Cooling device

Abstract

To provide a cooling system which can suppress oil that is not cold enough from being discharged from a discharge part.SOLUTION: A cooling system 10 is arranged at an oil reservoir section 3 installed at a lower part of a casing 2 housing a motor 5 to cool oil used for cooling the motor 5. The cooling system includes a coolant passage 22 which protrudes from a lower side of the casing 2 in the oil reservoir section 3 to an upper side and has a plurality of longitudinal ribs 30 through which coolant can pass. A discharge part arrangement region 32 with a discharge part 6 discharging oil from the oil reservoir section 3 is arranged between two adjacent longitudinal ribs 30. A partition part 50 at a lower side of the motor 5 and at an upper side of the discharge part arrangement region 32 partitions a region into the discharge part arrangement region 32 and an upper side region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a cooling device for sufficiently cooling the oil in a transaxle without providing an oil cooler has been provided. The cooling device of Patent Document 1 has a cooling jacket portion that forms a cooling medium inflow region for allowing cooling water to flow in, and the cooling jacket portion is integrally formed with at least one of a plurality of components constituting the casing. In the cooling device of Patent Document 1, unevenness is formed in a portion that separates the internal space and the cooling water inflow region, and the convex portions and the concave portions are formed alternately. Further, in the cooling device of Patent Document 1, a partition portion for partitioning the cooling medium inflow region to form a flow path for the cooling water is provided, and a meandering flow path is formed inside the cooling jacket portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The inventors of the present invention have intensively studied the cooling device of Patent Document 1. As a result, it has been found that when configured as in Patent Document 1, the oil in the transaxle can be sufficiently cooled without providing an oil cooler. On the other hand, in the cooling device of Patent Document 1, for example, when oil drips near the strainer, it has been found that the oil may be supplied for cooling the motor without being sufficiently heat-exchanged. Therefore, it has been found that if a discharge portion for discharging oil from an oil storage portion where cooling oil accumulates, such as the portion where the strainer is disposed in Patent Document 1, is provided, and the discharge of oil from the discharge portion without being sufficiently cooled can be suppressed, further improvement in heat exchange efficiency may be achieved.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device capable of suppressing the discharge of oil from the discharge portion without being sufficiently cooled.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) The cooling device of the present invention is for cooling the oil used for cooling the motor in an oil storage portion provided below a casing in which the motor is accommodated, and has a refrigerant flow path having a plurality of vertical ribs that project upward from below the casing inside the oil storage portion and through which refrigerant can pass. Between two adjacent vertical ribs among the plurality of vertical ribs, a discharge portion arrangement region where a discharge portion for discharging oil from the oil storage portion is arranged is provided, and a partition portion that partitions the discharge portion arrangement region and an upper region is provided below the motor and above the discharge portion arrangement region.

[0007] The cooling device of the present invention is provided with a plurality of vertical ribs through which a refrigerant can pass, and an exhaust portion arrangement region is provided in which an exhaust portion is arranged between two adjacent vertical ribs among the plurality of vertical ribs. Further, in the cooling device of the present invention, a partition portion is provided at a position below the motor and above the exhaust portion arrangement region, and the exhaust portion arrangement region and the upper region are partitioned by the partition portion. Therefore, in the cooling device of the present invention, after cooling the motor, the partition portion can prevent the refrigerant falling from the motor side from directly entering the exhaust portion arrangement region. As a result, in the cooling device of the present invention, the refrigerant falling from the motor side is discharged from the exhaust portion after being sufficiently heat-exchanged with the vertical ribs and cooled by contact therewith. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling device capable of suppressing the discharge of oil from the exhaust portion without being sufficiently cooled.

[0008] (2) The cooling device of the present invention is a cooling device for cooling oil used for cooling the motor in an oil storage portion provided below a casing in which the motor is accommodated, and has a refrigerant flow path provided with a plurality of vertical ribs protruding upward from below the casing inside the oil storage portion and allowing a refrigerant to pass through therein. An exhaust portion arrangement region in which an exhaust portion for discharging oil from the oil storage portion is arranged is provided between two adjacent vertical ribs among the plurality of vertical ribs, and the refrigerant flow path is formed such that the refrigerant meanders from an inlet to an outlet of the refrigerant. It is preferably characterized by the above.

