Cooling device and method for manufacturing cooling device

Abstract

To provide a cooling device capable of suppressing leakage of cooling water, and a method for manufacturing the cooling device.SOLUTION: The cooling device 1 according to the present disclosure includes an outer casing 11 having flat cooling surfaces on the front and back, and a deformation-suppressing unit 12 that is housed inside the outer casing 11 and suppresses deformation of the outer casing 11. The outer sheath 11 is a single metallic member having a bent structure at the boundary between the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b, and houses the deformation-suppressing portion 12 so as to sandwich the bent structure as a shaft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to cooling devices and methods for manufacturing cooling devices. [Background technology]

[0002] A cooling device and a manufacturing method thereof are described in Patent Document 1. The manufacturing method of the cooling device described in Patent Document 1 includes a step of forming a coolant flow path and a substrate, a bending step of bending the substrate, and a welding step of performing laser welding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-011369 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The cooling device described in Patent Document 1 is a cooling device with a cooling surface on only one side, but cooling devices with cooling surfaces on both sides are also known. When cooling surfaces are provided on both sides, the number of components in the exterior part of the cooling device increases, which poses a problem of increased likelihood of cooling water leakage. Patent Document 1 does not disclose any technology that can solve this problem.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to provide a cooling device that can suppress leakage of cooling water and a method for manufacturing a cooling device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cooling device according to the present disclosure includes an exterior part having flat cooling surfaces on both sides, and a deformation suppression part housed inside the exterior part and suppressing deformation of the exterior part. The exterior part is a single metal member having a bent structure at the boundary between the front part and the back part, and the deformation suppression part is housed so as to be sandwiched around the bent structure as an axis.

[0007] With this configuration, a portion of the edge of the exterior of the cooling device has a bent metal structure, reducing the number of areas where gaps that could cause cooling water leakage may occur. As a result, the cooling device according to the present disclosure can suppress cooling water leakage.

[0008] In the cooling device according to the present disclosure, the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion may be a single metal member having a second bent structure at the boundary between the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion. With this configuration, the number of areas where gaps that may cause cooling water leakage are reduced, thereby further suppressing cooling water leakage.

[0009] In the cooling device according to the present disclosure, the edge of the exterior part may be welded, except for the side where the boundary between the front surface part and the back surface part is located. With this configuration, the length of the weld line is reduced, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0010] In the cooling device according to the present disclosure, the bent structure located at the boundary between the front surface portion and the back surface portion may have two notch structures on the inside, and the two notch structures may be spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the deformation suppression portion. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent gaps from occurring near the ends of the deformation suppression portion, and as a result, it is possible to further prevent leakage of cooling water.

[0011] The method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a cooling device including an exterior part having flat cooling surfaces on both front and back sides, and a deformation suppression part housed inside the exterior part and suppressing deformation of the exterior part. The method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the present disclosure includes a press-molding process and a bending process. The press-molding process press-moldes the exterior part onto a metal plate. The bending process houses the deformation suppression part into the exterior part by bending the metal plate at the boundary between the front and back sides of the exterior part. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The present disclosure provides a cooling device that can suppress leakage of cooling water and a method for manufacturing a cooling device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cooling device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are a top view and a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a cooling device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a cooling device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the configuration of a manufacturing method for a cooling device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 2A and 2B are a top view and a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a method for manufacturing a cooling device according to a first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] (First embodiment) <Cooling device configuration> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the cooling device according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a cooling device according to a first embodiment. It should be noted that the right-handed xyz Cartesian coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 and other drawings is of course for convenience in explaining the positional relationship of the components, and is common among the drawings. Also, the scales of FIG. 1 and other drawings may differ from each other.

[0016] The cooling device 1 is a device used to cool an object to be cooled. More specifically, the cooling device 1 cools the cooling surface of the device exterior by the coolant flowing inside the device. The cooled cooling surface then comes into contact with the object to be cooled, and as a result, the object to be cooled is cooled. The object to be cooled may be any object having a shape that allows it to come into contact with the cooling surface of the cooling device 1, and for example, the object to be cooled is a power storage module.

