Vehicle cooling structure

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle cooling structure which can reduce limitations on the design of a vehicle front part.SOLUTION: A cooling structure 10 includes: a first intake opening 30 provided at a vehicle front end portion; a second intake opening 32 provided at another portion except the vehicle front end portion; and a radiator 20 which is disposed at the vehicle rear side relative to the first intake opening 30 and cooled by heat exchange with air. Further, the cooling structure 10 includes: a first duct portion 50 disposed between the first intake opening 30 and the radiator 20 to supply air introduced from the first intake opening 30 to the radiator 20; and a second duct portion 60 which is branched from the first duct portion 50, connects the second intake opening 32 with the first duct portion 50, and supplies the air introduced from the second intake opening 32 to the first duct portion 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling structure for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which air is introduced into an air-cooled heat exchanger from a first inlet provided at the front end of a vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-107469 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the opening area of the first inlet is large to ensure the amount of air introduced into the heat exchanger, which places significant restrictions on the design of the vehicle end, leaving room for improvement.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cooling structure that can reduce restrictions on the design of the front end of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle cooling structure described in claim 1 comprises a first intake opening provided at the front end of the vehicle, a second intake opening provided at a location other than the front end of the vehicle, a heat exchanger arranged on the rear side of the vehicle of the first intake opening and cooled by heat exchange with air, a first duct section arranged between the first intake opening and the heat exchanger and supplying air introduced from the first intake opening to the heat exchanger, and a second duct section branched off from the first duct section, connecting the second intake opening and the first duct section, and supplying air introduced from the second intake opening to the first duct section.

[0007] In the vehicle cooling structure described in claim 1, for example, when the vehicle is running or the fan is operating, the airflow introduced into the first duct portion through the first intake opening provided at the front end of the vehicle is guided to the heat exchanger as cooling air. In addition, the airflow introduced into the second duct portion through the second intake opening provided at a location other than the front end of the vehicle joins the first duct portion and is guided to the heat exchanger as cooling air. This second duct portion is branched off from the first duct portion, thereby increasing the amount of air supplied to the heat exchanger through the first duct portion. This effectively improves the cooling efficiency of the main cooling flow path and makes it easier to reduce the opening area of the first intake opening. This reduces restrictions on the design of the vehicle's front end.

[0008] The vehicle cooling structure described in claim 2 is the configuration described in claim 1, wherein the second intake opening is provided in a cowl portion located between the rear end of the hood and the front windshield, or in an interior air conditioning duct connected to the cowl portion.

[0009] In the vehicle cooling structure described in claim 2, the second intake opening is provided in a cowl portion disposed between the rear end of the hood and the front windshield, or in an interior air-conditioning duct connected to the cowl portion. The cowl portion and the interior air-conditioning duct are conventionally provided in existing vehicles as flow paths for introducing outside air into the vehicle cabin. Therefore, for example, an existing opening for introducing outside air can be used as the second intake opening, making it easy to implement with minimal changes to the vehicle body.

[0010] A vehicle cooling structure according to a third aspect of the present invention is the configuration according to the first or second aspect, wherein the second duct portion is connected to a side surface of the first duct portion in the vehicle width direction.

[0011] In the vehicle cooling structure described in claim 3, the second duct portion is connected to a side surface of the first duct portion in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the second duct portion can be disposed to the side of the heat exchanger, and there is no need to secure space for disposing the second duct portion in the upper space inside the power unit compartment. This makes it possible to adopt a design with a lowered hood, thereby reducing restrictions on the design of the front part of the vehicle, including the hood.

[0012] The vehicle cooling structure described in claim 4 is the configuration described in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a fan provided on the vehicle rear side of the heat exchanger and discharging air supplied to the heat exchanger via the first duct section to the rear of the vehicle, and a door section provided so as to be able to open and close a connection opening of the first duct section connected to the second duct section, and the door section is configured to open when the pressure in the first duct section becomes negative relative to the pressure in the second duct section due to operation of the fan.

[0013] In the vehicle cooling structure described in claim 4, a fan is provided on the vehicle rear side of the heat exchanger. When the fan is activated, air supplied to the heat exchanger through the first duct is discharged to the rear of the vehicle after heat exchange. Here, the connection opening of the first duct is connected to the second duct, and the first duct is provided with a door that can open and close the connection opening. The door is configured to open when the fan is activated and close when the fan is stopped. Therefore, when the fan is stopped, the heat exchanger is cooled by air introduced through the first intake opening, and when the fan is activated, the heat exchanger is cooled by air introduced through the first and second intake openings. This allows the volume of cooling air to be increased when it is necessary to increase the volume of cooling air, for example, when sufficient airflow is not available while the vehicle is stopped, or when the fan is activated due to heat generated by the object to be cooled. On the other hand, when sufficient airflow is available while the vehicle is moving, the introduction of air from the second duct can be stopped, thereby suppressing a decrease in aerodynamic performance during driving.

