Cooling module

Abstract

To provide a cooling module that enables a lower profile and a reduction in the number of parts. [Solution] The cooling module 1 comprises a resin manifold housing 10 having housing sections 10A and 20A with openings, rotary valves 4 and 5 housed in the housing sections 10A and 20A through the openings, and a resin cover body 30 that is resin-bonded to the manifold housing 10 and covers the openings of the housing sections 10A and 20A.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling module.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, automobiles equipped with a motor as a driving power source (hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), battery electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), etc.) have become popular. These automobiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "electric vehicles") are equipped with a battery for driving the motor. In electric vehicles, there are many devices that require cooling, such as a motor (including internal combustion engines such as engines), a battery, an air conditioner, an ECU, etc., and a cooling circuit for circulating cooling water is configured to cool these devices.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling module (referred to as a "manifold" in the document) having a manifold that can be used in electric vehicles and the like. In the cooling module of Patent Document 1, a lid portion is joined to a housing body by bolts or the like to form a manifold.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [[ID=二十五]] [[ID=二十六]] [[ID=二十七]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] [[ID=三十八]] In cooling modules equipped with a manifold, a rotary valve is sometimes housed in a compartment provided on the manifold. In such a configuration, if the lid is bolted to the compartment on the manifold, a certain thickness must be ensured in the surrounding area of ​​the compartment on the manifold and in the lid itself for bolt fastening. This results in a taller cooling manifold and an increase in the number of parts. Therefore, there was room for improvement in cooling modules configured with a rotary valve housed in a manifold.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a cooling module that can be made lower in profile and have fewer components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The characteristic configuration of the cooling module according to the present invention is a housing section provided with an opening. and at least a portion of the fluid passage A resin manifold housing having a rotary valve housed in the housing through the opening, and the manifold housing resin The opening of the housing is joined together. and part of the flow path It features a resin cover body that encloses it.

[0008] In this configuration, the cooling module has a resin manifold housing. and at least a portion of the fluid passage It has a rotary valve housed in the housing, and the opening of the housing and part of the flow path is in the manifold housing resin It is covered by a bonded resin cover. This eliminates the need for bolts or other separate components to connect the cooling module to the manifold housing and the cover. As a result, the cooling module can be made lower in profile and the number of parts can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the cooling module. [Figure 2] This is a disassembled perspective view of the cooling module. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the cooling module. [Figure 4] This is a partial side cross-sectional view of the cooling module. [Figure 5] This is a partial side cross-sectional view of the cooling module of the comparative example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the cooling module according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are illustrative examples for illustrating the present invention and do not limit the present invention to these embodiments only. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence.

[0011] [Cooling system configuration] As shown in Figure 1, the cooling system including the cooling module 1 according to this embodiment is configured with a first water pump 2, a second water pump 3, a first rotary valve 4, a second rotary valve 5, a radiator, an inverter / motor, a DC-DC converter, a charger, a reserve tank, a heater core, an electric heater, a water-cooled condenser, a battery, a chiller, an electric heater, and multiple flow paths for circulating coolant (an example of a fluid) to these components. The coolant is a general term for cooling water such as antifreeze or long-life coolant mainly composed of ethylene glycol, or cooling oil composed of insulating oil such as paraffin. Of these, the first water pump 2, the second water pump 3, the first rotary valve 4, and the second rotary valve 5 are attached to the cooling module 1. On the other hand, the radiator, inverter / motor, DC-DC converter, charger, reserve tank, heater core, electric heater, water-cooled condenser, battery, chiller, and electric heater are positioned at a distance from the cooling module 1, and are configured to circulate coolant between them and the cooling module 1 through multiple flow paths.

[0012] Cooling systems are used in automobiles equipped with motors as a driving force, such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "electric vehicles"), and circulate coolant to cool the inverter / motor, battery, etc.

[0013] [Cooling module configuration] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cooling module 1 comprises a first water pump 2, a second water pump 3, a first rotary valve 4, a second rotary valve 5, a manifold housing 10 with a flow path for circulating coolant to these components, and a cover body 30. The resin manifold M is formed by resin bonding the manifold housing 10 and the cover body 30. The first water pump 2 and the second water pump 3 are attached to pump mounting sections 2A and 2B, respectively, but their illustration is omitted in Figures 1 to 3. Also, the illustration of the first rotary valve 4 and the second rotary valve 5 is omitted in Figure 2. In this embodiment, the manifold housing 10 is made of resin and is formed from a single housing (an example of a "single component"). The cooling module 1 does not have a reserve tank inside. By not having a reserve tank, the cooling module 1 can be made compact, and the flexibility of its placement can be increased.