[0009] By configuring the cooling device of the present invention as in (2) above, the refrigerant and the oil can be sufficiently heat-exchanged before the refrigerant reaches from the inlet to the outlet of the refrigerant flow path. Therefore, by configuring the cooling device of the present invention as in (2) above, the heat exchange efficiency can be further improved.

[0010] (3) In the cooling device of the present invention, the plurality of the vertical ribs are arranged in parallel with a space therebetween, the discharge portion arrangement region is provided at a position offset to one side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs, and with respect to the discharge portion arrangement region, the height of the vertical rib arranged on one side in the parallel arrangement direction is higher than the height of the vertical rib arranged on the other side in the parallel arrangement direction, which is a favorable feature.

[0011] In the cooling device of the present invention, as in the above (3), when the discharge portion arrangement region is provided at a position offset to one side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs, the length of the path through which the oil passes from one side in the parallel arrangement direction to the discharge portion is shorter than the length of the path through which the oil passes from the other side in the parallel arrangement direction to the discharge portion. Therefore, if the height of the vertical ribs is the same on one side and the other side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs, there is a possibility that the cooling efficiency of the oil passing through one side in the parallel arrangement direction and the cooling efficiency of the oil passing through one side in the parallel arrangement direction will become non-uniform. However, as in the above (2), the cooling device of the present invention makes the height of the vertical ribs provided in the region close to the discharge portion arrangement region (one side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs) higher than the height of the vertical ribs provided in the region far from the discharge portion arrangement region (the other side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs), thereby suppressing the possibility that the cooling efficiency becomes non-uniform as described above. Further, thereby, the cooling device of the present invention can also improve the overall cooling efficiency.

[0012] Here, when providing the discharge unit arrangement area as described above, in either one or both of the areas on one side and the other side in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge unit arrangement area, if only one vertical rib is provided, an oil passage will be formed by the wall surface of the casing and the vertical rib. In this case, compared with the case where oil flows between two vertically arranged ribs arranged in parallel, the cooling efficiency of the oil may be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable that a plurality of vertical ribs are provided in both the area on one side and the area on the other side in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge unit arrangement area. By adopting such a configuration, the cooling efficiency of the oil can be further improved compared to the case where only one vertical rib is provided in either one or both of the areas on one side and the area on the other side in the parallel arrangement direction.

[0013] (4) It is preferable that the cooling device of the present invention is characterized in that an outlet for discharging the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow path is provided at a position higher than the inlet of the refrigerant with respect to the refrigerant flow path.

[0014] By configuring the cooling device of the present invention as in (4) above, the refrigerant can be sufficiently distributed in the height direction inside the vertical rib. Thereby, the cooling device of the present invention can sufficiently perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the oil at various positions in the height direction of the vertical rib. Therefore, by configuring the cooling device of the present invention as in (4) above, the heat exchange efficiency can be further improved.

[0015] (5) It is preferable that the cooling device of the present invention is integrally formed below the casing, and the vertical rib is formed so as to be open downward with respect to the casing.

[0016] By configuring the cooling device of the present invention as in (5) above, the casing and the vertical rib can be integrally formed by a method such as casting.

[0017] (6) The cooling device of the present invention is characterized in that part or all of the component that constitutes the refrigerant flow path and is in contact with the refrigerant is exposed outside the casing.

[0018] By configuring the cooling device of the present invention as in the above (6), in the component that constitutes the refrigerant flow path and is in contact with the refrigerant, heat exchange occurs between the external environment of the casing, so that effects such as suppression of the temperature rise of the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant flow path and cooling can be expected. As a result, the cooling device of the present invention can be expected to maintain the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant flow path at a low temperature and improve the heat exchange efficiency between the oil and the refrigerant.

[0019] (7) The cooling device of the present invention is characterized in that the refrigerant is introduced into the vertical rib after being used for cooling another device different from the motor.

[0020] Even when the refrigerant is introduced into the vertical rib after being used for cooling another device as in the above (7), the cooling device of the present invention can sufficiently exhibit the cooling effect of the oil used for cooling the motor.

[0021] (8) The cooling device of the present invention is characterized in that the casing constitutes a transaxle.

[0022] By configuring the cooling device of the present invention as in the above (8), it can be provided integrally with the casing that constitutes the transaxle.

Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, the problems of the present invention described above can be solved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Hereinafter, the cooling device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, terms indicating positions and directions such as up and down, left and right, width direction, front and rear directions, etc. will be described based on the posture in which the cooling device 10 is mounted on the vehicle unless otherwise specified.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the like, the cooling device 10 is integrally provided with respect to the casing 2 constituting the transaxle 1.

[0027] The transaxle 1 can accommodate, for example, a motor 5 (not shown and omitted in FIGS. 2 to 3, FIGS. 8, 9, and 11) inside the casing 2. Further, inside the transaxle 1, oil (ATF) for cooling the motor 5 and lubricating the gears is accommodated. The transaxle 1 is provided with an oil reservoir 3 at the bottom of the casing 2, and the oil that has cooled the motor 5 is supposed to accumulate in the oil reservoir 3. Further, the transaxle 1 is provided with a pump (not shown) for pumping up the oil in the internal space of the casing 2, an outlet 6a, and a strainer 6b.

[0028] The cooling device 10 is for cooling the oil used for cooling the motor 5. Specifically, the cooling device 10 cools the oil in the oil storage portion 3 provided below the casing 2 in which the motor 5 is housed. The cooling device 10 is integrally provided at a position that is the lower part (bottom) of the casing 2 constituting the transaxle 1. The cooling device 10 has a refrigerant flow path forming portion 20 and a partition portion 50.

[0029] The refrigerant flow path forming portion 20 is a portion that forms a refrigerant flow path 22 through which the refrigerant used for cooling the oil flows in the oil storage portion 3 of the casing 2. The refrigerant flow path forming portion 20 has an inner constituent body 24 and an outer constituent body 26. The inner constituent body 24 is a portion that is exposed inside the casing 2 (oil storage portion 3). The outer constituent body 26 is a portion that is exposed outside the casing 2. In the refrigerant flow path forming portion 20, the refrigerant flow path 22 is formed between the inner constituent body 24 and the outer constituent body 26. By flowing the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 22, the cooling device 10 can cool the oil that has dropped into the oil storage portion 3 on the inner constituent body 24 side by heat exchange with the refrigerant.

[0030] The inner constituent body 24 has a plurality of vertical ribs 30 and is formed in a shape that is bent in the vertical direction. The vertical ribs 30 are formed so as to project upward from below the casing 2 inside the oil storage portion 3. As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the vertical ribs 30 have a hollow shape with the upper end closed and the lower end open. Thereby, the inside of the vertical rib 30 is made to allow the refrigerant to pass through. A plurality of vertical ribs 30 are arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction (the width direction of the oil storage portion 3. The left - right direction in the illustrated state. Hereinafter also referred to as the "parallel arrangement direction") with intervals therebetween on the inner constituent body 24. In the present embodiment, the inner constituent body 24 is provided such that a plurality of vertical ribs 30 are arranged side by side in the radial direction of the motor 5 and in the horizontal direction. Further, the vertical ribs 30 are formed so as to extend in a direction intersecting the parallel arrangement direction (the direction intersecting the paper surface in the illustrated example).

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 etc., the inner structure 24 has a discharge portion arrangement region 32 between one of a plurality of provided vertical ribs 30 and another vertical rib 30 adjacent to the vertical rib 30 in the parallel arrangement direction. In the present embodiment, in the illustrated state, six vertical ribs 30a to 30f are arranged in parallel at intervals from the right side to the left side. The discharge portion arrangement region 32 is provided between the vertical ribs 30d and 30e among these. A discharge portion 6 for discharging oil from the oil storage portion 3 is provided in the discharge portion arrangement region 32. An oil discharge port 6a for discharging oil is formed in the discharge portion 6, and a strainer 6b is arranged. The discharge portion arrangement region 32 may be provided at the central portion in the parallel arrangement direction in the oil storage portion 3, but in the present embodiment, it is provided at a position biased to one side (the left side in the illustrated example) in the parallel arrangement direction.

[0032] The height of the plurality of vertical ribs 30 is made different between one side and the other side of the inner structure 24 with the discharge portion arrangement region 32 as a reference. Specifically, in the inner structure 24, the height of the vertical rib 30 arranged on one side (the left side in the illustrated example) in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge portion arrangement region 32 is higher than the height of the vertical rib 30 arranged on the other side (the right side in the illustrated example) in the parallel arrangement direction.

