Cooling device and method for manufacturing cooling device

Abstract

To provide a cooling device capable of suppressing manufacturing cost, and a method of manufacturing the cooling device.SOLUTION: The cooling device 1 according to the present disclosure includes the outer casing 11 having the flat cooling surfaces 111 on the front and back, and the deformation-suppressing unit 12 that is housed inside the outer casing 11 and suppresses deformation of the outer casing 11. The outer sheath 11 and the deformation-suppressing portion 12 are a single metallic member that has a first bending structure 11a at the boundary between the front surface portion 13a of the outer sheath 11 and the deformation-suppressing portion 12, and a second bending structure 11b at the boundary between the back surface portion 13b of the outer sheath 11 and the deformation-suppressing portion 12.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 manufacturing costs. 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 aims to provide a cooling device and a method for manufacturing a cooling device that can reduce manufacturing costs. [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 portion and the deformation suppression portion are a single metal member having a first bending structure at the boundary between the surface portion of the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion, and a second bending structure at the boundary between the back portion of the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion.

[0007] With this configuration, the cooling device according to the present disclosure can be manufactured from a single metal member, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0008] In the cooling device according to the present disclosure, the edge of the exterior portion may be welded along the entire periphery. With this configuration, the edge of the exterior part is properly sealed, so that the cooling device according to the present disclosure can suppress leakage of the coolant.

[0009] In the cooling device according to the present disclosure, the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion may have cross sections that are substantially point-symmetric. With this configuration, the cooling device according to the present disclosure can be manufactured using a mold with a simple configuration, which results in reduced manufacturing costs.

[0010] The manufacturing method of a cooling device according to the present disclosure is a manufacturing method of a cooling device that includes an exterior portion having flat cooling surfaces on both sides, and a deformation suppression portion that is housed inside the exterior portion and suppresses deformation of the exterior portion, and includes a press molding process and a bending process. In the press-molding process, the front and back surfaces of the exterior part and the deformation suppression part are press-molded onto the metal plate, and in the bending process, the press-molded metal plate is bent at the boundary between the front surface and the deformation suppression part and at the boundary between the back surface and the deformation suppression part, thereby accommodating the deformation suppression part into the exterior part.

[0011] With this configuration, the manufacturing method of the cooling device according to the present disclosure can form the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion of the cooling device by processing a single metal plate, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the cooling device.

[0012] In the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the present disclosure, the press molding step may include a first press molding step and a second press molding step. In the first press-molding step, one of the front surface portion and the back surface portion and a part of the deformation suppression portion may be molded, and in the second press-molding step, the other of the front surface portion and the back surface portion and a part of the deformation suppression portion may be press-molded using the mold used in the first press-molding step. With this configuration, the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the present disclosure can simplify the configuration of the mold used in press molding, thereby further reducing the manufacturing cost of the cooling device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The present disclosure provides a cooling device and a method for manufacturing a cooling device that can reduce manufacturing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [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] 4 is a flowchart showing the configuration of a manufacturing method for a cooling device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 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. [Figure 5] 3A to 3C are cross-sectional views illustrating the configuration of a method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] (First embodiment) <Cooling device configuration> A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the cooling device according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 1, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment is a plate-shaped device having a substantially rectangular upper surface when viewed from the z-axis direction. The cooling device 1 has cooling surfaces on both sides when viewed from the positive and negative directions of the z-axis.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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).

[0022] As shown in Figures 2(b) and 2(c), the cooling device 1 comprises an exterior part 11 having flat cooling surfaces 111 on both sides, and a deformation suppression part 12 housed inside the exterior part 11 and suppressing deformation of the exterior part 11.

[0023] The exterior part 11 is a box-shaped metal member having flat cooling surfaces on both 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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 .

[0033] 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. The front surface 11a and the back surface 11b each have a folded structure 13a and 13b on one side of the edge 113, as will be described in detail later.

[0034] The edge 113 may be welded along the entire periphery, in other words, the edge 113 may be welded in an O-shape. With this configuration, the edge portion 113 of the exterior portion 11 is properly sealed, and therefore the cooling device 1 can prevent the coolant from leaking from the edge portion 113.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] Here, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 in this embodiment are a single metal member having a first bending structure 13a at the boundary between the surface part 11a of the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12, and a second bending structure 13b at the boundary between the back part 11b of the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12.