[0014] The manifold housing 10 is composed of two housing sections 10A and 20A and a plurality of cylindrically formed flow paths (inlet ports 12, 21, 22, etc., described later). In the manifold housing 10, the housing sections 10A and 20A have a substantially cylindrical shape. Hereinafter, the direction parallel to the alignment of the two housing sections 10A and 20A is defined as the X direction, the direction parallel to the X direction is defined as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions is defined as the Z direction. Furthermore, of the X direction, the direction from the first water pump 2 toward the second water pump 3 is defined as the X1 direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the X2 direction. Of the Y direction, the direction from the first outlet port 13 toward the first inlet port 11 is defined as the Y1 direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the Y2 direction (the first outlet port 13 and the first inlet port 11 will be described later). Of the Z direction, the direction from the manifold housing 10 toward the cover body 30 is defined as the Z1 direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the Z2 direction. The Z2 direction is the direction of gravity. In other words, the manifold housing 10 is positioned vertically above the cover body 30.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, the first housing section 10A is connected to the first inlet port 11, the second inlet port 12, the first outlet port 13, and the second outlet port 14. The second housing section 20A is connected to the third inlet port 21, the fourth inlet port 22, the third outlet port 23, and the fourth outlet port 24. Specifically, one end of the first inlet port 11, the second inlet port 12, the first outlet port 13, and the second outlet port 14 is open on the inner wall of the first housing section 10A, and one end of the third inlet port 21, the fourth inlet port 22, the third outlet port 23, and the fourth outlet port 24 is open on the inner wall of the second housing section 20A. The inlet ports 11, 12, and 22, and the outlet ports 13, 14, 23, and 24 are all cylindrical in shape. The third inlet port 21 consists of a split pipe section 21A provided in the manifold housing 10 and a split pipe section 21B provided in the cover body 30. resin They are formed by joining together. The inlet ports 11, 12, 21, 22 and the outlet ports 13, 14, 23, 24 have their respective axes aligned along the Y direction and parallel in the X direction, and have openings facing either the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction.

[0016] The cooling module 1 has, as other ports and flow path pipes, a fifth outflow port 16 (An example of a flow path) , and flow path pipes 15, 17, 25, 26 (An example of a flow path) . The fifth outflow port 16, and the flow path pipes 15, 17, 25, 26 are formed by being joined to half split pipe portions 15A, 16A, 17A, 25A, 26A provided in the manifold housing 10 (An example of a part of the flow path) , and half split pipe portions 15B, 16B, 17B, 25B, 26B provided in the cover body 30, respectively resin . Note that the first inflow port 11, the second inflow port 12, the first outflow port 13, the second outflow port 14, the third inflow port 21, the fourth inflow port 22, the third outflow port 23, the fourth outflow port 24, the fifth outflow port 16, and the flow path pipes 15, 17, 25, 26 are all exposed to the outside

[0017] The fifth outflow port 16 is connected to the first accommodation portion 10A above the outflow ports 13, 14. Further, for the fifth outflow port 16, the base end portion 16B1 is located on the X1 side of the second outflow port 14, and the tip end portion 16B3 is located on the X2 side of the first outflow port 13

[0018] The first flow path pipe 15 is connected to the first water pump 2 and the first accommodation portion 10A. The second flow path pipe 26 is connected to the second water pump 3 and the second accommodation portion 20A. The third flow path pipe 17 is connected to the first water pump 2 and the second accommodation portion 20A. The fourth flow path pipe 25 is connected to the second water pump 3 and the first accommodation portion 10A

[0019] The fifth outflow port 16 and the flow channels 17 and 25 are all three-dimensional shapes displaced in the X, Y, and Z directions. Specifically, the base ends 16A1 and 16B1 of the fifth outflow port 16 are formed in a direction that is substantially parallel to the XY plane and intersects both the X1 and Y2 directions, and the intermediate parts 16A2 and 16B2 extend from the ends of the base ends 16A1 and 16B1 in the X2 direction. The intermediate parts 16A2 and 16B2 are convex in the Z1 direction. The tip ends 16A3 and 16B3 are formed from the ends of the intermediate parts 16A2 and 16B2 in the Y2 direction. The third flow channel pipe 17 has base ends 17A1, 17B1 formed in a direction that is substantially parallel to the XY plane and intersects with both the X1 and Y1 directions, first intermediate parts 17A2, 17B2 formed from the ends of the base ends 17A1, 17B1 in the direction of X1, second intermediate parts 17A3, 17B3 formed from the ends of the first intermediate parts 17A2, 17B2 in a direction that intersects with both the X1, Y2 and Z2 directions, and tip parts 17A4, 17B4 formed from the ends of the second intermediate parts 17A3, 17B3 in a direction that is substantially parallel to the XY plane and intersects with both the X1 and Y2 directions. The fourth flow channel pipe 25 has base ends 25A1, 25B1 formed in a direction substantially parallel to the XY plane and intersecting both the X2 and Y2 directions. From the ends of the base ends 25A1, 25B1, the first intermediate sections 25A2, 25B2 are formed in the X2 direction. From the ends of the first intermediate sections 25A2, 25B2, the second intermediate sections 25A3, 25B3 are formed in a direction intersecting both the X2, Y1, and Z2 directions. From the ends of the second intermediate sections 25A3, 25B3, the tip sections 25A4, 25B4 are formed in the X2 direction. The fifth outflow port 16 and the various parts of the flow channel pipes 17, 25 (for example, between the base ends 16A1, 16B1 and the intermediate sections 16A2, 16B2) are connected via curved sections that are curved in two or three dimensions.

