Cooling device

Abstract

To provide a cooling device capable of suppressing waggle of a hose while suppressing an increase in the number of components.SOLUTION: A cooling device has a plurality of components connected via piping members and is equipped with a cooling circuit through which cooling liquid circulates. The piping members include a first hose that connects a first component and a second component of the plurality of components for leading the cooling liquid flowing out from the first component to the second component, and a second hose that connects the second component and a third component of the plurality of components for leading the cooling liquid flowing out from the second component to the third component. The cooling device is equipped with a restraint member that restrains the first hose and the second hose to each other at a portion where the first hose and the second hose are adjacent to each other, and the restraint member is not fixed to a fixing member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling device that cools an engine with coolant supplied from a radiator. In this cooling device, the hoses connecting the radiator and the engine include two hoses, one on the radiator side and one on the engine side, and these two hoses communicate with each other via a connecting pipe. This connecting pipe is fixed to the engine via a clamp and a bracket. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-074005 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the connecting pipe is fixed to the engine via a clamp and a bracket, which makes it possible to suppress vibration of the hose connected to the connecting pipe. However, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 requires a radiator-side hose, an engine-side hose, a connecting pipe connecting them, and a bracket for fixing the connecting pipe to the engine. This results in a large number of parts.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a cooling device that can suppress hose vibration while suppressing an increase in the number of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a cooling device having a plurality of components connected via piping members, comprising a cooling circuit through which a coolant circulates, the piping members including: a first hose connecting a first component and a second component of the plurality of components and guiding the coolant flowing out from the first component to the second component; and a second hose connecting the second component and a third component of the plurality of components and guiding the coolant flowing out from the second component to the third component, the cooling device further comprising a restraining member that restrains the first hose and the second hose to each other at a portion where the first hose and the second hose are adjacent to each other, and the restraining member is not fixed to a fixing member.

[0007] With this configuration, the restraining member that restrains the first hose and the second hose is not fixed to the fixing member, so no parts are required to fix the restraining member. Also, the restoring force generated in the first hose due to vibration and the restoring force generated in the second hose due to vibration act on the first hose and the second hose via the restraining member. Therefore, hose vibration can be suppressed.

[0008] Furthermore, the inlet of the second component may be located closer to the inlet of the third component than the outlet of the first component, and the outlet of the second component may be located closer to the outlet of the first component than the inlet of the third component, the first hose and the second hose may be arranged to intersect with each other at their midpoints, and the restraining member may restrain the portion where the first hose and the second hose intersect.

[0009] According to this configuration, the intersecting portion of the middle portion of the first hose and the middle portion of the second hose is restrained by the restraining member, so that the hose can be prevented from swinging. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In this invention, the restraining member that restrains the first hose and the second hose is not fixed to the fixing member, so no parts for fixing the restraining member are required. Also, the restoring force generated in the first hose due to vibration and the restoring force generated in the second hose due to vibration act on the first hose and the second hose via the restraining member. Therefore, hose vibration can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cooling device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a cooling circuit. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a clamp. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a cooling device according to an embodiment. The cooling device 1 is mounted on a vehicle and cools vehicle components using a refrigerant. The refrigerant is a cooling liquid having insulating properties. For example, the refrigerant is made of insulating oil. The cooling device 1 includes a cooling circuit 2 through which the cooling liquid circulates.

[0014] The cooling circuit 2 has a plurality of components that are connected via piping members. The cooling circuit 2 includes, as the plurality of components, an electric oil pump (EOP) 3, an oil cooler (O / C) 4, and a power transmission device 5.

[0015] The electric oil pump 3 is driven by an electric motor to discharge the coolant. When the electric oil pump 3 discharges the coolant, the coolant is pressure-fed within the cooling circuit 2. The electric oil pump 3 draws in the coolant through an inlet 11 and discharges it from an outlet 12. A first hose 21 is connected to the inlet 11 of the electric oil pump 3. A second hose 22 is connected to the outlet 12 of the electric oil pump 3.

