Heat exchanger for vehicle, and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a heat exchanger capable of effectively suppressing leakage of an operation noise of on-vehicle components to the outside of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger 30 for a vehicle includes: a plurality of tubes 42 which are arranged side by side in a first direction which is a vehicle vertical direction or a vehicle width direction, and which form a fin space 44 between other tubes 42 adjacent to each other; and a plurality of fins 50 which are arranged side by side in a second direction which is the vehicle width direction or the vehicle vertical direction in the fin space 44, each of which extends in a vehicle frontward / backward direction, and which form an air guide passage 60 between other fins 50 adjacent to each other. At least one of the plurality of fins 50 has a shape which is locally separated from the other fins 50 adjacent to each other in the process of proceeding in the vehicle frontward / backward direction so that the second direction dimension of the air guide passage 60 becomes locally large.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification discloses a heat exchanger to be mounted on a vehicle, and a vehicle equipped with the heat exchanger. [Background technology]

[0002] Fans and power sources (e.g., motors or engines) installed in vehicles generate noise during operation, and there is a need to suppress the leakage of such operating noise from the fan or power source outside the vehicle.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a heat exchanger for suppressing leakage of the operating noise of a power source outside the vehicle. This heat exchanger has multiple fins and louvers attached to each fin. The louvers face the direction of the sound source. With this configuration, a portion of the sound generated from the sound source is reflected by the louvers, thereby reducing the sound that leaks outside the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-285592 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, another part of the sound generated from the sound source leaks out of the vehicle through the passages formed between adjacent fins, and therefore the technology in Patent Document 1 was unable to sufficiently suppress the operating noise of the fan or power source.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a heat exchanger and a vehicle that can more effectively suppress leakage of operating noise from vehicle-mounted components to the outside of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The heat exchanger disclosed in this specification is a heat exchanger for a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of tubes arranged in a first direction, which is the vehicle vertical direction or vehicle width direction, and which form a fin space between adjacent tubes; and a plurality of fins arranged in the fin space in a second direction, which is the vehicle width direction or vehicle vertical direction, and each fin extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction and forms an air guide passage between adjacent fins, wherein at least one of the plurality of fins has a shape that locally separates from the adjacent fin as it progresses in the vehicle longitudinal direction, so that the second direction dimension of the air guide passage is locally increased.

[0008] In this case, each of the multiple fins has a shape that periodically undulates in the second direction as it moves in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and has a shape and arrangement that is a mirror image of the adjacent fins in the second direction, and the air guide passage may have a shape in which pipe sections and expansion chambers whose second direction dimension is larger than that of the pipe sections are arranged alternately in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0009] Furthermore, a portion of the fin may be inclined or curved with respect to the front-rear direction and the second direction so that the second direction dimension of the expansion chamber changes continuously at both front-rear direction ends of the expansion chamber.

[0010] The air guide passage includes a plurality of types of expansion chambers having different front-rear dimensions, and the fins are arranged at equal intervals in the second direction at the front end of the heat exchanger.

[0011] The vehicle disclosed in this specification is a vehicle having the above-mentioned heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger is arranged at an angle so that its upper end is located further rearward than its lower end, the tubes are arranged so that their upper surfaces are parallel to the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and at an angle relative to the thickness direction of the heat exchanger, and the fins have a plurality of beads extending in a direction parallel to the up-and-down direction of the vehicle, and the beads locally increase the second direction dimension of the air guide passage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, the dimension of the air guide passage in the second direction is locally increased, which allows the air guide passage to function as an expansion type silencer, thereby effectively muffling noise from the sound source. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the arrangement and shape of a heat exchanger. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing sound waves passing through an extension chamber. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the arrangement and longitudinal cross section of another heat exchanger. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part of another heat exchanger. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of other shapes of fins. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The heat exchanger 30 and the vehicle 10 equipped with the heat exchanger 30 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the arrangement and shape of the heat exchanger 30. Note that "Fr", "Up", and "Rh" in each diagram indicate the front, upper, and right side of the vehicle, respectively.

[0015] As shown in the upper part of FIG. 1 , a power unit compartment 16 is present in the front of the vehicle 10, which is a space in which a power source (e.g., a motor or an engine) is disposed. A heat exchanger 30 that exchanges heat between a refrigerant and outside air is disposed in this power unit compartment 16. The heat exchanger 30 has a flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape and is fixed to the power unit compartment 16 in an upright position with its thickness direction approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The heat exchanger 30 is, for example, a radiator or an intercooler. The refrigerant that flows through the heat exchanger 30 may be, for example, an air conditioning refrigerant or cooling water that cools the power source. The number of heat exchangers 30 mounted on the vehicle 10 is not limited and may be one or two or more.