[0020] In addition to the split pipe sections 15B, 16B, 17B, 21B, 25B, and 26B, the cover body 30 includes a first lid 31 that covers the opening 10Aa of the first housing section 10A, and a second lid 32 that covers the opening 20Aa of the second housing section 20A. The cover body 30 is made of resin, and is formed using, for example, the same resin material (first resin material) as the manifold housing 10.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, the housing sections 10A and 20A provided in the manifold housing 10 house rotary valves 4 and 5, for example, valve rotors 41 and 51, rotor seals 42 and 52, and rod seals 43 and 53, respectively. The valve rotors 41 and 51 are provided with shaft portions 41a and 51a and plate-shaped flow path sections 41b and 51b that intersect the shaft portions 41a and 51a. The valve rotors 41 and 51 are rotatably supported by recesses formed on the bottom surface of the housing sections 10A and 20A and rotor seals 42 and 52 provided inside the lid portions 31 and 32. Actuators 4A and 5A that rotate the valve rotors 41 and 51 are positioned on the upper part of the valve rotors 41 and 51, respectively. The first rotary valve 4 and the second rotary valve 5 are both solenoid valves whose flow paths are switched by actuators 4A and 5A. By rotating the valve rotors 41 and 51 around axes X1 and X2 along the Z direction, they switch the flow paths and control the flow of coolant circulating through multiple flow paths.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the manifold housing 10 is provided with pump mounting sections 2A and 3A on both sides in the X direction, respectively. The first water pump 2 is mounted on pump mounting section 2A, and the second water pump 3 is mounted on pump mounting section 3A. The first water pump 2 and the second water pump 3 are positioned so that their respective rotational axes are aligned along the X direction.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, the cooling module 1 has a resin manifold housing 10 and a resin cover body 30 that are resin-bonded at a position covering the housing sections 10A and 20A, with a resin joint E between them. In this embodiment, the manifold housing 10 and the cover body 30 are molded from a first resin material, and the resin joint E is formed from a second resin material different from the first resin material. Examples of resin bonding methods for the manifold housing 10 and the cover body 30 include bonding with an adhesive and molding by DSI (Die Slide Injection). If resin bonding is done by DSI, components of rotary valves 4 and 5, such as valve rotors 41 and 51, rotor seals 42 and 52, and rod seals 43 and 53, can be inserted into the housing sections 10A and 20A before the DSI process is performed, and then the manifold housing 10 and the cover body 30 can be resin-bonded using the DSI method to simultaneously cover the openings of the two housing sections 10A and 20A. In this case, the second resin material of the resin joint E is the resin used in the DSI method. Note that in Figure 4, the part of the manifold housing 10 where the housing section 10A and housing section 20A are continuous is shown by a simplified resin section 18.

[0024] Figure 5 shows a cooling module 100 as a comparative example. As shown in Figure 5, the cooling module 100 has a manifold housing 90 composed of a lower housing 101 and an upper housing 102. The lower housing 101 and the upper housing 102 are joined, for example, by infrared, and have a joint D between them. The cooling module 100 has two housing sections 110 and 120 formed in the upper housing 102, and the housing sections 110 and 120 house rotary valves 4 and 5, consisting of valve rotors 41 and 51, rotor seals 42 and 52, and rod seals 43 and 53. The upper opening of housing section 110 is covered by a cover body 131, and the upper opening of housing section 120 is covered by a cover body 132 which is a separate component from cover body 131. Furthermore, housing section 110 and housing section 120 are connected via a connecting section 103. Here, the cover bodies 131 and 132 that cover the upper openings of the housing portions 110 and 120 formed in the upper housing 102 are joined to the upper housing 102 using bolts B. Note that in Figure 5, the bolts B used to secure the cover body 131 to the upper housing 102 are not shown.

