Cooling device for drivetrain equipment of electric vehicles

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a driving system equipment cooling device for an electric mobile body with which the internal structure and operation control content can be simplified by providing an independent configuration for cooling driving system equipment of an electric mobile body. The means for solving the problem is a driving system equipment cooling device (100) for an electric mobile body, characterized by including a bypass path (60) communicating at least two expansion regions in a compression region and an expansion region in a rotary driving unit (10), wherein: a plurality of cooling refrigerant flow holes (LH) and heat dissipating refrigerant flow holes (HH) are drilled in a rotary housing (15), a first side housing (16), and a second side housing (17) along the outer peripheral edges; a cooling refrigerant flow path (31) and a heat dissipating refrigerant flow path (33) are connected to the first side housing (16) and the second side housing (17); a drive battery (BT) is provided on the cooling refrigerant flow path (31); and a radiator (RD) is provided on the heat dissipating refrigerant flow path (33).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device for drive train equipment of an electric vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A known driving battery cooling device for cooling a driving battery mounted on a so-called electric vehicle is a configuration that uses an air conditioning system used to cool the living space to cool the driving battery, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Patent Publication No. 6215809). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6215809 (Claim 1,0034-0044, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The drive battery cooling device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is designed to cool the drive battery before and during charging, and performs various operational controls on the air conditioning system in accordance with various conditions to cool the drive battery before and during charging. While cooling the drive battery before and during charging is obviously important, cooling is also necessary while the electric vehicle equipped with the drive battery is running, as it generates heat. While the electric vehicle is running, cooling of the motor, inverter, etc. may also be required in addition to air conditioning the passenger compartment and cooling the drive battery. Therefore, because there are many more control conditions than those required for cooling the drive battery before charging, the structure and operational control of the cooling system (air conditioning system) used to cool the drive battery can become very complex. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a cooling device for drive system equipment of an electric vehicle that has a high cooling efficiency and can simplify the internal structure and operational control by configuring the cooling process for the drive system equipment of the electric vehicle, represented by the drive battery and motor, etc., independently from the air conditioning system of the living space.

[0006] That is, the present invention provides a rotary drive unit comprising: a rotating shaft, a stationary gear through which the rotating shaft is inserted; a rotor having a rotor gear formed with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the stationary gear and meshing with the stationary gear, which rotates eccentrically with the rotation of the rotating shaft; a rotary housing formed so as to be able to define a radially outer region of the rotor along a peritrochoid curve defined by the eccentric rotation of the rotor; a first side housing having an insertion hole through which the rotating shaft is inserted and covering one end side of the rotary housing; and a second side housing covering the other end side of the rotary housing; wherein a compression region where the volume of an enclosed space defined by the outer circumferential surface of the rotor and the inner circumferential surface of the rotary housing is minimized is defined as a high temperature region; and an expansion region where the volume of the enclosed space is maximized is defined as an expansion region through a bypass path. Two the rotary housing, the first side housing, and the second side housing are connected to each other to form a low-temperature region, and a plurality of cooling refrigerant flow holes are formed in the rotary housing, the first side housing, and the second side housing, penetrating along an outer periphery of the low-temperature region in a direction from the first side housing to the second side housing; the bypass path is formed by two communication holes respectively communicating with the two expansion regions, and a recess formed in a surface of the first side housing or the second side housing and connecting the two communication holes, and is disposed at a position closer to the rotation shaft than the cooling refrigerant circulation hole,The rotary housing, the first side housing, and the second side housing are provided with a plurality of heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes that penetrate from the first side housing to the second side housing along the outer periphery of the high-temperature area, the cooling refrigerant circulation holes in the first side housing and the cooling refrigerant circulation holes in the second side housing are connected to a cooling refrigerant circulation passage for circulating a cooling refrigerant, the heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes in the first side housing and the heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes in the second side housing are connected to a heat dissipation refrigerant circulation passage for circulating the heat dissipation refrigerant, drive system equipment of an electric vehicle is arranged on the path of the cooling refrigerant circulation passage, and a heat exchanger is arranged on the path of the heat dissipation refrigerant circulation passage.

[0007] In this way, by separating the components for cooling the drive system equipment of the electric vehicle, such as the drive battery and motor, it is possible to simplify the internal structure and operational control content.