[0017] 1, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment is a plate-like device having a substantially rectangular upper surface when viewed from the z-axis direction. The cooling device 1 has cooling surfaces on the front and back sides when viewed from the positive and negative directions of the z-axis.

[0018] In the following description, for clarity, the surface of the cooling device 1 viewed from the positive direction of the z axis may be referred to as the front surface, and the surface of the cooling device 1 viewed from the negative direction of the z axis may be referred to as the back surface. Naturally, these names are merely for convenience and do not limit the arrangement direction or other configurations of the cooling device 1 when it is used. The same applies to the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b described below.

[0019] For example, in an energy storage device including a plurality of energy storage modules, the cooling device 1 may be disposed in the gaps between the energy storage modules. When disposed in this manner, the cooling device 1 can simultaneously cool the plurality of energy storage modules using the cooling surfaces provided on the front and back surfaces, thereby providing a particularly advantageous effect.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a top view and a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cooling device according to the first embodiment. More specifically, Fig. 2(a) is a top view of the cooling device 1 as seen from the positive direction of the z-axis. Fig. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cooling device 1 when the cooling device 1 is cut at the cutting plane A shown in Fig. 2(a). Fig. 2(c) is a cross-sectional view of the cooling device 1 when the cooling device 1 is cut at the cutting plane B shown in Fig. 2(a).

[0021] As shown in Figures 2(b) and 2(c), the cooling device 1 comprises an exterior part 11 having flat cooling surfaces 111 on the front and back, and a deformation suppression part 12 housed inside the exterior part 11 and suppressing deformation of the exterior part 11.

[0022] The exterior part 11 is a box-shaped metal member having flat cooling surfaces on the front and back sides and an internal space, and is composed of a front part 11a and a back part 11b, which are plate-shaped parts each having a concave structure. The internal space of the exterior part 11 is formed by combining the concave structures of the front part 11a and the back part 11b.

[0023] The deformation suppression section 12 is housed in the internal space of the exterior section 11. In other words, the exterior section 11 houses the deformation suppression section 12. The exterior portion 11 is supported from the inside by the deformation suppressing portion 12. Therefore, deformation of the exterior portion 11 is suppressed even when excessive force is applied from the outside.

[0024] The exterior part 11 is a metal member having a bent structure 13a at the boundary between the front part 11a and the back part 11b, and houses the deformation suppression part 12 so as to be sandwiched around the bent structure 13a as an axis.

[0025] In other words, the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b according to this embodiment are configured from a single metal plate that is bent at the boundary between the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b. The front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b, which are provided on a single metal plate, are connected by a bent structure 13a and are arranged to face each other via the deformation suppression portion 12. In other words, the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b are connected along one side of the exterior portion 11.

[0026] As described above, the exterior part 11 is made of a metal plate that is connected along one side. Here, there is no gap between the front part 11a and the back part 11b along that side, which could cause leakage of the coolant, and therefore the possibility of leakage of the coolant is extremely low. In other words, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can suppress leakage of the coolant due to the above-described configuration.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the bent structure according to the first embodiment. More specifically, Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the bent structure 13a shown in Fig. 2(c). 3, the bent structure 13a according to this embodiment may have two notch structures 131a and 131b on the inside thereof. The two notch structures 131a and 131b may be spaced apart by a distance d, which corresponds to the thickness of the deformation suppression section 12. This configuration can prevent gaps from being formed between the bent structure 13a and the end of the deformation suppression portion 12. As a result, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can further prevent leakage of the coolant.

[0028] The internal space of exterior part 11 also functions as a flow path for the coolant. The coolant flowing through the internal space cools cooling surface 111 provided on exterior part 11, and cooling surface 111 cooled by the coolant cools an object to be cooled that comes into contact with cooling surface 111. In other words, the coolant flowing through the internal space indirectly cools the object to be cooled via cooling surface 111. The coolant may be, for example, water or antifreeze, but any liquid that is generally used as a coolant may be used.

[0029] The front surface 11a and the back surface 11b each include a cooling surface 111, a coolant hole 112, and an edge 113. As mentioned above, the names "front surface portion 11a" and "back surface portion 11b" are merely convenient names for the sake of clarity, and do not in any way limit the arrangement direction or other configurations of the cooling device 1 when it is used.

