Water-cooled intercooler system

Abstract

To provide a water-cooled intercooler system that can efficiently cool a radiator disposed on a cooling water circuit that cools the cooling water flowing through the water-cooled intercooler.SOLUTION: A water-cooled intercooler system comprises: an engine room disposed at a front of a vehicle; an internal combustion engine mounted in the engine room; a water-cooled intercooler that cools air compressed by a turbocharger of the internal combustion engine; a radiator that exchanges heat between a cooling water flowing through the water-cooled intercooler and air; and a chamber which is arranged on a front side of the radiator of a vehicle, and in which the air passes through the radiator from the front to rear. The chamber includes: a first opening that can take in the air from the engine room; and a second opening that can take in the air outside the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a water-cooled intercooler system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a water-cooled intercooler system has been known that includes a coolant circuit for cooling a water-cooled intercooler provided in an intake passage of the engine, separate from a coolant circuit for cooling the engine (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The water-cooled intercooler system of Patent Document 1 has a coolant circuit for cooling the coolant flowing through the water-cooled intercooler, separate from the coolant circuit for cooling the engine. Each coolant circuit has a radiator that exchanges heat between the coolant and air. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-78269 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 does not disclose a water-cooled intercooler system for efficiently cooling the radiator of the water-cooled intercooler.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a water-cooled intercooler system that can efficiently cool a radiator arranged on a coolant circuit that cools the coolant flowing through a water-cooled intercooler. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The water-cooled intercooler system of the present disclosure comprises an engine room located at the front of a vehicle, an internal combustion engine mounted in the engine room, a water-cooled intercooler that cools air compressed by a turbocharger of the internal combustion engine, a radiator that exchanges heat between the cooling water flowing through the water-cooled intercooler and the air, and a chamber that is arranged on the front side of the radiator of the vehicle and through which air inside passes through the radiator from front to rear, and the chamber has a first opening that can take in air from the engine room and a second opening that can take in air outside the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This water-cooled intercooler system allows the air from the engine compartment and the outside air to mix in the chamber. This allows the water-cooled intercooler system to produce air at the optimum temperature for cooling the radiator. As a result, the radiator, which is located on the coolant circuit that cools the coolant flowing through the water-cooled intercooler, can be efficiently cooled. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a system diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a system diagram of a water-cooled intercooler system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure executed by a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the front side of the vehicle is designated as F, the rear side as B, the right side as R, the left side as L, the upper side as U, and the lower side as D. In the following description, the left-right direction will be referred to as the vehicle width direction.

[0010] 1 and 2, vehicle C includes an engine (an example of an internal combustion engine) 1, a water-cooled intercooler system 2 (see FIG. 2), a motor (FrM) 3, a generator (GEN) 4, a drive battery (BT) 6, a transaxle 8, an inverter 12 that controls the motor 3 and the generator 4, an accelerator pedal 14 operated by a user of vehicle C, a charger 16 connectable to an external power source, a power supply device (external power supply device) 18 that can supply power to external devices such as home appliances, a vehicle control device (an example of a control device) 20, an engine control device 22 that controls engine 1, and a fuel tank (FUEL TANK) 24. In addition, vehicle C may include, for example, a charge button (not shown) that a user uses to instruct charging. The vehicle C of this embodiment is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) equipped with external charging, which allows power from an external power source to be stored in the drive battery 6 by a charger 16, and external power supply, which allows power from the drive battery 6 to be supplied to external devices by a power supply device 18.

[0011] The engine 1 is connected to and drives a generator 4. Furthermore, the engine 1 can drive wheels C1 via a transaxle 8. The engine 1 of this embodiment is an in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine equipped with a supercharger 1a. The engine 1 receives fuel from a fuel tank 24 and burns and consumes the fuel.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the water-cooled intercooler system 2 includes a water-cooled intercooler 30, a radiator 32, a chamber 34, a first duct 36, a second duct 38, a first valve 40, a second valve 42, and a temperature sensor 44.