[0016] A grille 14 is disposed in front of the heat exchanger 30, and a sound source 20 is disposed behind the heat exchanger 30. An air guide duct 18 is disposed between the heat exchanger 30 and the grille 14, and the air guide duct 18 efficiently guides outside air to the heat exchanger 30. The sound source 20 is an on-board component that generates noise as the vehicle 10 is driven. The sound source 20 is, for example, an electric fan that draws in outside air, a power source, or a combination of these.

[0017] Conventionally, noise generated by such a sound source 20 has sometimes leaked outside the vehicle through the heat exchanger 30. The heat exchanger 30 disclosed in this specification effectively suppresses the leakage of such noise. The configuration of the heat exchanger 30 will be described in detail below.

[0018] As shown in the lower part of Fig. 1, the heat exchanger 30 includes a core 40, tanks 34 disposed on both sides of the core 40, and a frame 32 that holds the core 40 and the tanks 34. The tanks 34 are containers that temporarily store a refrigerant. Each tank 34 is in communication with tubes 42, which will be described later. One of the two tanks 34 is provided with a refrigerant inlet 36, and the other of the two tanks 34 is provided with a refrigerant outlet 38. The refrigerant exchanges heat with outside air as it travels from the refrigerant inlet 36 through the tubes 42 to the refrigerant outlet 38.

[0019] The core 40 has a plurality of tubes 42 and a plurality of fins 50. The tubes 42 are flat, hollow members through which a refrigerant flows. As shown in FIG. 1, the tubes 42 extend in the vehicle width direction from one tank 34 to the other tank 34. The tubes 42 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The tubes 42 are made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. Hereinafter, the space between two vertically adjacent tubes 42 will be referred to as the "fin space 44."

[0020] In each fin space 44, a plurality of fins 50 are arranged at intervals in the vehicle width direction. Hereinafter, the arrangement direction of the plurality of tubes 42 will be referred to as the "first direction," and the arrangement direction of the plurality of fins 50 will be referred to as the "second direction." The fins 50 are plate members arranged with their thickness direction parallel to the vehicle width direction (i.e., the second direction), and serve as partitions that divide the fin space 44 into smaller spaces. Like the tubes 42, the fins 50 are made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. The upper and lower ends of each fin 50 are fixed to the tube 42 by brazing or the like. The space between two adjacent fins 50 in the second direction functions as an air guide passage 60 through which outside air passes. The air guide passage 60 is a passage that extends in the front-rear direction and is open at both ends in the front-rear direction.

[0021] Conventionally, noise generated by the sound source 20 leaks outside the vehicle through the air guide passage 60. In the heat exchanger 30 disclosed in this specification, each of the fins 50 is undulated in the second direction to suppress the leakage of noise. This will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. Note that dashed arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of air in the air guide passage 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the fins 50 are shaped to periodically undulate in the second direction (i.e., the vehicle width direction) as they move in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. In other words, the fins 50 are shaped to locally separate from adjacent fins 50 as they move in the longitudinal direction so that the second-direction dimension of the air guide passage 60 locally expands. Furthermore, two fins 50 adjacent in the second direction are shaped and arranged to be mirror images of each other. With this configuration, the air guide passage 60 has a shape in which pipe portions 64 and extension chambers 62 whose second-direction dimension is larger than that of the pipe portions 64 are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction.

[0023] In this way, noise can be reduced by forming an extension chamber 62 with a locally enlarged cross-sectional area in the air guide passage 60. This will be explained with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the state of sound waves 100 passing through the extension chamber 62. When the extension chamber 62 is provided in the air guide passage 60, the air guide passage 60 functions as an extension type silencer in which part of the duct is expanded.