[0033] The inner structure 24 has a connection portion 34 formed so as to connect the gaps between the adjacent two vertical ribs 30 and 30 at the base ends of the vertical ribs 30 and 30. The connection portion 34 is a portion forming the bottom of the oil storage portion 3. The above-described discharge portion 6 is provided at a position on the connection portion 34 side in the discharge portion arrangement region 32. Thereby, the discharge portion 6 is enabled to suck oil from the bottom side of the oil storage portion 3. The inner structure 24 may be in an inclined posture in the installation state of the transaxle 1 or the cooling device 10, but in the present embodiment, it is in a substantially horizontal posture.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the inner structure 24 has a partition wall 36 on the surface facing the side opposite to the oil storage section 3 (the outer structure 26 side) at the connection section 34. The partition wall 36 is a plate-like portion forming a wall surface formed so as to reach from the inner structure 24 to the outer structure 26 in the assembled state of the cooling device 10. The partition wall 36 partitions the internal space 38 formed between the inner structure 24 and the outer structure 26. The partition wall 36 is formed so as to extend in the direction in which the vertical rib 30 extends (the depth direction of the oil storage section 3 / the direction intersecting the paper surface in the illustrated example). The partition wall 36 is provided with a gap 38a through which the refrigerant can pass between the partition wall 36 and the peripheral surface on one side in the depth direction of the oil storage section 3 among the peripheral wall portions 35 (wall surfaces) surrounding the internal space 38, while being connected to the peripheral surface on the other side in the depth direction without a gap. The partition wall 36 is provided such that the gap 38a is formed at a position different from that of the other adjacent partition walls 36.

[0035] More specifically, regarding the plurality (five in this embodiment) of partition walls 36 provided, assuming that they are partition walls 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e from the one arranged on the right side in the illustrated example, the partition wall 36a is connected to the wall surface (front wall 35a) on the front side in the depth direction of the oil storage section 3 in the peripheral wall portion 35 without a gap, while a gap 38a is formed between the partition wall 36a and the wall surface (rear wall 35b) on the rear side in the depth direction. Also, the partition wall 36b adjacent to the partition wall 36a in the parallel arrangement direction (the left side in the illustrated example) has a gap 38a formed between the partition wall 36b and the front wall 35a, while being connected to the rear wall 35b without a gap. The partition walls 36c and 36e are each connected to the front wall 35a without a gap, similar to the partition wall 36a, while a gap 38a is formed between the partition walls 36c and 36e and the rear wall 35b. Also, the partition wall 36d has a gap 38a formed between the partition wall 36d and the front wall 35a, similar to the partition wall 36b, while being connected to the rear wall 35b without a gap. In this way, the gaps 38a formed between the partition walls 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e arranged in the parallel arrangement direction are provided so that their positions alternate in the direction intersecting the parallel arrangement direction.

[0036] The outer component 26 is a plate-shaped part arranged at a predetermined interval from the inner component 24. The outer component 26 forms the above-described internal space 38 between it and the inner component 24. Similar to the inner component 24, the outer component 26 forms a refrigerant flow path 22, which will be described in detail later, and is a component that forms a part in contact with the refrigerant. In the outer component 26, the surface facing away from the internal space 38 side is in a state of being exposed to the outside of the transaxle 1 (casing 2).

[0037] The refrigerant flow path component 20 has a refrigerant flow path 22 formed by the above-described inner component 24 and outer component 26. The refrigerant flow path 22 includes an outlet 40 for discharging the refrigerant and an inlet 42 for introducing the refrigerant. The outlet 40 and the inlet 42 are provided on one side and the other side in the parallel arrangement direction of a plurality of vertical ribs 30 provided on the inner component 24. In the present embodiment, the outlet 40 is provided on the side where the discharge portion arrangement region 32 is provided in the parallel arrangement direction (the left side in the illustrated example). Conversely to the outlet 40, the inlet 42 is provided on the side opposite to the side where the discharge portion arrangement region 32 is provided in the parallel arrangement direction (the right side in the illustrated example). Further, the outlet 40 is provided at a position higher than the inlet 42.