[0030] The cooling surface 111 is a flat surface that corresponds to the bottom surface of the recessed structure of the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b, and is supported by the deformation suppression portion 12 from the inside of the cooling device 1. The cooling surface 111 is cooled by the cooling liquid flowing in the internal space. The cooled cooling surface 111 comes into contact with an object to be cooled outside the cooling device 1, and cools the object to be cooled.

[0031] The cooling surface 111 according to this embodiment is connected to the edge portion 113 via an inclined connection surface. This configuration can prevent molding defects from occurring when molding the cooling surface 111. However, the configuration of the cooling surface 111 according to the present disclosure is not limited to this, and for example, the cooling surface 111 may be connected to the edge portion 113 via a surface perpendicular to the cooling surface 111.

[0032] The coolant holes 112 are holes provided in the cooling surface 111 and function as inlet or outlet holes for the coolant. Two coolant holes 112 are provided for each cooling surface 111, one of which functions as an inlet hole for the coolant and the other as an outlet hole for the coolant.

[0033] However, in the cooling device 1 according to the present disclosure, the position where the coolant holes 112 can be provided is not limited to the cooling surface 111 . The coolant hole 112 may be provided at any position inside the cooling device 1 as long as the coolant can be injected or discharged; for example, the coolant hole 112 may be provided on the surface connecting the cooling surface 111 and the edge portion 113.

[0034] The coolant flows into the internal space of the cooling device 1 through the coolant hole 112, which functions as an inlet, and cools the cooling surface 111 from the inside. After cooling the cooling surface 111, the coolant flows out through the coolant hole 112, which functions as an outlet.

[0035] When the cooling device 1 is in use, a cooling liquid injection member or discharge member (not shown) is attached to the cooling liquid hole 112. For example, the inlet member and the outlet member each comprise a pipe that serves as a flow path for the coolant, and a fixture that fixes the pipe to the coolant hole 112 .

[0036] The edge portion 113 is a rim-like portion located on the outer edge of the recessed structure of the front surface portion 11 a and the back surface portion 11 b. The edge portion 113 of the front surface portion 11 a and the edge portion 113 of the back surface portion 11 b are welded together via the deformation suppression portion 12.

[0037] Here, the edge portion 113 may be welded except for the side where the boundary between the front surface portion 11 a and the back surface portion 11 b is located. With such a configuration, the welding process during manufacturing can be shortened, and therefore the manufacturing cost of the cooling device according to this embodiment can be reduced. As described above, there is no gap between the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b, which may cause leakage of the coolant, at the edge where the boundary between the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b is located. Therefore, the cooling device 1 can sufficiently prevent leakage of the coolant without welding at the edge where the boundary between the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b is located.

[0038] The deformation suppression unit 12 is housed inside the exterior unit 11 and suppresses deformation of the exterior unit 11. As shown in Fig. 2(b), the deformation suppression unit 12 according to this embodiment is a metal member having a wavy cross section, and has a linear uneven structure extending parallel to the x-axis direction.

[0039] The deformation suppression section 12 abuts against the inner portion of the exterior section 11 in the vicinity of each vertex of the concave-convex structure, and supports the cooling surface 111 from the inside of the exterior section 11. With this configuration, the deformation suppression section 12 suppresses deformation of the exterior section 11.

[0040] In addition, the deformation suppression portion 12 divides the internal space of the exterior portion 11 into lines parallel to the x-axis, and also functions as a flow path that makes it easier for the coolant flowing in the internal space to flow from the inlet hole to the outlet hole. Therefore, it is preferable that the uneven structure of the deformation suppression portion 12 exists only in the portion corresponding to the gap between the two coolant holes 112 of one cooling surface 111. With this configuration, all of the internal space divided by the deformation suppression portion 12 is filled with the coolant injected through the coolant holes 112. As a result, the cooling device 1 can more efficiently cool the object to be cooled.

[0041] As mentioned above, the deformation suppression section 12 in this embodiment is a metal member having a wavy cross section, and the linear uneven structure extends parallel to the x-axis direction, but the shape of the deformation suppression section 12 in the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the deformation suppression portion 12 may have a zigzag cross section or a pulse waveform cross section. In other words, the deformation suppression portion 12 may have any shape as long as it has a structure that can support the exterior portion 11 from the inside and control the flow of the coolant in one direction.