[0025] In the comparative example cooling module 100, the cover bodies 131 and 132 are joined to the upper housing 102 using bolts B. Therefore, in order to fix the bolts B around the housing sections 110 and 120, it is necessary to ensure a large thickness for the cover bodies 131 and 132 and the connecting section 103. For this reason, the cooling module 100 is a structure that is easily made taller in the Z direction. In addition, because the manifold housing 90 is composed of a lower housing 101 and an upper housing 102, dead spaces DS1 and DS2 may occur between the lower housing 101 and the upper housing 102. Furthermore, since the housing sections 110 and 120 are covered by cover bodies 131 and 132, which are separate components, the number of joining points using bolts B increases, and the work takes more time.

[0026] In contrast, in the cooling module 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 4, the cover body 30 is resin-bonded to the manifold housing 10 at the resin joint E, and the openings 10Aa, 20Aa (see Figure 2) of the housing sections 10A, 20A are covered by the cover body 30. As a result, the cooling module 1 does not require any separate members such as bolts to join the manifold housing 10 and the cover body 30. Consequently, the cooling module 1 can be made lower in profile and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0027] Furthermore, in the cooling module 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 4, the manifold housing 10 is constructed from a single component. Therefore, the occurrence of dead space in the flow path formed inside the manifold housing 10 can be suppressed.

[0028] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, the cooling module 1 is shown as having a configuration in which the manifold housing 10 and cover body 30 constituting the manifold M are formed of a first resin material, and the resin joint E is made of a second resin material different from the first resin material. Alternatively, the manifold housing 10, cover body 30, and resin joint E may all be made of the same resin material. In that case, the resin joint E can be formed by laser welding, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, etc. Even in this case, no separate components such as bolts are required to join the manifold housing 10 and the cover body 30. As a result, the cooling module 1 can be made lower in profile, and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0029] (2) In the above embodiment, the cooling module 1 was shown as an example in which the manifold housing 10 and the cover body 30 are formed from the same resin material. Alternatively, the manifold housing 10 may be formed from a first resin material, and the cover body 30 may be formed from a resin material different from the first resin material. In this case, the cooling module 1 can be configured by appropriately selecting resin materials according to the part, such as using a highly rigid resin for the manifold housing 10 and a lightweight resin for the cover body 30.

[0030] (3) In the above embodiment, the manifold housing 10 of the cooling module 1 was shown as being formed by a single housing (single member). Alternatively, the housing manifold may be formed by multiple members, for example, by resin bonding two members (upper housing and lower housing, etc.) in the Z direction.

[0031] (4) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a first water pump 2, a second water pump 3, a first rotary valve 4, and a second rotary valve 5 are used as auxiliary equipment attached to the cooling module 1, but the example is not limited to this. The cooling module 1 may be configured to attach other auxiliary equipment. Other examples of auxiliary equipment include pumps such as battery pumps and powertrain pumps, chillers, electric heaters, filters, aerators, valves, connectors, fans, radiators, etc.

[0032] (5) In the above embodiment, the cooling module 1 is shown as having a configuration in which the first inlet port 11, the second inlet port 12, the first outlet port 13, the second outlet port 14, the third inlet port 21, the fourth inlet port 22, the third outlet port 23, the fourth outlet port 24, the fifth outlet port 16, and flow channels 15, 17, 25, 26 are exposed to the outside. Alternatively, the flow channels, which are composed of one or more of these, may be formed inside the manifold housing 10.

[0033] (6) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the cooling module 1 is provided with a plurality of rotary valves 4, 5, but the cooling module 1 may be configured to be provided with a single rotary valve.

[0034] (7) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a single cover body 30 covers the openings 10Aa, 20Aa of a plurality of housing sections 10A, 20A. Alternatively, a configuration in which a plurality of cover bodies 30 individually cover the openings of a plurality of housing sections may be used.