[0008] The bypass path is preferably formed integrally with the cooling refrigerant flow passage. The bypass path is preferably formed between the first side housing or the second side housing and the cooling refrigerant flow passage. The bypass path is preferably disposed closer to the rotating shaft than the cooling refrigerant flow hole.

[0009] As a result, it is possible to prevent the increase in external dimensions due to the bypass path, and to further reduce the size of the drive system equipment cooling device for the electric vehicle.

[0010] It is also preferable that the circumferential end positions of the connection portion of the cooling refrigerant flow passage to the first side housing and the second side housing and the circumferential end positions of the connection portion of the heat dissipation refrigerant flow passage to the first side housing and the second side housing are arranged with a required distance between them.

[0011] This allows the connection portion of the heat dissipation refrigerant flow passage, which is the high-temperature region, and the connection portion of the cooling refrigerant flow passage, which is the low-temperature region, to be separated from each other, thereby minimizing unintended heat exchange between the cooling refrigerant and the heat dissipation refrigerant.

[0012] Furthermore, it is preferable that the drive system equipment of the electric vehicle is a battery mounted on a passenger vehicle, a cargo vehicle, or a vehicle for both passenger and cargo use.

[0013] This allows the drive battery of an electric vehicle to be cooled appropriately even if it heats up while in motion, allowing it to be used at a good temperature, which not only extends the driving range and usage time but also extends the life of the battery's components. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the configuration of the drive system equipment cooling device for an electric vehicle of the present invention, the components for performing the cooling process for the drive system equipment of the electric vehicle, such as the drive battery and motor, are configured independently, which makes it possible to simplify the structure of the device and the operational control contents. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a cooling device for drive system devices of an electric vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of a main part of the drive system equipment cooling device for an electric vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of essential parts, with the connection portions of the refrigerant flow passages of the second side housing omitted. [Figure 4] 4A is a perspective view of the outside of the second side housing (downstream side in the refrigerant flow direction), and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the second side housing and the connection portion of the refrigerant flow passage from the upstream side in the refrigerant flow direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of FIG. 4B viewed from the downstream side in the direction of flow of the refrigerant. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The following description will be based on a driving battery cooling device 100 for an electric vehicle as a driving system equipment cooling device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention. In the following description, the driving battery cooling device 100 for an electric vehicle will be simply referred to as driving battery cooling device 100. As shown in FIG. 1 , the driving battery cooling device 100 in this embodiment includes a rotary drive unit 10, a motor 20, a refrigerant flow passage 30, a first circulation pump 40, a second circulation pump 50, a driving battery BT, a radiator RD, and an operation control unit 60.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 , the rotary drive unit 10 in this embodiment includes a rotating shaft 11, a stationary gear 12, a rotor 13, a rotor gear 14, a rotary housing 15, a first side housing 16, and a second side housing 17. A first end portion 11A of the rotating shaft 11 is inserted into an insertion hole 16A of the first side housing 16, which covers an opening on one end side of the rotary housing 15, and a stationary gear 12 is attached to the rotor 13 in the internal space of the rotary housing 15 by screwing or the like. The stationary gear 12 is attached to the rotor 13 in the internal space of the rotary housing 15 and is housed therein so as to be eccentrically rotatable while meshing with a required circumferential range of the rotor gear 14, which has a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the stationary gear 12. Although not shown, a second end portion 11B of the rotating shaft 11 and the output shaft of a motor 20 are connected via a gear or the like, so that the output of the motor 20 can be transmitted to the rotating shaft 11.

[0018] Rotating the rotary shaft 11 by the motor 20 rotates the stationary gear 12 attached to the rotary shaft 11. The rotor gear 14 moves within a meshing range relative to the stationary gear 12, causing the rotor 13 to rotate eccentrically along the inner circumferential surface of the rotary housing 15, which is formed in a peritrochoid curve (so as to be able to define the radially outer region of the rotor 13). Similar to a rotary engine, the interior space of the rotary housing 15 defines a closed space, which is an area surrounded by the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 13, the inner circumferential surface of the rotary housing 15, the first side housing 16, and the second side housing 17. Each of the closed spaces is filled with helium gas, an example of a refrigerant. The refrigerant is not limited to helium gas, and any known refrigerant can be used.

