation of the cooling surface following the cooling object is allowed with a greater degree of freedom, and the adhesion of the cooling surface to the cooling object can be improved.

[0025] An eighth aspect is a cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the heat passage member for cooling has a structure in which a heat-conductive lid is fixed in a laminated state to the surface of a passage forming member made of a synthetic resin, the passage forming member is provided with a void that opens to the surface, the opening of the void is covered with the heat-conductive lid to form a cooling passage through which a heat medium for cooling flows, and the heat-conductive elastomer is formed in intimate contact with the surface of the heat-conductive lid.

[0026] According to a heat exchanger for cooling constructed in accordance with the present embodiment, when a heat passage member for cooling in which a cooling passage is formed between the overlapping surfaces of a passage forming member and a heat-transferring lid is adopted, a heat-transferring elastomer is formed in close contact with the surface of the heat-transferring lid, and the heat-transferring lid and the object to be cooled are brought into close contact with each other via the heat-transferring elastomer, thereby making it possible to effectively cool the object to be cooled.

[0027] A ninth aspect is the heat exchanger for cooling according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the heat passage member for cooling includes a heat pipe.

[0028] According to a cooling heat exchanger constructed in accordance with the present embodiment, a heat transfer elastomer is formed on the surface of the low-temperature portion of the heat pipe to set up a cooling surface, thereby making it possible to effectively cool an object to be cooled that is placed over the cooling surface.

[0029] A tenth aspect is a cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the heat transfer elastomer is provided with a plurality of the cooling surfaces, and a plurality of the objects to be cooled are respectively superimposed on the plurality of cooling surfaces.

[0030] According to the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, a single cooling heat exchanger can cool a plurality of cooling targets. Note that the plurality of cooling targets may be, for example, separate members, or may be multiple different locations of a single member.

[0031] In an eleventh aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the tenth aspect, the heat transfer elastomer is plate-shaped, a pair of the cooling surfaces is provided on both sides of the heat transfer elastomer in the plate thickness direction, and different cooling objects are superimposed on each of the pair of cooling surfaces.

[0032] According to the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, two objects to be cooled can be cooled by one cooling heat exchanger. Also, for example, by arranging the cooling heat exchangers and the objects to be cooled alternately in the plate thickness direction of the heat transfer elastic body and stacking them in a laminated state, both sides of each object to be cooled can be cooled by the cooling heat exchangers.

[0033] A twelfth aspect is a cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the cooling heat passage members are arranged in parallel at least in part, and the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler in a portion of the heat transfer elastomer arranged between adjacent cooling heat passage members is lower than the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler in a portion of the heat transfer elastomer arranged between the opposing cooling heat passage members and the cooling surface.

[0034] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, for example, the thermally conductive filler between the opposing cooling heat passage member and the cooling surface can be oriented in the opposing direction of the cooling heat passage member and the cooling surface to increase the thermal conductivity between the cooling heat passage member and the cooling surface, while in parts outside the opposing space between the cooling heat passage member and the cooling surface, the orientation rate of the thermally conductive filler can be reduced and the filler can be scattered therein, making it easier to transfer heat from the cooling heat passage member arranged nearby.

[0035] A thirteenth aspect is the cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, in which the heat transfer elastic body is a foam.

[0036] According to the cooling heat exchanger having the structure according to this embodiment, the flexibility of the heat transfer elastic body can be increased, and the cooling surface can be improved in conformity with the deformation of the cooling object. Also, the density of the heat transfer elastic body can be reduced, which makes it easier to realize a reduction in the weight of the cooling heat exchanger.

[0037] A fourteenth aspect is a manufacturing method for a cooling heat exchanger for cooling an object to be cooled, comprising a preparation step of preparing a heat passage member for cooling, and a molding step of filling a forming material in which an elastic base material is mixed with a large number of heat conductive fillers made of a magnetic material into a cavity of a molding die in which the heat passage member for cooling is set, and insert molding a heat transfer elastomer having a cooling surface to be superimposed on the object to be cooled so that it is in close contact with the surface of the heat passage member for cooling, and in the molding step, a magnetic field is applied between the opposing surfaces of the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface to orient the heat conductive filler in the opposing direction between the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface.

[0038] According to the manufacturing method of the cooling heat exchanger of this embodiment, in the molding process of the heat transfer elastomer, a magnetic field is applied to the material for forming the heat transfer elastomer filled in the cavity of the molding die, so that the heat conductive filler can be easily oriented in the opposing direction between the heat path member for cooling and the cooling surface, between the opposing heat path member for cooling and the cooling surface.

[0039] Furthermore, when a magnetic field is applied to the material forming the thermally conductive elastomer, the orientation rate of the thermally conductive filler may be made lower in a portion outside the area between the thermal path member for cooling and the cooling surface, for example by hindering the action of the magnetic field or by reducing the magnetic force acting thereon, compared to the area between the thermal path member for cooling and the cooling surface. This makes it possible to disperse the thermally conductive filler in that portion and suppress a decrease in the amount of heat transfer from the cooling surface to the thermal path member for cooling due to that portion.

[0040] A fifteenth aspect is a manufacturing method for a cooling heat exchanger for cooling an object to be cooled, comprising a preparation step of preparing a heat passage member for cooling, and a molding step of filling a forming material in which an elastic base material is mixed with a large number of heat conductive fillers made of a magnetic material into a cavity of a molding die in which the heat passage member for cooling is set, and insert molding a heat transfer elastomer having a cooling surface to be superimposed on the object to be cooled so that it is in close contact with the surface of the heat passage member for cooling, and in the molding step, a magnetic field inclined with respect to the opposing direction between the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface is applied to the heat conductive filler, so that the large number of the heat conductive fillers are oriented in a direction inclined with respect to the opposing direction between the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface.

[0041] According to the manufacturing method of the cooling heat exchanger of this embodiment, in the molding process of the heat transfer elastomer, a magnetic field is applied to the material for forming the heat transfer elastomer filled in the cavity of the molding die, whereby the heat conductive filler made of a magnetic material can be easily oriented in a specific direction.

