Vehicle cooling device and duct for vehicle cooling device

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to improve the cooling efficiency of a vehicle by making the wind speed distribution of cooling air supplied to the vehicle variable, thereby uniformly distributing the wind speed at a blowing port. Cooling air from a vehicle cooling device 1 is supplied through a duct 2 to a test vehicle. The duct 2 includes: a duct body 2a in which an intake port 2b and a blowing port 2c for cooling air are formed; a group of rotatable drive rods 12 which are provided in the width direction of the duct body 2a; and a group of blades 15 which extend from each drive rod 12 in the direction of the intake port 2b. Each blade 15 comprises: a main blade 20 which moves vertically in accordance with the direction of rotation of the driving rod 12; and a slide plate 21 which is provided on the main blade 20 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

Description

Vehicle cooling system, duct for vehicle cooling system

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle cooling device for a vehicle testing device that simulates road driving of a test vehicle indoors.

[0002] The cooling device for the chassis dynamometer system is placed in front of the test vehicle, which has its tires mounted on rollers, and cools the engine, intercooler, etc. by supplying cooling air to the test vehicle from the air outlet at the tip of the cooling fan's duct.

[0003] Since the cooling fan has a set range of cooling air speed depending on its rating, the air volume is adjusted according to the speed of the test vehicle by moving the air outlet closer to the test vehicle. However, there are cases where adjusting the air volume is difficult due to space limitations, and the cooling device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

[0004] Patent No. 5304167

[0005] The cooling device in Patent Document 1 increases or decreases the opening area by providing a variable mechanism at the air outlet at the tip of the duct of the cooling fan. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain an air volume (air speed) according to the vehicle speed, but local air speed differences occur within the duct, making it impossible to adjust the air speed distribution at the air outlet.

[0006] As a result, localized variations in wind speed occur at the air outlet, making it difficult to distribute the wind speed uniformly, which can lead to a deterioration in cooling efficiency. In particular, when the duct shape is flared, the opening area of ​​the air outlet is larger than the intake on the cooling fan side, making it even more difficult to distribute the wind speed uniformly.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve these conventional problems, and aims to solve the problem of making the wind speed distribution of the cooling air supplied to the vehicle variable, thereby uniformly distributing the wind speed at the air outlet and improving the cooling efficiency of the vehicle.

[0008] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle cooling device that supplies cooling air to a vehicle through a duct, wherein the duct comprises an intake port for the cooling air, an outlet port for the cooling air, and a group of blades arranged between the intake port and the outlet port, and each of the blades is configured to be able to extend or contract in length and adjust in angle in the direction of the intake port.

[0009] (2) Another aspect of the present invention is a duct for a vehicle cooling device that supplies cooling air to a vehicle, comprising: an intake port for the cooling air; an outlet port for the cooling air; and a group of blades arranged between the intake port and the outlet port, wherein each blade is configured to be able to extend or contract in length and adjust in angle in the direction of the intake port.

[0010] According to the present invention, the wind speed distribution of the cooling air supplied to the vehicle can be varied, thereby making it possible to distribute the wind speed of the blown air uniformly and improving the cooling efficiency of the vehicle.

[0011] 3A is a side view of a vehicle cooling device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 3B is a plan view of the same; (a) is a front view showing the air outlet of the duct, and (b) is a left side view of the duct; (a) is an A-A cross-sectional view of FIG. 3A; (b) is a view of the state in which the tips of the blade group in (a) have been adjusted to form an arc; and (b) is a B-B cross-sectional view of FIG. 3A; (a) is a perspective view of the duct showing the state before the length of the blade group has been adjusted; (b) is a partial perspective view of (a); and (c) is a partial perspective view showing the state in which the blades have been extended from the state in (b). 3B is a side view of a vehicle cooling device according to a second embodiment; and (b) is a plan view of the same; (a) is a side view of the duct; (b) is a front view showing the air outlet of the duct; and (c) is a rear view showing the air inlet. and (b) is an A-A cross-sectional view of FIG. 3B. 14A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 9B, and FIG. 14B is a diagram showing the state in which the tips of the blade group in FIG. 9A have been adjusted to form an arc. FIG. 14A is a perspective view of the duct showing the state before the length of the blade group has been adjusted, and FIG. 14B is a partial perspective view of FIG. 14A, and FIG. 14C is a partial perspective view showing the state in which the blades have been extended from the state in FIG. 14B. FIG. 14B is a side view of the vehicle cooling device of Example 3. FIG. 14C is a plan view of the vehicle cooling device of Example 3. FIG. 14A is an enlarged view of part P in FIG. 13, and FIG. 14B is an enlarged view of part Q in FIG. 14B.

