Mechanism for fixing the voltage converter and thermostat

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arrangement (10) for a vehicle, in particular an automobile (1), comprising a current converter (20), in particular a current converter (20) with a liquid cooling circuit (21), and a thermostat (30), the arrangement (10) comprising a support (40) suitable for positioning and / or holding the thermostat (30) and the current converter (20) in place.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an arrangement comprising a support for a voltage converter and a thermostat. The present invention also relates to a vehicle body comprising such an arrangement. The present invention also relates to a vehicle comprising such a vehicle body and / or such an arrangement. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicles, particularly motor vehicles, generally have a limited engine compartment. Furthermore, the engine compartment is typically crowded with numerous components. Therefore, it is advantageous to reduce the volume of the components.

[0003] In order to reduce the volume of electrical components, particularly those with high power consumption, their voltage is generally increased at constant power, i.e., the voltage is generally changed to 48 V instead of the usual 12 V associated with the standard of batteries, particularly of lead-acid type. This results in the creation of a 48 V network within the motor vehicle. Such a network must incorporate a 12 V to 48 V DC voltage converter (also called a DC-DC converter, as a direct current to direct current converter).

[0004] However, the integration of such converters is complicated by their size, and in the case of converters with liquid cooling, the converters are even bulkier, but their integration is even more difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism which remedies the above drawbacks, in particular, the invention makes it possible to incorporate a current converter and a thermostat box with liquid cooling without further crowding the engine compartment.

[0006] To this end, the present invention provides a current converter, in particular a current converter with a liquid cooling circuit; - Thermostat and A mechanism for a vehicle, in particular for an automobile, comprising: The invention relates to a mechanism that includes a support that can position and / or hold a thermostat and a current converter in place.

[0007] The support may comprise a main portion capable of supporting a thermostat and a secondary portion capable of supporting a current converter.

[0008] The primary and secondary parts may be fixed to one another, in particular by means of a screw / nut type fixation.

[0009] The main part may comprise a first part capable of positioning and / or holding the thermostat in place, in particular by clip-on fastening, and a second part capable of connecting the first part of the main part to the secondary part of the support.

[0010] The first part of the main part and the second part of the main part may be fixed to one another, in particular by welding, in particular by spot welding.

[0011] The main part and / or the secondary part and / or the first part of the main part and / or the second part of the main part may in particular be made from steel sheet having a thickness of 1 mm to 3 mm, in particular of the order of 2 mm.

[0012] The mechanism may comprise a liquid cooling circuit for the current converter and a heat exchanger, in particular an air / water heat exchanger, in particular a heat exchanger capable of cooling the intake air, and the cooling fluid circulating in the heat exchanger may be common to the cooling fluid circulating in the liquid cooling circuit for the current converter.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for producing a semiconductor device comprising: - the mechanism defined above; - Bulkhead, left front side member, and right front side member A vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, comprising: The present invention relates to a vehicle body in which the support, the current converter, and the thermostat are disposed on the outside of the left front side member or the outside of the right front side member, forward of the bulkhead.

[0014] The support portion may be fixed directly or indirectly to the left front side member, specifically to the left outer surface of the left front side member, or may be fixed directly or indirectly to the right front side member, specifically to the right outer surface of the right front side member.

[0015] The invention also relates to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, equipped with a bodywork as defined above or with a mechanism as defined above.

[0016] The vehicle may have a front axle system with left and right front wheels, and the mechanism may be located in front of the left or right front wheel.

[0017] These objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be mentioned in detail in the following description of embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a top view of a vehicle body according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mechanism according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is another perspective view of a mechanism according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of a support for a mechanism mounted on a vehicle body, according to one embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a support according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a top view of a support portion according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the support part according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is another perspective view of a support according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The direction in which a motor vehicle moves linearly is defined as the longitudinal direction X. By convention, the direction lying in a plane parallel to the ground surface and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is called the lateral direction Y. A third direction perpendicular to the other two is called the vertical direction Z. Thus, a positive coordinate system XYZ is used in which X is the longitudinal direction in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle and therefore points backward, Y is the lateral direction pointing to the right, and Z is the vertical direction pointing upward. The forward direction corresponds to the direction in which a motor vehicle normally moves longitudinally and is opposite to the backward direction.

[0020] 1 shows a schematic representation of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle 1, according to an embodiment. The motor vehicle 1 comprises a body 2. The motor vehicle 1 or body 2 comprises a mechanism 10.

[0021] As will be explained in more detail below, the mechanism 10 comprises a current converter 20. For example, the current converter 20 comprises a liquid cooling circuit 21 (schematically shown by dashed lines in FIG. 4 ). The mechanism 10 also comprises a thermostat 30 or a thermostat box. The mechanism 10 also comprises a support 40. The support 40 can position and / or hold the thermostat 30 in place. The support 40 can also position and / or hold the current converter 20 in place. In this way, the same support 40 serves the dual function of holding the current converter 20 and the thermostat 30.