[0042] By orienting the thermally conductive filler in a direction inclined with respect to the opposing direction between the thermal passage member for cooling and the cooling surface, it becomes possible, for example, to adjust the heat transfer efficiency in the opposing direction between the thermal passage member for cooling and the cooling surface.As exemplified in the embodiment described below, when the object to be cooled is pressed against the cooling surface and the thermally conductive elastomer is compressed, it becomes possible to improve cooling performance by utilizing the fact that the thermally conductive fillers come close to each other. Effect of the Invention

[0043] According to the present invention, in a cooling heat exchanger, a high cooling efficiency can be stably achieved with a simple configuration having a small number of parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cooling heat exchanger according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] Front view of the cooling heat exchanger shown in Figure 1 [Diagram 3] A plan view of the cooling heat exchanger shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] A cross-sectional view showing the molding process of the cooling heat exchanger shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooling heat exchanger shown in FIG. 1 in use; [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the cooling heat exchanger shown in FIG. 6 in use; [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a cooling heat exchanger according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to the cross section VIII-VIII of FIG. [Figure 9] IX-IX cross section of Figure 8 [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cooling heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views showing a molding process of a cooling heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0046] 1 to 4 show a cooling heat exchanger 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The cooling heat exchanger 10 is a heat exchanger for cooling a battery pack 34, which will be described later, and has a structure in which a heat transfer elastic body 14 is formed in intimate contact with the surface of a pipe member 12 that constitutes a heat passage member for cooling.

[0047] The pipe member 12 is formed of metal, synthetic resin, etc. The pipe member 12 is desirably formed of a non-magnetic material, for example, a non-magnetic metal material such as an aluminum alloy, or a synthetic resin such as polyamide. The pipe member 12 may be, for example, a seamless pipe formed without seams by drawing or extrusion, or may be an electric resistance welded pipe formed by rolling a plate material and welding a part of its circumference, or a forge welded pipe.

[0048] The inner hole of the pipe member 12 is a cooling passage 16 through which a heat transfer medium (refrigerant) for cooling flows. The heat transfer medium for cooling that flows through the cooling passage 16 is not particularly limited and may be a gas such as air, but is preferably a liquid such as water or an antifreeze liquid such as ethylene glycol.

[0049] The pipe member 12 extends in a meandering shape with the middle portion folded back, and includes a plurality of straight portions 18 extending linearly in the left-right direction and folded portions 20 extending in a curved semicircular arc shape, which are alternately arranged in the length direction. The plurality of straight portions 18, 18 are arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. The pipe member 12 may extend with a constant cross-sectional shape and cross-sectional area over its entire length, but in this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, both end portions protruding from the heat transfer elastic body 14 described later have a substantially circular cross section, and the middle portion fixed in an embedded state to the heat transfer elastic body 14 has a flattened substantially elliptical cross section and is wide when projected in the front-rear direction, which is the plate thickness direction of the heat transfer elastic body 14 (the direction perpendicular to the cooling surface 26 of the heat transfer elastic body 14 described later).

[0050] The heat transfer elastic body 14 has flexibility to be easily deformed by the action of an external force. The heat transfer elastic body 14 has flexibility to be compressed between the contact surface of the battery pack 34 and the pipe member 12 by the contact of the battery pack 34 described later, and the surface deforms to follow the contact surface of the battery pack 34. The heat transfer elastic body 14 also has elasticity to restore its shape when the input is released. The Young's modulus of the heat transfer elastic body 14 is desirably 0.5 MPa or less, and more preferably 0.2 MPa or less. The heat transfer elastic body 14 is formed from a forming material in which a heat conductive filler 24 made of metal or the like is mixed with an elastic base material 22 made of rubber or resin elastomer.

[0051] The elastic base material 22 is made of rubber or a resin elastomer, and is preferably made of polyurethane foam as disclosed in, for example, JP 2009-051148 A. The elastic base material 22 is preferably made of a foam, which improves flexibility. However, the elastic base material 22 is not limited to a foam, and may be a non-foamed material. In the cross-sectional views shown in Figs. 4 and 5 (described later), air bubbles in the elastic base material 22 are omitted for ease of viewing.

[0052] The thermally conductive filler 24 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as metal, and may be formed into various shapes such as a sphere (including an oval sphere and an ellipsoid), a column, a cone, a foil, a fiber, etc. The thermally conductive filler 24 is sized so that a large number of pieces can be mixed with the elastic base material 22, and it is desirable to set the maximum outer dimension within the range of 0.1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, for example.

[0053] The thermally conductive filler 24 is preferably made of a magnetic material, and examples of the magnetic material include ferromagnetic materials, antiferromagnetic materials, and alloys using these materials, as disclosed in JP 2009-051148 A as materials for magnetic fillers. Specifically, the thermally conductive filler 24 is made of ferromagnetic materials such as iron, stainless steel, nickel, and cobalt, antiferromagnetic materials such as manganese oxide, chromium oxide, and iron chloride, and alloys thereof. The magnetic thermally conductive filler 24 is preferably made of stainless steel having excellent corrosion resistance, or a copper-iron alloy having excellent both magnetism and thermal conductivity. Another example of the magnetic thermally conductive filler 24 may include composite particles obtained by combining graphite and magnetic particles, as disclosed in WO 2013 / 042611 as materials for magnetic fillers.

[0054] 2 to 4, the heat transfer elastic body 14, which is made of a material in which a heat conductive filler 24 is mixed into an elastic base material 22, is provided to cover the middle portion of the pipe member 12. The heat transfer elastic body 14 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape with the plate thickness direction being the front-to-rear direction, and the straight portions 18 and folded portions 20 of the pipe member 12 are embedded inside the heat transfer elastic body 14, and both ends of the pipe member 12 protrude rightward from the heat transfer elastic body 14 and are exposed to the outside.

