Cooling heat exchanger

Abstract

Provided is a cooling heat exchanger, which has a new structure and is capable of more efficiently exhibiting cooling performance.　A cooling heat exchanger 10 has formed therein a cooling flow passage 36, through which a cooling heat medium flows, and cools a cooling target 52 superposed on a cooling surface 16. The cooling flow passage 36 is composed of a plurality of flow passage parts 40 extending adjoiningly in parallel, and is provided with a parallel flow passage part 38 in which the heat medium-flowing directions in the flow passage parts 40 are the same. A plurality of projections 42 which disturb the flowing of the heat medium are formed in the parallel flow passage part 38. Regions in which the actions of disturbing the flowing of the heat medium by the projections 42 are different from each other are set in the parallel flow passage part 38.

Description

cooling heat exchanger

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling heat exchanger used to cool an object to be cooled, such as a battery used in an electric vehicle, for example.

[0002] For example, in electrically powered vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, the amount of heat generated by batteries, which are objects to be cooled, is increasing due to miniaturization and high performance, making cooling performance increasingly important. Conventionally, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,355,331 (Patent Document 1), for example, a cooling heat exchanger has been proposed that has a cooling flow path therein through which a heat transfer medium for cooling flows. In this cooling heat exchanger, a cooling surface is superimposed on an object to be cooled, such as a battery, and the object is cooled by the cooling surface being cooled by the heat transfer medium flowing through the cooling flow path.

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 10,355,331

[0004] Incidentally, the cooling flow path may include a parallel flow path section configured by a plurality of flow path sections extending in parallel and through which the heat medium flows in the same direction, as shown in Fig. 1 of Patent Document 1. By providing such a parallel flow path section, it is possible to partially widen the cooling flow path in accordance with the width dimension of the cooling target, while preventing the flow of the heat medium from becoming uncontrollable in the widened portion.

[0005] However, since such parallel flow path sections are provided in parts that directly contribute to heat exchange with the object to be cooled, there is a problem that differences in the temperature of the heat medium are likely to occur depending on the temperature distribution of the object to be cooled and the position in the flow direction of the heat medium, resulting in uneven cooling performance.

[0006] In addition, the heat transfer medium flowing near the object to be cooled is easily heated by heat exchange with the object, while the heat transfer medium flowing farther from the object is less likely to experience a temperature increase due to heat exchange with the object, which means that a temperature distribution is likely to occur in the cross section of the flow path according to the distance from the object to be cooled. As a result, it was found that there is a problem in that the cooling performance of the entire amount of heat transfer medium flowing through the parallel flow path section cannot be utilized to cool the object to be cooled.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cooling heat exchanger having a novel structure that can more efficiently demonstrate cooling performance in a cooling heat exchanger having a parallel flow path section, in order to solve the problems specific to the cooling heat exchanger having a parallel flow path section as described above.

[0008] The following describes preferred embodiments for understanding the present invention, but the embodiments described below are merely examples and may be appropriately combined with one another. Multiple components described in each embodiment may be recognized and employed independently to the greatest extent possible, and may also be appropriately combined with any of the components described in other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various other embodiments may be realized.

[0009] The first aspect is a cooling heat exchanger that has a cooling flow path formed therein through which a heat medium for cooling flows, and that cools a cooling object placed overlaid on a cooling surface, the cooling flow path being made up of a plurality of flow path sections extending in parallel adjacent to each other, and including parallel flow path sections in which the heat medium flows in the same direction in the plurality of flow path sections, and the parallel flow path sections are formed with a plurality of protrusions that disturb the flow of the heat medium, and the parallel flow path sections are set with regions in which the effects of the protrusions on disturbing the flow of the heat medium differ from one another.

[0010] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the parallel flow path section is provided with protrusions, which agitate the heat medium flowing through the parallel flow path section, thereby maintaining a substantially uniform temperature across the cross section of the flow path. This prevents a sudden and excessive decrease in heat exchange efficiency due to heating of only a portion of the heat medium flowing near the object to be cooled, thereby improving cooling performance.

[0011] Furthermore, regions with different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set depending on the formation mode of the protrusions, such as the arrangement, number, density, shape, size, etc. As a result, for example, in regions where the temperature rise of the heat medium due to heat exchange with the object to be cooled is large, the flow of the heat medium is strongly disturbed by the protrusions, thereby achieving a uniform temperature of the heat medium, while in regions where the temperature rise of the heat medium is small and stirring of the heat medium is not necessary, the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium by the protrusions is suppressed, allowing the heat medium to flow smoothly. Note that when three or more regions are set as regions where the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium by the protrusions is exerted, it is sufficient that the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium by the protrusions in at least one region is different from the other regions, and it is not necessary for the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium by the protrusions to be different between all regions.

[0012] In a second aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the first aspect, the regions having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set at different positions in the flow direction of the heat medium in at least one of the flow path sections constituting the parallel flow path section.