[0014] Furthermore, because the door can be opened by the pressure difference between the first duct and the second duct, it can be opened and closed without using an electric actuator, etc. This allows the power consumption of vehicle A to be reduced.

[0015] The vehicle cooling structure described in claim 5 is the configuration described in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the object to be cooled by the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchanger via a refrigerant pipe, and the object to be cooled is a battery installed in the vehicle.

[0016] In the vehicle cooling structure described in claim 5, the heat exchanger is connected to the battery mounted on the vehicle via a refrigerant pipe, which improves the battery cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger and reduces restrictions on the design of the front end of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] As described above, the vehicle cooling structure according to the present invention has the effect of reducing restrictions on the design of the front part of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a front portion of a vehicle showing a cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first duct portion that constitutes the cooling structure according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first duct portion taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a cooling ECU that controls the operation of a fan. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a cooling process executed by a cooling ECU. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] 1 to 5, a vehicle cooling structure 10 according to this embodiment will be described below. Note that the arrow FR shown in each drawing indicates the front side of the vehicle, the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and the arrow LH indicates the left side of the vehicle. Furthermore, when the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are used in the following description unless otherwise specified, they refer to front-rear in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, up-down in the up-down direction of the vehicle, and left-right when facing the direction of travel.

[0020] 1 is a side view of the front part of a vehicle A to which a cooling structure 10 is applied, viewed from the left side. Here, the front part of the vehicle A to which the cooling structure 10 is applied will first be described, and then the specific configuration of the cooling structure 10 will be described.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, a power unit compartment 12 is provided in the front of the vehicle A. The upper side of the power unit compartment 12 is covered by a hood 14 (see Fig. 1) that can be opened and closed. The rear end of the power unit compartment 12 in the vehicle longitudinal direction is formed by a dash panel (front wall of the vehicle passenger compartment) (not shown) that separates it from the passenger compartment of the vehicle A.

[0022] The power unit compartment 12 is equipped with a power unit 16 that generates driving force for vehicle A to travel. The power unit 16 is configured as an equipment unit that integrates, for example, an inverter, an electric motor, and a transaxle. The inverter converts direct current flowing from a battery 18 into three-phase alternating current. The electric motor rotates using the three-phase alternating current supplied from the inverter. The transaxle is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor and is configured of a transmission that changes the rotation speed of the motor, and a differential gear that distributes driving force to the left and right tires. In other words, vehicle A according to this embodiment is an electric vehicle (EV) that travels using battery power as a driving source.

[0023] The battery 18 is mounted on the rear side of the power unit compartment 12, approximately in the center of the front-rear direction of the vehicle A. A passenger compartment (reference numeral omitted) of the vehicle A is provided above the battery 18. The battery 18 is connected to a radiator 20 via a refrigerant pipe 24, which will be described later.

[0024] A radiator 20 serving as a heat exchanger is mounted on the vehicle front side of the power unit 16. The radiator 20 is a heat exchanger that cools the battery 18 by circulating coolant as a refrigerant between the radiator 20 and the water-cooled battery 18.

[0025] The radiator 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape and includes a radiator body 22 and a refrigerant pipe 24 supported by the radiator body 22. The radiator body 22 is a frame body formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The radiator body 22 supports the refrigerant pipe 24, which snakes back and forth multiple times in the vehicle width direction. A number of fins (not shown) are attached to the refrigerant pipe 24, and while the vehicle A is traveling, air introduced into the power unit compartment 12 through a first intake opening (grill opening) 30 (described later) passes between the fins, cooling the coolant (refrigerant) circulating inside the refrigerant pipe 24. The refrigerant pipe 24 is connected to a refrigerant flow path formed inside the battery 18, and the coolant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 24 circulates between the radiator 20 and the battery 18. This cools the battery 18.

[0026] In this embodiment, the radiator 20 is disposed at an angle such that its upper end is located further rearward than its lower end. In other words, the radiator 20 is disposed in a rearward tilted position. This allows the radiator 20 to be mounted in a low profile, and even if the radiator 20 is mounted in front of the power unit 16, the height of the front of the vehicle A can be reduced.

