Reservoir assembly and vehicle

Abstract

A reservoir assembly and a vehicle are provided. [Solution] The reservoir assembly includes a reservoir body. The reservoir body includes a housing (200) and a fluid flow path. The housing defines a housing cavity (300). The fluid flow path is disposed within the housing cavity and includes main flow paths (312, 314) and bypass flow paths (316, 318). The main flow path is in fluid communication with the bypass flow path, and the bypass flow path is in fluid communication with the housing cavity. Here, the main flow path and the bypass flow path are formed by a plurality of partitions. The fluid flow path of the present invention employs an elongated partition structure that is easy to manufacture and cost-effective.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of reservoir assemblies and vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] The cooling system of the vehicle can cool the engine and includes a container for storing antifreeze and an apparatus having an antifreeze circulation circuit. When the antifreeze is circulated to the storage container, a degassing operation can be performed, thereby removing excess gas in the antifreeze circulation circuit. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In the prior art, the cylindrical pipe structure of the reservoir or tank for storing antifreeze is complicated to manufacture and relatively expensive.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a reservoir assembly. The reservoir assembly includes a reservoir body. The reservoir body includes a housing and a fluid flow path. The housing defines a housing cavity. The fluid flow path is disposed within the housing cavity and includes a main flow path and a bypass flow path. The main flow path is in fluid communication with the bypass flow path, and the bypass flow path is in fluid communication with the housing cavity. Here, the main flow path and the bypass flow path are formed by a plurality of partitions.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the reservoir assembly further comprises a manifold disposed below the reservoir body and in fluid communication with the reservoir body.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the main flow path includes a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and fluid flows into the main flow path through the liquid inlet and flows out of the main flow path through the liquid outlet.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a manifold fluid outlet and a manifold fluid inlet are provided at an upper portion of the manifold, the manifold fluid outlet being connected to the liquid inlet, and the manifold fluid inlet being connected to the liquid outlet.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the main flow path further includes a distribution port, and fluid is configured to flow from the main flow path to the bypass flow path through the distribution port.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the bypass flow path includes a distribution port and a liquid outlet, and fluid flows into the bypass flow path from the distribution port and out of the bypass flow path through the liquid outlet.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the bypass flow path further includes a bypass inlet flow path and a bypass outlet flow path, the distribution port is disposed at the inlet of the bypass inlet flow path, and the liquid outlet is disposed at the outlet of the bypass outlet flow path, wherein the fluid flows from the distribution port into the bypass inlet flow path, passes through the bypass inlet flow path into the housing cavity to undergo degassing, and the fluid flows from the housing cavity into the bypass outlet flow path and exits the bypass outlet flow path through the liquid outlet.

[0011] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of partitions is elongated and made of a polypropylene material or a glass fiber reinforced polypropylene material.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the housing cavity is used to store antifreeze.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a vehicle including the reservoir assembly described above.

[0014] The features and advantages of the present disclosure can be better understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like elements throughout. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is an exemplary illustration of a reservoir assembly of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reservoir of FIG. 1. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a side view of the reservoir of FIG. 2A. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 2B along line AA. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 3A rotated by a certain angle. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 2B along line BB. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 4A rotated by a certain angle. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 2B along line CC. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 5A rotated by a certain angle. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 2B along line DD. [Figure 6B] 6B is a perspective view of a cross-sectional view of the reservoir of FIG. 6A rotated by a certain angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Various specific embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings that form a part of this specification. In this disclosure, directional terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," and "bottom" are used to describe structural parts and elements in various examples of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that these terms are used in this application (herein) only for ease of illustration and are determined based on the exemplary orientation shown in the accompanying drawings. Because the arrangements in the embodiments disclosed in this disclosure can be in various directions, these directional terms are merely exemplary and should not be considered limiting.

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates the structure and components of a reservoir assembly 10 of the present disclosure.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1 , the reservoir assembly 10 includes a reservoir body 100 and a manifold 20. The manifold 20 is disposed below the reservoir body 100 and is in fluid communication with the reservoir body 100. Three water pumps 31, 32, and 33 and two valves 41 and 42 are provided on the manifold 20, allowing the manifold 20 to controllably select different fluid circuits for communication with the reservoir body 100. Specifically, a manifold fluid outlet and a manifold fluid inlet (not shown) are provided on the top of the manifold 20 and are configured to be connected to the liquid inlet and liquid outlet of the reservoir body 100, respectively, thereby allowing the manifold 20 to be in fluid communication with the reservoir body 100. Two caps 51 and 52 are further disposed above the reservoir body 100 to cover vent holes 202 and 204 at the top of the reservoir body 100 (see FIG. 2A ).

[0019] The present disclosure further provides a vehicle, wherein the reservoir assembly shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in an engine compartment of the vehicle for storing antifreeze, and can stabilize the pressure of the vehicle's cooling circulation system.

[0020] 2A and 2B show the external structure of the reservoir body 100. FIG.