[0013] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, the turbulence-promoting effect of the protrusions on the flow of the heat medium differs depending on the direction of flow of the heat medium. Therefore, for example, by setting an area with a strong turbulence-promoting effect in a portion of the parallel flow path section where the temperature difference of the heat medium between positions close to and far from the object to be cooled is likely to be large, the temperature difference in the direction of flow of the heat medium can be reduced.

[0014] Furthermore, in the parallel flow path section, in the portion where the temperature difference of the heat medium between the position close to the object to be cooled and the position far from the object to be cooled is likely to be small, a region is set in which the disturbance of the flow of the heat medium caused by the protrusions is suppressed, thereby realizing a smooth flow of the heat medium.

[0015] In a third aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the second aspect, the regions set at different positions in the flow direction of the heat medium in the parallel flow path section have different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium, and the more downstream the region, the stronger the effect of the protrusions on the flow of the heat medium that disturbs the flow of the heat medium.

[0016] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the effect of the protrusions on the disturbance of the flow of the heat medium is set stronger on the downstream side than on the upstream side, so that in the downstream region of the parallel flow path section where the temperature difference between the heat medium flowing at a position close to the object to be cooled and the heat medium flowing at a position far from the object to be cooled is likely to become large due to heat exchange with the object to be cooled, the stirring effect caused by the disturbance of the flow of the heat medium results in temperature uniformity.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to third aspects, the protrusions are provided across the entire flow path width of the flow path portion constituting the parallel flow path portion, and a narrowed flow path portion through which the heat medium flows is provided on the protruding tip side of the protrusion.

[0018] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the heat medium flows over the protrusions and through the narrowed flow path, and the protrusions effectively disturb the flow of the heat medium. In particular, since a vortex flow is likely to occur in the heat medium when the heat medium passes over the protrusions, for example, in the case where a temperature difference of the heat medium occurs in the direction of the protrusions, the vortex flow efficiently equalizes the temperature of the heat medium.

[0019] Furthermore, since the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path section is partially reduced in the narrowed flow path section, the flow rate of the heat medium increases when it flows through the narrowed flow path section, and the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium can be obtained more efficiently.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the fourth aspect, a plurality of the narrowed flow passage portions are formed by the plurality of protrusions, and at least one of the plurality of narrowed flow passage portions has a flow passage cross-sectional area different from the others.

[0021] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the flow rate of the heat medium flowing through the narrowed flow passage portion can be adjusted based on the difference in the flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the narrowed flow passage portion. Therefore, for example, by partially reducing the flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the narrowed flow passage portion to increase the flow rate, the effect of the protrusions on the flow of the heat medium can be more effectively disturbed.

[0022] In a sixth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger according to the fifth aspect, the flow path cross-sectional areas of the plurality of narrow flow path sections provided in one flow path section become smaller from the upstream side to the downstream side of the flow path section.

[0023] According to the cooling heat exchanger having the structure according to this aspect, the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium caused by the heat medium passing through the narrowed flow path portion is effectively exerted on the downstream side.

[0024] In a seventh aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the protrusions are provided partially with respect to the parallel flow path portion, and the area where the protrusions are formed and the area where the protrusions are not formed are configured to have different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium.

[0025] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the difference in the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium can be made greater by setting the regions with and without the protrusions, so that the region that disturbs the flow of the heat medium to reduce temperature unevenness and the region that ensures smooth flow of the heat medium can be effectively set.

[0026] In an eighth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to seventh aspects, a cooling surface component that constitutes the cooling surface is laminated on a flow path member having a groove, and the cooling flow path is formed by covering the groove of the flow path member with the cooling surface component member, and the multiple protrusions protrude from the flow path member toward the cooling surface component member.

[0027] According to the cooling heat exchanger constructed in accordance with this aspect, for example, protrusions that protrude from the flow path portion of the parallel flow path portion can be easily formed. In particular, since the cooling surface component member having the cooling surface and the flow path member having the protrusions are separate members that are stacked on top of each other, it is possible to form the cooling surface component member from a material with a high heat transfer coefficient and the flow path member from a material that is easy to form grooves and protrusions.

[0028] In a ninth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, at least one pair of adjacent flow path sections in the parallel flow path section are provided with regions having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium.

[0029] With a cooling heat exchanger constructed in accordance with this aspect, for example, when there are differences in the amount of heat generated locally in the objects to be cooled that are arranged overlapping the parallel flow path section, it is possible to stabilize the cooling performance by setting the turbulence of the heat medium flow caused by the protrusions to be strong in areas where the amount of heat generated by the objects to be cooled is large, and setting the turbulence of the heat medium flow caused by the protrusions to be weak in areas where the amount of heat generated by the objects to be cooled is small.

[0030] A tenth aspect is the cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the object to be cooled is a battery.