[0035] [Summary of the above embodiment] In the embodiments described above, the following configuration can be envisioned. <1> One embodiment of the cooling module (1) is a housing (10A, 20A) provided with openings (10Aa, 20Aa) and at least a portion (15A, 16A, 17A, 21A, 25A) of the fluid passages (15, 16, 17, 21, 25A) and A resin manifold housing (10) having a rotary valve (4, 5) housed in a housing (10A, 20A) via an opening (10Aa, 20Aa), and the manifold housing (10) resin The openings (10Aa, 20Aa) of the housing sections (10A, 20A) are joined together. and parts of the flow paths (15, 16, 17, 21, 25) (15A, 16A, 17A, 21A, 25A) It comprises a resin cover body (30) that covers it, and

[0036] According to this embodiment, the cooling module (1) has a resin manifold housing (10) in the housing section (10A, 20A) and at least a portion (15A, 16A, 17A, 21A, 25A) of the fluid passages (15, 16, 17, 21, 25A) and The housing section (10A, 20A) houses the rotary valve (4, 5), and the opening (10Aa, 20Aa) of the housing section (10A, 20A) and parts of the flow paths (15, 16, 17, 21, 25) (15A, 16A, 17A, 21A, 25A) The cooling module (1) is covered by a resin cover body (30) which is resin-bonded to the manifold housing (10). As a result, the cooling module (1) does not require any separate components such as bolts to join the manifold housing (10) and the cover body (30). Consequently, the cooling module (1) can be made lower in profile and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0037] <2> <1> In the cooling module (1), it is preferable that the manifold housing (10) and the cover body (30) are formed from a first resin material, and that the manifold housing (10) and the cover body (30) are resin-bonded together with a second resin material different from the first resin material.

[0038] According to this embodiment, in the cooling module (1), the first resin material used to form the manifold housing (10) and the cover body (30) is different from the second resin material used to resin-bond the two. Therefore, the cooling module (1) can be molded, for example, by DSI (Die Slide Injection). Furthermore, by using the DSI method, before performing the DSI process, components of the rotary valve (4, 5), such as valve rotors (41, 51), rotor seals (42, 52), and rod seals (43, 53), can be inserted into the housing sections (10A, 20A). After that, the manifold housing (10) and the cover body (30) can be resin-bonded using the DSI method, and the openings of the housing sections (10A, 20A) can be covered with the cover body (30). Moreover, with the DSI method, even if the cooling module (1) is a hollow body with a complex internal structure, the cooling module (1) can be molded with high precision.

[0039] <3> <1> or <2> In the cooling module (1), it is preferable that the manifold housing (10) is composed of a single component.

[0040] A manifold housing can also be formed, for example, by resin bonding multiple parts. However, in that case, a resin bonding process is required when molding the manifold housing, and in addition, if the flow channels formed inside the manifold housing are formed across multiple parts, dead space is likely to occur in those flow channels. On the other hand, as in this embodiment, since the manifold housing (10) is a single component, a resin bonding process is not required when molding the manifold housing (10), and dead space can be suppressed in the flow channels formed inside the manifold housing (10).

[0041] <4> <1> or <2> In the cooling module (1), the manifold housing (10) has multiple housing sections (10A, 20A) and parts of multiple flow paths (15, 16, 17, 21, 25) (15A, 16A, 17A, 21A, 25A) It has a single cover body (30) with multiple housing sections (10A, 20A) openings (10Aa, 20Aa) and parts of multiple flow paths (15, 16, 17, 21, 25) (15A, 16A, 17A, 21A, 25A)It is preferable that the manifold housing (10) is resin-bonded to cover it.

[0042] According to this embodiment, a single cover body (30) is provided for the openings (10Aa, 20Aa) of the multiple housing sections (10A, 20B) and parts of multiple flow paths (15, 16, 17, 21, 25) (15A, 16A, 17A, 21A, 25A) It is resin-bonded to the manifold housing (10) so as to cover it. This allows the cooling module (1) to easily reduce the number of parts. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1: Cooling module, 4: First rotary valve, 5: Second rotary valve, 10: Manifold housing, 10A: First housing, 10Aa: Opening 15: First flow channel pipe (flow channel), 15A: Split section of pipe (part of the flow channel), 16: Fifth outlet port (flow channel), 16A: Split section of pipe (part of the flow channel), 17: Third flow channel pipe (flow channel), 17A: Split section of pipe (part of the flow channel), 20A: Second housing section, 20Aa: Opening, 21: Third inlet port (flow path), 21A: Split pipe section (part of the flow path), 25: Fourth flow path pipe (flow path), 25A: Split pipe section (part of the flow path), 30: Cover body, E: Resin joint

Claims

1. A resin manifold housing having a housing section with an opening, A rotary valve housed in the housing through the opening, A cooling module comprising a resin cover body joined to the manifold housing and covering the opening of the housing portion.

2. The manifold housing and the cover body are formed from a first resin material. The cooling module according to claim 1, wherein the manifold housing and the cover body are resin-bonded together with a second resin material different from the first resin material.

3. The cooling module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the manifold housing is composed of a single component.

4. The manifold housing has a plurality of the aforementioned housings, The cooling module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a single cover body is resin-bonded to the manifold housing so as to cover the openings of a plurality of housings.

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