[0016] The first hose 21 and the second hose 22 are piping members made of a soft material. For example, the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 are made of an elastic material such as rubber. The first hose 21 is a piping member located upstream of the suction port 11 of the electric oil pump 3. The second hose 22 is a piping member located downstream of the discharge port 12 of the electric oil pump 3. In this description, the piping members include hoses made of a soft material and pipes made of a hard material.

[0017] The oil cooler 4 cools the coolant in the cooling circuit 2. The oil cooler 4 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a refrigerant in a system separate from the cooling circuit 2 and the coolant in the cooling circuit 2. The oil cooler 4 cools the coolant in the cooling circuit 2 by transferring heat from the coolant in the cooling circuit 2 to the refrigerant in the separate system. A second hose 22 is connected to the inlet 13 of the oil cooler 4.

[0018] The inlet 13 of the oil cooler 4 communicates with the outlet 12 of the electric oil pump 3 via a second hose 22. The second hose 22 guides the coolant flowing out from the outlet 12 of the electric oil pump 3 to the inlet 13 of the oil cooler 4. The coolant discharged from the electric oil pump 3 is supplied to the oil cooler 4 via the second hose 22. The oil cooler 4 cools the coolant supplied from the electric oil pump 3. The oil cooler 4 then causes the cooled coolant to flow out from the outlet 14 to the piping member 23. In the cooling circuit 2, the coolant flowing out from the outlet 14 of the oil cooler 4 is supplied to the power transmission device 5.

[0019] The power transmission device 5 transmits the power output from the power source to the drive wheels. In the cooling circuit 2, the coolant flowing out from the oil cooler 4 is supplied to the power transmission device 5 via a piping member 23. A piping member 24 is connected to the inlet 15 of the power transmission device 5. The inlet 15 of the power transmission device 5 is connected to the outlet 14 of the oil cooler 4 via the piping member 24 and the piping member 23. The piping member 23 and the piping member 24 are made of a hard material. For example, the piping member 23 and the piping member 24 are made of a resin material such as polyvinyl chloride or a metal material. The piping member 23 and the piping member 24 are connected via a hose. The downstream opening of the piping member 23 and the upstream opening of the piping member 24 are connected via the hose.

[0020] The power transmission device 5 also includes a transaxle. The transaxle is housed inside the transaxle case. Inlet 15 of the power transmission device 5 is the inlet of the transaxle case. In the case of an electric vehicle, a motor is housed inside the transaxle case. In this case, coolant cooled by the oil cooler 4 is supplied to the inside of the transaxle case, and the motor is cooled by the coolant. For example, a cooling pipe connected to piping member 24 is disposed inside the transaxle case. This cooling pipe is disposed above the motor, and sprays the coolant supplied from piping member 24 toward the top of the motor. After cooling the motor, the coolant flows out from outlet 16 provided at the bottom of the transaxle case.

[0021] Outlet 16 of power transmission device 5 is an outlet provided in the case. A first hose 21 is connected to outlet 16 of power transmission device 5. Outlet 16 of power transmission device 5 communicates with suction port 11 of electric oil pump 3 via first hose 21. First hose 21 guides the coolant that has flowed out from outlet 16 of power transmission device 5 to suction port 11 of electric oil pump 3. As a result, the coolant that has cooled the power transmission device 5 flows back to electric oil pump 3.