[0031] With a cooling heat exchanger constructed in accordance with this embodiment, when cooling a battery that is prone to local temperature increases, for example, at the output terminals, efficient cooling can be achieved by setting areas where the protrusions have different effects of disrupting the flow of heat medium according to the heat generation pattern of the battery.

[0032] In an eleventh aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the areas having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set by varying the spacing of the multiple protrusions in the flow direction of the heat medium.

[0033] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, for example, by narrowing the spacing between the protrusions, it is possible to set an area with a strong effect of turbulence promotion on the flow of the heat medium, and by widening the spacing between the protrusions, it is possible to set an area with a weak effect of turbulence promotion. In this way, by varying the spacing between the protrusions, it is possible to easily set areas with different effects of turbulence promotion on the flow of the heat medium.

[0034] In a twelfth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the eleventh aspect, the spacing between the multiple protrusions arranged in the flow path section in the flow path length direction becomes narrower toward downstream, and the areas having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set in the flow path length direction of the flow path section.

[0035] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the spacing between the protrusions arranged in the flow path length direction is narrowed toward the downstream side, so that the protrusions can exert a stronger effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium downstream, thereby more effectively improving the cooling performance of the protrusions downstream, where the temperature is likely to increase due to heat exchange with the object to be cooled.

[0036] In a thirteenth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the areas having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set by different heights of the plurality of protrusions.

[0037] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, for example, by partially increasing the height of the protrusions, it is possible to set an area with a strong effect of turbulence promotion on the flow of the heat medium, and by partially decreasing the height of the protrusions, it is possible to set an area with a weak effect of turbulence promotion. In this way, by varying the height of the protrusions, it is possible to easily set areas with different effects of turbulence promotion on the flow of the heat medium.

[0038] In a fourteenth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the thirteenth aspect, the height of the plurality of protrusions aligned in the flow path length direction in the flow path section increases toward downstream, and the areas having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set in the flow path length direction of the flow path section.

[0039] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the protrusions have a height that increases toward the downstream side, so that the protrusions can more effectively disrupt the flow of the heat medium downstream, thereby more effectively improving the cooling performance of the protrusions downstream, where the temperature is likely to increase due to heat exchange with the object to be cooled.

[0040] In a fifteenth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to fourteenth aspects, the plurality of protrusions are arranged side by side in the flow direction of the heat medium in the plurality of flow path sections of the parallel flow path section, and the upstream side of the protrusions is a first inclined surface, and the protrusion height of the protrusions on the first inclined surface increases from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the downstream side of the protrusions is a second inclined surface, and the protrusion height of the protrusions on the second inclined surface decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0041] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the upstream side of the protrusions is formed as a first inclined surface, so that the heat medium is guided along the first inclined surface, facilitating the heat medium to flow over the protrusions. The heat medium that flows over the protrusions tends to form a vortex on the second inclined surface, which agitates the heat medium and reduces the temperature difference between the heat medium. As a result, the heat medium flowing near the object to be cooled is prevented from becoming excessively hot, and the temperature difference between the object to be cooled and the heat medium flowing near the object to be cooled is maintained, thereby improving cooling performance.

[0042] Furthermore, since the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the heat transfer medium on the first inclined surface decreases toward the downstream side, the flow velocity of the heat transfer medium increases toward the downstream side. Therefore, the heat transfer medium flows at a high velocity onto the second inclined surface downstream of the first inclined surface, which generates a vortex flow more efficiently, and the temperature is more uniformly distributed due to the agitation of the heat transfer medium.

[0043] A sixteenth aspect is the cooling heat exchanger according to the fifteenth aspect, wherein the inclination angle of the first inclined surface is smaller than the inclination angle of the second inclined surface.

[0044] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the heat medium flows easily along the first inclined surface having a small inclination angle, and the heat medium can flow smoothly over the protrusions with little pressure loss. Furthermore, because the inclination angle of the second inclined surface is larger than that of the first inclined surface, the formation of vertical vortices by the heat medium over the protrusions is less likely to be hindered by the second inclined surface, and the vertical vortices can advantageously stir the heat medium.

[0045] A seventeenth aspect is a cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects, wherein the protrusion has a ridge line that extends at an angle with respect to the flow path length direction of the flow path portion.

[0046] Since the heat medium flowing through the flow path section passes over the protrusions in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ridge lines of the protrusions, in the cooling heat exchanger according to this aspect, in which the ridge lines of the protrusions extend at an angle to the flow path length direction of the flow path section, which is the flow direction of the heat medium within the flow path section, the flow direction of the heat medium when passing over the protrusions is likely to be in an angle to the flow path length direction of the flow path section. As a result, the heat medium that passes over the protrusions is likely to change its flow direction, which can more efficiently generate turbulence in the flow of the heat medium.