[0038] Although the refrigerant flow path 22 can be made to pass straight from the inlet 42 toward the outlet 40, in the present embodiment, the refrigerant is made to meander while flowing from the inlet 42 toward the outlet 40. Specifically, the refrigerant flow path 22 is configured to be able to flow the refrigerant in a zigzag pattern by partitioning the internal space 38 with the partition wall 36. More specifically, as described above, the partition walls 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e are provided in parallel at intervals in the parallel arrangement direction inside the internal space 38, and the gaps 38a formed between the partition walls and the peripheral wall portion 35 are provided so as to have different positions alternately in a direction intersecting the parallel arrangement direction. Further, the inlet 42 is provided at a position adjacent to the partition wall 36a on the most upstream side of the refrigerant flow path 22 and at a position away from the gap 38a formed between the partition wall 36a and the peripheral wall portion 35 (rear wall 35b) (position on the front wall 35a side). Further, the outlet 40 is provided at a position adjacent to the partition wall 36e on the most downstream side of the refrigerant flow path 22 and at a position away from the gap 38a formed between the partition wall 36e and the peripheral wall portion 35 (rear wall 35b) (position on the front wall 35a side).

[0039] Since the refrigerant flow path 22 is configured in this way, the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet 42 flows toward the outlet 40 while meandering in a zigzag pattern in the refrigerant flow path 22 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5. Specifically, the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet 42 first flows from the front wall 35a side toward the rear wall 35b side along the partition wall 36a, and then flows from the rear wall 35b side toward the front wall 35a side through the flow path formed between the partition wall 36a and the partition wall 36b via the gap 38a formed between the partition wall 36a and the rear wall 35b. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows into the flow path formed between the partition wall 36b and the partition wall 36c through the gap 38a formed between the partition wall 36b and the front wall 35a and flows from the front wall 35a side toward the rear wall 35b side. Thereafter, the refrigerant similarly flows while meandering from the inlet 42 toward the outlet 40 through the flow paths formed by the respective partition walls 36 and the gaps 38a.

[0040] Also, the refrigerant that has flowed into the refrigerant flow path 22 flows upward from below at each of the plurality of vertical ribs 30, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4. As a result, at each of the plurality of vertical ribs 30, the oil that comes into contact with the vertical rib 30 is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing inside the vertical rib 30 at any location in the height direction.

[0041] The refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant flow path 22 described above is supplied after being used for cooling other equipment different from the motor 5. In the present embodiment, the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant flow path 22 is supplied to the refrigerant flow path 22 through the inlet 42 after being used for cooling the inverter 7 provided as other equipment.

[0042] The partition portion 50 is provided in the oil storage portion 3 at a position below the motor 5 and above the discharge portion arrangement region 32. The partition portion 50 partitions the discharge portion arrangement region 32 and the upper region in the casing 2 of the transaxle 1. The partition portion 50 is formed so as to extend horizontally or to have a gradient from one side to the other side in the parallel arrangement direction. In the present embodiment, the partition portion 50 is formed in a shape having a downward gradient (a valley shape toward the middle portion in the parallel arrangement direction) from both sides of the adjacent vertical ribs 30, 30 (the vertical ribs 30d, 30e in the present embodiment) toward the middle portion therebetween. Further, the partition portion 50 is formed such that the bottom portion serving as the valley bottom arrives at the center of the discharge portion 6 or in the vicinity thereof.

[0043] ≪Regarding the operational effects≫ The cooling device 10 of the present embodiment described above has the following characteristic configurations (a) to (h). As a result, the cooling device 10 can exhibit the following unique effects.

[0044] (a) The cooling device 10 of this embodiment is for cooling the oil used for cooling the motor 5 in the oil storage portion 3 provided below the casing 2 in which the motor 5 is accommodated. It has a refrigerant flow path 22 provided inside the oil storage portion 3 and having a plurality of vertical ribs 30 protruding upward from below the casing 2 and allowing the refrigerant to pass through inside. Between two adjacent vertical ribs 30 among the plurality of vertical ribs 30, a discharge portion arrangement region 32 where a discharge portion 6 for discharging oil from the oil storage portion 3 is arranged is provided. A partition portion 50 for partitioning the discharge portion arrangement region 32 and the upper region is provided below the motor 5 and above the discharge portion arrangement region 32.