[0012] Hereinafter, a vehicle cooling device (including a duct for a vehicle cooling device) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The vehicle cooling device is intended to mainly cool a test vehicle, such as a chassis dynamometer system.

[0013] That is, the chassis dynamometer system simulates the test vehicle's on-road driving indoors by connecting a dynamometer to rollers on which the test vehicle's drive wheels are placed, and transmitting the test vehicle's driving force and braking force to the dynamometer via the rollers.

[0014] The vehicle cooling device is placed in front of the test vehicle, which has its tires mounted on the rollers of the chassis dynamometer system, and supplies cooling air generated by the driving of a cooling fan to the test vehicle on the rollers. This cooling air cools the engine, intercooler, battery, etc. of the test vehicle, and is used as a thermal management system.

[0015] Here, a duct is attached to the vehicle cooling device to form a wind tunnel for cooling air, and the cooling air is blown to the test vehicle through the duct, and the duct makes it possible to vary the air speed distribution at the air outlets (supply port / discharge port) to the test vehicle, thereby achieving a uniform air speed distribution at the air outlets and improving cooling efficiency. Details will be explained below based on Examples 1 to 3.

[0016] A first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes the vehicle cooling device. In this embodiment, a duct 2 is detachably attached to an opening 3a through which cooling air is blown out from a cooling fan 3 of the vehicle cooling device 1.

[0017] 3 to 5, a configuration example of the duct 2 will be described. In each figure, F indicates the front of the duct 2, and B indicates the rear of the duct 2. Here, the duct 2 is disposed in front of the test vehicle, and cooling air generated by driving the cooling fan 3 is supplied to the test vehicle through the duct 2.

[0018] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the duct 2 includes a duct body 2a that is attached to the opening 3a of the cooling fan 3 using toggle clamps 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b, and a group of eight blades 15 arranged inside the duct body 2a.

[0019] (1) Duct body 2a The duct body 2a is formed in a tubular shape and includes upper and lower plates 2e and 2f and left and right side plates 2d as shown in Fig. 3. An intake port 2b communicating with the opening 3a of the cooling fan 3 is formed on the F side of this duct body 2a, while an air outlet 2c facing the test vehicle is formed on the B side, with the air blowing direction inside the duct body 2a being "intake port 2b → air outlet 2c."

[0020] That is, as shown by arrows W1 and W2 in FIG. 3(b), the cooling air sent out from the cooling fan 3 flows into the duct body 2a through the intake 2b and is supplied to the test vehicle through the air outlet 2c.

[0021] Each side plate 2d of the duct body 2a has a group of insertion holes (not shown) formed at equal intervals at symmetrical positions in the vertical direction. A drive rod 12 is rotatably inserted through each insertion hole and is arranged in the R-L direction within the duct body 2a. An end 12a of this drive rod 12 is connected to a handle 11, and the drive rod 12 rotates in response to operation of the handle 11. The duct body 2a is also provided with casters 9 for movement, stoppers 10 to prevent tipping when removed, and outriggers 6.

[0022] (2) Blades 15 As shown in Fig. 4, each blade 15 is disposed between the air inlet 2b and the air outlet 2c, and extends from the drive rod 12 toward the air inlet 2b (the opposite direction to the air outlet direction). Here, the group of blades 15 defines upper and lower air passages R1 to R9 within the duct body 2a.

[0023] Specifically, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), each blade 15 comprises a main blade 20 fixed along the axial direction of the drive rod 12, and a slide plate 21 attached so as to be freely slidable in the front-to-rear direction (F-B direction) of the main blade 20.

[0024] Here, the base end of the main blade 20 on side B is welded to the outer periphery of the drive rod 12, and as shown in Figure 4(b), it rotates up and down according to the rotation direction (T1, T2) of the drive rod 12. That is, when the drive rod 12 rotates in the direction of arrow T1, each blade 15 rotates in the direction of arrow D to assume a depression angle, and when the drive rod 12 rotates in the direction of arrow T2, each blade 15 rotates in the direction of arrow U to assume an elevation angle.