[0047] In an eighteenth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the seventeenth aspect, the protrusions extend in a V-shape inclined in the flow path length direction toward both sides of the flow path width direction of the flow path portion.

[0048] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed in accordance with this embodiment, the protrusions have ridges with different inclination directions on both sides of the flow path width, so that the heat medium is efficiently stirred by the flow that passes over each ridge, and the cooling performance is more advantageously improved by the stirring action.

[0049] In a nineteenth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the eighteenth aspect, the protrusions are V-shaped and extend obliquely toward the downstream side of the cooling flow path toward both sides of the flow path width direction of the cooling flow path.

[0050] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, the protrusions are V-shaped, sloping downstream on both sides in the width direction of the flow path, so that the flows of heat medium that have passed over each ridge of the protrusions flow inward in the width direction of the flow path and join together downstream of the protrusions, which can be expected to generate a vortex flow and further improve the stirring effect.

[0051] A twentieth aspect is a cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects, wherein the protrusions are provided only in the central portion of the flow path section in the flow path length direction.

[0052] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, when the heat generating portion to be cooled is located in the center of the flow path length, the protrusions provided only in the center of the flow path length improve the cooling performance locally, thereby enabling the heat generating portion to be cooled efficiently. Furthermore, since the center of the flow path length is farther from the outside air than both end portions of the flow path length, it is difficult to expect cooling of the heat medium by heat exchange with the outside air. However, even in such a center portion, the protrusions can effectively exert cooling performance by stirring the heat medium.

[0053] In a twenty-first aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to twentieth aspects, the protrusions are provided only on the flow path section that constitutes the central part of the parallel flow path section in the flow path width direction.

[0054] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, when the heat generating portion to be cooled is located in the center portion in the flow path width direction, the protrusions provided only in the center portion in the flow path width direction partially improve the cooling performance, thereby making it possible to efficiently cool the heat generating portion. Furthermore, since the center portion in the flow path width direction is located farther from the outside air than both end portions in the flow path width direction, it is difficult to expect cooling of the heat medium by heat exchange with the outside air, but even in such a center portion, the protrusions can effectively exert cooling performance by stirring the heat medium.

[0055] In a twenty-second aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to twenty-first aspects, the plurality of protrusions are arranged side by side in the flow path length direction of the flow path section, and the spacing between the protrusions located in the central part of the flow path section in the flow path length direction is smaller than the spacing between the protrusions located on both side parts of the flow path section in the flow path length direction.

[0056] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, in a flow path section in which a plurality of protrusions are arranged in the length direction of the flow path, the spacing between adjacent protrusions is narrowed toward the center of the section in which the plurality of protrusions are arranged, so that the effect of improving cooling performance based on the stirring action of the heat medium by the protrusions can be more effectively exerted as one moves toward the center of the section in which the plurality of protrusions are arranged.

[0057] In a twenty-third aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to twenty-second aspects, the width dimension of the protrusion in the flow path width direction of the flow path portion is 50% or more of the flow path width dimension of the flow path portion.

[0058] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the width of the protrusions is made sufficiently large relative to the width of the flow passage of the flow passage, thereby restricting the flow that bypasses the protrusions and making it easier for the flow to overcome the protrusions. Therefore, the protrusions effectively agitate the heat transfer medium, and the provision of the protrusions improves the cooling performance.

[0059] In a twenty-fourth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to twenty-third aspects, a flow path width dimension of the flow path portion is in the range of 0.3 to 30 times the width dimension of the partition wall portion separating the adjacent flow path portions.

[0060] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the flow path width of the flow path section is at least 0.3 times the width of the partition wall section, thereby enabling the cooling surface to be efficiently cooled by the flow path section formed with a large area in the parallel flow path section, thereby improving cooling performance. Furthermore, the flow path width of the flow path section is no more than 30 times the width of the partition wall section, thereby ensuring a sufficient width of the partition wall section, thereby increasing the deformation rigidity of the cooling heat exchanger and stabilizing the shape of the flow path section. Furthermore, in a cooling heat exchanger having a structure in which a member including a partition wall section and a member including a cooling surface are overlapped and fixed to each other, ensuring the width of the partition wall section allows for a large bonding area between the two members, making it less likely for the two members to peel off due to the hydraulic pressure of the heat transfer medium.

[0061] In a twenty-fifth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger according to any one of the first to twenty-fourth aspects, the protrusion height dimension of the protrusions is within the range of 0.1 to 1.3 times the width dimension of the protrusions.

[0062] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the protrusion height is set to 0.1 times or more the width of the protrusion, thereby effectively agitating the heat medium as it flows over the protrusions. Also, the protrusion height is set to 1.3 times or less the width of the protrusion, thereby preventing the flow of the heat medium in the flow path from being excessively restricted by the protrusions, thereby realizing a smooth flow of the heat medium.