[0042] Here, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 according to this embodiment are a single metal member having a second bent structure 13b at the boundary between the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12. In other words, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 according to this embodiment are formed from a single metal plate that is bent so as to have a spiral-shaped cross section. With this configuration, the cooling device according to the present disclosure can be manufactured from a single metal member, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0043] However, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 according to the present disclosure do not necessarily have to be made of a single metal member, and the deformation suppression part 12 may be made of a metal member different from the exterior part 11. That is, the cooling device according to the present disclosure may include an exterior part made of a first metal member having a bent structure at the boundary between the front part and the back part, and a deformation suppression part made of a second metal member.

[0044] As described above, the cooling device 1 of this embodiment has an exterior part 11 made of a single metal member having a bending structure 13a, and the exterior part 11 accommodates the deformation suppression part 12 by sandwiching it around the bending structure 13a as an axis.

[0045] With this configuration, a portion of the edge of the exterior of the cooling device has a bent metal structure, reducing the number of areas where gaps that could cause cooling water leakage may occur. As a result, the cooling device according to the present disclosure can suppress cooling water leakage.

[0046] Furthermore, in the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 may be a single metal member having a second bent structure 13b at the boundary between the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12. With this configuration, the number of areas where gaps that may cause cooling water leakage may be reduced, thereby further suppressing cooling water leakage.

[0047] In addition, in the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment, the edge 113 of the exterior part 11 may be welded except for the side where the boundary between the front part 11a and the back part 11b is located. With this configuration, the length of the weld line is reduced, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0048] In the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment, the bent structure 13a located at the boundary between the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b may have two notch structures 131a and 131b on the inside. The two notch structures 131a and 131b may be spaced apart by a distance d that corresponds to the thickness of the deformation suppression section 12. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent gaps from occurring near the ends of the deformation suppression portion, and as a result, it is possible to further prevent leakage of cooling water.

[0049] <Manufacturing method of cooling device> Next, a method for manufacturing the cooling device according to the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0050] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the cooling device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the method for manufacturing the cooling device according to this embodiment includes a press-molding step ST101, a first bending step ST102, a second bending step ST103, and a welding step ST104.

[0051] If the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 are made of different metal members, the first bending step may be omitted. Furthermore, the welding step ST104 may be replaced with another step for joining metals. Therefore, it can be said that the manufacturing method for the cooling device according to this embodiment only needs to include the press molding step and the second bending step.

[0052] In the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to this embodiment, first, a press-molding step ST101 is performed. In the press-molding step ST101, the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b of the exterior portion 11 and the deformation suppression portion 12 are press-molded onto the metal plate M.

[0053] 5A and 5B are a top view and a cross-sectional view for explaining the manufacturing method of the cooling device according to the first embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 5(a) is a top view of the metal sheet M after the press-molding step ST101 is performed, as viewed from the positive direction of the z-axis. FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the metal plate M after the press-molding step ST101 is performed, cut at the cut surface C shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0054] The dashed lines indicating the cooling surfaces 111 of the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b shown in FIG. 5(a) indicate that the cooling surface 111 of the back surface 11b is located on the negative side of the z-axis relative to the paper surface. Furthermore, the symbol D inside the deformation suppression section 12 shown in Figure 5(a) indicates the area in the deformation suppression section 12 where the above-mentioned uneven structure exists, and the solid line in area D illustrates the uneven structure located on the positive side of the z-axis from the paper surface, and the dashed line in area D illustrates the uneven structure located on the positive and negative sides of the z-axis from the paper surface.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 5, after the press-molding step ST101 is performed, the metal plate M is molded with the deformation suppression portion 12, the back surface portion 11b, and the front surface portion 11a in this order. Here, in the metal plate M, a boundary P1 between the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b, and a boundary P2 between the back surface portion 11b and the deformation suppression portion 12 are set.