[0024] That is, when the extension chamber 62 is provided in the air guide passage 60, the fluid flowing through the air guide passage 60 expands in the air guide passage 60, reducing the speed and pressure of the fluid. As a result, reflection and interference of the sound waves 100 occur in the extension chamber 62, and the sound energy is consumed. This results in a significant reduction in the sound level. Here, the volume reduction R when sound passes through the extension chamber 62 can be expressed by the following equation 1.

number

[0025] In Equation 1, S1 is the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe portion 64, S2 is the cross-sectional area of ​​the extension chamber 62, and L is the length of the extension chamber 62. Furthermore, ω is the wavelength of the sound wave, and c is the speed of sound. As is clear from Equation 1, the amount of sound reduction R is determined by the cross-sectional area ratio m of the extension chamber 62 to the pipe portion 64 and the length L of the extension chamber 62. Therefore, efficient sound reduction is possible by designing the cross-sectional area ratio m and the length L according to the frequency of the noise to be silenced and the amount of sound reduction R. This makes it possible to effectively suppress leakage of noise emitted from the sound source 20 outside the vehicle.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2 , in this example, the shape of the expansion chamber 62 of the air guide passage 60 in a plan view is not rectangular but substantially hexagonal. In other words, portions of the fins 50 are inclined relative to the front-rear direction and the second direction so that the second-direction dimension of the expansion chamber 62 continuously changes at both front-rear direction ends of the expansion chamber 62. This configuration reduces the resistance of the air flowing through the air guide passage 60 compared to when the expansion chamber 62 is substantially rectangular. As a result, the efficiency of heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the tubes 42 and the outside air can be further improved. Note that, as long as the resistance of the outside air flowing through the air guide passage 60 can be reduced, portions of the fins 50 may be curved in a plan view rather than inclined in a plan view. For example, the expansion chamber 62 may be substantially circular in a plan view rather than substantially polygonal.

[0027] As is clear from the above description, the fins 50 are shaped to undulate in the second direction. This shape improves the section modulus of the fins 50, thereby increasing the rigidity of the fins 50 and, ultimately, the heat exchanger 30. Furthermore, since the fins 50 of this example are shaped to undulate in the second direction, their surface area is increased compared to conventional fins 50. This further improves the efficiency of heat exchange between the outside air and the refrigerant.

[0028] Depending on the vehicle model, the heat exchanger 30 may be disposed in an inclined position with its upper end positioned further rearward than its lower end, as shown in the upper part of Figure 4. Such an arrangement increases the degree of freedom in the design of the front of the vehicle 10 and improves the aerodynamic performance around the hood.

[0029] Even when the heat exchanger 30 is disposed in an inclined position, the air guide passage 60 is parallel to the vehicle longitudinal direction. That is, the tubes 42 are inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the heat exchanger 30 so that their upper surfaces are substantially horizontal. Furthermore, the fins 50 are formed with beads 52 that cause the fins 50 to undulate in the second direction. These beads 52 extend in a direction parallel to the up-down direction and are inclined with respect to the frame 32 of the heat exchanger 30. With this configuration, even when the heat exchanger 30 is disposed in an inclined position, the air guide passage 60 extends in the longitudinal direction, and the pipe portions 64 and the extension chambers 62 are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction. As a result, noise from the sound source 20 can be efficiently silenced even when the heat exchanger 30 is inclined.

[0030] The configuration described above is merely an example, and other configurations may be changed as long as the configuration described in claim 1 is included. For example, in the description above, the multiple tubes 42 are aligned in the vertical direction, and the multiple fins 50 are aligned in the vehicle width direction. However, as shown in Fig. 5, the multiple tubes 42 may be aligned in the vehicle width direction, and the multiple fins 50 may be aligned in the vertical direction. In this case, the vehicle width direction is the "first direction," and the vertical direction is the "second direction."

[0031] When multiple fins 50 are aligned vertically, each fin 50 may have a shape that undulates in the vertical direction, i.e., the second direction, as it moves forward in the front-to-rear direction. In this case, water may accumulate in the downwardly bulging portions of each fin 50. Therefore, when multiple fins 50 are aligned vertically, drainage holes 56 may be formed in the downwardly bulging portions of each fin 50.

[0032] The shape of the extension chamber 62 may also be changed depending on the position where the extension chamber 62 is provided. For example, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 6, the length L of the extension chamber 62 may be changed depending on the position in the front-to-rear direction. This configuration makes it possible to efficiently muffle sounds of multiple frequencies. For example, in the example in the upper part of FIG. 6, the length L2 of the second extension chamber 62s is greater than the length L1 of the first extension chamber 62f. In this case, the first extension chamber 62f can efficiently muffle sounds in a first frequency range, and the second extension chamber 62s can efficiently muffle sounds in a second frequency range that is lower than the first frequency range. Therefore, by mixing extension chambers 62 with different lengths L in one heat exchanger 30, sounds in a wider frequency range can be efficiently muffled.