[0027] A fan 26 is disposed behind the radiator 20. The fan 26 is covered by a box-shaped shroud 28 connected to the rear surface of the radiator 20. The fan 26 is integrated with the radiator 20, and together with the radiator 20 and the shroud 28, constitute a single device unit.

[0028] The fan 26 is, for example, an electric fan that rotates using the rotation of an electric motor (not shown) as a driving force. The fan 26 generates an airflow (cooling air) that passes through the radiator 20 when it is operated. That is, when the fan 26 is operated, the cooling air that exchanges heat with the coolant passes through the radiator 20 from the front side of the vehicle to the rear side of the vehicle. After exchanging heat with the coolant, the cooling air is discharged to the lower side of the vehicle A through an opening (not shown) provided in the floor of the power unit compartment 12.

[0029] The fan 26 is electrically connected to a cooling ECU 70 serving as a control device. The cooling ECU 70 is configured to operate the fan 26 when the load on the battery 18, which is the object to be cooled, is high, and to stop the fan 26 when the load on the battery 18 is low. The detailed configuration of the cooling ECU 70 will be described later.

[0030] (cooling structure) Next, the cooling structure 10 for guiding the cooling air that exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the radiator 20 will be described in detail.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling structure 10 has a first intake opening 30 provided at the front end of the vehicle and a second intake opening 32 provided at other locations except the front end of the vehicle, as intake ports for introducing outside air into the power unit compartment 12.

[0032] As an example, the first air intake opening 30 is configured as a grill opening provided in the front and center of the vehicle. The grill opening is formed in the lower part of a bumper cover 34 that forms the front end of the vehicle A, and opens toward the front of the vehicle. The opening width of the first air intake opening 30 in the vehicle width direction is set to be equal to or greater than the width of the radiator 20 in the vehicle width direction.

[0033] As an example, the second intake opening 32 is provided in an interior air-conditioning duct 36 connected to an interior air-conditioner (not shown) of the vehicle A. The interior air-conditioning duct 36 is disposed in the space between a dash panel that separates the power unit compartment 12 from the passenger compartment and an instrument panel (not shown) that forms the front wall of the passenger compartment. The interior air-conditioning duct 36 is connected to an outside air port 46 formed in the cowl portion 40 and an interior air-conditioning opening formed in the instrument panel. Therefore, outside air is introduced into the interior air-conditioning duct 36 through the outside air port 46 in the cowl portion 40.

[0034] The cowl portion 40 is a plate-like member made of sheet metal and disposed between the rear end of the hood 14 and the front windshield 38. The cowl portion 40 extends in the vehicle width direction, and its ends in the extending direction are connected to left and right pillars (not shown). As an example, the cowl portion 40 includes an upper cowl 42 that supports the lower end of the front windshield 38, and a lower cowl 44 that is connected to an interior air conditioning duct.

[0035] The cowl upper 42 has a middle portion in the fore-and-aft direction joined to the lower end portion of the front windshield 38, supporting the front windshield 38 from below. The cowl upper 42 also has an air inlet 46 for introducing outside air into the cowl portion 40.

[0036] Meanwhile, the cowl lower 44 has flanges formed at its front and rear ends, and these flanges are joined to flanges provided at the front and rear ends of the cowl upper 42. The cowl lower 44 has a groove that protrudes downward from the vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction. This groove guides rainwater and other water that has entered through the fresh air port 46 of the cowl upper 42 outward in the vehicle width direction and discharges it below the vehicle. The cowl lower 44 also has an opening (not shown) that is connected to the interior air-conditioning duct 36. Air introduced from the fresh air port 46 of the cowl upper 42 toward the cowl lower 44 is introduced into the interior air-conditioning duct 36 through the opening in the cowl lower 44. A portion of the air introduced into the interior air-conditioning duct 36 is introduced into a second duct portion 60 (described later) through the second air intake opening 32.

[0037] In this embodiment, the radiator 20 is disposed so as to face a first intake opening 30 provided at the front end of the vehicle A. In addition, a first duct section 50 is disposed between the first intake opening 30 and the radiator 20, and supplies the air introduced through the first intake opening 30 to the radiator 20.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2 , the first duct portion 50 is attached to the front portion of the radiator 20. The first duct portion 50 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending from the radiator 20 toward the front of the vehicle. Specifically, the first duct portion 50 has side wall portions 52 extending forward from the left and right ends of the radiator 20, an upper wall portion 54 connecting the upper ends of the side wall portions 52, and a lower wall portion 56 connecting the lower ends of the side wall portions 52. A duct opening 58 that opens toward the front of the vehicle is formed at the front end of the first duct portion 50. The opening width of the duct opening 58 in the vehicle width direction is set to be equal to the width of the radiator 20 in the vehicle width direction. The opening width of the duct opening 58 in the vehicle up-down direction is set to be equal to or greater than the first intake opening 30.

