Intercooler system

Abstract

We can provide an intercooler system that can reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. [Solution] The intercooler system is an intercooler system mounted on a vehicle, comprising a supercharger, an intercooler for cooling intake air supercharged by the supercharger, and a shielding device for shielding outside air flowing toward the intercooler, wherein the shielding device is a plate-shaped member, and can be displaced between a closed state in which the surface or back surface of the plate-shaped member faces the intercooler and an open state in which the side surface of the plate-shaped member faces the intercooler, and the shielding device has a heater device at the position on the side facing the intercooler in the open state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an intercooler system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an intercooler system mounted on a vehicle has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The intercooler system of Patent Document 1 includes a grill shutter that changes the amount of air supplied to the intercooler. The intercooler system of Patent Document 1 minimizes the opening degree of the grill shutter when the accelerator opening degree of the vehicle is less than a predetermined opening degree and the vehicle is in an environment where condensed water generated in the heat exchanger is frozen.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The intercooler system of Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to preventing freezing of condensed water. Patent Document 1 does not disclose an intercooler system considering the generation of nitrogen oxides.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an intercooler system capable of reducing nitrogen oxides.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The intercooler system according to this disclosure is an intercooler system mounted on a vehicle, comprising a supercharger, an intercooler for cooling intake air supercharged by the supercharger, and a shielding device for shielding outside air flowing toward the intercooler, wherein the shielding device is a plate-shaped member, and is displaceable between a closed state in which the surface or back surface of the plate-shaped member faces the intercooler and an open state in which the side surface of the plate-shaped member faces the intercooler, and the shielding device has a heater device at the position on the side facing the intercooler in the open state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This intercooler system allows the heater to warm the outside air that comes into contact with the intercooler. This warms the intercooler, which in turn warms the intake air. As a result, nitrogen oxides during combustion can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A system diagram of an intercooler system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] A diagram of a shielding device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure and an enlarged view of the plate-shaped member of the shielding device. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating a control procedure performed by a control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, with respect to vehicle C, the front side is denoted as FS, the rear side as BS, the right side in the direction of travel of vehicle C as RS, the left side as LS, the upper side as US, and the lower side as DS.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the intercooler system 1 comprises an internal combustion engine 2, a supercharger 4, an intercooler 6, a shielding device 8, and a control unit (ECU) 10. In this embodiment, the intercooler system 1 is mounted on a vehicle C.

[0011] Vehicle C in this embodiment is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) comprising a motor (FrM) 20, a generator (GEN) 22, a drive battery (BT) 24, a transaxle 26, an inverter 28 that controls the motor 20 and generator 22, an accelerator pedal 30 operated by the user of vehicle C, a charger 32 that can be connected to an external power source, and an external power supply device 34 that can supply power to external devices such as home appliances. Each device is electrically connected to the control device 10.

[0012] The internal combustion engine 2 is connected to the generator 22 and drives the generator 22. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the internal combustion engine 2 can drive the wheels C1 via the transaxle 26. The internal combustion engine 2 in this embodiment is a four-cylinder in-line gasoline engine.

[0013] Motor 20 is connected to wheel C1 via transaxle 26 and axle CW, and drives wheel C1. Motor 20 in this embodiment is a three-phase AC motor having multiple coils and multiple permanent magnets. Motor 20 is also driven by the rotation of wheel C1 to generate electricity (regenerative power). Therefore, motor 20 is a motor-generator capable of both powering and generating electricity. Generator 22 is connected to internal combustion engine 2 and can drive internal combustion engine 2. While powering is being generated by the power from drive battery 24, generator 22 motors the internal combustion engine 2. On the other hand, generator 22 is driven by the internal combustion engine 2 to generate electricity while the internal combustion engine 2 is running. Therefore, generator 22 is a motor-generator capable of both powering and generating electricity.

[0014] The drive battery 24 outputs power to the motor 20 and the generator 22, and also receives power generated by the motor 20 and the generator 22. Furthermore, the drive battery 24 receives external power via the charger 32. In this embodiment, the drive battery 24 is composed of multiple lithium-ion batteries.

[0015] The transaxle 26 has multiple gears and a clutch 26a. The internal combustion engine 2 is connected to the generator 22 and the axle CW via the transaxle 26. When the clutch 26a of the transaxle 26 is open, power transmission between the internal combustion engine 2 and the axle CW is interrupted, and when the clutch 26a is engaged, power from the internal combustion engine 2 is transmitted to the axle CW.