[0025] Therefore, each blade 15 is configured so that the angle in the vertical direction relative to the direction of the intake port 2b can be adjusted by operating each handle 11. The main blade 20 has a through hole formed at the tip on the F side.

[0026] Furthermore, slide plate 21 is disposed on main blade 20, and has elongated holes 27 formed along the F-B direction, as shown in Fig. 5. The base end of slide plate 21 is attached to the tip end of main blade 20 by fastening nuts 26 (see Fig. 4(b)) to the shafts of bolts 25 inserted into elongated holes 27 and the through holes.

[0027] At this time, loosening the fastening allows the slide plate 21 to slide in the F-B direction as shown in Figures 5 and 6(c). The two-dot chain line 21K in Figure 5 shows the slide plate 21 in a state where it has been slid toward the F side. If the slide plate 21 is slid toward the F side from the state shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the length of the blade 15 will increase, resulting in a transition to the state shown in Figure 6(c). Note that the bolt 25 is not shown in Figure 6(b).

[0028] On the other hand, if the slide plate 21 is slid from the state shown in Figure 6(c) to the side B, the length of the blade 15 will be shortened and will return to the state shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b). In this way, each blade 15 is configured so that its length can be freely adjusted by extending or retracting it in the direction of the intake port 2b.

[0029] <<Example of Operation>> An example of operation will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Here, it is assumed that the intake port 2b of the duct body 2a has been attached to the opening 3a of the cooling fan 3 in advance using toggle clamps 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b, resulting in the state shown in Figs.

[0030] (1) In the initial state, as shown in Figure 4(a), the vertical angles and lengths of the blades 15 are set equal to each other. When the cooling fan 3 is driven, cooling air is supplied to the test vehicle from the air outlet 2c through the air passages R1 to R9.

[0031] However, if the vertical airflow direction (angle) is changed in the initial state, there is a risk of variations in the airflow volume (airflow speed) among the air passages R1 to R9. Therefore, by adjusting the vertical angle and length of each blade 15, the vertical airflow direction and airflow volume of the cooling air supplied to the test vehicle can be changed, thereby improving cooling efficiency. In this case, as shown in Figure 4(b), it is preferable to arrange the tips of the slide plates 21 in an arc shape (see dashed line H) relative to the inlet 2b.

[0032] That is, the group of blades 15b arranged on the upper side increases the depression angle and decreases in length as they move away from the center O. On the other hand, the group of blades 15a arranged on the lower side increases the elevation angle and decreases in length as they move away from the center O. As a result, although the opening areas (outlet opening areas) of the air outlets 2c of the air passages R1 to R9 are uniform, the opening areas (inlet opening areas) of the air intakes 2b increase in the order of the air passages R5 to R1 and R5 to R9, thereby increasing the air volume.

[0033] In this way, it is possible to equalize the air volume in each of the air passages R1 to R9 by adjusting the vertical angle and length of the blade 15. In this respect, the air speed at the air outlet 2c can be uniformly distributed, improving the cooling efficiency of the test vehicle.

[0034] (2) However, it is not necessary to adjust the angle and length of all the blades 15, and it is possible to adjust only any of the blades 15 according to the "air volume / static pressure characteristics (P-Q characteristics)" of the cooling fan 3. In this case, the airflow direction and airflow speed of the air passages R1 to R9 can be individually adjusted, so that the vertical flow of the cooling air can be partially adjusted, and any airflow direction and airflow speed distribution can be obtained at the air outlet 2c.

[0035] A second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 12. In each figure, reference numeral 30 denotes a duct 30 of this embodiment.

[0036] (1) Configuration Example As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the duct 30 includes a duct body 30a formed in a fan-shaped configuration. In this duct body 30a, the opening area of ​​the air outlet 30c is larger than the opening area of ​​the air inlet 30b. In this respect, it differs from the duct body 2a of Example 1, but is otherwise configured in substantially the same manner.

[0037] That is, the duct body 30a comprises upper and lower plates 30e and 30f formed in a trapezoidal shape and left and right side plates 30d, as shown in Fig. 9. Here, the upper plate 30e is inclined upward from the air intake 30b side to the air outlet 30c side, the lower plate 30f is inclined downward in the same direction and at the same angle, and both side plates 30d are inclined in the same direction with open legs.