[0039] In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of protecting the radiator 20 in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the duct opening 58 and the first air intake opening 30 are arranged apart and facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. However, from the viewpoint of improving cooling efficiency, the duct opening 58 may be configured to be connected to the first air intake opening 30.

[0040] A connection opening 51 is formed in the side wall 52 of the first duct portion 50. One end of the second duct portion 60 is connected to this connection opening 51. In this embodiment, the connection opening 51 is formed in the left side wall 52 of the first duct portion 50. This connection opening 51 is configured to be openable and closable by a door portion 62, which will be described later.

[0041] The second duct portion 60 is formed in a long, cylindrical shape and connects the first duct portion 50 and the interior air-conditioning duct 36. One end of the second duct portion 60 in the extension direction is connected to the side wall portion 52 of the first duct portion 50, and the second duct portion 60 is routed from the side of the radiator 20 in the vehicle width direction to the rear side of the vehicle. The other end of the second duct portion 60 in the extension direction is connected to the interior air-conditioning duct 36. Therefore, in the power unit compartment 12 of the vehicle A, a space for arranging the second duct portion 60 is provided to the side of the radiator 20. This eliminates the need to secure space under the hood 14 for the second duct portion 60, making it possible to design the hood 14 with a reduced height.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 3, the door portion 62 is attached to the inner surface of the side wall portion 52 of the first duct portion 50 via a hinge portion 64. This allows the door portion 62 to rotate about the hinge portion 64. When the vehicle A is traveling, the door portion 62 closes the connection opening 51 due to the action of ram pressure from the traveling wind. In other words, when the vehicle A is traveling, the traveling wind is introduced into the first duct portion 50 through the first intake opening portion 30. The ram pressure of this traveling wind presses the door portion 62 against the side wall portion 52, closing the connection opening 51.

[0043] On the other hand, when the fan 26 is operated, such as when the vehicle A is stopped, the door portion 62 opens the connection opening 51, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 3. In other words, since the second duct portion 60 is in communication with the second air intake opening 32, the internal pressure is set to be equivalent to the outside air pressure (atmospheric pressure). In contrast, when the air in the first duct portion 50 is sucked toward the rear side of the radiator 20 due to operation of the fan 26, the pressure in the first duct portion 50 becomes lower than the outside air pressure. As a result, the pressure in the first duct portion 50 becomes negative relative to the pressure in the second duct portion 60, so the door portion 62 opens and the connection opening 51 is opened.

[0044] As described above, the fan 26 is electrically connected to the cooling ECU 70 as a control device, and is controlled to rotate the electric motor as a drive source at a predetermined rotation speed based on a signal from the cooling ECU 70. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the cooling ECU.

[0045] 4, the cooling ECU 70 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 72, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 73, a storage 74, a communication I / F (Interface) 75, and an input / output I / F 76. The CPU 71, the ROM 72, the RAM 73, the storage 74, the communication I / F 75, and the input / output I / F 76 are connected via a bus 77 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0046] The CPU 71 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls various components. That is, the CPU 71 reads programs from the ROM 72 or the storage 74 and executes the programs using the RAM 73 as a work area. In this embodiment, a cooling program 70A is stored in the storage 74. The ROM 72 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 73 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 74 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive) or flash memory, and stores various programs including the operating system and various data.

[0047] The communication I / F 75 is an interface for connecting to other devices, and uses standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The input / output I / F 76 is an interface for connecting to other ECUs and other devices mounted on the vehicle A. In this embodiment, a water temperature sensor 80 that detects the temperature of the coolant circulating inside the battery 18 is connected to the input / output I / F 76. In addition, the fan 26 is connected to the input / output I / F 76.