[0016] Vehicle C in this embodiment has driving modes such as EV mode, series mode, and parallel mode. In EV mode, with the internal combustion engine 2 stopped, the motor 20 is driven by power from the drive battery 24. In series mode, the clutch 26a is disengaged, the internal combustion engine 2 drives the generator 22, and the power generated by the generator 22 is used to drive the motor 20 and drive the wheels C1. In parallel mode, the clutch 26a is engaged, and the power from the internal combustion engine 2 is used to drive the wheels C1 via the axle CW. Depending on the depression state of the accelerator pedal 30, the control device 10 switches between each driving mode and controls the motor 20 and generator 22 via the inverter 28, as well as the internal combustion engine 2.

[0017] Furthermore, vehicle C of this embodiment has an external power supply mode. In the external power supply mode, when connector 34a is connected to an external device, the control device 10 performs external power supply control, which uses the external power supply device 34 to supply power from the drive battery 24 to the external device. When the State of Charge (SOC) of the drive battery 24 falls below a predetermined charge level SOCt during the external power supply mode, the control device 10 disengages the clutch 26a, starts the internal combustion engine 2 to drive the generator 22, and performs an engine-generated external power supply mode, which stores the power generated by the generator 22 in the drive battery 24 and supplies it to the external device.

[0018] The internal combustion engine 2 has an intake manifold 2a and an exhaust purification device 2b. The intake manifold 2a is disposed downstream of the intercooler 6 and distributes the supercharged intake air to the cylinders of the internal combustion engine 2. The exhaust purification device 2b is disposed downstream of the supercharger 4 and purifies the exhaust gas.

[0019] The supercharger 4 is a device that pressurizes the intake air supplied to the internal combustion engine 2. In the present embodiment, the supercharger 4 is a turbocharger that supercharges the intake air by utilizing the exhaust energy discharged from the internal combustion engine 2. However, the supercharger 4 may be a supercharger that supercharges by the driving force of the internal combustion engine 2, for example. The upstream of the supercharger 4 is connected to an air cleaner 4a that sucks in outside air. The downstream of the supercharger 4 is connected to the intercooler 6. The air cleaner 4a is attached with an outside air temperature sensor 4c that detects the temperature of the outside air. The outside air temperature sensor 4c is connected to the control device 10.

[0020] The intercooler 6 is a device that cools the intake air supercharged by the supercharger 4. The intercooler 6 of the present embodiment has a heat exchanger and is an air-cooled intercooler that exchanges heat between the outside air and the supercharged intake air.

[0021] The shielding device 8 is a device that shields the outside air flowing toward the intercooler 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the shielding device 8 of the present embodiment has a plurality of plate-like members 8a, an actuator 8b (see FIG. 1), and a heater device 8c.

[0022] The plate-like member 8a extends in the vertical direction. A plurality of plate-like members 8a are arranged at equal intervals. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, seven plate-like members 8a are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the plate-like member 8a includes a front surface 8d, a back surface 8e, a side surface 8f, and a rotation axis 8g.

[0023] The plate-like member 8a is displaced between a closed state in which the front surface 8d or the back surface 8e of the plate-like member 8a faces the intercooler 6 and an open state in which the side surface 8f of the plate-like member 8a faces the intercooler 6. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 8g rotates by the actuator 8b. As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1, when the rotation shaft 8g rotates, the plate-like member 8a is displaced from the open state in which the side surface 8f faces the intercooler 6 to the closed state in which the back surface 8e of the plate-like member 8a faces the intercooler. The shielding device 8 closes the gap between the plate-like members 8a in the closed state. By closing the gap in this way, the shielding device 8 shields the outside air hitting the intercooler 6.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the heater device 8c is arranged at a position on the side facing the intercooler 6 in the open state. In the present embodiment, the heater device 8c is arranged in the rear half portion of the plate-like member 8a with respect to the rotation shaft 8g. The heater device 8c includes a heating wire, and the heating wire is heated by electricity. By arranging the heater device 8c in this way, the outside air passing between the plate-like members 8a or the outside air between the intercooler 6 and the plate-like member 8a is warmed. As shown in FIG. 1, the actuator 8b and the heater device 8c are electrically connected to the control device 10. In the present embodiment, the control device 10 controls such that the opening degree of the shielding device 8 is 100% when in the open state and the opening degree of the shielding device 8 is 0% when in the closed state.