[0055] When the pipe member 12 is heated or cooled, the heat of the pipe member 12 is transferred to the surface of the heat transfer elastic body 14 by the heat conductive filler 24 mixed in the heat transfer elastic body 14. The pipe member 12 is cooled by the cooling heat medium flowing through the internal cooling passage 16, so the surface of the heat transfer elastic body 14 is cooled by heat exchange with the pipe member 12.

[0056] The front-rear surface of the heat transfer elastic body 14, which is the plate thickness direction, is closer to the pipe member 12 than the top-bottom and left-right surfaces of the heat transfer elastic body 14, making it easier to transfer heat from the pipe member 12. The front and rear surfaces of this heat transfer elastic body 14 are overlaid on a battery pack 34, which will be described later, to serve as cooling surfaces 26, 26 that cool the battery pack 34. In this embodiment, both sides of the heat transfer elastic body 14 in the thickness direction, which is in the shape of a substantially rectangular flat plate, are each used as the cooling surface 26, and two cooling surfaces 26, 26 are set for one heat transfer elastic body 14.

[0057] The cooling surface 26 is a part of the surface of the heat transfer elastomer 14, and is therefore permitted to deform in response to the action of an external force. Therefore, when a battery pack 34 (described later) is pressed against the cooling surface 26, the cooling surface 26 deforms to conform to the surface of the battery pack 34, enabling the cooling surface 26 and the battery pack 34 to be superimposed in close contact with each other without any gaps.

[0058] Incidentally, the heat transfer elastic body 14 is formed by filling a forming material, which is a mixture of an elastic base material 22 and a heat conductive filler 24, into a cavity 30 of a molding die 28 with the pipe member 12 set in the molding die 28 as shown in Fig. 5. A manufacturing method of the cooling heat exchanger 10 will be described below with reference to Fig. 5. Note that Fig. 5 illustrates an example of a molding die 28 composed of front and rear molding dies 28a, 28b, and the cavity 30 is formed between the molding dies 28a, 28b, but the structure of the molding die 28 (the number of divisions, the direction of division, etc.) is not particularly limited.

[0059] First, a preparation step is performed to prepare the pipe member 12. That is, for example, a seamless pipe made by drawing an aluminum alloy or an electric resistance welded pipe made by rolling an aluminum alloy strip material and then electrically welding the same is manufactured in a straight shape, and the straight pipe is bent into a serpentine shape and the middle part is crushed and flattened by pressing to prepare the pipe member 12. In the preparation step of the pipe member 12, the connecting pipes 38a, 38b may be attached to both ends of the pipe member 12 by means of welding or the like, or the connecting pipes 38a, 38b may be attached to both ends of the pipe member 12 protruding from the heat transfer elastomer 14 after the molding step of the heat transfer elastomer 14 described later is completed. The pipe member 12 may be made of synthetic resin, and in this case, for example, it may be molded into a straight cylindrical shape and then be bent, flattened, or the like. When the pipe member 12 is made of synthetic resin, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin material, which makes it easy to process the pipe member 12 by heating and bending, flattening, or the like.

[0060] 5, the pipe member 12 is set between the molding dies 28a, 28b, and the middle portion of the pipe member 12 is disposed in the cavity 30. The pipe member 12 is supported by being sandwiched between the molding dies 28a, 28b at both ends, but for example, in order to hold the middle portion at a predetermined position in the cavity 30, a support pin protruding toward the pipe member 12 in the cavity 30 may be provided on at least one of the molding dies 28a, 28b.

[0061] Next, a molding process is performed in which the material for forming the heat transfer elastic body 14, which is the elastic base material 22 mixed with the heat conductive filler 24, is filled into the cavity 30 of the molding die 28, and the heat transfer elastic body 14 is insert-molded by heating or cooling, etc. Then, after the molding of the heat transfer elastic body 14 is completed, the molding dies 28a, 28b are removed from the molded product, and the manufacturing process of the cooling heat exchanger 10 is completed. The cooling heat exchanger 10 is an integrally molded product in which the pipe member 12 is inserted into the heat transfer elastic body 14, and the heat transfer elastic body 14 is fixed to the surface of the pipe member 12 in a tight contact state. The cooling heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment is an integrally molded product in which the entire pipe member 12 is inserted into the heat transfer elastic body 14, but for example, the heat transfer elastic body 14 may be fixed to only the surface of the straight portion 18 of the pipe member 12 in a tight contact state. In this embodiment, a foaming agent such as sodium bicarbonate is mixed into the material forming the heat transfer elastomer 14, and bubbles are formed during molding of the heat transfer elastomer 14, making the heat transfer elastomer 14 a foam. Note that, as the molding process for the heat transfer elastomer 14, for example, the manufacturing method for a urethane foam molded body disclosed in JP 2009-051148 A can also be used.

[0062] In addition, in the molding process of the heat transfer elastomer 14, a magnetic field as shown by the arrows in Fig. 5 is formed to magnetize the heat conductive filler 24, which is the material forming the heat transfer elastomer 14. This causes the heat conductive filler 24 of the heat transfer elastomer 14 to be oriented in the front-rear direction in a form that forms a magnetic path that extends along the magnetic field lines of the applied magnetic field. The heat conductive filler 24 oriented in the front-rear direction forms a heat conductive path that extends in the front-rear direction, and the efficiency of heat transfer in the front-rear direction from the pipe member 12 to the cooling surfaces 26, 26 is improved.

[0063] In this embodiment, the pipe member 12 is formed from a non-magnetic material, and the pipe member 12 does not affect the magnetic field when the heat transfer elastomer 14 is molded, and the magnetic field in the front-to-rear direction acts effectively on the portion of the heat transfer elastomer 14 that overlaps with the pipe member 12 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0064] The molding dies 28a, 28b are provided with a shield member 32 that reduces or prevents the passage of magnetic flux in a portion that is out of the pipe member 12 when projected in the front-rear direction. The shield member 32 is made of a ferromagnetic material such as iron, and in this embodiment, is in the shape of a long plate with a substantially rectangular cross section and extends in the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the shield member 32 is disposed so as to be located between the straight portions 18, 18 adjacent to each other in the up-down direction when projected in the front-rear direction.