[0048] The cooling ECU 70 reads out the cooling program 70A stored in the storage 74 and executes the cooling process. In the cooling process, the operation of the fan 26 is controlled based on the value detected by the water temperature sensor 80. Specifically, the cooling ECU 70 operates the fan 26 when the coolant temperature exceeds a threshold value T1 (°C) based on information from the water temperature sensor 80, which detects the coolant temperature, and stops the fan 26 when the coolant temperature falls below a second threshold value T2 (°C), which is equal to or lower than the first threshold value T1. In other words, this control can be understood as control that operates the fan 26 when the load (heat generation) on the cooling capacity when the fan 26 is not operating is high.

[0049] (Cooling treatment) 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the cooling process executed by the cooling ECU 70. The cooling process is executed at a predetermined interval, for example, when the ignition switch of the vehicle A is turned on. The cooling process is performed by the CPU 71 reading the cooling program 70A from the ROM 72 or the storage 74, expanding it into the RAM 73, and executing it.

[0050] 5, the cooling ECU 70 determines whether the coolant temperature is equal to or higher than a threshold value T1 (°C) based on information from a water temperature sensor 80 that detects the coolant temperature inside the battery 18 (step S1). If the cooling ECU 70 determines that the coolant temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold value T1 (°C), the cooling ECU 70 activates the fan 26 of the radiator 20 (step S2). On the other hand, if the cooling ECU 70 determines that the coolant temperature is lower than the threshold value T1 (°C), the process returns to step S1.

[0051] When the fan 26 of the radiator 20 is activated, the pressure inside the first duct portion 50 becomes negative relative to the pressure inside the second duct portion 60, and the door portion 62 opens (step S3). This opens the second duct portion 60, and air introduced through the second air intake opening portion 32 is supplied into the first duct portion 50.

[0052] Next, the cooling ECU 70 determines whether the coolant temperature is lower than a threshold value T2 (°C) based on information from the water temperature sensor 80 that detects the coolant temperature inside the battery 18 (step S4). If the cooling ECU 70 determines that the coolant temperature is lower than the threshold value T2 (°C), it stops the fan 26 of the radiator 20 (step S5). On the other hand, if the cooling ECU 70 determines that the coolant temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold value T2 (°C), it returns to the processing of step S2.

[0053] When the fan 26 of the radiator 20 stops, the pressure in the first duct portion 50 returns, and the door portion 62 closes due to the ram pressure of the traveling wind introduced through the first air intake opening 30 (step S6). This closes the second duct portion 60, and only the air introduced through the first air intake opening 30 is guided into the first duct portion 50. Note that even when the vehicle is stopped and not exposed to the traveling wind, with the fan 26 stopped, the pressure in the first duct portion 50 and the pressure in the second duct portion 60 become approximately equal (i.e., equal to the outside air pressure). Therefore, even in this case, the door portion 62 is configured to close due to its own weight.

[0054] After the fan 26 of the radiator 20 is stopped, the cooling ECU 70 ends the cooling process.

[0055] (Action and effect) As described above, in the cooling structure 10 for the vehicle A according to this embodiment, when the vehicle A is traveling or the fan 26 is operating, the airflow introduced into the first duct portion 50 through the first air intake opening 30 provided at the front end of the vehicle is guided to the radiator 20 as cooling air. Furthermore, the airflow introduced into the second duct portion 60 through the second air intake opening 32 provided at a location other than the front end of the vehicle joins the first duct portion 50 and is guided to the radiator 20 as cooling air. The second duct portion 60 is provided branching off from the first duct portion 50, thereby increasing the amount of air supplied to the radiator 20 through the first duct portion 50. This effectively improves the cooling efficiency of the main cooling flow path and makes it easier to reduce the opening area of the first air intake opening 30. This reduces restrictions on the design of the front end of the vehicle.

[0056] In this embodiment, the second air intake opening 32 is provided in an interior air conditioning duct 36 connected to a cowl portion 40 disposed between the rear end of the hood 14 and the front windshield 38. The cowl portion 40 and the interior air conditioning duct 36 are conventionally provided in existing vehicles as flow paths for introducing outside air into the vehicle cabin. Therefore, for example, an existing opening for introducing outside air can be used as the second air intake opening 32, which requires minimal modifications to the vehicle body and can be easily implemented.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second duct portion 60 is connected to the side surface of the first duct portion 50 in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the second duct portion 60 can be disposed to the side of the radiator 20, and there is no need to ensure a space for disposing the second duct portion 60 in the upper space within the power unit compartment 12. This makes it possible to adopt a design in which the hood 14 of the vehicle body is lowered, and it is possible to reduce restrictions on the design of the front part of the vehicle, including the hood 14.