[0022] In the cooling circuit 2 configured as described above, the intake port 11 and discharge port 12 of the electric oil pump 3 are arranged in the opposite direction compared to a typical arrangement. In a typical cooling circuit, when three components are connected by piping, the outlets and inlets of the upstream, midstream, and downstream components are often aligned in a straight line. This arrangement increases the distance between the components when they are spaced apart, resulting in longer piping. Longer piping increases the amount of sway the hoses within the piping. To address this issue, typical configurations provide space to accommodate hose sway and prevent interference with other components when the hose sways. Alternatively, typical configurations attach brackets to the hoses and fasten the brackets to a frame or unit to secure the hoses. However, these methods require a large amount of space and / or require fastening components such as brackets, increasing the number of parts. Furthermore, fastening a bracket to a case requires processing such as providing fixing holes or reinforcing ribs in the case, which increases processing costs. Therefore, the cooling device 1 does not require additional processing on the case or the like, thereby saving space, suppressing an increase in the number of parts, and suppressing hose swing.

[0023] In the cooling device 1, as shown in FIG. 1 , the intake port 11 of the electric oil pump 3 is provided closer to the inlet 13 of the oil cooler 4 than the outlet 14 of the power transmission device 5. The intake port 11 of the electric oil pump 3 is located closer to the inlet 13 of the oil cooler 4 than the outlet 14 of the power transmission device 5. In the cooling device 1, the discharge port 12 of the electric oil pump 3 is located closer to the outlet 14 of the power transmission device 5 than the inlet 13 of the oil cooler 4. The discharge port 12 of the electric oil pump 3 is located closer to the outlet 14 of the power transmission device 5 than the inlet 13 of the oil cooler 4. In the cooling device 1, three components are connected by piping members. The electric oil pump 3 is a midstream component. The power transmission device 5 is an upstream component. The oil cooler 4 is a downstream component. The piping members connecting these components include a first hose 21 and a second hose 22.

[0024] 2, in the cooling device 1, a first hose 21 connected to the suction port 11 of the electric oil pump 3 and a second hose 22 connected to the discharge port 12 of the electric oil pump 3 are arranged to intersect with each other. The first hose 21 and the second hose 22 extend to intersect with each other and pass through positions close to each other. The cooling device 1 is provided with a clamp 30 that restrains the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 from each other at a portion 25 where the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 are close to each other.

[0025] The clamp 30 is a restraining member that restrains the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 from each other. The clamp 30 is attached to the middle portion of the first hose 21 and also to the middle portion of the second hose 22. In the cooling circuit 2, as shown in FIG. 2 , the middle portions of the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 are arranged so that they are close to each other. In a portion 25 where the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 are close to each other, the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 are arranged parallel to each other so that the flow directions of the coolant flowing through them are opposite to each other. In this close portion 25, the clamp 30 restrains the first hose 21 and the second hose 22.

[0026] 3, the clamp 30 has a first clamping portion 31 that clamps the outer periphery of the first hose 21, a second clamping portion 32 that clamps the outer periphery of the second hose 22, and a connecting portion 33. The connecting portion 33 connects the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32. The first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are provided at positions symmetrical with respect to the connecting portion 33. The first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are integrated via the connecting portion 33.

[0027] The first clamping portion 31 has a pair of claws 34 formed in a semi-cylindrical shape. The tips of the pair of claws 34 are spaced apart from each other. The gap between these tips is smaller than the outer diameter of the first hose 21. The tips of the pair of claws 34 deform to widen this gap, allowing the first hose 21 to be fitted inside the pair of claws 34. The pair of claws 34 clamp the outer periphery of the first hose 21. The tips of the claws 34 face the opposite side of the tips of the claws 35 with respect to the connecting portion 33.

[0028] The second clamping portion 32 has a pair of claws 35 formed in a semi-cylindrical shape. The tips of the pair of claws 35 are spaced apart from each other. The gap between these tips is smaller than the outer diameter of the second hose 22. The tips of the pair of claws 35 deform to widen this gap, allowing the second hose 22 to be fitted inside the pair of claws 35. The pair of claws 35 clamp the outer periphery of the second hose 22. The tips of the claws 35 face the opposite side of the tips of the claws 34 with respect to the connecting portion 33.