[0045] The cooling device 10 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of vertical ribs 30 through which the refrigerant can pass, and a discharge portion arrangement region 32 where the discharge portion 6 is arranged between two adjacent vertical ribs 30 among the plurality of vertical ribs 30. Also, in the cooling device 10 of this embodiment, a partition portion 50 is provided at a position below the motor 5 and above the discharge portion arrangement region 32, and the discharge portion arrangement region 32 and the upper region are partitioned by the partition portion 50. Therefore, in the cooling device 10 of this embodiment, after cooling the motor 5, the partition portion 50 can prevent the refrigerant falling from the motor side from directly entering the discharge portion arrangement region 32. As a result, in the cooling device 10 of this embodiment, the refrigerant falling from the motor side is cooled by sufficiently exchanging heat with the vertical ribs 30 and then discharged from the discharge portion 6. Therefore, according to the cooling device 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the oil from being discharged from the discharge portion 6 without being sufficiently cooled.

[0046] (b) In the cooling device 10 of this embodiment, the plurality of vertical ribs 30 are arranged in parallel with intervals, the discharge portion arrangement region 32 is provided at a position biased to one side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs 30, and the height of the vertical ribs 30 arranged on one side in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge portion arrangement region 32 is higher than the height of the vertical ribs 30 arranged on the other side in the parallel arrangement direction.

[0047] As described in (2) above, the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment suppresses the possibility of uneven cooling efficiency as described above by making the height of the vertical ribs 30 provided in the region close to the discharge unit arrangement region 32 (one side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs 30) higher than the height of the vertical ribs 30 provided in the region far from the discharge unit arrangement region 32 (the other side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs 30). Further, thereby, the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment can also improve the overall cooling efficiency.

[0048] (c) The cooling device 10 of the present embodiment is for cooling the oil used for cooling the motor 5 in the oil storage portion 3 provided below the casing 2 in which the motor 5 is housed, and has a refrigerant flow path 22 having a plurality of vertical ribs 30 that protrude upward from below the casing 2 inside the oil storage portion 3 and through which the refrigerant can pass. The refrigerant flow path 22 is formed such that the refrigerant meanders from the refrigerant inlet 42 to the outlet 40.

[0049] Since the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment is configured as described in (c) above, the refrigerant and the oil can be sufficiently heat-exchanged before the refrigerant reaches the outlet 40 from the inlet 42 of the refrigerant flow path 22.

[0050] Here, when providing the discharge unit arrangement region 32 as described above, if only one vertical rib 30 is provided in either one or both of the regions on one side and the other side in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge unit arrangement region 32, an oil passage will be formed by the wall surface of the casing 2 and the vertical rib 30. In this case, compared to the case where oil flows between two vertically arranged ribs 30, 30, the cooling efficiency of the oil may be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable that a plurality of vertical ribs 30 are provided in both the region on one side and the region on the other side in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge unit arrangement region 32. By adopting such a configuration, the cooling efficiency of the oil can be further improved compared to the case where only one vertical rib 30 is provided in either one or both of the regions on one side and the other side in the parallel arrangement direction.

[0051] (d) In the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment, an outlet 40 for discharging the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow path 22 is provided at a position higher than the inlet 42 of the refrigerant with respect to the refrigerant flow path 22.

[0052] Since the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment is configured as described in (d) above, the refrigerant can be sufficiently distributed in the height direction inside the vertical rib 30. Thereby, the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment can sufficiently perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the oil at various locations in the height direction of the vertical rib 30.

[0053] (e) The cooling device 10 of the present embodiment is integrally formed below the casing 2, and the vertical rib 30 is formed to be open downward with respect to the casing 2.

[0054] Since the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment is configured as described in (e) above, the casing 2 and the vertical rib 30 can be integrally formed by a method such as casting.

[0055] (f) The cooling device 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that part or all of the outer structure 26 (structure) that forms the refrigerant flow path 22 and comes into contact with the refrigerant is exposed outside the casing 2.

[0056] Since the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment is configured as described in (f) above, in the outer structure 26 that forms the refrigerant flow path 22 and comes into contact with the refrigerant, heat exchange occurs between the outer structure 26 and the external environment of the casing 2, so that effects such as suppressing the temperature rise of the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant flow path 22 and cooling can be expected. Thereby, the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment can be expected to maintain the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant flow path 22 at a low temperature and improve the heat exchange efficiency between the oil and the refrigerant.