[0038] Furthermore, a group of insertion holes (not shown) is formed at equal intervals along the width direction on the inlet 30b side of the upper and lower plates 30e, 30f. A drive rod 12 is rotatably inserted through each of these insertion holes, and the group of drive rods 12 is arranged in the vertical direction between the plates 30e, 30f. A handle 11 is connected to the upper end 12a of each drive rod 12, and the drive rod 12 rotates in response to operation of the handle 11 (the upper end 12a and handle 11 are omitted in the drawing).

[0039] 9 and 11, a group of six blades 15 is provided within the duct body 30a, and is rotatable in response to the rotation of the drive rod 12. Each blade 15 is disposed between the inlet 30b and the outlet 30c, fixed along the axial direction of the drive rod 12, and extends from the drive rod 12 toward the inlet 30b (the opposite direction to the air blowing direction). Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the group of blades 15 defines left and right air passages R1 to R7 within the duct body 30a.

[0040] The base end of the main blade 20 on side B is fixed to the outer periphery of the drive rod 12 by means of welding or the like. Therefore, each blade 15 is configured to rotate left and right (in the R-L direction) according to the rotation direction (T3, T4) of each drive rod 12, and the angle in the same direction can be adjusted. Also, as shown in Figure 12(c), slide plates 21a, 21b are attached to left and right side surfaces 20a, 20b of the main blade 20, symmetrically at the top and bottom.

[0041] 10, the solid line 21a indicates the slide plate 21 attached to the side surface 20a of the main blade 20. The dashed line 21a indicates the slide plate 21a that has slid toward the F side. The dashed line 21b indicates the slide plate 21 attached to the side surface 20b of the main blade 20. The dashed line 21b indicates the slide plate 21b that has slid toward the F side.

[0042] Here, slide plates 21a and 21b are formed to have a length that is approximately half the length of main blade 20 in the up-down direction, and have elongated holes 27 formed along the F-B direction. Slide plate 21 is attached to main blade 20 by fastening nuts 26 to the shafts of bolts 25 that are inserted through elongated holes 27 and through holes in main blade 20.

[0043] Therefore, the slide plates 21a and 21b can be slid in the F-B direction by loosening the fastening, as in Example 1. That is, if the slide plates 21a and 21b are slid toward the F side from the state shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the length of the blade 15 will increase, resulting in a transition to the state shown in Figure 12(c).

[0044] On the other hand, if the slide plates 21a and 21b are slid from the state shown in Figure 12(c) to the side B, the length of the blade 15 is shortened and returns to the state shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b). In this way, each blade 15 is configured so that its length can be freely adjusted by extending or retracting it in the direction of the intake port 30b.

[0045] (2) Operation Example In this embodiment, the left-right angle and length of each blade 15 are adjusted to vary the left-right (RL) wind direction and volume of the cooling air supplied to the test vehicle.

[0046] That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the group of blades 15 rotates in the R direction when the drive rod 12 is rotated in the T3 direction by operating the handle 11, and rotates in the L direction when the drive rod 12 is rotated in the T4 direction.

[0047] Therefore, by rotating the blade group 15c in the L direction by operating the handle 11, it can be adjusted to the same angle as the inclination of the side panel 30d on the R side. Similarly, by rotating the blade group 15c in the R direction by operating the handle 11, it can be adjusted to the same angle as the inclination of the side panel 30d on the L side. This makes it possible to adjust the left-right wind direction of the cooling air flowing inside the duct 30, i.e., the wind direction of the air passages R1 to R7, in accordance with the shape of the duct main body 2a.

[0048] In this case, as shown in Figure 11(b), it is preferable to arrange the tips of the slide plates 21 in an arc shape (see dashed line J) relative to the air inlet 30b. In the initial state of Figure 11(a), the lengths of the blades 15 in the direction of the air inlet 30b are set to be approximately equal. In this case, as shown in Figure 11(b), if the lengths of the blades 15 are set to be shorter with increasing distance from the center O of the duct body 30a, the cooling air that has flowed into the duct 30 will be more likely to flow in the directions of the left and right side plates 30d.

[0049] As a result, the left-right air volume of the cooling air flowing within the duct 30, i.e., the air volume (air speed) of the air paths R1 to R7, can be made uniform, and in this respect the air speed at the air outlet 2c can be uniformly distributed, improving the cooling efficiency of the test vehicle.