[0058] In this embodiment, a fan 26 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the radiator 20. When the fan 26 is activated, air supplied to the radiator 20 through the first duct portion 50 exchanges heat and is then discharged to the rear of the vehicle. The connection opening 51 of the first duct portion 50 is connected to the second duct portion 60, and the first duct portion 50 is provided with a door portion 62 that can open and close the connection opening 51. The door portion 62 is configured to open when the fan 26 is activated and close when the fan 26 is stopped. Therefore, when the fan is stopped, the heat exchanger is cooled by air introduced through the first intake opening, and when the fan is activated, the heat exchanger is cooled by air introduced through the first and second intake openings. This allows the volume of cooling air to be increased when it is necessary to increase the volume of cooling air, for example, when sufficient airflow is not available while the vehicle is stopped, or when the fan is activated due to heat generated by the object to be cooled. On the other hand, when sufficient wind is available while driving, the reduction in aerodynamic performance while driving can be suppressed by cutting off the introduction of air from the second duct portion.

[0059] Furthermore, the door portion 62 can be opened by the pressure difference between the first duct portion 50 and the second duct portion 60, so the door portion can be opened and closed without using an electric actuator, etc. This allows the power consumption of the vehicle A to be reduced.

[0060] The radiator 20 is connected to the battery 18 via a refrigerant pipe 24. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the cooling efficiency of the battery 18 by the radiator 20 can be improved, while reducing restrictions on the design of the front end of the vehicle A. [supplementary explanation]

[0061] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and can be modified within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, although the above embodiment has been described as being applied to an electric vehicle (EV), the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention may also be applied to a cooling structure for a battery of a hybrid vehicle (HV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), or the like.

[0062] Furthermore, in the present invention, the object to be cooled by the radiator 20 as a heat exchanger is not limited to a battery. It can be applied to various in-vehicle devices. For example, it may be a condenser that constitutes the refrigeration cycle of an interior air conditioner, or an engine as an internal combustion engine. In other words, the cooling structure according to the present invention may be applied to a vehicle equipped with an engine as an internal combustion engine. In this case, the power unit mounted in the power unit compartment may be composed of the engine and a transaxle.

[0063] Furthermore, the connection destination of the other end of the second duct portion 60 is not limited to the interior air-conditioning duct 36. For example, the other end of the second duct portion 60 may be directly connected to the outside air port 46 of the cowl portion 40. That is, the second air intake opening portion 32 may be configured as the outside air port 46 of the cowl portion 40. Furthermore, the second air intake opening portion 32 is not limited to the embodiment in which it is formed near the cowl portion 40. It may be any portion other than the front end portion of the vehicle A, and for example, the second air intake opening portion may be provided in a portion of an outer panel that configures a side portion of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the door portion that allows the connection opening of the first duct portion to be opened and closed is not essential. That is, the door portion may be omitted, and the second duct portion may be configured to be always open to the first duct portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] Vehicle A 14 Food 18 Battery 20 Radiator (heat exchanger) 26 Fans 30 First intake opening 32 Second intake opening 36 Indoor air conditioning duct 38 Front windshield 40 Cowling part 50 First duct section 51 Connection opening 60 Second duct section 62 Door section

Claims

1. a first intake opening provided at a front end of the vehicle; a second intake opening provided at a location other than the front end of the vehicle; a heat exchanger that is arranged on the vehicle rear side of the first intake opening and is cooled by heat exchange with air; a first duct portion disposed between the first intake opening portion and the heat exchanger, and configured to supply air introduced through the first intake opening portion to the heat exchanger; a second duct portion branching from the first duct portion, connecting the second air intake opening portion and the first duct portion, and supplying the air introduced from the second air intake opening portion to the first duct portion; A vehicle cooling structure comprising:

2. The second intake opening is provided in a cowl portion disposed between the rear end of the hood and the front windshield, or in an interior air conditioning duct connected to the cowl portion. The vehicle cooling structure according to claim 1 .

3. The second duct portion is connected to a side surface of the first duct portion in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle cooling structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a fan provided on a vehicle rear side of the heat exchanger and configured to exhaust the air supplied to the heat exchanger via the first duct portion to the vehicle rear side; a door portion provided to be able to open and close a connection opening of the first duct portion connected to the second duct portion, The door portion is configured to open when the pressure in the first duct portion becomes negative relative to the pressure in the second duct portion due to operation of the fan. The vehicle cooling structure according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The object to be cooled by the heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchanger via a refrigerant pipe, The object to be cooled is a battery mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle cooling structure according to claim 1 or 2.

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