[0057] (g) In the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment, the refrigerant is introduced into the vertical rib 30 after being used for cooling another device (inverter 7) different from the motor 5.

[0058] Even in the case where the refrigerant is introduced into the vertical rib 30 after being used for cooling another device (inverter 7) as described in (g) above, the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment can sufficiently exhibit the cooling effect of the oil used for cooling the motor 5.

[0059] (h) In the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment, the casing 2 constitutes the transaxle 1.

[0060] By configuring the cooling device 10 of the present embodiment as described in (h) above, it can be integrally provided on the casing 2 that constitutes the transaxle 1.

[0061] ≪Modification Example≫ The cooling device 10 illustrated in the above embodiment is merely an example of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit of the present invention, for example, the configurations according to (a) to (h) described above can be made different from those illustrated in the above embodiment. Further, the cooling device 10 may be provided with other configurations in addition to the configurations included in (a) to (h) described above, or instead of the configurations included in (a) to (h), or may have a configuration in which some configurations are omitted. Specifically, modification examples as described below can be considered. In the modification examples described below, the same reference numerals are given to the configurations common to the above-described cooling device 10, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the cooling device 10 configured as in (a) above was illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the cooling device 10 illustrated in the above embodiment shows an example in which six vertical ribs 30a to 30e are provided as vertical ribs 30 that project upward from below the casing 2 inside the oil storage portion 3 and through which a refrigerant can pass. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of vertical ribs 30 may be changed. Specifically, for example, like the cooling device 110 according to the modification example shown in FIG. 6, two vertical ribs 130 having the same function as the above-described vertical ribs 30 may be provided, and a refrigerant flow path 122 provided with the vertical ribs 130 may be provided.

[0063] Further, the above-described cooling device 10 shows an example in which a partition portion 50 extending over the entire discharge portion arrangement region 32 provided between two adjacent vertical ribs 30, 30 (vertical ribs 30d, 30e in the above embodiment) is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, like the partition portion 150 in the cooling device 110 shown in FIG. 6, above the discharge portion arrangement region 132 provided between two adjacent vertical ribs 130, 130 below the motor 5, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the discharge portion arrangement region 132 and the upper region are partitioned by the partition portion 150 only in a part of the discharge portion arrangement region 132.

[0064] In addition, the cooling device 10 exemplified in the above embodiment and the cooling device 110 according to the modification are above the discharge portion arrangement regions 32 and 132 provided between two adjacent vertical ribs 30 and 30 or vertical ribs 130 and 130, and at a position below the motor 5. Although an example in which the partition portions 50 and 150 are provided to partition the discharge portion arrangement regions 32 and 132 from the upper region has been shown, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, like the cooling device 210 shown in FIG. 8, it is also possible not to provide the partition portions 50 and 150 and to have the same configuration as the cooling device 10 for some or all of the other configurations.

[0065] Further, in the cooling device 10 and the cooling device 210 of the above embodiment, the discharge portion arrangement region 32 is provided at a position offset to one side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs 30 as in (b) above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the cooling device of the present invention, like the cooling device 110, it is also possible to make the heights of the plurality of provided vertical ribs 130 equal.

[0066] Further, in the cooling device 10 and the cooling device 210 of the above embodiment, the height of the vertical ribs 30 and 230 arranged on one side in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge portion arrangement regions 32 and 232 is higher than the height of the vertical ribs 30 arranged on the other side in the parallel arrangement direction as in (b) above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the cooling device of the present invention, regardless of the positional relationship with the discharge portion arrangement regions 32 and 232, the height of the vertical ribs 30 and 230 can be appropriately changed, or they can all have the same height like the vertical ribs 130 in the cooling device 110 according to the modification shown in FIG. 6.

[0067] The cooling device 10 and the cooling device 210 of the above embodiment are configured such that, as described in (c) above, the refrigerant flow path 22 is formed so that the refrigerant meanders from the refrigerant inlet 42 toward the outlet 40. Also, regarding the cooling device 110 shown in FIG. 6, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7, in the refrigerant flow path 122, it is formed so that the refrigerant meanders from the refrigerant inlet 42 toward the outlet 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the refrigerant flow path 22 may be such that the refrigerant flows without meandering from the refrigerant inlet 42 toward the outlet 40.