[0050] However, as in the first embodiment, it is not necessary to adjust the angle and length of all of the blades 15, and only any blades 15 may be adjusted depending on the "air volume / static pressure characteristics (P-Q characteristics)" of the cooling fan 3. In this case, the airflow direction and airflow speed of the air passages R1 to R7 can be individually varied, so that the left-right flow of the cooling air can be partially adjusted, and any airflow direction and airflow speed distribution can be obtained at the air outlet 2c.

[0051] A third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 15. In each figure, reference numeral 50 denotes a duct in this embodiment. This duct 50 includes the ducts 2 and 30 in the first and second embodiments, arranged in series in the order of "duct 2 → duct 30" along the direction of cooling airflow.

[0052] That is, the intake 2b of the duct 2 is attached to the opening 3a of the cooling fan 3 using toggle clamps 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b. The intake 30b of the duct 30 is attached to the air outlet 2c of the duct 2 using toggle clamps 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b.

[0053] This configuration simultaneously achieves the effects of both embodiments 1 and 2. That is, the cooling air sent out from the opening 3a of the cooling fan 3 first flows into the duct 2 through the inlet 2b, and is discharged from the outlet 2c with the air volume in the vertical direction made uniform. Next, the cooling air discharged from the outlet 2c flows into the duct 30 through the inlet 30b, and is discharged from the outlet 30c with the air volume in the horizontal direction made uniform.

[0054] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the cooling air volume supplied to the test vehicle can be uniformly distributed in the vertical and horizontal directions, further improving the cooling efficiency. This is particularly effective when using a duct body 30a in which the opening area of ​​the air outlet 30c is larger than that of the air inlet 30b.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, the main blade 20 of Example 2 may be provided with a single slide plate 21 that can slide in the F-B direction.

[0056] The present invention is particularly suitable for use in the technical field of vehicle testing equipment such as chassis dynamometer systems.

[0057] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vehicle cooling device 2, 30, 50... Duct 2a, 30a... Duct body 2b, 30b... Intake port 2c, 30c... Air outlet 12... Drive rod 15... Blade 20... Base blade 21, 21a, 21b... Slide plate

Claims

1. A vehicle cooling device that supplies cooling air to a vehicle through a duct, the duct comprising: an inlet for the cooling air; an outlet for the cooling air; and a group of blades arranged between the inlet and the outlet, each of the blades being configured to be able to extend or contract in length in the direction of the inlet, and to adjust its angle.

2. A duct for a vehicle cooling device that supplies cooling air to a vehicle, comprising: an intake port for the cooling air; an outlet port for the cooling air; and a group of blades arranged between the intake port and the outlet port, wherein each of the blades is configured to be capable of expanding and contracting in length and adjusting in angle in the direction of the intake port.

3. A duct for a vehicle cooling system as described in claim 2, characterized in that it comprises: a duct body in which the air outlet and the air inlet are formed; a group of rotatable drive rods arranged in the width direction of the duct body; and the blades which can be rotated up and down according to the rotation direction of each of the drive rods, and the vertical angle of each of the blades can be adjusted by rotating each of the drive rods.

4. A duct for a vehicle cooling system as described in claim 2, characterized in that each of the blades comprises a base blade arranged along the axial direction of the drive rod, and a slide plate arranged on the base blade so as to be able to slide freely in the front-rear direction, and the length of the duct can be freely extended or contracted by sliding the slide plate.

5. A duct for a vehicle cooling system as described in claim 2, characterized in that it comprises: a duct body in which the opening area of ​​the air outlet is larger than the opening area of ​​the air inlet; a group of rotatable drive rods provided in the vertical direction of the duct body; and the blades which can be rotated left and right according to the rotation direction of each of the drive rods, and the left and right angles of each of the blades can be adjusted by rotating each of the drive rods.

6. A duct for a vehicle cooling system as described in claim 5, characterized in that each of the blades comprises a base blade fixed along the axial direction of the drive rod, and a pair of slide plates arranged to be freely slidable in the front-to-rear direction of the base blade, each of the slide plates being arranged symmetrically above and below on the left and right sides of each of the base blades, and the length of the blades can be extended or contracted by sliding each of the slide plates.

7. A duct for a cooling device, comprising: the duct according to claim 3 or 4; and the duct according to claim 5 or 6, which are provided in this order along the blowing direction of cooling air.

8. A duct for a vehicle cooling system according to claim 2, characterized in that it is arranged in front of a vehicle with its tires mounted on a roller device of a vehicle testing device.

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