[0033] In FIG. 6, two types of extension chambers 62 with different lengths L are mixed in one air guide passage 60. However, the length L of the extension chambers 62 may be different for each air guide passage 60. For example, the length L of the extension chamber 62 of the first air guide passage 60 may be different from the length L of the extension chamber 62 of the second air guide passage 60, which is different from the first air guide passage 60. This configuration also broadens the frequency range in which noise can be silenced. However, in this case, multiple types of fins 50 with different shapes (particularly the lengths L of the extension chambers 62) must be prepared, which increases the number of types of parts. On the other hand, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 6, by mixing two types of extension chambers 62 with different lengths L in one air guide passage 60 while making the shapes of the multiple fins 50 the same or symmetrical to each other, the number of types of fins 50 can be reduced.

[0034] As is clear from Equation 1, the volume reduction R can be increased by increasing the cross-sectional area ratio m. The cross-sectional area ratio m can be increased by reducing the second-direction dimension of the pipe portion 64 (hereinafter referred to as "width D1") or increasing the second-direction dimension of the extension chamber 62 (hereinafter referred to as "width D2"). However, reducing the width D1 of the pipe portion 64 or increasing the width D2 of the extension chamber 62 reduces the flow rate of outside air, which in turn reduces the heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, the width D1 of the pipe portion 64 and the width D2 of the extension chamber 62 should be determined in consideration of the balance between the volume reduction R required for noise suppression and the volume reduction required for heat exchange.

[0035] 6, the shape of the front end of each fin 50 may be adjusted so that the arrangement intervals W of the fins 50 in the second direction at the front end of the heat exchanger 30 are uniform. This configuration improves the appearance of the heat exchanger 30 seen through the grill 14. In addition, the explanation so far has been given taking as an example a configuration in which the extension chambers 62 and the pipe portions 64 are arranged periodically in the front-rear direction. However, the extension chambers 62 may be arranged irregularly as long as the dimension of the air guide passage 60 in the second direction is locally increased. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 vehicle, 14 grille, 16 power unit compartment, 18 air guide duct, 20 sound source, 30 heat exchanger, 32 frame, 34 tank, 36 refrigerant inlet, 38 refrigerant outlet, 40 core, 42 tube, 44 fin space, 50 fin, 52 bead, 56 drain hole, 60 air guide passage, 62 expansion chamber, 64 pipe section, 100 sound wave.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger for a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of tubes arranged in a first direction, which is a vehicle vertical direction or a vehicle width direction, and which form a fin space between adjacent tubes; a plurality of fins arranged in the fin space in a second direction which is a vehicle width direction or a vehicle up-down direction, each extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and forming an air guide passage between adjacent fins; Equipped with At least one of the plurality of fins has a shape that locally separates from the adjacent fins as it progresses in the vehicle front-rear direction so that the dimension of the air guide passage in the second direction is locally increased. A heat exchanger for a vehicle.

2. 2. The heat exchanger for a vehicle according to claim 1, Each of the plurality of fins has a shape that periodically rises and falls in the second direction as it progresses in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and has a shape and arrangement that are mirror images of the adjacent fins in the second direction, The air guide passage has a shape in which pipe portions and extension chambers having a dimension in the second direction larger than that of the pipe portions are alternately arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. A heat exchanger for a vehicle.

3. 3. The heat exchanger for a vehicle according to claim 2, a portion of the fin is inclined or curved with respect to the front-rear direction and the second direction so that the second direction dimension of the expansion chamber changes continuously at both ends of the expansion chamber in the front-rear direction; A heat exchanger for a vehicle.

4. 3. The heat exchanger for a vehicle according to claim 2, the air guide passage includes a plurality of types of extension chambers having different front-rear dimensions, At the front end of the heat exchanger, the arrangement intervals of the plurality of fins in the second direction are equal to each other. A heat exchanger for a vehicle.

5. A vehicle having the heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The heat exchanger is disposed at an angle such that its upper end is positioned rearward of its lower end, The tubes are arranged such that their upper surfaces are parallel to the vehicle front-rear direction and inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the heat exchanger, The fin has a plurality of beads extending in a direction parallel to the vehicle up-down direction, The bead locally increases the dimension of the air guide passage in the second direction. A vehicle characterized by:

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