[0019] When the rotor 13 rotates in the internal space of the rotary housing 15, the volume of the closed space alternately shrinks (compression region) and expands (expansion region) at predetermined positions in the circumferential direction of the rotary housing 15. At predetermined positions in the rotation direction of the rotor 13 of the rotary drive unit 10, a high-temperature region HA is formed in the compression region where the volume of the closed space is minimum, and a low-temperature region LA is formed in the expansion region where the volume of the closed space is maximum. As described above, the rotary drive unit 10 in this embodiment functions as a heat pump using the refrigerant filled in the closed space described above.

[0020] In this embodiment, the second side housing 17 is formed with communication holes 17A that communicate with the two expansion regions in the rotary housing 15 where the volume of the closed space is maximized. The outer surface of the second side housing 17 is also formed with a recess 17B that connects the two communication holes 17A. The communication holes 17A and recess 17B formed in the second side housing 17 and the opposing recess 32A formed in the same linear shape as the recess 17B at the connection portion 34 of the heat-dissipating refrigerant flow passage 33 form a bypass path 18 that connects the two expansion regions. The recess 17B that forms the bypass path 18 communicates with each communication hole 17A while facing downward when the rotary drive unit 10 is in use, thereby preventing stagnation of lubricating oil for the rotary drive unit 10 in the recess 17B. Therefore, it is preferable to minimize the horizontal portion of the recess 17B when the rotary drive unit 10 is in use.

[0021] In the rotary drive unit 10 of this embodiment, the low temperature region LA is formed by the two expansion regions connected by the bypass path 18 and the region sandwiched between these expansion regions. That is, the range in which the low temperature region LA is formed in the rotary drive unit 10 can be approximately twice the range in which the high temperature region HA is formed, and the low temperature region LA and the high temperature region HA can be divided in the circumferential direction of the rotary drive unit 10.

[0022] A plurality of cooling refrigerant circulation holes LH and heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes HH are formed at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery (outer peripheral edge) of each of the rotary housing 15, the first side housing 16, and the second side housing 17, penetrating the respective housings in the thickness direction. The cooling refrigerant circulation holes LH are formed at predetermined intervals over the circumferential range of the low-temperature region LA of the rotary drive unit 10. The heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes HH are formed at predetermined intervals over the circumferential range of the high-temperature region HA, which is the region of the rotary drive unit 10 excluding the low-temperature region LA. In this embodiment, a plurality of heat exchange fins F are arranged in the cooling refrigerant circulation holes LH and the heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes HH of the rotary housing 15 and the second side housing 17, standing in a direction away from the rotary shaft 11. The arrangement of these heat exchange fins F enables efficient heat exchange of the refrigerant. The number of heat exchange fins F is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the arrangement of the heat exchange fins F in the cooling refrigerant flow holes LH and the heat dissipation refrigerant flow holes HH may be omitted.

[0023] In this embodiment, the cooling refrigerant circulation holes LH and the heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes HH of the first side housing 16 are not provided with heat exchange fins F, but this is not limited to this. If the inflow resistance of the cooling refrigerant and the heat dissipation refrigerant into the first side housing 16 can be ignored, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which the cooling refrigerant circulation holes LH and the heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes HH of the first side housing 16 are provided with heat exchange fins F.

[0024] A connecting portion 32 of a cooling refrigerant flow passage 31, which is part of the refrigerant flow passage 30, is attached to the outer surfaces of the first side housing 16 and the second side housing 17 so as to cover the area where the cooling refrigerant flow holes LH are drilled (the area of ​​the low-temperature area LA). The cooling refrigerant flow passage 31 forms a circulation path between the connecting portion 32 attached to the first side housing 16 and the second side housing 17. In this embodiment, the driving battery BT, as the object to be cooled, is disposed on the path of the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31 on the outer surface side (downstream) of the second side housing 17, and the cooling refrigerant that passes through the driving battery BT is circulated through the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31 by a first circulation pump 40. Here, the first circulation pump 40 is disposed downstream of the driving battery BT, but the location of the first circulation pump 40 is not particularly limited as long as it is on the path of the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connecting portion 32 of the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31 is integrally formed with an opposing recess 32A that faces the recess 17B and forms the bypass path 18 together with the communication hole 17A and recess 17B. The opposing recess 32A is formed closer to the rotary shaft 11 than the connecting portion 32 and constitutes part of the bypass path 18. Therefore, the opposing recess 32A also becomes the low-temperature region LA, and efficient heat exchange can be achieved between the opposing recess 32A and the connecting portion 32 that is integrated with the opposing recess 32A. Furthermore, because the bypass path 18 is formed by the second side housing 17 and the connecting portion 32 of the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31, it is possible to prevent the bypass path 18 from protruding from the rotary drive unit 10. This advantageously enables the rotary drive unit 10 to be made more compact.