[0013] The water-cooled intercooler 30 cools the air (intake air) compressed by the turbocharger 1a of the engine 1. The air (intake air) cooled by the water-cooled intercooler 30 is introduced into the engine 1 and combusted. The water-cooled intercooler 30 has a passage therein through which coolant passes. The water-cooled intercooler 30 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the coolant flowing through the water-cooled intercooler 30 and the air. The water-cooled intercooler 30 is connected to the radiator 32 by a coolant pipe 32a. A water pump 32b is provided on the passage of the coolant pipe 32a. The water pump 32b circulates the coolant flowing through the coolant pipe 32a. The water pump 32b may be an electric pump driven by a DC motor or the like, or a mechanical pump driven by the engine 1 or the like.

[0014] The chamber 34 is disposed on the front side of the vehicle C of the radiator 32. The chamber 34 has a space 34a located in front of the radiator 32. The space 34a can take in air from the engine compartment C2 in which the engine 1 is mounted and air outside the vehicle C. Specifically, the chamber 34 is connected to the first duct 36 and the second duct 38. By being disposed in front of the radiator 32, the chamber 34 has the function of regulating the temperature of the air that comes into contact with the radiator 32. The air in the space 34a of the chamber 34 exchanges heat with the coolant flowing through the water-cooled intercooler 30 as it passes from the front to the rear of the radiator 32.

[0015] The first duct 36 extends from the chamber 34 to the engine room C2, taking in air from the engine room C2 and allowing air from the chamber 34 to flow into the engine room C2. The first duct 36 extends from the upper part of the chamber 34 and extends rearward (toward the center of the engine room C2) along the hood C3 that covers the upper part of the engine room C2. This makes it easy for heat that tends to accumulate in the upper part of the engine room C2 to be taken into the chamber 34. The first duct 36 has a first opening 43 at its rear end that opens into the engine room C2, and a first valve 40 is provided in the first duct 36. The first valve 40 opens and closes the first duct 36 to allow and block the flow of air through the first duct 36. In this embodiment, the first valve 40 is a butterfly valve driven by a DC motor. However, the first valve 40 may be any valve that allows and blocks the flow of air through the first duct 36. The first valve 40 is electrically connected to the vehicle control device 20, and its operation is controlled by the vehicle control device 20.

[0016] The second duct 38 extends from the chamber 34 toward the outside of the vehicle C. In this embodiment, the second duct 38 extends from the front side of the chamber 34 toward the front side of the vehicle C, faces an air intake 45 (front grille) provided on the front side of the vehicle C, and takes in outside air from the front of the vehicle C. This makes it easy for the second duct 38 to take in air from the front of the vehicle C into the chamber 34. The second duct 38 has a second opening 46 that opens near the air intake 45 at its front end, and a second valve 42 is provided in the second duct 38. The second valve 42 opens and closes the second duct 38 to allow and block the flow of air through the second duct 38. In this embodiment, the second valve 42 is a butterfly valve driven by a DC motor. However, the second valve 42 may be any valve that can allow and block the flow of air through the second duct 38. The second valve 42 is electrically connected to the vehicle control device 20, and its operation is controlled by the vehicle control device 20.

[0017] The temperature sensor 44 detects the temperature inside the chamber 34. The temperature sensor 44 is electrically connected to the vehicle control device 20.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1 , the motor 3 is connected to the wheels C1 via a transaxle 8 and an axle 10 to drive the wheels C1. The motor 3 in this embodiment is a three-phase AC motor having multiple coils and multiple permanent magnets. The motor 3 is driven by the rotation of the axle 10 (wheels C1) to generate electricity (regenerate). Therefore, the motor 3 is a motor-generator capable of power running and generating electricity. The generator 4 is connected to the engine 1 and can drive the engine 1. The generator 4 performs motoring, driving the engine 1, while power running is performed using electric power from the drive battery 6. On the other hand, the generator 4 is driven by the engine 1 to generate electricity while the engine 1 is operating. Therefore, the generator 4 is a motor-generator capable of power running and generating electricity through regeneration.