[0065] In the molding process of the heat transfer elastic body 14, the action of the magnetic field on the heat conductive filler 24 is reduced by the shield member 32 in the portion of the heat transfer elastic body 14 that is off the pipe member 12 in the left-right direction. That is, when a magnetic field is formed in the front-back direction, the shield member 32, which is a ferromagnetic material, forms a magnetic path in the portion where the shield member 32 is arranged, and the magnetic flux is guided in the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the shield member 32, and it is considered that it is difficult for the magnetic field to act on the heat conductive filler 24 of the heat transfer elastic body 14. The orientation rate of the heat conductive filler 24 in the front-back direction is lower than that of the portion overlapping with the pipe member 12 in the front-back projection on the cooling surface 26, and the heat conductive filler 24 is arranged in a more randomly distributed state. Therefore, in the portion of the heat transfer elastic body 14 that is off the pipe member 12 in the left-right direction, heat exchange occurs efficiently between the pipe member 12 and the heat transfer elastic body 14 on the left and right thereof, and the cooling surface 26 is likely to become low temperature even in the portion that is off the pipe member 12 in the left-right direction. However, in the portion of the cooling surface 26 that overlaps with the pipe member 12 in the front-to-back projection, the thermally conductive filler 24 is oriented in the front-to-back direction and is cooled more efficiently by the pipe member 12, so that the portion exhibits a better cooling effect than the portion that is off the pipe member 12 in the left-to-right direction.

[0066] The orientation rate (degree of orientation) of the heat conductive filler 24 in the heat conductive elastomer 14 can be measured, for example, based on the thermal conductivity of the heat conductive elastomer 14. That is, the higher the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler 24 in a specific direction (orientation direction), the higher the thermal conductivity in the orientation direction. Therefore, in the heat conductive elastomer 14 formed of a uniform forming material, it can be said that the higher the thermal conductivity in a specific direction, the higher the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler 24 in the specific direction. Since the cooling heat exchanger 10 is required to have a heat transfer performance from the pipe member 12 to the cooling surface 26, the level of the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler 24 is measured based on the heat transfer coefficient in the opposing direction between the pipe member 12 and the cooling surface 26.

[0067] The orientation rate of the thermally conductive filler 24 in the thermally conductive elastomer 14 can also be calculated based on the results of measuring the distance between the thermally conductive fillers 24 in a specific direction using X-ray irradiation. The orientation rate of the thermally conductive filler 24 can be calculated based on the arithmetic mean value, median value, or the like of the distance between the thermally conductive fillers 24.

[0068] The cross-sectional shape of the shielding member 32 is not limited to a rectangle, and various other shapes, such as a circle, a square, a trapezoid, a parallelogram, an irregular shape, etc., may be adopted. In addition, for example, a shielding member 32 having a rectangular cross section may be arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the magnetic field lines. The multiple shielding members 32 are not limited to a uniform cross-sectional shape or cross-sectional area, and when arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the magnetic field lines, the inclination angle and the inclination direction may be different from each other.

[0069] The cooling heat exchanger 10 thus constructed is used in a state where it is superimposed on a battery pack 34 as a cooling target, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. That is, at least one of the cooling surfaces 26, 26 set on both the front and rear sides of the cooling heat exchanger 10 is superimposed in a state where it is in contact with the surface of the battery pack 34. Figs. 6 and 7 show a battery module 36 with a heat exchanger, in which a plurality of cooling heat exchangers 10 and a plurality of battery packs 34 are alternately stacked in the front-rear direction. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the cooling heat exchangers 10, 10 are arranged on both the front and rear sides of the battery pack 34. In other words, one of the two battery packs 34, 34 is superimposed on the cooling surfaces 26, 26 of one cooling heat exchanger 10 located in the middle between the front and rear. In addition, the three cooling heat exchangers 10, 10, 10 located in the middle between the front and rear have their cooling surfaces 26, 26 on both the front and rear sides superimposed on the battery pack 34, and the two cooling heat exchangers 10, 10 located at the two ends between the front and rear have only one cooling surface 26 on each side superimposed on the battery pack 34.

[0070] In each of the multiple cooling heat exchangers 10, both ends of the pipe members 12 protrude rightward from the heat transfer elastic body 14. The connecting pipes 38 extending in the front-rear direction provided at the ends of the pipe members 12 are connected to each other, and a common pipe 40 extending in the front-rear direction is formed by these connecting pipes 38. The connecting pipes 38 are provided at both ends of the pipe members 12, respectively, and the common pipe 40a located at the upper part is formed by connecting the connecting pipes 38a provided at one end of each pipe member 12, and the common pipe 40b located at the lower part is formed by connecting the connecting pipes 38b provided at the other end of each pipe member 12.

[0071] The heat medium for cooling that flows into each cooling passage 16 of the multiple cooling heat exchangers 10 through the common pipe 40a flows through the cooling passage 16 to cool the pipe members 12, and is then discharged to the outside through the common pipe 40b. One end opening of the common pipe 40a and one end opening of the common pipe 40b are each closed. The other end opening of the common pipe 40a and the other end opening of the common pipe 40b are mutually connected by an external flow passage (not shown). As a result, a circulation passage through which the heat medium for cooling circulates is configured including the cooling passage 16 in the middle part of the pipe members 12. The external flow passage is equipped with a compressor or the like for cooling the heat medium for cooling.

[0072] The pipe member 12, cooled by the cooling heat medium flowing through the cooling passage 16, cools the heat transfer elastomer 14 covering the outside of the intermediate portion. Since the heat transfer elastomer 14 contains a large number of heat conductive fillers 24, the heat transfer action of the heat transfer path formed by these heat conductive fillers 24 efficiently realizes heat exchange between the pipe member 12 and the cooling surfaces 26, 26 which are the front and rear surfaces of the heat transfer elastomer 14, and the cooling surfaces 26, 26 are cooled.