[0025] The control device 10 executes heat retention control. In the heat retention control, the control device 10 closes the shielding device 8 and turns on the heater device 8c to warm the outside air between the intercooler 6 and the plate-like member 8a, thereby keeping the temperature of the intercooler 6 or raising its temperature. The control device 10 is actually an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) constituted by a microcomputer including an arithmetic unit, a memory, an input / output buffer, etc. The control device 10 controls the vehicle C and executes heat retention control based on the maps and programs stored in the memory.

[0026] Next, the control procedure executed by the control device 10 will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 3.

[0027] In step S1, the control device 10 determines whether or not vehicle C is in an extremely cold state. The control device 10 may determine that vehicle C is in an extremely cold state if the ambient temperature obtained from the ambient temperature sensor 4c is, for example, minus 10°C or lower. If the control device 10 determines that vehicle C is in an extremely cold state (step S1 YES), it proceeds to step S2. If the control device 10 determines in step S1 that vehicle C is not in an extremely cold state (step S1 NO), the control device 10 returns.

[0028] In step S2, the control device 10 performs temperature maintenance control. More specifically, the control device 10 turns on the flag for performing temperature maintenance control. Once the temperature maintenance control flag is turned on, the control device 10 proceeds to step S3.

[0029] In step S3, the control device 10 displaces the shielding device 8 to the closed position and activates the heater device 8c. As a result, the outside air between the intercooler 6 and the plate-shaped member 8a is warmed.

[0030] In extremely low temperatures, the intercooler 6 becomes cooled. Furthermore, the intake air drawn in from the air cleaner 4a is also extremely cold. As a result, the intake air that has passed through the supercharger 4 is further cooled by the intercooler 6, causing the intake air to become excessively cold. Consequently, the intake air drawn into the internal combustion engine 2 becomes excessively cold. In this state of intake air, when the internal combustion engine 2 burns, nitrogen oxides are not sufficiently purified by the exhaust gas purification device 2b, and nitrogen oxides are easily emitted.

[0031] The intercooler system 1 warms the air surrounding the intercooler 6 by displacing the shielding device 8 to a closed state and activating the heater device 8c. This warms the intake air and reduces the emission of nitrogen oxides. When the control device 10 closes the shielding device 8 and activates the heater device 8c, it proceeds to step S4.

[0032] In step S4, the control device 10 determines whether the speed of vehicle C is increasing. The control device 10 may also determine whether the speed is increasing based on the rotational speed of wheel C1. The control device 10 may determine that the speed of vehicle C is increasing if it exceeds a predetermined speed (for example, 20 km / h). If the control device 10 determines that the speed of vehicle C is increasing (step S4 YES), it proceeds to step S5. If the control device 10 determines in step S4 that the speed is not increasing (step S4 NO), it proceeds to step S6.

[0033] In step S5, the control device 10 opens the shielding device 8. The control device 10 may gradually increase the opening of the shielding device 8 as the speed of the vehicle C increases. By opening the shielding device 8 in this way, outside air that has passed through the plate-shaped member 8a while taking in airflow is heated by the heater device 8c. As a result, the control device 10 cools the intercooler 6 appropriately while preventing it from becoming too cold due to the extremely cold outside air. Once the shielding device 8 is open, the control device 10 proceeds to step S6.

[0034] In step S6, the control device 10 determines whether the boost pressure P is equal to or greater than the first predetermined pressure PT1. The first predetermined pressure PT1 is, for example, about 0.3 atmospheres. If the control device 10 determines that the boost pressure P is equal to or greater than the first predetermined pressure PT1 (step S6 YES), it proceeds to step S7. If the control device 10 determines that the boost pressure P is less than the first predetermined pressure PT1 (step S6 NO), it proceeds to step S8.

[0035] In step S7, the control device 10 turns off the heater device 8c. When the boost pressure P is equal to or greater than the first predetermined pressure PT1, the intake air is warmed by the boost even if the outside air is extremely cold. As a result, there is no need to keep the intercooler 6 warm or raise its temperature. After turning off the heater device 8c, the control device 10 proceeds to step S8.