[0019] The drive battery 6 outputs electric power to the motor 3 and the generator 4, and also receives electric power generated by the motor 3 and the generator 4. Furthermore, the drive battery 6 receives external electric power via a charger 16. In this embodiment, the drive battery 6 is made up of multiple lithium-ion batteries.

[0020] The transaxle 8 has multiple gears and a clutch 8a. The engine 1 is connected to the generator 4 and the axle 10 via the transaxle 8. When the clutch 8a is in a disengaged state, the transaxle 8 cuts off the power transmission between the engine 1 and the axle 10, and when the clutch 8a is in a engaged state, the power of the engine 1 is transmitted to the axle 10.

[0021] The inverter 12 converts the DC power supplied from the drive battery 6 into AC power and adjusts the power supplied to the motor 3 to control the power running torque of the motor 3. When the motor 3 regenerates electricity, the inverter 12 converts the AC power supplied from the motor 3 into DC power and adjusts the power supplied to the drive battery 6 to control the regenerative torque of the motor 3.

[0022] The vehicle control device 20 is electrically connected to the motor 3 via the inverter 12 and controls the motor 3. The motor 3 is actually an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) configured by a microcomputer including a calculation device, a memory, an input / output buffer, etc. The vehicle control device 20 controls the vehicle C based on maps and programs stored in the memory.

[0023] The vehicle control device 20 of this embodiment is further electrically connected to an engine control device 22. The engine control device 22 is electrically connected to various devices provided in the engine 1 and controls the engine 1. The control of the engine 1 may be performed by the vehicle control device 20 in addition to the engine control device 22. The vehicle control device 20 may also be electrically connected to various other devices of the vehicle C and perform various controls.

[0024] The vehicle C of this embodiment has driving modes such as EV mode, series mode, and parallel mode. In EV mode, the vehicle C drives the motor 3 with power from the drive battery 6. In series mode, the vehicle C drives the generator 4 with the engine 1 and uses the power generated by the generator 4 to drive the motor 3. In parallel mode, the vehicle C engages the clutch 8a and uses the power of the engine 1 to drive wheels (an example of drive wheels) C1 via the axle 10. The vehicle C may also have a charge mode. In charge mode, the vehicle C drives the generator 4 with the engine 1 and stores the power generated by the generator 4 in the drive battery 6. In the vehicle C, the vehicle control device 20 switches between driving modes depending on the depression state of the accelerator pedal 14 and the operation state of the charge button, and controls the motor 3 and generator 4 via the inverter 12 and has the engine control device 22 control the engine 1.

[0025] Furthermore, the vehicle C of this embodiment has an external power supply mode. In the external power supply mode, when the connector 18a is connected to an external device, the vehicle control device 20 supplies power from the drive battery 6 to the external device using the power supply device 18. When the state of charge (SOC) of the drive battery 6 falls below a predetermined state of charge SOCt during the external power supply mode, the vehicle control device 20 executes an engine power generation external power supply mode (power generation mode) in which the engine 1 is started to drive the generator 4, and the power generated by the generator 4 is stored in the drive battery 6 and supplied to the external device.

[0026] Next, a control procedure executed by the vehicle control device 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 3. The vehicle control device 20 starts the control procedure when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on.

[0027] In step S1, the vehicle control device 20 determines whether the engine 1 is in a started state. The vehicle control device 20 starts the engine 1, for example, when the mode is switched from the EV mode to the series mode or the parallel mode. Therefore, the vehicle control device 20 may determine that the engine 1 is in a started state when the mode is switched to the series mode or the parallel mode, for example. In addition, the vehicle control device 20 starts the engine 1 to drive the generator 4 when the mode is switched to the charge mode, the engine power generation external power supply mode, or the like. Therefore, the vehicle control device 20 may determine that the engine 1 is in a started state when the mode is switched to the charge mode, the engine power generation external power supply mode, or the like. If the vehicle control device 20 determines that the engine 1 is in a started state (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2.