[0073] The battery packs 34 superimposed on the cooling surfaces 26 kept at a low temperature are cooled by the cooling heat exchanger 10 having the cooling surfaces 26, thereby preventing deterioration in charge / discharge performance, durability, and the like due to high temperatures of the battery packs 34. In this embodiment, both the front and rear surfaces of each battery pack 34 are superimposed on the cooling surfaces 26 of the cooling heat exchangers 10, 10, and therefore both the front and rear surfaces of each battery pack 34 are cooled.

[0074] By pressing the battery pack 34 against the cooling surface 26 formed by the surface of the heat transfer elastomer 14, the cooling surface 26 is deformed to conform to the surface shape of the battery pack 34, and the cooling surface 26 is overlapped closely with the battery pack 34 without any gaps. In this way, since the cooling surface 26 of the cooling heat exchanger 10 is formed by the surface of the heat transfer elastomer 14, the cooling surface 26 can be closely attached to the battery pack 34 without providing a thermally conductive material to fill the gap between the cooling surface 26 and the battery pack 34. As a result, the heat conduction efficiency between the cooling surface 26 and the battery pack 34 can be ensured with a simple structure with a small number of parts.

[0075] The heat conduction path is a path that easily transfers heat by a large number of heat conduction fillers 24 coming into contact with or close to each other, and is provided between the pipe member 12 and the cooling surfaces 26, 26. In this embodiment, the heat conduction fillers 24 are oriented so as to be aligned linearly in the front-rear direction between the pipe member 12 and the cooling surfaces 26, 26 when the heat transfer elastic body 14 is molded, so that the heat conduction path is configured to extend in the front-rear direction between the pipe member 12 and the cooling surfaces 26, 26. Therefore, efficient heat exchange is realized between the pipe member 12 and the cooling surfaces 26, 26 due to the heat transfer action of the heat conduction path, and excellent cooling performance can be obtained.

[0076] Furthermore, in the portion of the heat transfer elastic body 14 that is off the pipe member 12 in the left-right direction, the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler 24 is low, so that a heat conduction path extending in multiple directions is formed. As a result, the portion of the cooling surface 26 that is not facing the pipe member 12 in the front-rear direction is also cooled by the nearby pipe member 12, and effective cooling performance can be achieved.

[0077] In this embodiment, the heat passage member is formed of a pipe member 12, and a heat medium for cooling flows through a cooling passage 16 formed by an inner hole of the pipe member 12. As a result, even if the pipe member 12 is heated by heat exchange with the battery pack 34, the heat of the pipe member 12 is quickly removed by the heat medium for cooling flowing through the cooling passage 16, so that the pipe member 12 is maintained at a low temperature. Therefore, even when the cooling heat exchanger 10 is used continuously, deterioration of the cooling performance is unlikely to become a problem, and the battery pack 34 can be stably cooled.

[0078] The cooling heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment has a plurality of cooling surfaces 26, and therefore can simultaneously cool a plurality of battery packs 34. In addition, the cooling heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment has both front and rear surfaces 26, 26 of the heat transfer elastomer 14, and therefore can cool any number of battery packs 34 by alternately arranging the plurality of heat transfer elastomers 14 and the plurality of battery packs 34 in a stacked state. Therefore, an effective cooling structure can be provided by using the cooling heat exchanger 10 of a common structure in a plurality of types of electric vehicles and the like having different numbers of battery packs 34. Note that, in this embodiment, a battery module 36 capable of cooling four battery packs 34, 34, 34, 34 is exemplified, but the number of battery packs 34 may be three or less, or may be five or more, and can be accommodated by increasing or decreasing the number of cooling heat exchangers 10 according to the number of battery packs 34 to be cooled.

[0079] 8 and 9 show a cooling heat exchanger 50 as a second embodiment of the present invention. The cooling heat exchanger 50 has a structure in which a heat transfer elastomer 14 is formed in close contact with the surface of a bag body 52 serving as a heat passage member. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings to designate the same members and parts as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] The bag body 52 has a structure in which, for example, two aluminum pouches each having a resin film bonded to both sides of an aluminum foil are stacked together, and the outer peripheral ends of the aluminum pouches are bonded together. The outer peripheral end of the bag body 52 is sealed by, for example, being integrated over substantially the entire circumference by heat sealing. The bag body 52 can also be made of a laminate film in which another resin film is bonded to an aluminum film formed by vapor-depositing aluminum on a resin film so as to cover the vapor-deposited surface.

[0081] A cooling passage 54 through which a heat medium for cooling flows is formed inside the bag body 52. ​​As shown in Fig. 8, the cooling passage 54 extends in a serpentine shape that extends linearly and then turns back, and both ends are located at the right ends on both the upper and lower sides of the bag body 52. ​​The cooling passage 54 is formed into a predetermined shape (path) by, for example, a pair of aluminum pouches constituting the bag body 52 being partially heat-sealed to each other at the upper and lower middle parts. The shape of the cooling passage 54 is not particularly limited, but a passage shape that has a large projected area in the front-rear direction and that makes it easy to control the flow of the heat medium for cooling is desirable.

[0082] At both ends of the cooling passage 54, one of a supply port 56 and a discharge port 58 is provided. The supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 are both cylindrical members made of metal, hard synthetic resin, or the like, and one end, i.e., a left end, penetrates the bag body 52 and communicates with the cooling passage 54, while the other end, i.e., a right end, protrudes rightward from the bag body 52 and is connected to an external flow path (not shown). The supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 are inserted between the overlapping surfaces of a pair of aluminum pouches constituting the bag body 52, and penetrate the heat-sealed portions at the outer peripheral ends. The pair of aluminum pouches constituting the bag body 52 are fixed to the outer peripheral surfaces of the supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 at the penetration portions of the supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 by means of welding, adhesion, or the like, and the overlapping surfaces of the bag body 52 and the supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 are sealed.