[0063] In a twenty-sixth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to twenty-fifth aspects, the flow path portion is provided with a laminar flow portion in which the protrusions are not provided, and the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path portion in the laminar flow portion becomes smaller toward downstream.

[0064] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the heat transfer medium flows smoothly in the laminar flow section where no protrusions are provided. In addition, since the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow passage section in the laminar flow section decreases toward the downstream side, a decrease in the flow velocity downstream is suppressed.

[0065] In a twenty-seventh aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the twenty-sixth aspect, the flow path length of the laminar flow section is shorter than the flow path length of the turbulent flow section in which the protrusions are formed outside the laminar flow section.

[0066] According to the cooling heat exchanger having the structure according to this aspect, the protrusions are formed over a wider range in the flow path length direction in the flow path portion, and the protrusions improve the cooling performance.

[0067] In a twenty-eighth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the twenty-sixth or twenty-seventh aspect, in the turbulent flow section in which the protrusions are formed in a portion of the flow path section outside the laminar flow section, the portion excluding the protrusions has a constant cross section.

[0068] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, the portion of the turbulent flow section excluding the protrusions has a constant cross section, and changes in flow velocity in the portion of the turbulent flow section outside the protrusions are suppressed, making it easier to control the stirring action of the protrusions, for example, by the height, shape, and arrangement pitch of the protrusions.

[0069] In a twenty-ninth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to twenty-eighth aspects, an inlet-side flow path section is provided upstream of the parallel flow path section, and the plurality of flow path sections branch off from the inlet-side flow path section and extend downstream, and an outlet-side flow path section where the plurality of flow path sections join together is provided downstream of the parallel flow path section, and the volume of the inlet-side flow path section is made larger than the volume of the outlet-side flow path section.

[0070] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the volume of the inlet-side flow path section constituting the upstream side of the cooling flow path is made larger than the volume of the outlet-side flow path section constituting the downstream side. This makes it possible, for example, to reduce the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path section constituting the parallel flow path section connecting the inlet-side flow path section and the outlet-side flow path section toward the downstream side, thereby suppressing a decrease in the flow rate of the heat medium downstream of the flow path section.

[0071] In a 30th aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to twenty-ninth aspects, the protrusion height of the protrusions varies in the flow path width direction of the flow path portion, and either a low protrusion with a low protrusion height or a high protrusion with a high protrusion height is located in the central part of the protrusion in the flow path width direction, and either the low protrusion with a low protrusion height or the high protrusion with a high protrusion height is located at both end parts of the protrusion in the flow path width direction.

[0072] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the flow of heat medium that flows over the central portion of the protrusions in the flow path width direction can be made different in stirring effect, flow velocity, etc., from the flow of heat medium that flows over the both end portions of the protrusions in the flow path width direction. Therefore, the influence of the protrusions on the cooling performance can be made different between the central portion and both end portions in the flow path width direction, and the cooling performance can be adjusted in the flow path width direction.

[0073] In a thirty-first aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the thirty-first aspect, a plurality of the protrusions are arranged side by side in the flow path length direction of the flow path section, and the plurality of protrusions are configured by alternatingly arranging first protrusions in the flow path length direction of the flow path section, the first protrusions having the low protrusion set in the central part of the flow path width direction of the flow path section and the high protrusions set at both end parts, and second protrusions having the high protrusion set in the central part of the flow path width direction of the flow path section and the low protrusions set at both end parts, in the flow path length direction of the flow path section.

[0074] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, first protrusions having a low protrusion set in the center of the flow path width direction and second protrusions having low protrusions set at both ends of the flow path width direction are alternately arranged in the flow path length direction, so that, for example, the flow of the heat medium connecting the low protrusions, which are likely to have low flow resistance, becomes serpentine in the flow path width direction, and the heat medium can be stirred in the flow path width direction. Furthermore, for example, by having the heat medium pass through the low protrusion of one protrusion and flow toward the high protrusion of the next protrusion, it can be expected that the heat medium that passes through the low protrusion smoothly with relatively low flow resistance will collide with the high protrusion and be efficiently stirred.

[0075] In a thirty-second aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to thirty-first aspects, the protrusions have a cross-sectional shape that tapers toward the protrusion tip in a cross section of the flow path length direction of the flow path portion, and an arc-shaped protrusion apex, an upstream inclined portion that extends at an angle from the protrusion apex toward the upstream side of the flow path portion toward the protrusion base, which is the bottom side of the flow path portion, and a downstream inclined portion that extends at an angle from the protrusion apex toward the downstream side toward the protrusion base are provided smoothly and continuously without corners.

[0076] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the surfaces of the protrusions are smoothly continuous in the cross section in the longitudinal direction of the flow passage, so that the heat medium flows smoothly over the protrusions.

