Exhaust heat duct structure

Abstract

To provide an exhaust heat duct structure which eliminates a need of arranging a special duct for exhausting air from an electric device mounted on a vehicle.SOLUTION: An exhaust heat duct structure 1 includes: a first duct 14 for blowing exhaust heat air from an inverter 10; a second duct 15 for blowing at least heating air; and a joint part 16 where the first duct 14 and the second duct 15 are joined. The exhaust heat duct structure 1 includes a third duct 17 which is connected at an upstream end part 17b to the joint part 16, has an air outlet 19 at a downstream end part 17c, and is used to blow mixed air of the exhaust heat air and the heating air. A passage cross sectional area of the first duct 14 in the joint part 16 is smaller than a passage cross sectional area of the second duct 15 in the joint part 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exhaust duct structure. [Background technology]

[0002] An on-board inverter, which is an electrical device, is placed inside the vehicle cabin, and in order to cool the semiconductors inside the inverter, a cooling fan draws in air to cool the semiconductors inside the inverter.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to an intake device that forms an intake passage through which air or an air-fuel mixture flows. This intake device includes a first duct having a throttle valve and a second duct connected to the first duct so that the intake passages merge on the inlet side of the throttle valve. The intake device also includes a movable valve provided at the junction of the first and second ducts that connects or disconnects the intake passage in the first duct from the intake passage in the second duct and prevents the flow of air or an air-fuel mixture from the first duct to the second duct. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-64919 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a dedicated duct is provided in a vehicle for exhausting air from the on-board electrical equipment, it is necessary to secure a location for the duct.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a heat exhaust duct structure that does not require the placement of a dedicated duct for exhausting electrical equipment installed in a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A heat exhaust duct structure according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first duct for blowing exhaust heat from an electrical device, a second duct for blowing at least heating air, and a junction where the first and second ducts join. The upstream end of a third duct is connected to the junction, and the third duct has an outlet at its downstream end. The flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first duct at the junction is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second duct at the junction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat exhaust duct structure that does not require the provision of a dedicated duct for exhausting heat from electrical equipment mounted on a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a heat exhaust duct structure according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the heat exhaust duct structure shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the heat exhaust duct structure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an inverter, which is an example of an electrical device, as viewed from below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0011] The configuration of a heat exhaust duct structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the drawings, the front side of the vehicle is indicated as FR, the rear side of the vehicle as RR, the right side in the vehicle width direction as RH, and the left side in the vehicle width direction as LH.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, an inverter 10, which is an example of an electrical device, is disposed on a floor panel 2 of a vehicle. The inverter 10 is disposed at the center in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, the inverter 10 is disposed inside or below a center console (not shown).

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the inverter 10 has a case 11, a circuit mechanism 12 that is disposed inside the case 11 and includes semiconductors and the like, and a cooling fan 13 for cooling the circuit mechanism 12.

[0014] 6, an exhaust port 11a is provided on the side surface of the case 11 of the inverter 10. Air drawn into the inside of the inverter 10 is expelled by a fan 13 from the exhaust port 11a of the inverter 10 to the outside of the inverter 10.

[0015] In this embodiment, the electric device is configured by the inverter 10, but this is not limiting, and the electric device may be configured by a converter or the like.

[0016] Although not shown, a blower for a rear heater, which is an example of a heating device, is disposed in front of the inverter 10. The blower for the rear heater is disposed, for example, on the front side of the dash panel.

[0017] In this embodiment, the heating device is configured by a blower of a rear heater, but is not limited to this, and the heating device may be configured by a heater portion of an air conditioner or the like.

[0018] 1, an on-board battery 3 is disposed on the vehicle rear side of the inverter 10. In this embodiment, a pair of cross members 4 are disposed at a distance in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the on-board battery 3 is disposed between the pair of cross members 4. Note that, of the pair of cross members 4 disposed in the vehicle longitudinal direction, only the cross member 4 disposed on the vehicle front side is shown in FIG.

[0019] In this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted battery 3 is disposed below the front seats (not shown). A cooling air intake duct 5, which constitutes a battery cooling air intake path, is disposed at the outer end of the vehicle width direction of the vehicle-mounted battery 3. The cooling air intake duct 5 has an air intake port 5a that opens toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a heat exhaust duct structure 1 for an inverter 10 mounted on a vehicle includes a first duct 14, a second duct 15, a junction 16, and a third duct 17.

[0021] The first duct 14 is for blowing hot air exhausted from the inverter 10, and has a first flow path 14a formed therein. An upstream end 14b of the first duct 14 is connected to the exhaust port 11a of the inverter 10.

[0022] The flow path cross-sectional area of ​​a curved portion 14c (described later) in the first duct 14 decreases from the upstream side (the inverter 10 side) to the downstream side (the junction 16 side). The "flow path cross-sectional area" refers to the cross-sectional area of ​​a cross section perpendicular to the air flow direction in the flow path inside the duct. Note that the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the entire first duct 14 may decrease from the upstream side (the inverter 10 side) to the downstream side (the junction 16 side).