[0083] The heat transfer elastomer 14 is formed in close contact with the surface of the bag body 52. ​​In this embodiment, the heat transfer elastomer 14 has a rectangular plate shape similar to that of the first embodiment, and both the front and rear surfaces of the heat transfer elastomer 14 are cooling surfaces 26. The heat conductive fillers 24 of the heat transfer elastomer 14 may be oriented, for example, so as to be aligned linearly in the front-rear direction, or may be arranged in a dispersed state without being oriented in a specific direction. As in the first embodiment, the orientation state of the heat conductive filler 24 may be made different between the portion where the cooling passage 16 and the cooling surface 26 face each other in the front-rear direction and the portion outside the cooling passage 54 in the vertical direction, so that the orientation rate of the portion outside the cooling passage 54 in the vertical direction may be lower than that of the portion overlapping the cooling passage 54 in the front-rear projection.

[0084] The cooling heat exchanger 50 thus constructed cools the battery packs 34, 34 by overlapping the battery packs 34 on the cooling surfaces 26, 26 provided on both the front and rear sides, as shown in Fig. 9. The heat transfer elastic body 14 is interposed between the bag body 52, which is cooled by the heat medium for cooling flowing through the cooling passage 54, and the battery pack 34, which is the object to be cooled, so that the bag body 52 and the battery pack 34 are in a tight contact state via the heat transfer elastic body 14, which has excellent heat transfer properties, and efficient heat exchange is realized between the bag body 52 and the battery pack 34. In particular, in this embodiment, the heat passage member itself formed by the bag body 52 is allowed to deform due to an external force, so that the cooling surface 26 has a higher ability to follow the surface of the battery pack 34, and the tight contact state between the cooling surface 26 and the battery pack 34 can be more reliably realized.

[0085] In addition, in the cooling heat exchanger 50 of this embodiment, the heat path member is formed of the bag body 52, so that it is lighter and easier to manufacture than when the heat path member is composed of the pipe member 12. Note that the heat sealing for setting the shape of the cooling path 54 can be performed simultaneously with the heat sealing of the outer peripheral end of the bag body 52, so that the bag body 52 provided with the cooling path 54 can be obtained with fewer manufacturing steps.

[0086] Since the surface of the bag body 52 is covered with the heat transfer elastomer 14, the bag body 52 does not come into direct contact with the battery pack 34. Therefore, even if the heat passage member is formed of the bag body 52 which is more easily damaged by friction and the like than the pipe member 12, a decrease in durability due to contact with the battery pack 34 is unlikely to be a problem.

[0087] 10 shows a cooling heat exchanger 70 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The cooling heat exchanger 70 has a structure in which the surface of a heat passage member 72 for cooling is covered with a heat transfer elastic body 14.

[0088] The heat passage member 72 is generally in the shape of a rectangular plate, and includes a passage forming member 74 made of synthetic resin, and a pair of heat-conductive lids 76, 76 superimposed on both sides in the plate thickness direction of the passage forming member 74. Fig. 10 corresponds to Fig. 9 in the second embodiment, and the cross section at the center of the front-rear direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is substantially the same as Fig. 8.

[0089] The passage forming member 74 is a thick, substantially rectangular plate. The passage forming member 74 is made of a hard synthetic resin, and for example, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene, polyester, polycarbonate, etc. are preferably used as a forming material. The passage forming member 74 may be made of a fiber-reinforced resin.

[0090] A through hole 78 as a serpentine-extending void is formed penetrating the passage forming member 74 in the plate thickness direction. One of the supply port 56 and one of the discharge port 58 are connected to each of both ends of the through hole 78 in the longitudinal direction, and the supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 protrude from the passage forming member 74 to the right.

[0091] The heat-conductive lid 76 has a higher heat transfer rate than the passage-forming member 74, and its outer shape when viewed in the front-rear direction is substantially the same as that of the passage-forming member 74. The heat-conductive lid 76 may be a plate material made of metal or synthetic resin, but may be, for example, a laminate film in which a resin film is bonded to both sides of a metal foil such as the aluminum pouch constituting the bag body 52 of the second embodiment, or a laminate film in which a resin film is bonded to an aluminum vapor deposition film. The heat-conductive lid 76 is thinner than the passage-forming member 74. The heat-conductive lid 76 is overlapped on the front and rear surfaces of the passage-forming member 74 and fixed to the passage-forming member 74 by means of heat welding, adhesion, or the like. The overlapping surfaces of the passage-forming member 74 and the heat-conductive lid 76 are sealed fluid-tight at least around the through-hole 78.

[0092] The front and rear openings of the through hole 78 are covered with heat-transfer lids 76, 76, and a cooling passage 80 extending in a serpentine shape is formed between the heat-transfer lids 76, 76 by utilizing the through hole 78. The supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 are connected to both ends of the cooling passage 80, and the heat medium for cooling supplied and discharged by the supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 flows through the cooling passage 80.

[0093] The heat passage member 72 is disposed in a buried state with the supply port 56 and the discharge port 58 protruding from the heat transfer elastomer 14. The heat transfer elastomer 14 is formed by closely covering the front and rear outer surfaces of the heat transfer lids 76, 76, and the front and rear outer surfaces serve as the cooling surfaces 26, 26. Heat exchange occurs between the low-temperature heat medium flowing through the cooling passage 80 and the heat transfer elastomer 14 via the heat transfer lids 76, 76, so that the cooling surfaces 26, 26 are cooled and maintained at a low temperature.

[0094] According to the cooling heat exchanger 70 of this embodiment, the cooling passage 80 is formed utilizing the through hole 78 provided in the hard passage forming member 74, so that the passage shape of the cooling passage 80 is stabilized, and stable cooling performance can be easily obtained.