[0026] Furthermore, a connecting portion 34 of a heat-dissipating refrigerant flow passage 33, which is part of the refrigerant flow passage 30, is attached to the outer surfaces of the first side housing 16 and the second side housing 17 so as to cover the area where the heat-dissipating refrigerant flow holes HH are drilled (the area of ​​the high-temperature region HA). The heat-dissipating refrigerant flow passage 33 forms a circulation path between the connecting portion 34 attached to the outer surfaces of the first side housing 16 and the second side housing 17. In this embodiment, a radiator RD serving as a heat exchanger is disposed on the heat-dissipating refrigerant flow passage 33 on the outer surface side (downstream side) of the second side housing 17, and the heat-dissipating refrigerant that has passed through the radiator RD is circulated through the heat-dissipating refrigerant flow passage 33 by a second circulation pump 50. Here, the second circulation pump 50 is disposed downstream of the radiator RD, but the position of the second circulation pump 50 is not particularly limited as long as it is on the heat-dissipating refrigerant flow passage 33.

[0027] The cooling refrigerant and heat dissipation refrigerant circulating through the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31 and the heat dissipation refrigerant flow passage 33 flow through the first side housing 16, rotary housing 15, and second side housing 17, respectively, in the order described above. The cooling refrigerant and heat dissipation refrigerant passing through the rotary drive unit 10 exchange heat appropriately in the low temperature region LA or the high temperature region HA. In this embodiment, the rotary housing 15, first side housing 16, and second side housing 17 have a required distance D between both circumferential ends of the low temperature region LA and both circumferential ends of the high temperature region HA. This required distance D serves as a thermally neutral region, preventing unintended heat exchange between the cooling refrigerant and the heat dissipation refrigerant and enabling efficient cooling of the driving battery BT.

[0028] The operation control unit 60 controls the operation of the motor 20, first circulation pump 40, and second circulation pump 50, and may be implemented as a control program installed in a computer's memory. Based on measured temperature data transmitted from a temperature sensor TS mounted on the driving battery BT, the operation control unit 60 activates the motor 20, first circulation pump 40, and second circulation pump 50 when the measured temperature data is equal to or higher than a preset cooling start temperature. The driving battery BT is then cooled by the cooling refrigerant cooled in the low-temperature region LA of the rotary drive unit 10, and heat is dissipated in the radiator RD by the heat-dissipating refrigerant heated in the high-temperature region HA of the rotary drive unit 10. By appropriately controlling the on / off operation of the motor 20, first circulation pump 40, and second circulation pump 50 based on the measured temperature data transmitted from the temperature sensor TS, the temperature of the driving battery BT can be maintained at a temperature suitable for the driving battery BT.

[0029] As explained above, the driving battery cooling device 100 as a cooling device for the drive train of an electric vehicle according to the present invention has been described based on an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the embodiment described above, the driving battery BT is used as an example of the drive train of an electric vehicle, but the drive train can also be a drive motor. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which both the driving battery BT and the drive motor are cooled.

[0030] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, an electric vehicle is exemplified as an electric vehicle, but the electric vehicle is not limited to an electric vehicle. It may be a so-called hybrid automobile, or the present invention may be applied to a cooling device for drivetrain equipment of an electric flying vehicle known as a drone or a hybrid-powered flying vehicle. In short, the present invention may be applied to any vehicle in which at least a portion of the drive source is electrically driven, such as a passenger vehicle, cargo vehicle, or passenger / cargo vehicle on land, in air, or underwater.