[0021] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the reservoir body 100 has a cubic cavity structure and includes a housing 200. Two vent holes 202, 204 are provided on the top surface of the housing 200 and penetrate the top surface of the housing 200, allowing fluid communication between the inside and outside of the housing 200 to balance the pressure inside the reservoir body 100. Two mounting portions 206, 208 are provided on two opposing side surfaces of the lower part of the housing 200 for mounting and fixing to the manifold 20. The top surface of the housing 200 is further provided with a housing recess 212 that is elongated in the length direction of the housing. The housing recess 212 is a concave structure for limiting the height of the main flow path pipeline.

[0022] 3A to 6B show the internal structure of the reservoir body 100. FIG.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , the reservoir body 100 has a housing cavity 300 defined by the housing 200. Antifreeze is stored in the housing cavity 300 and can be degassed within the housing cavity 300. A plurality of elongated partition walls define fluid flow paths on the underside of the housing cavity 300. The partition walls are made of polypropylene (PP) or glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP-GF). The fluid flow paths include a main flow path and a bypass flow path. The main flow path includes a first main flow path 312 and a second main flow path 314, and the bypass flow path includes a bypass inlet flow path 316 and a bypass outlet flow path 318. A first liquid inlet 302, a second liquid inlet 304, and a liquid outlet 306 are also provided on the underside of the housing cavity 300. The first main flow path 312 is disposed between the first liquid inlet 302 and the liquid outlet 306. The second liquid inlet 304 is adjacent to the liquid outlet 306. The second main flow path 314 is disposed between the second liquid inlet 304 and the liquid outlet 306. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a portion of the first main flow path 312 overlaps with the second main flow path 314; in other words, the second main flow path 314 is contained within the first main flow path 312. The first main flow path 312 defines a first main fluid passage F1, and the second main flow path 314 defines a second main fluid passage F2. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in some other embodiments, more than two main flow paths or only one main flow path may be disposed within the housing cavity 300 to accommodate the fluid circuit arrangement of the manifold 20, and the multiple main flow paths may be non-overlapping or partially overlapping.

[0024] 3A and 3B, a distribution port 322 is provided on a flow path side partition at the overlapping portion of the first main flow path 312 and the second main flow path 314. A bypass inlet flow path 316 is disposed between the distribution port 322 and the housing cavity 300. The distribution port 322 is disposed at the inlet of the bypass inlet flow path 316. A bypass outlet flow path 318 is disposed between the housing cavity 300 and the liquid outlet 306. The liquid outlet 306 is disposed at the outlet of the bypass outlet flow path 318. A bypass inlet port 332 is further provided in the bypass inlet flow path 316. Fluid entering the bypass inlet flow path 316 can enter the housing cavity 300 through the bypass inlet port 332. A bypass return port 334 is further provided in the bypass outlet flow path 318. Fluid within the housing cavity 300 can flow through the bypass return port 334 into the bypass outlet flow path 318 and then flow out of the reservoir body 100. After entering the bypass inlet flow channel 316 through the distribution port 322, the fluid can flow into the housing cavity 300 through the bypass inlet port 332, mix with the fluid stored within the housing cavity 300, and then degas within the housing cavity 300. Meanwhile, a corresponding volume of fluid within the housing cavity 300 can return to the bypass outlet flow channel 318 through the bypass return port 334 and exit the reservoir body 100 through the liquid outlet 306. The bypass inlet flow channel 316 and the bypass outlet flow channel 318 of the bypass flow channel collectively define a fluid bypass F3. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ratio of the flow rate through the main flow channel to the flow rate through the bypass flow channel is 7:3.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B , the main flow path includes an upper partition 402 on its upper side. The upper partition 402 is formed by the recessed bottom surface of the housing recess 212 recessed from the upper surface of the housing 200. This upper partition 402 limits the height of the main flow path and prevents excess gas from accumulating in the first main flow path 312 and the second main flow path 314 (which would otherwise affect the degassing effect). The main flow path further includes main flow path side partitions 411, 412, 413, and 414 on its side surfaces, which are configured to define the cross-sectional size of the main flow path. The bypass flow path includes a bypass first side partition 422 and a bypass second side partition 424. The bypass first side partition 422 and the bypass second side partition 424 each have a bent structure, thereby changing the flow direction of the fluid in the bypass flow path. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the bending angle of the bypass first side partition 422 and the bypass second side partition 424 is set to be 90 degrees. In some other embodiments, the bypass first side partition 422 and the bypass second side partition 424 may each have a rounded corner-shaped structure, thereby functioning to change the flow direction of the fluid in the bypass flow channel. The bypass first side partition 422 and the main flow channel side partition 412 form the bypass inlet flow channel 316 and collectively define the inlet section of the fluid bypass F3. The bypass first side partition 422 and the bypass second side partition 424 form the bypass outlet flow channel 318 and collectively define the outlet section of the fluid bypass F3. The bypass inlet and outlet passages 316 and 318 of the bypass flow path do not have upper cover plates, so that fluid can not only flow through the bypass inlet and outlet passages 316 and 318, but also overflow directly into the housing cavity 300 from above the bypass inlet and outlet passages 316 and 318.