[0095] Furthermore, since the passage forming member 74 is made of synthetic resin, which has a smaller specific gravity than metals such as aluminum alloys, an increase in the weight of the cooling heat exchanger 70 is suppressed. Moreover, the heat-conducting cover 76, whose thermal conductivity greatly affects the cooling performance, is a separate part from the passage forming member 74, and therefore can be made of a different material from the passage forming member 74, making it easy to set a high thermal conductivity. In addition, the heat-conducting cover 76 of this embodiment is in the form of a film and is sufficiently thinner than the passage forming member 74, so that more efficient heat exchange is realized between the cooling heat medium flowing through the cooling passage 80 and the heat-conducting elastomer 14.

[0096] In this embodiment, the cooling passage 80 is formed by the through hole 78 penetrating the passage forming member 74, but for example, a groove that opens on only one surface of the passage forming member 74 can be covered with a heat conductive cover 76 to form a cooling passage using the groove. In this case, the cooling surface 26 is set only on the surface of the heat conductive elastic body 14 on the opening side of the groove.

[0097] The heat-conductive lid may be, for example, a metal plate made of an aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or the like, and is not necessarily limited to a sheet shape. In addition, for example, the sealing between the overlapping surfaces of the passage-forming member and the heat-conductive lid may be realized by providing a seal member between the overlapping surfaces of the passage-forming member and the heat-conductive lid, and may be a structure different from the fixing structure between the passage-forming member and the heat-conductive lid, such as welding or bonding.

[0098] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the specific description. For example, the heat path member is not limited to the structure having the cooling path 16 through which the heat medium for cooling flows as exemplified in the above embodiment as long as the heat transfer is permitted and the heat path member can maintain a low temperature state at least in a part thereof. Specifically, for example, the heat path member can be configured with a heat pipe, and the cooling performance can be obtained by heat exchange between the low temperature part of the heat pipe and the cooling surface. It is also possible to use a combination of a plurality of types of heat path members having mutually different structures, such as the heat path members 12, 52, 72 shown in the first to third embodiments and the heat path member made of a heat pipe.

[0099] In the first embodiment, both ends of the pipe member 12 protruded from the heat transfer elastomer 14 to the same side (right side) in the left-right direction, but for example, they may protrude to one side each, or to both sides or to one side in the up-down direction.

[0100] In the first embodiment, a pipe member 12 having a flattened middle portion embedded in the heat transfer elastomer 14 is exemplified, but when the heat passage member is constructed of a pipe member, the pipe member may have a uniform cross-sectional shape as a whole, for example, a circular cross-section as a whole.

[0101] A single heat transfer elastic body 14 can also be formed on the surfaces of a plurality of pipe members. That is, by arranging a plurality of linearly extending pipe members in parallel and forming a single heat transfer elastic body 14 on the surfaces of the plurality of pipe members, a plurality of cooling passages extending linearly through a single heat transfer elastic body 14 can be provided.

[0102] The cooling surfaces 26 do not necessarily have to be provided on both sides of the heat transfer elastomer 14, and may be provided on the front and top surfaces, for example. Also, separate cooling surfaces 26 may be provided at multiple locations on one surface of the heat transfer elastomer 14. Note that the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions in the above-described embodiments are set merely for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the orientation of the cooling heat exchanger 10 in use. Specifically, for example, the cooling heat exchanger 10 may be used in an orientation in which the cooling surface 26 is superimposed on the lower surface of the battery pack 34.

[0103] In the first embodiment, an example was shown in which a magnetic field is formed in the front-rear direction, which is the plate thickness direction, during molding of the heat transfer elastic body 14, and the heat conductive filler 24 is oriented in the front-rear direction, but the direction in which the heat conductive filler 24 is oriented is not necessarily limited to the direction perpendicular to the cooling surface 26 of the heat transfer elastic body 14. Specifically, for example, as in the case of a heat transfer elastic body 90 constituting a cooling heat exchanger shown in Fig. 11, in the molding process of the heat transfer elastic body 90, a magnetic field is applied in a direction inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the cooling surface 26 of the heat transfer elastic body 90 (the front-rear direction, which is the plate thickness direction), so that the heat conductive filler 24 is oriented in a direction inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the cooling surface 26.

[0104] According to a cooling heat exchanger including the heat transfer elastomer 90 in which the heat transfer fillers 24 are oriented in an oblique direction, it is possible to adjust the heat transfer characteristics by taking into consideration the compressive deformation of the heat transfer elastomer 90. Specifically, for example, when a cooling target (not shown) is pressed against the cooling surface 26 and the heat transfer elastomer 90 is compressed in a direction perpendicular to the cooling surface 26, the distance between the heat transfer fillers 24 is reduced not only in the direction perpendicular to the cooling surface 26 but also in the direction parallel to the cooling surface 26. Therefore, a high heat exchange efficiency is realized between the pipe member 12 and the cooling surface 26, and the pipe member 12 is easily able to cool the portion of the cooling surface 26 that is outside the pipe member 12 in the front-rear projection, so that the cooling target can be effectively cooled over a wider range of the cooling surface 26. Furthermore, for example, by utilizing the fact that the compressibility of the heat transfer elastomer 90 in the direction perpendicular to the cooling surface 26 differs between the area where the pipe member 12 is present and the area outside of it due to the partial presence of the pipe member 12, it is possible to realize a more efficient heat transfer path by bringing the heat conductive fillers 24 closer together in the area where the pipe member 12 is present not only in the arrangement direction but also between adjacent arrangements.

[0105] The thermally conductive filler may be any material capable of transferring heat between the heat passage member and the cooling surface, and is not necessarily limited to being made of a magnetic material. The thermally conductive filler made of a non-magnetic material may be oriented in a specific direction by means other than the action of a magnetic field, for example, by controlling the injection direction of the material forming the thermally conductive elastomer 14 into the cavity. In addition, it is desirable for the thermally conductive filler to be oriented in a specific direction from the viewpoint of efficient heat transfer, but it may be arranged in a randomly dispersed state without being oriented in a specific direction. In this case, an effective thermally conductive path can be formed by, for example, increasing the blending ratio of the thermally conductive filler in the thermally conductive elastomer, or compressing the thermally conductive elastomer in a specific direction by pressing the cooling target against the cooling surface, thereby shortening the distance between the thermally conductive fillers.