[0040] To explain in more detail, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 according to this embodiment are made of a single metal plate that is bent so as to have a z-shaped cross section. The surface portion 11a and the deformation suppression portion 12 are configured as a continuous metal member with one side of the cooling device 1 as the boundary, and have a first bent structure 13a at the boundary. Furthermore, the back surface portion 11b and the deformation suppression portion 12 are configured as a continuous metal member with one side of the cooling device 1 as the boundary, and have a second bent structure 13b at the boundary.

[0041] With this configuration, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 of the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can be manufactured from a single metal plate. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can be reduced.

[0042] As described above, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment includes an exterior part 11 having flat cooling surfaces 111 on both sides, and a deformation suppression part that is housed inside the exterior part 11 and suppresses deformation of the exterior part 11. The exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 are made of metal members, and have bent structures at the boundary between the front part 11a and the deformation suppression part 12 and at the boundary between the back part 11b and the deformation suppression part 12. With this configuration, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can be manufactured from a single metal member, and as a result, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0043] Furthermore, in the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment, the edge 113 of the exterior part 11 is welded along the entire periphery. With this configuration, the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment can suppress leakage of the coolant.

[0044] <Manufacturing method of cooling device> Next, a method for manufacturing the cooling device according to the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the cooling device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to this embodiment includes a first press-molding step ST101, a second press-molding step ST102, a bending step ST103, and a welding step ST104.

[0046] The first press-molding step ST101 and the second press-molding step ST102 may be collectively referred to as a press-molding step. The welding step ST104 may be replaced with another step for joining metals. Therefore, it can be said that the manufacturing method of the cooling device according to this embodiment only needs to include the press molding step and the bending step.

[0047] In the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to this embodiment, first, a first press-molding step ST101 and a second press-molding step ST102 are carried out. In the first press-molding step ST101 and the second press-molding step ST102, that is, the press-molding steps, the front surface 11a and the back surface 11b of the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 are press-molded onto a metal plate.

[0048] 4A and 4B 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. 4(a) is a top view of the metal sheet M after the first press-molding step ST101 and the second press-molding step ST102 have been performed, as viewed from the positive direction of the z-axis. FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of the metal plate M after the first press-molding step ST101 and the second press-molding step ST102 are performed, cut at the cutting plane C shown in FIG. 4(a).

[0049] The solid line indicating the cooling surface 111 of the back surface portion 11b shown in FIG. 4(a) means that the cooling surface 111 of the back surface portion 11b is located on the positive side of the z axis from the paper surface. The broken line indicating the cooling surface 111 of the front surface 11a in FIG. 4(a) means that the cooling surface 111 of the back surface 11b is located on the negative side of the z axis from the paper surface. Furthermore, the symbol D inside the deformation suppression section 12 shown in Figure 4(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.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, after the first press-molding process ST101 and the second press-molding process ST102 are performed, the metal plate has a back surface portion 11b, a deformation suppression portion 12, and a front surface portion 11a formed in the order shown. Here, in the metal plate M, a boundary P1 between the back surface portion 11b and the deformation suppression portion 12, and a boundary P2 between the front surface portion 11a and the deformation suppression portion 12 are set.

[0051] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the press-molding process according to the first embodiment. More specifically, Fig. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the metal sheet M and the press-molding device immediately after the first press-molding process ST101 is performed, and Fig. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the metal sheet M and the press-molding device immediately before the second press-molding process ST102 is performed.

[0052] The first press-molding step ST101 according to this embodiment is performed by pressing the metal plate M with a press-molding device having a female die 31 and a male die 32. As shown in FIG. 5(a), in the press-forming step ST101, only a portion of the metal plate M is pressed to form the surface portion 11a and the semi-deformation suppression portion 121, which is a part of the deformation suppression portion 12, by press-forming. That is, the first press-molding step ST101 according to this embodiment is a step of molding one of the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b and a part of the deformation suppression portion 12. Here, immediately after the first press-forming step ST101 is performed, the metal sheet M has an unprocessed flat portion 14, which is a flat portion that has not been press-formed.