[0023] The second duct 15 is for blowing heating air and has a second flow path 15a formed therein. Although not shown, an upstream end 15b of the second duct 15 is connected to the rear heater duct that blows heating air from the blower.

[0024] The first duct 14 has a curved portion 14c that curves toward the junction 16, and the second duct 15 has a curved portion 15c that curves toward the junction 16. The curved portion 14c and downstream end 14d of the first duct 14 are arranged on the inner circumferential side of the curved portion 15c and downstream end 15d of the second duct 15. In other words, the curved portion 15c and downstream end 15d of the second duct 15 are arranged on the outer circumferential side of the curved portion 14c and downstream end 14d of the first duct 14.

[0025] In this embodiment, the curved portion 14c of the first duct 14 and the curved portion 15c of the second duct 15 are connected by a connecting portion 18.

[0026] Further, the downstream end 14d of the first duct 14 is oriented so that the flow direction of the exhaust air at the downstream end 14d of the first duct 14 is aligned with the flow direction of the heating air at the downstream end 15d of the second duct 15. That is, the first duct side opening 14e provided at the downstream end 14d of the first duct 14 and the second duct side opening 15e provided at the downstream end 15d of the second duct 15 are aligned on the same plane.

[0027] The junction 16 is where the first duct 14 and the second duct 15 join together. The cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the first duct 14 at the junction 16 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the second duct 15 at the junction 16.

[0028] Third duct 17 has an upstream end 17b connected to junction 16 and an air outlet 19 at its downstream end 17c, and is used to blow out a mixture of exhaust hot air from first duct 14 and heating air from second duct 15. A third flow path is formed inside third duct 17 as a post-junction flow path. The air outlet 19 is located, for example, at the foot position of rear seat passengers, and heating air is blown out from air outlet 19 toward the feet of rear seat passengers.

[0029] The third duct 17 extends linearly in a plan view. In this embodiment, the third duct 17 is disposed below the front seats and extends linearly in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0030] In addition, the third duct 17 is arranged to be able to exchange heat with the cooling intake duct 5 of the vehicle-mounted battery 3. In this embodiment, the third duct 17 is arranged above the cooling intake duct 5 of the vehicle-mounted battery 3.

[0031] The operation of the heat exhaust duct structure 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

[0032] The fan 13 of the inverter 10 is not driven constantly. The rear heater is selectively turned on and off by the passenger. This rear heater is mainly used for heating in cold weather such as winter.

[0033] The flow rate of the exhaust hot air from the inverter 10 is small, and the flow velocity of the exhaust hot air is low. The flow rate of the heating air from the rear heater is large, and the flow velocity of the heating air is high.

[0034] When the fan 13 of the inverter 10 is ON and the rear heater is ON, the exhaust air from the inverter 10 is introduced into the first duct 14, and the heating air from the blower of the rear heater is introduced into the second duct 15. The exhaust air and the heating air are then mixed at the junction 16, and the mixed air of the exhaust air and the heating air passes through the third duct 17 and is blown out from the air outlet 19 into the vehicle compartment.

[0035] When the fan 13 of the inverter 10 is ON and the rear heater is OFF, the hot air exhausted from the inverter 10 is introduced into the first duct 14. As described above, the flow rate of the hot air exhausted from the inverter 10 is small, and the flow velocity of the hot air is low. Therefore, the temperature of the hot air decreases as it flows through the first duct 14, the junction 16, and the third duct 17 due to heat exchange with the outside air.

[0036] When the fan 13 of the inverter 10 is OFF and the rear heater is ON, the heating air from the rear heater blower is introduced into the second duct 15, passes through the confluence 16 and the third duct 17, and is blown out from the air outlet 19 into the vehicle cabin.

[0037] The effects of this embodiment will be described below.

[0038] (1) The heat exhaust duct structure 1 includes a first duct 14 for blowing exhaust heat air from an electrical device (inverter 10), a second duct 15 for blowing at least heating air, and a junction 16 where the first duct 14 and the second duct 15 join. The heat exhaust duct structure 1 also includes a third duct 17 for blowing a mixture of the exhaust heat air and the heating air, the third duct 17 having an upstream end 17b connected to the junction 16 and an outlet 19 at its downstream end 17c. The cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the first duct 14 at the junction 16 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the second duct 15 at the junction 16.

[0039] In this embodiment, a junction 16 is provided where the first duct 14 and the second duct 15 join together, and an upstream end 17b of a third duct 17 is connected to the junction 16, with the third duct 17 having an outlet 19 at its downstream end 17c. This eliminates the need to provide a dedicated duct for exhausting the inverter 10. Furthermore, the exhaust from the inverter 10 is blown into the vehicle compartment through the outlet 19 of the rear heater, which prevents the exhaust from the inverter 10 from causing discomfort to vehicle occupants.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first duct 14 at the junction 16 is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second duct 15 at the junction 16. Therefore, the heating air from the rear heater is more likely to flow from the junction 16 toward the third duct 17. Therefore, even without using a movable valve at the junction 16, the heating air from the rear heater is less likely to flow back toward the exhaust duct side (first duct 14 side) of the inverter 10, and interference with the heat dissipation (cooling) of the inverter 10 can be suppressed.