[0029] Furthermore, the clamp 30 restrains the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 without being fixed to a fixing member. When the cooling device 1 is mounted on an electric vehicle, the clamp 30 is not fixed to a frame or a unit. The clamp 30 is not fixed to the power transmission device 5, which is a component of the cooling device 1. In other words, the clamp 30 is not fixed to the transaxle case. When vibration is input to the first hose 21 from the outside, the clamp 30 can be displaced together with the first hose 21. When vibration is input to the second hose 22 from the outside, the clamp 30 can be displaced together with the second hose 22. In this case, a restoring force due to an external force is generated in the first hose 21. Similarly, a restoring force due to an external force is generated in the second hose 22. The first hose 21 and the second hose 22 are restrained by the clamp 30. Therefore, when the first hose 21 vibrates, in addition to the restoring force generated in the first hose 21 itself, a restoring force generated in the second hose 22 acts on the first hose 21 via the clamp 30. When second hose 22 vibrates, in addition to the restoring force generated by second hose 22 itself, the restoring force generated by first hose 21 acts on second hose 22 via clamp 30. As a result, the amplitude of vibration of first hose 21 and second hose 22 can be reduced.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the first hose 21 extends so as to bend in multiple directions between the power transmission device 5 and the electric oil pump 3. The first hose 21 includes a portion extending from the outlet 14 side of the power transmission device 5 to one side in the X direction, a portion to which the clamp 30 is attached, a portion extending to one side in the Y direction, and a portion extending to one side in the Z direction. The X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other. The Z direction is perpendicular to the XY plane. When the cooling device 1 is installed in a vehicle, for example, the X direction is the front-to-rear direction, the Y direction is the vehicle width direction, and the Z direction is the up-and-down direction.

[0031] The second hose 22 extends so as to bend in multiple directions between the electric oil pump 3 and the oil cooler 4. The second hose 22 includes a portion extending from the discharge port 12 side of the electric oil pump 3 to the other side in the Z direction, a portion extending to the other side in the Y direction, a portion to which the clamp 30 is attached, and a portion extending to one side in the X direction. In this way, the direction in which the restoring force of the first hose 21 is large is different from the direction in which the restoring force of the second hose 22 is large. Therefore, the restoring forces of the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 can be added together against vibrations in various directions.

[0032] As described above, according to the embodiment, by restraining the middle portions of the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 with the clamp 30, it is possible to reduce the amplitude of vibration of the hoses. This makes it possible to reduce the space required to accommodate hose vibration, thereby reducing peripheral gaps. Furthermore, because it is sufficient to restrain the hoses with the clamp 30, there is no need to fix the clamp 30 to a fixing member. This eliminates the need for a fixing member, allowing for a reduction in the number of parts.

[0033] The vehicle on which the cooling device 1 is mounted is not particularly limited. The cooling device 1 may be mounted on a vehicle powered by an engine or a vehicle powered by a motor. The cooling device 1 can be mounted on a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), an electric vehicle (BEV), or the like. Furthermore, the X direction can be rephrased as the length direction of the vehicle, the Y direction as the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the Z direction as the height direction of the vehicle.

[0034] Furthermore, the components of the cooling circuit 2 are not limited to the combination of the electric oil pump 3, the oil cooler 4, and the power transmission device 5. There are also no particular limitations on the arrangement of the components on the path through which the coolant circulates. For example, the cooling circuit 2 may be a circuit through which the coolant circulates to cool the engine. In this case, the cooling circuit includes three components connected via piping members: an engine, a pump, and a radiator. The engine is an upstream component, the pump is a midstream component, and the radiator is a downstream component.

[0035] Furthermore, it is sufficient that first hose 21 forms part of a path connecting electric oil pump 3 and oil cooler 4. First hose 21 does not necessarily have to be directly connected to suction port 11 of electric oil pump 3, and does not necessarily have to be directly connected to outlet 14 of power transmission device 5. For example, a metal pipe is connected to outlet 14 of power transmission device 5, and first hose 21 is connected to that pipe. In this case, first hose 21 communicates with outlet 14 of power transmission device 5 via the metal pipe. In this way, a pipe made of a hard member may be included between electric oil pump 3 and oil cooler 4.