[0053] The second press-molding step ST102 according to this embodiment is performed by pressing the pre-processing flat portion 14 of the metal plate M with a press-molding device having the female die 31 and male die 32 used in the first press-molding step. 5(b), in the press-molding step ST102, first, the metal sheet M press-molded in the first press-molding step ST101 is turned over, and the pre-processing flat portion 14 is set between the female die 31 and the male die 32. Then, by pressing using the female die 31 and the male die 32, the back surface portion 11b and the remaining portion of the deformation suppression portion 12 are molded into the metal sheet M. That is, the second press-molding step ST102 according to this embodiment is a step of molding one of the front surface portion 11a and the back surface portion 11b and a part of the deformation suppression portion 12.

[0054] In this way, the press molding process according to this embodiment can simplify the configuration of the mold by dividing it into two stages, the first press molding process ST101 and the second press molding process ST102. As a result, the manufacturing method of the cooling device according to this embodiment can reduce the manufacturing cost of the cooling device.

[0055] In order to perform the press molding process in two stages, a first press molding process ST101 and a second press molding process ST102, the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 need to have cross sections that are approximately point-symmetric. Therefore, in the cooling device 1 according to this embodiment, it is preferable that the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 have cross sections that are approximately point-symmetric.

[0056] Returning to the description of FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, in the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to this embodiment, after the second press-molding step ST102 is performed, the bending step ST103 is performed.

[0057] In the bending process ST103, the press-molded metal plate M is bent at the boundary P1 between the front surface portion 11a and the deformation suppression portion 12, and at the boundary P2 between the back surface portion 11b and the deformation suppression portion 12, thereby accommodating the deformation suppression portion 12 in the exterior portion 11.

[0058] More specifically, in the bending process ST103 according to this embodiment, first, the metal plate M is bent so that the back surface portion 11b rotates counterclockwise around the boundary P1 as an axis, and the deformation suppression portion 12 is accommodated in the recessed structure of the back surface portion 11b. Next, the metal plate M is bent around the boundary P2 so that the surface portion 11a rotates clockwise, and the deformation suppression portion 12 is accommodated in the recessed structure of the surface portion 11a. Through this process, the exterior portion 11 is formed while accommodating the deformation suppression portion 12. Naturally, the order of folding at boundary P1 and folding at boundary P2 may be reversed.

[0059] In the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to this embodiment, a 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 via the deformation suppression portion 12, thereby completing the cooling device 1. As described above, in the welding step ST104 according to this embodiment, it is preferable that the edge portion 113 is welded over the entire periphery.

[0060] As described above, the manufacturing method of the cooling device of this embodiment includes a step of press-molding the surface portion 11a and back portion 11b of the exterior portion 11 and the deformation suppression portion 12 onto a metal plate M, and a step of accommodating the deformation suppression portion 12 in the exterior portion 11 by bending the press-molded metal plate M at the boundary P2 between the surface portion 11a and the deformation suppression portion 12 and the boundary P1 between the back portion 11b and the deformation suppression portion 12. With this configuration, the manufacturing method for the cooling device according to this embodiment can form the exterior part 11 and the deformation suppression part 12 of the cooling device 1 by processing a single metal plate. As a result, the manufacturing method for the cooling device according to this embodiment can reduce the manufacturing cost of the cooling device 1.

[0061] In addition, in the manufacturing method of the cooling device according to this embodiment, the press molding process includes a first press molding process and a second press molding process, and the mold used in the first press molding process is used in the second press molding process. With this configuration, the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to this embodiment can simplify the configuration of the mold used for press molding, and as a result, the method for manufacturing a cooling device according to the present disclosure can further reduce the manufacturing cost of the cooling device 1.

[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 and the deformation suppression portion are a single metal member having a first bent structure at a boundary between a surface portion of the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion, and a second bent structure at a boundary between a back surface portion of the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion. Cooling device.

2. The edge of the exterior part is welded around the entire periphery. The cooling device of claim 1 .

3. The exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion have cross sections that are approximately point-symmetric. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. 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 in which the front and back surfaces of the exterior portion and the deformation suppression portion are press-molded onto a metal plate; and a bending process of bending the press-molded metal plate at a boundary between the front surface portion and the deformation suppression portion and at a boundary between the back surface portion and the deformation suppression portion to accommodate the deformation suppression portion in the exterior portion. A method for manufacturing a cooling device.

5. The press molding step a first press molding process for molding one of the front surface portion and the back surface portion and a part of the deformation suppression portion; a second press molding step of press-molding the other of the front surface portion and the back surface portion and a part of the deformation suppression portion using the mold used in the first press step, A method for manufacturing the cooling device according to claim 4.

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