[0077] In a thirty-third aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in the thirty-second aspect, in a cross section of the flow path portion in the flow path length direction, the radius of curvature of the protrusion top is within a range of 0.05 to 1.5 times the length dimension of the protrusion base, and in a cross section of the flow path portion in the flow path length direction, the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion with respect to the bottom surface of the flow path portion is within a range of 20 to 70°.

[0078] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the radius of curvature of the projection apex is 0.05 times or more the length of the projection base, so that the projection apex has a smooth arc-shaped cross section without being substantially angular. Also, the radius of curvature of the projection apex is 1.5 times or less the length of the projection base, so that the length of the projection in the flow path direction is prevented from becoming excessively long, and the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion and the downstream inclined portion, which are smoothly continuous with the projection apex, relative to the bottom surface can be set sufficiently large.

[0079] By setting the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion relative to the bottom surface of the flow path to 20° or more, the flow of the heat medium from the upstream side toward the protrusions is effectively disturbed by the upstream inclined portion, improving cooling performance through a stirring effect. Also, by setting the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion relative to the bottom surface of the flow path to 70° or less, it is possible to prevent the flow of the heat medium from being excessively restricted by the protrusions.

[0080] A thirty-fourth aspect is a cooling heat exchanger according to the thirty-second aspect, wherein in a cross section of the flow path portion in the flow path length direction, the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion relative to the bottom surface of the flow path portion is 25° or less.

[0081] In the cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this embodiment, the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion relative to the bottom surface of the flow path portion is set to 25° or less, so that the pressure loss can be set sufficiently small, and it becomes possible to circulate the heat transfer medium using, for example, a less expensive pump with lower performance.

[0082] In a thirty-fifth aspect, in the cooling heat exchanger described in any one of the first to thirty-fourth aspects, the protrusions extend across the entire flow path width of the flow path portion and are continuous with the side wall portions of the flow path portion at both ends.

[0083] In a cooling heat exchanger constructed according to this aspect, the flow of the heat medium between the side wall of the flow path and the protrusions can be prevented from bypassing the protrusions, thereby efficiently improving cooling performance. Furthermore, if the protrusions are spaced apart from the side wall of the flow path, the flow rate of the heat medium flowing between the side wall of the flow path and the protrusions tends to increase, which may cause wear on the wall of the flow path and the protrusions. However, in the cooling heat exchanger according to this aspect, the protrusions extend across the entire width of the flow path and are continuous with the side wall of the flow path, so that the heat medium is prevented from flowing between the side wall of the flow path and the protrusions, preventing wear on the wall of the flow path and the protrusions due to the fast flow.

[0084] A thirty-sixth aspect is a method for adjusting the cooling effect in a cooling heat exchanger having a cooling surface on which a cooling object is placed, and a parallel flow path section consisting of a plurality of flow path sections in which internal cooling flow paths through which a heat medium for cooling flows extend adjacent to each other in parallel and in which the flow direction of the heat medium is the same, in which the cross-sectional shape of the flow path sections in the parallel flow path section is changed to set a specific region in which the flow of the heat medium is disturbed in a manner different from other regions, thereby adjusting the cooling efficiency of the heat medium in the specific region.

[0085] According to the method for adjusting the cooling effect in the heat exchanger for cooling according to this aspect, while enjoying the merits of the parallel flow path portion such as improvement of the cooling performance due to the substantial widening of the cooling flow path and improvement of the controllability of the flow of the heat medium, adjustment of the cooling efficiency for each region can be easily achieved on the wide cooling surface realized by the parallel flow path portion. For example, by arranging a specific region where the cooling efficiency by the heat medium is adjusted at a position corresponding to a portion where the calorific value of the object to be cooled is large, the object to be cooled can be effectively and efficiently cooled over a wide range.

[0086] According to the present invention, in the heat exchanger for cooling, the cooling performance can be more efficiently exhibited.

[0087] Exploded perspective view showing the heat exchanger for cooling as the first embodiment of the present invention Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling shown in FIG. 1, which corresponds to the II-II cross-section of FIG. 4 Cross-sectional view of III-III in FIG. 2 Cross-sectional view of IV-IV in FIG. 2 Enlarged cross-sectional view of the protrusion provided on the heat exchanger for cooling shown in FIG. 1 Perspective view showing a state where a battery pack is mounted on the heat exchanger for cooling in FIG. 1 Diagram showing the temperature distribution of the heat medium in the flow path portion in the heat exchanger for cooling in FIG. 1 Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling as the second embodiment of the present invention Exploded perspective view showing the heat exchanger for cooling as the third embodiment of the present invention Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling shown in FIG. 9 Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling as the fourth embodiment of the present invention Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling as the fifth embodiment of the present invention Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling as the sixth embodiment of the present invention Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling as the seventh embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to the XIV-XIV cross-section of FIG. 15 Cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling shown in FIG. 14, which partially shows the XV-XV cross-section of FIG. 14 Main part cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling as the eighth embodiment of the present invention Another main part cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling shown in FIG. 16 Main part cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger for cooling as another embodiment of the present invention