[0056] In the method for manufacturing the cooling device according to this embodiment, after the press molding step ST101 is performed, the first bending step ST102 is performed. In the first bending step ST102, the metal plate M is bent at the boundary between the deformation suppression portion 12 and the exterior portion 11. More specifically, in the bending step ST102 according to this embodiment, first, the metal plate M is bent around the boundary P2 as an axis so that the deformation suppression portion 12 rotates clockwise, and the deformation suppression portion 12 is accommodated in the recessed structure of the back surface portion 11b.

[0057] In the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to this embodiment, after the first bending step ST102 is performed, the second bending step ST103 is performed. In the second bending process ST103, the metal plate is bent at the boundary P1 between the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b of the exterior portion 11 to accommodate the deformation suppression portion 12 in the exterior portion 11. More specifically, the metal plate M is bent so that the front surface 11a rotates counterclockwise around the boundary P1 as an axis, and the deformation suppression portion 12 is accommodated in the exterior portion 11 so as to be sandwiched between the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b.

[0058] As described above, the bent structure 13a according to this embodiment may have two notch structures 131a and 131b on the inside. When the bent structure 13a has the slit structures 131a and 131b, the slit structures 131a and 131b are formed before the second bending step ST103 is performed. The notch structures 131a and 131b may be molded, for example, together with the exterior portion 11 and the deformation suppression portion 12 in the press molding process ST101, or may be molded by cutting the metal plate M after the press molding process ST101 is performed.

[0059] In the method for manufacturing the cooling device according to this embodiment, the welding step ST104 is finally performed. In the welding step ST104, the edge portion 113 of the front surface portion 11a and the edge portion 113 of the back surface portion 11b are welded together, thereby completing the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment. As described above, in the welding step ST104 according to this embodiment, the edge 113 of the exterior part 11 is welded except for the side where the boundary between the front surface part 11a and the back surface part 11b is located.

[0060] As described above, in the manufacturing method of the cooling device according to this embodiment, the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b of the exterior part 11 are press-molded from a single metal plate M. Then, the metal plate is bent at the boundary between the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b, so that the deformation suppression part 12 is accommodated in the exterior part 11. With this configuration, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can be manufactured.

[0061] Furthermore, in the manufacturing method of the cooling device according to this embodiment, in the press molding step, the front surface 11a and back surface 11b of the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 are press molded onto the metal plate M. The manufacturing method of the cooling device according to this embodiment also includes a step of bending the metal plate M at the boundary between the deformation suppression part 12 and the exterior part 11. With this configuration, the method for manufacturing the cooling device according to this embodiment allows the cooling device 1 to be manufactured from a single metal member, and as a result, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0062] The present invention has been described above in accordance with the above-described embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and naturally includes various modifications, alterations, and combinations that can be made by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the invention claimed in the claims of this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 Cooling device 11a Surface part 11b Back part 111 Cooling surface 112 Coolant hole 113 Edge 12 Deformation suppression section 121 Semi-deformation suppression section 13a, 13b Bending structure 14 Flat section before processing 31 Female mold 32 Male type P1, P2 boundary M Metal plate

Claims

1. an exterior part having flat cooling surfaces on both sides; a deformation suppression portion that is housed inside the exterior portion and suppresses deformation of the exterior portion, The exterior portion is a metal member having a bent structure at the boundary between a front surface portion and a back surface portion, and the deformation suppression portion is accommodated so as to be sandwiched around the bent structure as an axis. Cooling device.

2. The exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion are a single metal member having a second bent structure at a boundary between the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion. The cooling device of claim 1 .

3. The edge of the exterior part is welded except for the side where the boundary between the front part and the back part is located. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the bent structure located at the boundary between the front surface portion and the back surface portion has two notch structures on the inside, The two notch structures are arranged at a distance corresponding to the thickness of the deformation suppression portion. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A method for manufacturing a cooling device including an exterior part having flat cooling surfaces on both sides, and a deformation suppression part housed inside the exterior part and suppressing deformation of the exterior part, a press molding process of press-molding the exterior portion onto a metal plate; a bending process of bending the metal plate at a boundary between the front surface and the back surface of the exterior portion to accommodate the deformation suppression portion in the exterior portion. A method for manufacturing a cooling device.

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