[0106] The object to be cooled is not limited to the battery pack 34 exemplified in the above embodiment, but may be, for example, a control device including an electronic circuit or the like as a heat generating body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 10 Cooling heat exchanger (first embodiment) 12 Pipe components (heat passage components) 14 Thermally conductive elastic bodies 16 Cooling passage 18 Straight section 20 Turning section 22 Elastic substrate 24 Thermally conductive filler 26 Cooling surface 28(28a,28b) Molding mold 30 Cavity 32 Shielding material 34 Battery pack (cooling target) 36 Battery Module 38(38a,38b) Connecting pipe 40(40a,40b) common pipe 50 Cooling heat exchanger (second embodiment) 52 Bag body (heat passage member) 54 Cooling passage 56 Supply Inlet 58 Outlet 70 Cooling heat exchanger (third embodiment) 72 Heat passage components 74 Passage forming parts 76 Heat-conductive lid 78 Through hole 80 Cooling passage 90 Heat-transfer elastic body (another embodiment)

Claims

1. A cooling heat exchanger for cooling an object to be cooled, A heat transfer elastic body, which is made of an elastic base material mixed with a large number of heat conductive fillers, is formed in intimate contact with the surface of the heat path member for cooling, the heat transfer elastic body has a cooling surface formed thereon that is allowed to deform in accordance with the object to be cooled and that is superimposed on the object to be cooled; A heat exchanger for cooling, in which a heat conduction path between the cooling surface and the heat passage member for cooling is formed by the numerous heat conduction fillers in the heat transfer elastomer.

2. 2. The cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein the heat conductive fillers are oriented in a straight line extending in the opposing direction between the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface, so that the heat conductive path is formed by the heat conductive fillers in a form extending in the opposing direction between the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface.

3. 3. A cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermally conductive filler is formed of a magnetic material, and a large number of the thermally conductive fillers are oriented in a manner that forms a magnetic path in a specific direction inside the heat-transfer elastomer.

4. the heat passage member for cooling includes a pipe member, 3. A heat exchanger for cooling according to claim 1, wherein a cooling passage through which a heat transfer medium for cooling flows is formed by an inner hole of said pipe member.

5. 5. The heat exchanger for cooling according to claim 4, wherein said pipe member is made of a non-magnetic material, and said thermally conductive filler is made of a magnetic material.

6. 5. The cooling heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein the portion of the pipe member fixed to the heat transfer elastic body has a flat cylindrical shape that is wider when projected in a direction perpendicular to the cooling surface.

7. 3. The heat exchanger for cooling according to claim 1, wherein the heat passage member for cooling includes a bag body having a cooling passage therein through which a heat medium for cooling flows.

8. The heat path member for cooling has a structure in which a heat conductive cover is fixed in a laminated state to a surface of a path forming member made of a synthetic resin, The passage forming member is provided with a void that opens to a surface, and the opening of the void is covered with the heat conductive cover to form a cooling passage through which a heat transfer medium for cooling flows, 3. A heat exchanger for cooling according to claim 1, wherein the heat conductive elastic body is formed in intimate contact with a surface of the heat conductive cover.

9. 3. The heat exchanger for cooling according to claim 1, wherein the heat passage member for cooling includes a heat pipe.

10. 3. The heat exchanger for cooling according to claim 1, wherein the heat transfer elastic body is provided with a plurality of the cooling surfaces, and a plurality of the objects to be cooled are respectively superimposed on the plurality of cooling surfaces.

11. A cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 10, wherein the heat transfer elastomer is plate-shaped, a pair of the cooling surfaces is provided on both sides of the heat transfer elastomer in the thickness direction, and each of the pair of cooling surfaces is superimposed on a different cooling object.

12. The thermal path members for cooling are at least partially arranged in parallel, 3. A heat exchanger for cooling as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler in the heat transfer direction in the heat transfer elastomer arranged between adjacent heat transfer members for cooling is lower than the orientation rate of the heat conductive filler in the heat transfer direction in the heat transfer elastomer arranged between the opposing heat transfer member for cooling and the cooling surface.

13. 3. The heat exchanger for cooling according to claim 1, wherein the heat transfer elastic body is a foam.

14. A method for manufacturing a heat exchanger for cooling an object to be cooled, comprising the steps of: a preparation step of preparing a thermal path member for cooling; a molding process of filling a molding material, which is a mixture of an elastic base material and a large number of heat-conductive fillers made of a magnetic material, into a cavity of a molding die in which the heat path member for cooling is set, and insert-molding a heat-conducting elastic body having a cooling surface that is to be superimposed on the object to be cooled so that the heat-conducting elastic body is in intimate contact with the surface of the heat path member for cooling; In the molding step, a magnetic field is applied between the opposing heat path member for cooling and the cooling surface, thereby orienting the thermally conductive filler in the opposing direction between the heat path member for cooling and the cooling surface.

15. A method for manufacturing a heat exchanger for cooling an object to be cooled, comprising the steps of: a preparation step of preparing a thermal path member for cooling; a molding process of filling a molding material, which is a mixture of an elastic base material and a large number of heat-conductive fillers made of a magnetic material, into a cavity of a molding die in which the heat path member for cooling is set, and insert-molding a heat-conducting elastic body having a cooling surface that is to be superimposed on the object to be cooled so that the heat-conducting elastic body is in intimate contact with the surface of the heat path member for cooling; In the molding process, a magnetic field inclined with respect to the opposing direction between the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface is applied to the heat conductive filler, thereby orienting a large number of the heat conductive fillers in a direction inclined with respect to the opposing direction between the heat passage member for cooling and the cooling surface.

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