[0041] (2) The downstream end 14d of the first duct 14 is oriented so that the flow direction of the exhaust air at the downstream end 14d of the first duct 14 is aligned with the flow direction of the heating air at the downstream end 15d of the second duct 15.

[0042] Therefore, the heating air from the rear heater is more likely to flow from the junction 16 toward the third duct 17. Therefore, even if a movable valve is not used at the junction 16, the heating air from the rear heater is less likely to flow back toward the exhaust duct side (first duct 14 side) of the inverter 10, and interference with the exhaust heat (cooling) of the inverter 10 can be suppressed.

[0043] (3) The second duct 15 has a curved portion 15c that curves toward the confluence portion 16, and at least the downstream end portion 14d of the first duct 14 is disposed on the inner circumferential side of the curved portion 15c.

[0044] In this embodiment, the downstream end 14d of the first duct 14 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the curved portion 15c of the second duct 15, and therefore the downstream end 15d of the second duct 15 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the curved portion 14c of the first duct 14. Therefore, the air inside the second duct 15 flows smoothly along the outer peripheral side surface of the second duct 15, making it easier for the heating air from the rear heater to flow from the second duct 15 toward the junction 16. Therefore, even without using a movable valve at the junction 16, the heating air from the rear heater is less likely to flow back toward the exhaust duct side (first duct 14 side) of the inverter 10, and interference with heat dissipation (cooling) of the inverter 10 can be suppressed.

[0045] (4) The cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the first duct 14 decreases from the upstream side toward the confluence 16 .

[0046] This increases the flow rate of the air introduced from the exhaust duct (first duct 14) of the inverter 10 to the junction 16, making it less likely that the heating air from the rear heater will flow back toward the exhaust duct side (first duct 14 side) of the inverter 10.

[0047] (5) The third duct 17 extends linearly in a plan view.

[0048] As a result, both the exhaust hot air introduced from the exhaust duct (first duct 14) of the inverter 10 to the junction 16 and the heating air introduced from the second duct 15 to the junction 16 are more likely to flow into the third duct 17.

[0049] (6) The third duct 17 is arranged to be able to exchange heat with the cooling intake duct 5 of the vehicle-mounted battery 3 .

[0050] Generally, the temperature of the air inside the cooling intake duct 5 of the vehicle-mounted battery 3 is lower than the temperature of the air inside the exhaust duct (first duct 14) of the inverter 10. In this embodiment, the third duct 17 is arranged to be able to exchange heat with the cooling intake duct 5 of the vehicle-mounted battery 3. As a result, the air discharged from the exhaust duct (first duct 14) of the inverter 10 and flowing through the third duct 17 is cooled by heat exchange with the air inside the cooling intake duct 5 of the vehicle-mounted battery 3. Therefore, in situations such as summer when the outside air temperature is high and the rear heater is not used, the temperature of the exhaust hot air discharged from the exhaust duct (first duct 14) of the inverter 10 and flowing through the third duct 17 can be lowered, thereby reducing discomfort to vehicle occupants.

[0051] Furthermore, since the flow rate of the exhaust hot air discharged from the exhaust port 11a of the inverter 10 is small, the in-vehicle battery 3 side is prevented from being affected by heat received.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1. Heat exhaust duct structure 3. Car battery 5 Cooling intake duct 10 Inverter 14 First Duct 14d Downstream end 15 Second Duct 15c curved section 15d downstream end 16 Confluence 17 Third Duct 17b Upstream end 17c Downstream end 19 Air outlet

Claims

1. A heat exhaust duct structure for an electrical device mounted on a vehicle, a first duct for blowing hot air exhausted from the electrical equipment; a second duct for blowing at least heating air; a junction portion where the first duct and the second duct join together; a third duct having an upstream end connected to the confluence and an outlet at a downstream end for blowing mixed air of the exhaust hot air and the heating air, A heat exhaust duct structure, wherein a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first duct at the confluence portion is smaller than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second duct at the confluence portion.

2. The exhaust duct structure of claim 1, wherein the downstream end of the first duct is oriented so that the flow direction of the exhaust air at the downstream end of the first duct is aligned with the flow direction of the heating air at the downstream end of the second duct.

3. the second duct has a curved portion that curves toward the junction, The heat exhaust duct structure according to claim 2 , wherein at least a downstream end of the first duct is disposed on an inner circumferential side of the curved portion.

4. The flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first duct becomes smaller from the upstream side toward the confluence portion. The heat exhaust duct structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The third duct extends linearly in a plan view. The heat exhaust duct structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The third duct is arranged to be able to exchange heat with a cooling intake duct of an on-board battery. The heat exhaust duct structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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