Cooling device

Abstract

To provide a cooling device capable of properly determining that an abnormality has occurred.SOLUTION: A cooling device 10 is a cooling device for cooling an inverter A mounted on a vehicle, which includes: a main unit 11 with a flow path for flowing cooling water, in which an inlet 13 of cooling water in the flow path is arranged above an outlet 14 of the cooling water in the flow path; a first temperature sensor 15 for detecting the temperature of the cooling water flowing into the inlet 13 in the main unit 11; a second temperature sensor 16 for detecting the temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the outlet 14 in the main unit 11; and a determination unit 18 that is configured so as to, when the difference between the temperature of the cooling water detected by the first temperature sensor 15 and the temperature of the cooling water detected by the second temperature sensor 16 is greater than or equal to a given threshold, determine an abnormality has occurred in the cooling device 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various cooling devices for cooling an inverter that drives a motor have been proposed. For example, the device described in Patent Document 1 sets an upper limit torque of the motor based on the temperature of cooling water when an abnormality occurs in the cooling device, and controls the inverter so that the torque required for the motor within the set upper limit torque range is output from the motor, thereby suppressing the inverter from entering an overheated state.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, in order to appropriately suppress the inverter from entering an overheated state, it is desirable to accurately determine that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling device.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a cooling device that can accurately determine that an abnormality has occurred.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A cooling device that solves the above problems is a cooling device for cooling an inverter mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a main body having a flow path through which cooling water flows, wherein the inlet of the cooling water in the flow path is positioned above the outlet of the cooling water in the flow path; a first temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the cooling water flowing into the inlet of the main body; a second temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the cooling water flowing out from the outlet of the main body; and a determination unit that determines that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling device when the difference between the temperature of the cooling water detected by the first temperature sensor and the temperature of the cooling water detected by the second temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately determine when an abnormality has occurred. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cooling device of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing the configuration of the cooling device of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of the cooling process performed by the cooling device of this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the operation of the cooling device of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] An embodiment of the cooling device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cooling device 10 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and is used to cool an inverter A, which is an example of a power element. The main body 11 of the cooling device 10 has a flow path 12 through which cooling water flows. The flow path 12 is curved in a roughly U-shape in the main body 11, with a cooling water inlet 13 located at one end in the longitudinal direction of the main body 11 and a cooling water outlet 14 located at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the main body 11. The main body 11 of the cooling device 10 extends so as to be inclined at an angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and the cooling water inlet 13 is located above the cooling water outlet 14.

[0011] A first temperature sensor 15 is provided near the cooling water inlet 13 in the main body 11 of the cooling device 10 to detect the temperature of the cooling water flowing into the inlet 13. A second temperature sensor 16 is provided near the cooling water outlet 14 in the main body 11 of the cooling device 10 to detect the temperature of the cooling water flowing out from the outlet 14.

[0012] In this embodiment, the cooling device 10 receives heat during the cooling process of the cooling water flowing into the inlet 13 while cooling the inverter A. Therefore, the temperature of the cooling water flowing into the inlet 13, as detected by the first temperature sensor 15, is lower than the temperature of the cooling water flowing out from the outlet 14, as detected by the second temperature sensor 16.

[0013] On the other hand, in the cooling device 10 of this embodiment, if the flow of cooling water stops due to an abnormality, as described above, the cooling water inlet 13 is located above the cooling water outlet 14. Therefore, the cooling water located near the outlet 14 and heated by the inverter A generates convection within the flow path 12, thereby transferring heat to the cooling water located near the inlet 13. As a result, the temperature of the cooling water flowing into the inlet 13, as detected by the first temperature sensor 15, becomes higher than the temperature of the cooling water flowing out from the outlet 14, as detected by the second temperature sensor 16.

[0014] Therefore, the control circuit 17 of the cooling device 10 in this embodiment includes a determination unit 18 that determines that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling device 10 if the value obtained by subtracting the temperature of the cooling water detected by the second temperature sensor 16 from the temperature of the cooling water detected by the first temperature sensor 15 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0015] Next, the abnormality detection process performed by the cooling device 10 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 3. The flowchart shown in Figure 3 is executed repeatedly, for example, at a predetermined cycle.

[0016] As shown in Figure 3, the cooling device 10 first acquires the sensor value X1 from the first temperature sensor 15 (step S10).

[0017] Next, the cooling device 10 acquires the sensor value X2 from the second temperature sensor 16 (step S11).

[0018] Next, the cooling device 10 determines whether the difference between the sensor value X1 of the first temperature sensor 15 obtained in step S10 and the sensor value X2 of the second temperature sensor 16 obtained in step S11 is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (step S12).

[0019] If the cooling device 10 determines that the difference between the sensor value X1 of the first temperature sensor 15 obtained in step S10 and the sensor value X2 of the second temperature sensor 16 obtained in step S11 is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (step S12=YES), it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling device 10 (step S13) and terminates the flowchart shown in Figure 3. On the other hand, if the cooling device 10 determines that the difference between the sensor value X1 of the first temperature sensor 15 obtained in step S10 and the sensor value X2 of the second temperature sensor 16 obtained in step S11 is less than a predetermined threshold (step S12=NO), it terminates the flowchart shown in Figure 3 without determining an abnormality in the cooling device 10.

[0020] Next, the operation of the cooling device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4, when an abnormality occurs during the running of the vehicle, the cooling device 10 cannot properly cool the inverter A, and the temperature of the inverter A rises. When the temperature of the inverter A rises, it hinders the running of the vehicle. Therefore, it is required to detect an abnormality in the cooling device 10 and limit the load factor of the vehicle so as to suppress the temperature rise of the inverter A.

[0022] In this regard, in the present embodiment, the cooling device 10 compares the temperature of the cooling water flowing into the inlet 13 detected by the first temperature sensor 15 with the temperature of the cooling water flowing out from the outlet 14 detected by the second temperature sensor 16, and determines that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling device 10 when it is determined that the difference between those temperatures is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Thereby, an excessive temperature rise of the inverter A can be appropriately suppressed.

[0023] Note that the embodiments described above are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not for limiting and interpreting the present invention. The present invention can be changed / improved without departing from its gist, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention. That is, as long as those appropriately designed and changed by those skilled in the art for each embodiment have the features of the present invention, they are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, each element included in each embodiment and its arrangement, material, conditions, shape, size, etc. are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate. In addition, each embodiment is an exemplification, and it is needless to say that partial substitution or combination of the configurations shown in different embodiments is possible, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they include the features of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0024] 10... Cooling device, 11... Main body part, 12... Flow path, 13... Inlet, 14... Outlet, 15... First temperature sensor, 16... Second temperature sensor, 17... Control circuit, 18... Determination unit, A... Inverter.

Claims

[Claim 1] A cooling device for cooling an inverter mounted on a vehicle, A flow path is formed through which cooling water flows, and the main body is positioned such that the inlet of the cooling water in the flow path is above the outlet of the cooling water in the flow path. A first temperature sensor detects the temperature of the cooling water flowing into the inlet of the main body, A second temperature sensor detects the temperature of the cooling water flowing out from the outlet in the main body, A determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling device if the temperature of the cooling water detected by the first temperature sensor is higher than the temperature of the cooling water detected by the second temperature sensor by a predetermined threshold, A cooling device equipped with the following features.

Images