[0022] Preferably, the vehicle is provided with a front axle system comprising a left front wheel 8 and a right front wheel, and mechanism 10 is preferably located in front of left front wheel 8, as described below.

[0023] Note that the mechanism could alternatively be located in front of the right front wheel.

[0024] The body 2 includes a bulkhead 3. The bulkhead 3 extends laterally from the left side to the right side of the body 2, for example forming an arcuate or substantially arcuate shape, as shown in detail in FIG. 2. Generally, the bulkhead 3 separates the passenger compartment of the vehicle from the engine compartment 6. The body 2 also includes a left front side member 4 and a right front side member 5. The side members extend, or substantially extend, in a longitudinal direction.

[0025] Advantageously, the support 40, the current converter 20 and the thermostat 30 are arranged forward of the bulkhead 3, on the outside of the left front side member 4. The adjective "outside" means facing outwards from the vehicle, i.e., arranged towards the outside of the vehicle relative to a vertical plane containing the left front side member 4, and therefore arranged to the left of the left front side member 4.

[0026] Alternatively, symmetrically, the support 40 , the current converter 20 and the thermostat 30 are located on the outside of the right front side member 5 , forward of the bulkhead 3 .

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the support 40 is preferably fixed to the left front side member 4.

[0028] More specifically, as shown in detail in Figure 5, the support 40 is fixed to a surface 4A and / or a surface 4B provided on one or more projections 9 of the side member 4. Advantageously, the surface 4A and / or the surface 4B extend in vertical and longitudinal directions or substantially vertical and longitudinal directions.

[0029] Alternatively, the support 40 is fixed directly to the left front side member 4, e.g., to the left outer (i.e., exterior) surface 6 of the left front side member 4. The "outer surface of the left front side member" should be understood to mean a surface extending to the left of the left front side member, e.g., a surface extending in a vertical and longitudinal or substantially vertical and longitudinal plane.

[0030] Alternatively, the support may be fixed, directly or indirectly, in the same manner as described above to the right front side member 5, in particular to the right outer surface of the right front side member 5. Similarly, the "outer surface of the right side member" should be understood to mean a surface extending to the right of the right side member, for example a surface extending in a vertical and longitudinal direction or substantially in a vertical and longitudinal direction.

[0031] Preferably, the engine compartment 6 is formed forward of the bulkhead 3 and extends between two vertical and longitudinal faces, one face coinciding or substantially coinciding with the outer face of, for example, the right side member, and one face coinciding or substantially coinciding with the outer face of, for example, the left side member.

[0032] 6, 7, 8, and 9, the support 40 comprises a main portion 50. The main portion 50 may support the thermostat 30, e.g., may position and / or hold the thermostat 30 in place. The support 40 further comprises a secondary portion 60. The secondary portion 60 may support the current converter 20, e.g., may position and / or hold the converter in place.

[0033] As shown in detail in Figures 6 and 7, the main part 50 and the secondary part 60 are fixed to each other. For example, the fixation is of the screw / nut type. As shown, for example, two nuts 42 are attached or provided to the secondary part 60, for example, by welding and / or hammering. Therefore, the nuts 42 do not have flats that allow them to be screwed / unscrewed, for example. In that case, a screw 41 is inserted through an opening provided in the main part 50 and threaded into the nuts 42, thereby holding the main part 50 and the secondary part 60 together. By having the nuts 42 permanently fixed to the secondary part, it becomes quicker and easier to obtain the support 40 by combining the screws / nuts.

[0034] It should be noted that more screws / nuts may be appropriate. Furthermore, the nuts may be of the type having multiple flats (e.g., four or six) or may be non-constraining, in other words, the nuts may not be secured to the secondary part 60 before cooperating with the screws.

[0035] More specifically, as shown in detail in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the main part 50 comprises a first portion 51. Preferably, the first portion 51 of the main part 50 positions and / or holds the thermostat 30 in place. To do this, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the first portion 51 of the main part 50 preferably comprises a tab 52. Advantageously, the tab 52 comprises an opening or hole 53, e.g., of square cross section, and / or a groove 54 or slot 54. The thermostat, or an element fixed to the thermostat, then cooperates with the tab 52, and / or the groove 54, and / or the opening 53, and / or the upper and lower edges 52′, 52″ of the tab 52, as shown in FIG. 9. The thermostat 30 is thereby preferably secured to the tab 52 of the first portion 51 of the main part 50 by a clip-type fastening.