[0088] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0089] 1 to 3 show a cooling heat exchanger 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The cooling heat exchanger 10 has a laminated structure in which a cooling surface component 12 and a flow path component 14 are stacked on top of each other. In the following description, the vertical direction generally refers to the vertical direction in FIG. 2 , which is the direction in which the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path component 14 are stacked. The front-rear direction generally refers to the horizontal direction in FIG. 3 , in which a plurality of flow path components 40 (described later) are arranged. The horizontal direction generally refers to the horizontal direction in FIG. 2 , which is the flow path length direction of the flow path component 40. In this embodiment, the upstream side of the flow path component 40 is the left side in FIG. 2 , and the downstream side is the right side in FIG. 2 , and the heat transfer medium flows through the flow path component 40 from left to right.

[0090] The cooling surface component 12 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape, with a length in the left-right direction greater than a width in the front-rear direction. The cooling surface component 12 is formed from a material with a high thermal conductivity, such as a metal or a thermally conductive synthetic resin containing a thermally conductive filler. The cooling surface component 12 is preferably formed from a metal with a high thermal conductivity, such as an aluminum alloy, iron, stainless steel, or copper. In this embodiment, the cooling surface component 12 has a substantially entire upper surface that serves as a cooling surface 16 that is placed over a plurality of battery packs 52, which will be described later.

[0091] The flow path member 14 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape overall, a planar shape that generally corresponds to the cooling surface component 12, and has generally the same outer dimensions in a plan view as the cooling surface component 12. The flow path member 14 may be made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy or stainless steel, or a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, or polyamide. If the flow path member 14 is made of a synthetic resin, it is possible to expect a reduction in the weight of the cooling heat exchanger 10, easier formation of the recessed portions 18 (recessed grooves 32) and protrusions 42 described below, and improved freedom and precision in the shapes of the recessed portions 18 (recessed grooves 32) and protrusions 42 described below.

[0092] As shown in Fig. 4, the flow path member 14 has a recessed portion 18 that opens to the upper surface. The recessed portion 18 in this embodiment is rectangular in plan view in Fig. 4. A substantially rectangular annular outer peripheral fixing portion 20 that protrudes upward from the bottom surface of the recessed portion 18 is provided continuously around the entire periphery of the recessed portion 18.

[0093] A supply hole 22 penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the front end portion of the recessed portion 18, and a cylindrical supply port 24 is provided protruding downward from the periphery of the supply hole 22. In this embodiment, the supply hole 22 is provided in the front left corner of the recessed portion 18. In addition, a discharge hole 26 penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the rear end portion of the recessed portion 18, and a cylindrical discharge port 28 protruding downward from the periphery of the discharge hole 26. In this embodiment, the discharge hole 26 is provided in the rear right corner of the recessed portion 18. Therefore, the supply hole 22 and the discharge hole 26 are located on one diagonal side of the recessed portion 18, which is generally rectangular in plan view.

[0094] The recess 18 is provided with a plurality of inner circumferential fixing portions 30 that protrude upward from the bottom surface of the recess 18. The inner circumferential fixing portions 30 extend linearly in the left-right direction, with both ends spaced inward in the left-right direction relative to the outer circumferential fixing portions 20. In this embodiment, four inner circumferential fixing portions 30 are provided spaced apart from one another in the front-rear direction. The distance between adjacent inner circumferential fixing portions 30 in the front-rear direction is approximately constant. Furthermore, the distance in the front-rear direction between the inner circumferential fixing portions 30, 30 located at the front and rear ends and the outer circumferential fixing portion 20 is approximately the same as the distance between adjacent inner circumferential fixing portions 30 in the front-rear direction. By forming these inner circumferential fixing portions 30, 30, 30, 30, the recessed portion 18 is divided into five linearly extending grooves 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 32e in the left-right middle portion. The width of the inner circumferential fixing portion 30 is preferably 4 mm or less. As a result, the width of the wall portion separating adjacent grooves 32 is preferably 4 mm or less. Note that the left and right end portions of the recessed portion 18 are continuous in the front-rear direction without being divided by the inner circumferential fixing portions 30, 30, 30, 30. Furthermore, the supply hole 22 and the discharge hole 26 are formed in the left and right end portions of the recessed portion 18 that are continuous in the front-rear direction.