[0031] Furthermore, the driving battery cooling device 100 in this embodiment is exemplified as having two expansion regions of the rotary drive unit 10 communicated with each other by the bypass path 18, but is not limited to this. If the rotary drive unit 10 has three or more expansion regions, it may also be configured such that at least two of the three or more expansion regions communicate with each other by the bypass path 18.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the opposing recess 32A that becomes part of the bypass path 18 is integrally formed with the connecting portion 32 of the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The opposing recess that forms the bypass path 18 together with the recess 17B can also be formed separately from the connecting portion 32 of the cooling refrigerant flow passage 31. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bypass path 18 is formed by the communication hole 17A, the recess 17B, and the opposing recess 32A that are formed in the second side housing 17, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Although not shown, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which communication holes that communicate with at least two expansion regions are drilled from the side peripheral wall of the rotary housing 15, and the bypass path 18 is formed by a conduit that connects the expansion regions in which these communication holes are formed.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the cooling refrigerant and the heat dissipation refrigerant are circulated from the first side housing 16 to the second side housing 17, but they may also be circulated from the second side housing 17 to the first side housing 16. In this case, it is preferable to omit the heat exchange fins F from the cooling refrigerant circulation holes LH and the heat dissipation refrigerant circulation holes HH at the inflow portions of the cooling refrigerant and the heat dissipation refrigerant to the rotary drive unit 10.

[0034] Furthermore, the configuration of the present embodiment described above may be appropriately combined with modified examples described in the specification or other known configurations.

Claims

1. a rotary drive unit including a rotating shaft, a stationary gear through which the rotating shaft is inserted, a rotor having a rotor gear formed with a diameter larger than an outer diameter of the stationary gear and meshing with the stationary gear, and rotating eccentrically with the rotation of the rotating shaft, a rotary housing formed so as to be able to define a radially outer region of the rotor along a peritrochoid curve defined by the eccentric rotation of the rotor, a first side housing having an insertion hole through which the rotating shaft is inserted and covering one end side of the rotary housing, and a second side housing covering the other end side of the rotary housing, a compression region where the volume of the closed space defined by the outer peripheral surface of the rotor and the inner peripheral surface of the rotary housing is smallest is defined as a high-temperature region, and an expansion region where the volume of the closed space is largeest is defined as a low-temperature region by connecting the two expansion regions with each other through a bypass path; a plurality of cooling refrigerant flow holes are formed in the rotary housing, the first side housing, and the second side housing along an outer periphery of the low-temperature region, the cooling refrigerant flow holes penetrating from the first side housing to the second side housing; the bypass path is formed by two communication holes respectively communicating with the two expansion regions and a recess formed in a surface of the first side housing or the second side housing and connecting the two communication holes, and is disposed at a position closer to the rotary shaft than the cooling refrigerant circulation hole, a plurality of heat-dissipating coolant flow holes are formed in the rotary housing, the first side housing, and the second side housing along an outer periphery of the high-temperature region, the heat-dissipating coolant flow holes penetrating from the first side housing to the second side housing; a cooling refrigerant flow passage through which a cooling refrigerant flows is connected to the cooling refrigerant flow hole in the first side housing and the cooling refrigerant flow hole in the second side housing, a heat dissipation refrigerant flow passage through which the heat dissipation refrigerant flows is connected to the heat dissipation refrigerant flow hole in the first side housing and the heat dissipation refrigerant flow hole in the second side housing, a drive system device of the electric vehicle is disposed on the path of the cooling refrigerant flow passage, A cooling device for drive system equipment of an electric vehicle, characterized in that a heat exchanger is disposed on the path of the heat dissipation refrigerant flow passage.

2. 2. The drive system equipment cooling device of an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein both end positions in the circumferential direction of the connection portion of the cooling refrigerant flow passage to the first side housing and the second side housing and both end positions in the circumferential direction of the connection portion of the heat dissipation refrigerant flow passage to the first side housing and the second side housing are arranged with a required gap between them.

3. 3. The cooling device for drive system equipment of an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the drive system equipment of the electric vehicle is a battery mounted on a vehicle for passengers, cargo, or a vehicle for both passengers and cargo.

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