[0036] The main part 50 comprises a second portion 55. Preferably, the second portion 55 connects or secures the first portion 51 of the main part 50 to the secondary portion 60 of the support 40. The first portion 51 of the main part 50 and the second portion 55 of the main part 50 are secured to one another. This securing can be achieved, for example, by welding, in particular spot welding, at flat or substantially flat regions 51S and 55S of the first and second portions 51 and 55, respectively, which are opposite one another and can be joined (as shown in Figures 7 and 8).

[0037] 9, the support 40 is preferably fabricated by joining three pieces: a first portion 51 of the main portion 50, a second portion 55 of the main portion 50, and a secondary portion 60. As described above, the first portion 51 and the second portion 55 are welded together, thereby forming the main portion 50. The main portion 50 is joined to the secondary portion 60 by a screw fastener at one end 56 of the second portion 55.

[0038] Preferably, the support 40 is fixed to the body 2, in this case the front side member, by means of fixing means which cooperate with holes or openings provided in the support 40.

[0039] Preferably, the support 40 is milled to optimize the mass, whereby for example the first part 51 comprises two projections 51A, 51B carrying holes 43 for fastening to the body 2 (shown in Figures 5 and 9).

[0040] For example, in the illustrated embodiment, only the main portion 50 serves as the connection for fastening the support 40 to the vehicle body. Specifically, for example, at least one hole, preferably two holes 43, are provided in the first portion 51, as shown in FIG. 9. For example, at least one hole 44 is provided in the second portion 55, as shown in FIG. 6. These circular or oval holes 43, 44 or openings allow, for example, studs or screws, preferably welded to the vehicle body, to pass through, and then nuts can be screwed in after the support 40 has been inserted. In this way, the support can be quickly and easily pre-positioned before being fastened by screwing nuts onto three studs or screws in the vehicle body structure.

[0041] Additionally or alternatively, these holes allow the passage of screws that are threaded into the side members, which then cooperate with nuts, thereby clamping the main portion 50 of the support 40 and optionally the side member, or an element fixed to the side member.

[0042] Regarding the fixing of the current converter, as shown in FIG. 9 , the secondary part 60 preferably has a flat or substantially flat receiving surface 61. For example, two lower lugs 62 extend downward or substantially downward from the receiving surface. For example, an upper lug 63 extends upward or substantially upward from the receiving surface 61. Preferably, each lug 62, 63 is provided with a fixing means 64 that can cooperate with fixing means of the converter. For example, the fixing means 64 is preferably a threaded stud, threaded pin, or screw fixed to the lug, for example by welding, thereby making it easier to mount the converter. In this case, the converter has openings through which the studs 64 can pass, thereby enabling quick and easy pre-positioning of the converter on the support 40. The converter is held in place on the receiving surface 61 by screwing nuts onto the studs 64, thereby sandwiching the converter between the receiving surface and the nuts.

[0043] Preferably, the main part 50 and / or the secondary part 60, and / or the first part 51 of the main part 50 and / or the second part 55 of the main part 50 are made from steel plate, for example having a thickness of 1 mm to 3 mm, in particular about 2 mm.

[0044] Advantageously, the arrangement 10 comprises a liquid cooling circuit 21 for the current converter 20. For example, the current converter itself comprises the liquid cooling circuit 21. Preferably, the arrangement comprises a heat exchanger 70, for example an air / water heat exchanger, shown diagrammatically and in a suitable position in FIG. 2. For example, the heat exchanger 70 can cool the intake gas, which may or may not be supercharged. Preferably, the cooling fluid circulating in the heat exchanger 70 is the same as the cooling fluid circulating in the liquid cooling circuit 21 of the current converter 20. In other words, the liquid cooling circuit 21 of the converter and the heat exchanger 70 cooling the intake gas are, for example, "connected in series".

[0045] The solution is particularly suitable for vehicles having at least one longitudinally or substantially longitudinally extending structural element of the lateral member type, which is equipped with a liquid cooling circuit, a voltage converter, and the current converter, optionally equipped with a liquid cooling circuit and a thermostat, can be fitted without external modification of the vehicle.

[0046] In this way, the volume of the engine compartment remains constant, and even though standards, particularly environmental pollution standards, dictate the addition of components within the engine compartment, a voltage converter and a thermostat can still be installed in the vehicle. Furthermore, the converter, in particular, can generate, for example, a 48V electrical circuit within the vehicle. Such an electrical circuit then allows the volume of constant-power electrical equipment present within the engine compartment to be reduced, thereby saving space within the engine compartment. For example, a 48V electrical circuit allows the volume of a heating grid to be reduced, which allows the temperature required for the correct operation of a pollution control system integrated into the exhaust to be reached as soon as the engine is started. This space saving within the engine compartment allows the installation of other elements.