[0036] Furthermore, second hose 22 only needs to form part of a path connecting power transmission device 5 and electric oil pump 3. Second hose 22 does not necessarily have to be directly connected to discharge port 12 of electric oil pump 3, and does not necessarily have to be directly connected to inlet 13 of oil cooler 4. A pipe made of a hard member may be included between electric oil pump 3 and oil cooler 4.

[0037] Furthermore, the shape of clamp 30 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the material from which clamp 30 is made is also not particularly limited. For example, the shapes of claw portion 34 of first clamp portion 31 and claw portion 35 of second clamp portion 32 are not limited to the shapes exemplified in Fig. 3. Furthermore, clamp 30 can be made of rubber, resin, metal, or the like.

[0038] Furthermore, the configuration between the piping member 23 and the piping member 24 is not particularly limited. For example, a reservoir tank can be provided between the piping member 23 and the piping member 24. Furthermore, when the piping member 23 and the piping member 24 are configured as pipes, they can be connected by a hose. Furthermore, the piping member 23 and the piping member 24 are not limited to being made of hard materials, and may be made of soft materials. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Cooling device 2 Cooling circuit 3 Electric oil pump 4 Oil cooler 5 Power transmission device 11 Intake port 12 Outlet 13 Inlet 14 Outlet 21 No. 1 Hose 22 Second Hose 23,24 Piping components 30 Clamp 31 First clamp part 32 Second clamp part 33 Connecting part 34,35 Claws

Claims

1. a cooling circuit having a plurality of components connected via piping members and through which a cooling liquid made of insulating oil circulates; The piping member is a first hose that connects a power transmission device, which is a first component of the plurality of components, to an electric oil pump, which is a second component, and that guides the coolant flowing out from an outlet of the power transmission device to an intake port of the electric oil pump; a second hose that connects the electric oil pump and an oil cooler that is a third component of the plurality of components and guides the coolant discharged from a discharge port of the electric oil pump to an inlet of the oil cooler, a restraining member that restrains the first hose and the second hose from each other at a portion where the first hose and the second hose are close to each other, an intake port of the electric oil pump is provided closer to the inlet of the oil cooler than the outlet of the power transmission device; a discharge port of the electric oil pump is provided closer to the outlet of the power transmission device than the inlet of the oil cooler, the first hose is made of an elastic member and extends between the power transmission device and the electric oil pump so as to bend in a plurality of directions; the second hose is made of an elastic member and extends between the electric oil pump and the oil cooler so as to bend in a plurality of directions, The first hose and the second hose are arranged to cross each other at a midsection, The restraining member restrains a portion where the middle portion of the first hose and the middle portion of the second hose intersect, and is not fixed to a fixing member. A cooling device characterized by:

2. The first hose is a first portion extending from an outlet side of the power transmission device to one side in a vehicle longitudinal direction; a second portion extending from the first portion to one side in the vehicle width direction; a third portion extending from the second portion to one side in the vehicle height direction, The second hose is a fourth portion extending from a discharge port side of the electric oil pump to the other side in a vehicle height direction; a fifth portion extending from the fourth portion to the other side in the vehicle width direction; a sixth portion extending from the fifth portion to one side in the vehicle front-rear direction, the power transmission device includes a transaxle, the inlet of the power transmission device is an inlet of a transaxle case, the outlet of the power transmission device is an outlet provided in a lower portion of the transaxle case, the restraining member restrains the first portion of the first hose and the sixth portion of the second hose, and is not fixed to the transaxle case; a portion of the first portion that is closer to the second portion than an inlet of the oil cooler and that is close to the sixth portion is restrained by the restraining member; In the sixth region, a portion closer to the fifth region than the outlet of the power transmission device and adjacent to the first region is restrained by the restraining member.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1.

Images