[0028] In step S2, the vehicle control device 20 closes the first valve 40 and the second valve 42. When starting the engine 1, fuel atomization is better when warm air flows into the engine 1. For this reason, it is preferable for the water-cooled intercooler 30 to suppress cooling of the air (intake air). In other words, it is preferable for the temperature of the coolant that cools the water-cooled intercooler 30 to be high. For this reason, the vehicle control device 20 closes the first valve 40 to prevent outside air from flowing into the chamber 34. Furthermore, because the engine compartment C2 is also cold immediately after starting the engine 1, the vehicle control device 20 closes the second valve 42 to prevent cold air from flowing from the engine compartment C2 into the chamber 34. This keeps the space 34a of the chamber 34 warm and suppresses heat exchange in the radiator 32. As a result, the temperature of the coolant is likely to rise. After executing the process of step S2, the vehicle control device 20 proceeds to step S1. Furthermore, if the vehicle control device 20 determines that the engine 1 is not in a started state, that is, that a predetermined time has passed since the engine 1 was started (NO in step S1), the process proceeds to step S3.

[0029] In step S3, the vehicle control device 20 obtains the air temperature in the chamber 34 from the temperature sensor 44 and determines whether the temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature is, for example, a temperature related to the temperature of the engine compartment C2. The vehicle control device 20 may obtain the temperature of the engine compartment C2 and set the temperature of the engine compartment C2 as the predetermined temperature. In other words, the vehicle control device 20 determines whether the temperature of the chamber 34 is lower than the temperature of the engine compartment C2. If the vehicle control device 20 determines that the temperature of the chamber 34 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0030] In step S4, the vehicle control device 20 opens the first valve 40. If the temperature of the engine compartment C2 is higher than the temperature of the chamber 34, when starting the engine 1, it is better to take warm air from the engine compartment C2 into the space 34a of the chamber 34 and mix it with the air already in the space 34a. This makes it easier to increase the temperature of the coolant. As a result, it makes it easier to increase the temperature of the air (intake air) introduced into the engine 1. After executing the process of step S4, the vehicle control device 20 proceeds to step S1. Furthermore, if the vehicle control device 20 determines that the temperature of the chamber 34 is higher than the predetermined temperature (step S3 NO), it proceeds to step S5.

[0031] In step S5, the vehicle control device 20 determines whether or not the vehicle control device 20 is in the parallel mode. If the vehicle control device 20 determines that the vehicle control device 20 is in the parallel mode (YES in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6.

[0032] In step S6, the vehicle control device 20 closes the first valve 40 and opens the second valve 42. The vehicle control device 20 switches to the parallel mode when the speed of the vehicle C is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed (e.g., 60 km). Therefore, in the parallel mode, the speed of the vehicle C is high and the engine 1 is also hot. In this state, it is preferable to cool the air (intake air) introduced into the engine 1. In other words, it is preferable to cool the radiator 32. By introducing air (outside air or running wind) introduced from outside the vehicle C into the space 34a of the chamber 34, it is expected that the radiator 32 will be cooled. On the other hand, since the engine compartment C2 is already hot due to exhaust heat, it is preferable not to introduce air from the engine compartment C2 into the chamber 34. After executing the process of step S6, the vehicle control device 20 proceeds to step S1. Furthermore, if the vehicle control device 20 determines that the parallel mode is not in effect (NO in step S5), it proceeds to step S7.

[0033] In step S7, the vehicle control device 20 determines whether or not the mode is the engine power generation external power supply mode (power generation mode). If the vehicle control device 20 determines that the mode is the engine power generation external power supply mode (YES in step S7), the process proceeds to step S8.