[0068] The cooling device 10 of the above embodiment and the cooling devices 110 and 210 according to the modified examples are configured such that, as described in (d) above, the outlet 40 for discharging the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow path 22 is provided at a position higher than the refrigerant inlet 42 for the refrigerant flow path 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The cooling devices 10, 110, and 210 may be such that the outlet 40 is at the same height as the inlet 42, or the outlet 40 is at a position lower than the inlet 42, etc.

[0069] The cooling device 10 of the above embodiment and the cooling devices 110 and 210 according to the modified examples are configured such that, as described in (e) above, they are integrally formed below the casing 2, and the vertical ribs 30 and the vertical ribs 130 are formed so as to open downward of the casing 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0070] The cooling device 10 of the above embodiment and the cooling devices 110 and 210 according to the modified examples are configured such that, as described in (f) above, part or all of the outer constituent body 26 (constituent body) constituting the refrigerant flow path 22 is exposed outside the casing 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible that it is not exposed outside.

[0071] The cooling devices 10, 110, and 210 in the above-described embodiments and the cooling device according to the modified example do not necessarily need to be introduced into the vertical ribs 30 after the refrigerant is used for cooling another device (inverter 7) different from the motor 5 as described in (g) above. That is, the cooling devices 10, 110, and 210 can supply the refrigerant that has cooled the oil used for cooling the motor 5 in the cooling device 10 for cooling another device (for example, the inverter 7 or the like). Further, although the inverter 7 is exemplified as an example of the other device described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the cooling devices of the present invention including the cooling devices 10, 110, and 210 may be supplied with a refrigerant used for cooling a device different from the inverter 7 or a refrigerant used for cooling another device in addition to the inverter 7.

[0072] In the above-described cooling devices 10, 110, and 210, the casing 2 constitutes the transaxle 1 as described in (h) above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The cooling devices of the present invention including the cooling devices 10, 110, and 210 can be provided with a casing different from the casing 2 that constitutes the transaxle 1.

[0073] The present invention is not limited to those shown as the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and there may be other embodiments within the scope not departing from the teachings and spirit of the claims. The components of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Further, any component of the embodiment and any component described in the means for solving the problem or a component embodying any component described in the means for solving the problem may be arbitrarily combined. We also intend to obtain rights in the amendment or divisional application of this application regarding these.

Industrial Applicability

[0074] The present invention can be suitably used in general cooling devices for cooling oil used for cooling a motor in an oil storage portion provided below a casing in which the motor is housed.

Description of Symbols

[0075] 1: Transaxle 2: Casing 3: Oil storage section 5: Motor 6: Discharge section 10: Cooling device 20: Refrigerant flow path component 22: Refrigerant flow path 26: Outer structure (structure) 30: Vertical rib 30a: Vertical rib 30b: Vertical rib 30c: Vertical rib 30d: Vertical rib 30e: Vertical rib 30f: Vertical rib 32: Discharge section arrangement area 40: Outlet 42: Inlet 50: Partition section 110: Cooling device 122: Refrigerant flow path 130: Vertical rib 132: Discharge section arrangement area 150: Partition section 210: Cooling device 230: Vertical rib 232: Discharge section arrangement area

Claims

1. An oil storage section provided below a casing in which a motor is housed, and a cooling device for cooling oil used for cooling the motor, which has a refrigerant flow path provided with a plurality of vertical ribs protruding upward from below the casing inside the oil storage section and allowing refrigerant to pass therethrough, and a discharge section arrangement region is provided between two adjacent vertical ribs among the plurality of vertical ribs, where a discharge section for discharging oil from the oil storage section is arranged, and a partition section is provided below the motor and above the discharge section arrangement region to partition the discharge section arrangement region and an upper region, the cooling device being characterized by this.

2. The plurality of vertical ribs are arranged in parallel with a space therebetween, the discharge section arrangement region is provided at a position biased to one side in the parallel arrangement direction of the vertical ribs, and the height of the vertical rib arranged on the one side in the parallel arrangement direction with respect to the discharge section arrangement region is higher than the height of the vertical rib arranged on the other side in the parallel arrangement direction. The cooling device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an outlet for discharging refrigerant from the refrigerant flow path is provided at a position higher than an inlet of the refrigerant to the refrigerant flow path.

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