[0036] In step S8, the control device 10 determines whether the vehicle C is decelerating and whether the boost pressure P is less than the second predetermined pressure PT2. The second predetermined pressure PT2 is, for example, 0.3 atmospheres or a lower value. If the control device 10 determines that the vehicle C is decelerating and the boost pressure P is less than the second predetermined pressure PT2, it proceeds to step S9. In step S9, if it determines that the boost pressure P is equal to or greater than the second predetermined pressure PT2, or that the vehicle C is in steady-state driving or accelerating (step S8 NO), it proceeds to step S10.

[0037] In step S9, the control device 10 displaces the shielding device 8 to the closed position and activates the heater device 8c. When the vehicle C is decelerating and the boost pressure P is less than the second predetermined pressure PT2, if the outside air is extremely cold, the intake air is more easily cooled again. For this reason, the control device 10 displaces the shielding device 8 to the closed position and activates the heater device 8c to warm the outside air between the intercooler 6 and the plate-shaped member 8a. After executing the process in step S9, the control device 10 proceeds to step S10.

[0038] In step S10, the control device 10 determines whether or not external power supply control is in progress. If the control device 10 is in external power supply mode, it determines that external power supply control is in progress. If the control device 10 determines that external power supply control is in progress (step S10 YES), it proceeds to step S11. If the control device 10 determines that external power supply is not in progress (step S10 NO), it returns.

[0039] In step S11, the control device 10 disables the heat retention control. While external power is supplied, the speed of vehicle C is considered to be below a predetermined speed, but as described above, if the SOC decreases during external power supply control, the system switches to engine power generation external power supply mode. In this case, it is preferable to suppress the decrease in the charge rate SOC of the drive battery 24 rather than consuming power by heating with the heater device 8c. For this reason, the control device 10 disables the heat retention control, which consumes power. After disabling the heat retention control, the control device 10 returns to its original state.

[0040] As described above, this disclosure provides an intercooler system 1 that can reduce nitrogen oxides.

[0041] <Other Embodiments> Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In particular, the various modifications described herein can be combined as needed.

[0042] In the above embodiment, a plate-shaped member 8a extending in the vertical direction was described as an example, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the plate-shaped member 8a may be a member extending in the horizontal direction.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the heater device 8c was described using an example where it is located behind the rotating shaft 8g, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The heater device 8c may be located in any position as long as it is positioned facing the intercooler 6 side in both the open and closed states. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1: Intercooler system, 2: Internal combustion engine, 4: Supercharger, 6: Intercooler 8: Shielding device, 8a: Plate-shaped member, 8b: Actuator, 8c: Heater device 8d: Front surface, 8e: Back surface, 8f: Side surface, 8g: Rotation axis 10: Control device, 34: External power supply device C: Vehicle P: Supercharger pressure, PT1: First predetermined pressure, PT2: Second predetermined pressure

Claims

1. An intercooler system mounted on a vehicle, A supercharger and An intercooler that cools the intake air supercharged by the supercharger, A shielding device that blocks the outside air flowing toward the intercooler, Equipped with, The shielding device is a plate-shaped member, and is displaceable between a closed state in which the front or back surface of the plate-shaped member faces the intercooler, and an open state in which the side surface of the plate-shaped member faces the intercooler. The shielding device has a heater device in the position facing the intercooler when in the open state. Intercooler system.

2. The system further includes a control device for controlling the shielding device, The control device, when the vehicle is in an extremely low temperature state, performs temperature control by closing the shielding device and activating the heater device. The intercooler system according to claim 1.

3. The control device displaces the shielding device to an open state when the vehicle's speed increases, even when the vehicle is in an extremely cold state. The intercooler system according to claim 2.

4. The control device, even when the vehicle is in an extremely low temperature state, will stop the heater device if the boost pressure from the supercharger exceeds a first predetermined pressure. The intercooler system according to claim 2.

5. The control device displaces the shielding device to the closed state and activates the heater device when the vehicle is decelerating and the boost pressure from the supercharger is less than the second predetermined pressure. The intercooler system according to claim 2.

6. The control device is capable of performing external power supply control that can supply power to external equipment of the vehicle, The control device, when performing the external power supply control, prohibits the heat retention control. The intercooler system according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

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