[0034] In step S8, the vehicle control device 20 opens the first valve 40 and the second valve 42. In the engine power generation external power supply mode, the vehicle C is often stopped. For this reason, it is preferable to create an air flow within the chamber 34 to facilitate the intake of air from outside the vehicle C into the chamber 34. As a result, the vehicle control device 20 opens the first valve 40 and the second valve 42 to facilitate the generation of an air flow within the chamber 34. This facilitates the entry of cool outside air into the space 34a, which is expected to cool the radiator 32. After executing the process of step S8, the vehicle control device 20 proceeds to step S1. Furthermore, if the vehicle control device 20 determines that the vehicle is not in the engine power generation external power supply mode (NO in step S7), the process proceeds from step S9 to step S13, and the vehicle control device 20 may control the first valve 40 and the second valve 42 based on, for example, the outside air temperature. Specifically, if the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the first threshold (YES in step S9), the first valve 40 is closed and the second valve 42 is opened (step S10), allowing the radiator 32 to be cooled by outside air. If the outside air temperature is lower than the first threshold (NO in step S9), it is determined whether the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than a second threshold, which is lower than the first threshold (step S11). If the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the second threshold (YES in step S11), the first valve 40 and the second valve 42 are opened (step S12), and the opening degrees of the first valve 40 and the second valve 42 are controlled so that the air temperature in the chamber 34 reaches the first threshold. If the outside air temperature is lower than the second threshold (NO in step S11), the first valve 40 is opened and the second valve 42 is closed (step S13), allowing the radiator 32 to be cooled by air from the engine compartment C2, preventing overcooling. The first threshold is, for example, 20°C, and the second threshold is, for example, 0°C.

[0035] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a water-cooled intercooler system 2 that can efficiently cool the radiator 32 arranged on a coolant circuit that cools the coolant flowing through the water-cooled intercooler 30.

[0036] <Other embodiments> Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. In particular, the multiple modifications described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

[0037] (a) In the above embodiment, the vehicle control device 20 switches to the parallel mode when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The vehicle control device 20 may switch to the parallel mode depending on the required output resulting from the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 14, etc.

[0038] (b) In the above embodiment, the vehicle C is described as a plug-in hybrid vehicle, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The vehicle C may also be a hybrid vehicle having a power supply device 18. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1: Control system, 2: Engine 6: Drive battery, 18: External power supply device, 20: Vehicle control device 30: Water-cooled intercooler system, 32: Radiator, 34: Chamber 36: 1st duct, 38: 2nd duct 40: First valve, 42: Second valve C: Vehicle

Claims

1. an engine room provided at the front of the vehicle; an internal combustion engine mounted in the engine compartment; a water-cooled intercooler that cools air compressed by a supercharger of the internal combustion engine; a radiator for exchanging heat between the cooling water flowing in the water-cooled intercooler and air; a chamber disposed on the front side of the radiator with respect to the vehicle, through which air passes from the front to the rear of the radiator; Equipped with The chamber has a first opening that can take in air from the engine compartment and a second opening that can take in air from outside the vehicle. Water-cooled intercooler system.

2. a first duct extending from the chamber to the engine compartment and taking in air from the engine compartment; a second duct extending from the chamber toward the exterior of the vehicle and taking in air from outside the vehicle; Furthermore, the first duct extends from an upper portion of the chamber toward the rear of the vehicle; the second duct extends forward from the front side of the chamber; The water-cooled intercooler system according to claim 1 .

3. a first valve is provided in the first duct; a second valve is provided in the second duct; When the internal combustion engine is started, the first valve and the second valve are closed. The water-cooled intercooler system according to claim 2 .

4. If the temperature in the chamber is lower than the temperature in the engine compartment, Opening the first valve; The water-cooled intercooler system according to claim 3 .

5. a motor for driving the vehicle; a parallel mode in which the vehicle runs using the motor and the internal combustion engine; Furthermore, In the parallel mode, the first valve is closed and the second valve is opened. The water-cooled intercooler system according to claim 3 .

6. an external power supply device that supplies power to a device outside the vehicle; When the internal combustion engine is operated while the external power supply device is operating, the first valve is opened and the second valve is opened. The water-cooled intercooler system according to claim 3 or 4.

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