[0026] Reinforcing partitions 404, 405 are further provided in the housing cavity 300, connected between the housing 200 and the main flow path side partitions 411, 412 respectively, to reinforce and support the main flow path side partitions 411, 412, 413, 414 of the main flow path.

[0027] 5A to 6B show the internal structure of the reservoir body 100 from a different cross-sectional perspective, specifically illustrating the positional relationship between the first main flow path 312, the second main flow path 314, the bypass inflow flow path 316, and the bypass outflow flow path 318 of the reservoir body 100.

[0028] 2A-6B above, in the first fluid path, fluid flows from the first liquid inlet 302 into the first main channel 312 and forms a branch stream as it flows to the distribution port 322. Approximately 70% of the fluid does not pass through the distribution port 322 but continues to flow out of the liquid outlet 306 along the first main fluid path F1. Approximately 30% of the fluid passes through the distribution port 322 and enters the fluid bypass F3. Specifically, the fluid flows into the housing cavity 300 through the bypass inlet channel 316, mixes with the fluid stored in the housing cavity 300, and undergoes a degassing action inside the housing cavity 300. Meanwhile, a corresponding volume of fluid enters the bypass outlet channel 318 and finally flows out of the liquid outlet 306. Similarly, in the second fluid path, fluid flows from the second liquid inlet 304 into the second main channel 314 and forms a branch stream as it flows to the distribution port 322. Approximately 70% of the fluid does not pass through the distribution port 322 and continues to flow out of the liquid outlet 306 along the second main fluid path F2. Approximately 30% of the fluid passes through the distribution port 322 and enters the fluid bypass F3. Specifically, the fluid flows into the housing cavity 300 through the bypass inlet flow path 316, mixes with the fluid stored within the housing cavity 300, and undergoes a degassing action within the housing cavity 300. Meanwhile, a corresponding volume of fluid enters the bypass outlet flow path 318 and ultimately flows out of the liquid outlet 306.

[0029] The reservoir assembly of the present disclosure can achieve at least the following beneficial technical effects:

[0030] First, to accommodate the structure of the manifold, the inlets and outlets of the reservoirs of the present disclosure are located at the bottom of the reservoir, allowing multiple inlets or outlets to be adaptively located at the bottom of the reservoir, making it possible to manufacture the reservoirs and manifolds of the present disclosure as a single unit.

[0031] Second, the fluid flow paths of the present disclosure employ elongated partition structures that are easy to process and manufacture, and are cost-effective.

[0032] While the present disclosure has been described in terms of the example embodiments outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and / or substantial equivalents that are known, current, or anticipated in the near future may be apparent to at least those skilled in the art. In addition, the technical effects and / or technical problems described herein are exemplary and not limiting. Thus, the disclosure herein can be used to solve other technical problems, can have other technical effects, and / or can solve other technical problems. Thus, the example embodiments of the present disclosure described above are intended to be exemplary and not limiting. Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is intended to include all known or previously developed alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and / or basic equivalents.

Claims

1. A reservoir assembly comprising a reservoir body, the reservoir body comprising: a housing defining a housing cavity; a fluid passageway disposed within the housing cavity, the fluid passageway including a main passageway and a bypass passageway, the main passageway in fluid communication with the bypass passageway, and the bypass passageway in fluid communication with the housing cavity; Including, The main flow path and the bypass flow path are formed by a plurality of partition walls. Reservoir assembly.

2. The reservoir assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a manifold disposed below the reservoir body and in fluid communication with the reservoir body.

3. The reservoir assembly of claim 2 , wherein the primary flow path includes a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and wherein fluid enters the primary flow path through the liquid inlet and exits the primary flow path through the liquid outlet.

4. The reservoir assembly of claim 3 , wherein a manifold fluid outlet and a manifold fluid inlet are provided at an upper portion of the manifold, the manifold fluid outlet being connected to the liquid inlet, and the manifold fluid inlet being connected to the liquid outlet.

5. The reservoir assembly of claim 3 , wherein the primary flow path further includes a distribution port, and the fluid is configured to flow from the primary flow path to the bypass flow path through the distribution port.

6. 6. The reservoir assembly of claim 5, wherein the bypass flow path includes the distribution port and the liquid outlet, and the fluid flows from the distribution port into the bypass flow path and through the liquid outlet out of the bypass flow path.

7. the bypass flow path further includes a bypass inlet flow path and a bypass outlet flow path, the distribution port is disposed at an inlet of the bypass inlet flow path and the liquid outlet is disposed at an outlet of the bypass outlet flow path; 7. The reservoir assembly of claim 6, wherein the fluid flows from the distribution port into the bypass inlet passage, through the bypass inlet passage, into the housing cavity where it undergoes a degassing action, and the fluid flows from the housing cavity into the bypass outlet passage and out of the bypass outlet passage through the liquid outlet.

8. The reservoir assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of septa is elongated and made of a polypropylene material or a glass-reinforced polypropylene material.

9. 10. The reservoir assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing cavity is used to store antifreeze.

10. A vehicle comprising a reservoir assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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