[0047] Finally, the solution can advantageously be applied to vehicles already in production without major external and dimensional modifications during production. In particular, the solution provides a significantly compact voltage converter and thermostat box fixing system.

[0048] This solution allows the liquid cooling circuit to contribute to ensuring optimal operation of the current converter, preferably at a constant temperature. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the liquid in the liquid cooling circuit 21 can also cool an air intake cooling circuit or system of the type used in vehicles to meet certain pollution control standards, for example.

[0049] It should be noted that in the illustrated embodiment, the support 40 is located outside the engine compartment 6, in front of the left front wheel arch. This location is preferred when the battery is located on the left side of the engine compartment. In particular, this reduces the length of the cable between the battery and the current converter, thereby making it possible to use cables with a relatively small cross section. Naturally, if the battery is located on the right side, a location on the right side, for example on the right side member, would be preferred.

[0050] The support 40 on which the converter and thermostat are mounted is therefore housed in a closed or substantially closed space behind the vehicle's protective molding 11 (shown in Figure 1) and in front of the wheel arch 12 of the left front wheel 8 (shown in Figure 2).

[0051] It should be noted that the mounting of the converter and the mounting of the thermostat are simplified in this way. Because these two elements are positioned and held simultaneously on the same support 40, manufacturing and assembly variations are reduced or even eliminated, and therefore the spacing between these elements can be reduced. In other words, the gap between the elements is reduced because their positions are better controlled.

[0052] Furthermore, in terms of production optimization, the converter 20 and thermostat 30 can be prepared on the support 40 beside the production line, preferably parallel to it. This means that the time required to connect the converter and thermostat to the support, for example by screwing and / or clip-on fastening, is not imposed on the production line. Furthermore, the converter, thermostat, and support assembly is connected to the vehicle body in a single operation, which reduces the worker's time spent on the line and saves both handling and screwing time. Assembly is therefore simplified; only nuts (e.g., three) are provided and screwed in by the worker.

[0053] This solution also allows for saving materials and simplifying part referencing, where a single support serves to hold two elements without using two separate support referencing.

[0054] It should therefore be noted that the solution according to the invention achieves the desired objective of integrating a current converter in a vehicle despite the small space available in the engine compartment, and has the following advantages: - the solution can be used for the entire range of motor vehicles, both those powered by internal combustion engines and those powered by hybrid means; - The solution can be applied to other vehicles where engine compartment volume needs to be optimized.

Claims

1. A current converter (20) having a liquid cooling circuit (21); a thermostat (30); an internal combustion engine; A mechanism (10) for a vehicle comprising: A mechanism (10) comprising a support (40) capable of positioning and / or holding the thermostat (30) and the current converter (20) in a predetermined position, and a heat exchanger (70), wherein the heat exchanger (70) cools the intake air of the internal combustion engine, and the cooling fluid circulating in the heat exchanger (70) is common to the cooling fluid circulating in the liquid cooling circuit (21) of the current converter (20).

2. 2. The mechanism (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the support (40) comprises a main part (50) capable of supporting the thermostat (30) and a secondary part (60) capable of supporting the current converter (20).

3. 3. The mechanism (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that said main part (50) and said secondary part (60) are fixed to each other by means of a screw / nut type fixation.

4. 4. A mechanism (10) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the main part (50) comprises a first part (51) by means of which the thermostat (30) can be placed and / or held in place by clip-on fastening, and a second part (55) by which the first part (51) of the main part (50) can be connected to the secondary part (60) of the support (40).

5. 5. The mechanism (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the first part (51) of the main part (50) and the second part (55) of the main part (50) are fixed to each other by welding.

6. 6. The mechanism (10) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the main part (50) and / or the secondary part (60) and / or the first part (51) of the main part (50) and / or the second part (55) of the main part (50) are made from steel sheet with a thickness of 1 mm to 3 mm.

7. A mechanism (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Bulkhead (3), left front side member (4), and right front side member (5) In a vehicle body (2) comprising: The vehicle body (2) is characterized in that the support (40), the current converter (20), and the thermostat (30) are arranged forward of the bulkhead (3) on the outside of the left front side member (4) or the outside of the right front side member (5).

8. 8. The vehicle body (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the support portion (40) is fixed directly or indirectly to a left outer surface (6) of the left front side member (4) or directly or indirectly to a right outer surface of the right front side member (5).

9. A vehicle comprising a body (2) according to claim 7 or 8 or a mechanism (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. 10. A vehicle according to claim 9, comprising a front axle system provided with a left front wheel (8) and a right front wheel, characterized in that the mechanism (10) is arranged in front of the left front wheel (8) or in front of the right front wheel.

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