[0095] The cooling surface constituent member 12 is then superimposed on the flow path member 14 from above. The cooling surface constituent member 12 is superimposed in abutting contact with the flow path member 14 at the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portions 30, 30, 30, 30, and is fixed to the flow path member 14 at the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portions 30, 30, 30, 30. The cooling surface constituent member 12 can be fixed to the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portions 30, 30, 30, 30 of the flow path member 14 by conventionally known means such as bonding with an adhesive, welding, brazing, etc. In this embodiment, the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 14 are fixed to each other in abutting contact at the inner peripheral fixing portion 30 of the inner peripheral portion. Therefore, even if, for example, the hydraulic pressure of the heat transfer medium acts in a direction that pulls the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 14 apart in the vertical direction, separation or deformation of the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 14 is prevented. The cooling surface component 12 can also be fixed to the flow path member 14 by means of, for example, mechanical locking with hooks or crimping. In this case, in order to ensure liquid-tightness between the overlapping surfaces of the cooling surface component 12 and the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portions 30, 30, 30, 30, 30, it is desirable to arrange a sealing material such as seal rubber between the overlapping surfaces of the cooling surface component 12 and the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portions 30, 30, 30, 30, 30.

[0096] The cooling surface component 12 attached to the flow path member 14 is spaced above the bottom surface of the recessed portion 18. As a result, a cooling flow path 36 is formed by the recessed portion 18 between the overlapping surfaces of the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 14. The cooling flow path 36 is provided inside the cooling heat exchanger 10 and serves as a flow path through which a heat medium for cooling flows. The cooling flow path 36 is a flow path connecting the supply holes 22 and the discharge holes 26, and is connected to an external flow path (not shown) by the supply port 24 and the discharge port 28. The heat medium that flows into the cooling flow path 36 from the external flow path through the supply hole 22 flows from left to right and is discharged from the cooling flow path 36 to the external flow path through the discharge hole 26. The external flow path is provided with a cooling device for cooling the heat medium, such as an air-cooled device or a liquid-cooled device such as a refrigerator or radiator, and the low-temperature heat medium cooled by the cooling device is supplied to the cooling flow path 36.

[0097] The cooling flow path 36 includes a parallel flow path section 38. The parallel flow path section 38 is a section in which a plurality of flow path sections 40, each having the same flow direction of the heat medium (described later), are arranged adjacent to each other in parallel. In this embodiment, the upper openings of the five recessed grooves 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, and 32e are covered by the cooling surface component 12, thereby providing the parallel flow path section 38, consisting of the five flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, and 40e, in the middle section of the cooling flow path 36. The parallel flow path section 38 is arranged substantially parallel to the cooling surface 16, except for the protrusions 42 (described later).

[0098] The five flow path sections 40a to 40e have a substantially constant cross-sectional shape and cross-sectional area. In addition, the path length from the supply hole 22 to the discharge hole 26 in the cooling flow path 36 is substantially the same for all of the five flow path sections 40a to 40e because the supply hole 22 and the discharge hole 26 are located diagonally.

[0099] The flow direction of the heat medium flowing through the cooling flow path 36 is the same in each of the five flow path sections 40a to 40e of the parallel flow path section 38. As a result, when the heat medium flows through the flow path sections 40a to 40e while receiving heat from the battery pack 52 (described later), the temperature difference between the heat medium flowing through the flow path sections 40a to 40e is small, and heat exchange between the heat medium between the flow path sections 40a to 40e is suppressed. Therefore, on the upstream side of the parallel flow path section 38, temperature changes of the heat medium due to heat exchange between the flow path sections 40a to 40e are prevented, and the heat medium is kept at a low temperature.

[0100] The inner peripheral fixing portion 30 separating adjacent flow passage portions 40, 40 in the front-rear direction has a small width of 4 mm or less in the front-rear direction. This ensures a large vertical projection area for the flow passage portions 40a-40e in the horizontal center portion of the cooling heat exchanger 10 where the parallel flow passage portion 38 is provided. This reduces the flow resistance of the heat medium in each flow passage portion 40, and increases the area of ​​the cooling surface component 12 that directly contacts the heat medium, thereby efficiently cooling the cooling surface 16. Furthermore, because the flow direction of the heat medium in the flow passage portions 40a-40e is the same, even if the distance between adjacent flow passage portions 40, 40 is short, there is no problem with temperature rise of the heat medium due to heat exchange between the flow passage portions 40, 40.

[0101] Preferably, the flow path width dimension of the flow path section 40 is within a range of 0.3 to 30 times, and more preferably within a range of 0.5 to 20 times, the width dimension of the inner periphery fixing portion 30 serving as a partition wall separating adjacent flow path sections 40, 40. This makes it possible to obtain a large vertical projection area of ​​the flow path sections 40a to 40e in the left-right central portion of the cooling heat exchanger 10 provided with the parallel flow path section 38, while ensuring a sufficient bonding area between the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 14.

[0102] The parallel flow path section 38 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 42. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the protrusions 42 protrude upward from the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32 in the flow path member 14 toward the cooling surface component 12. The protrusions 42 are provided across the entire front-to-rear flow path width of the flow path section 40, and their front-to-rear ends are continuous with the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 or the inner peripheral fixing portion 30 that form the side wall portion of the flow path section 40. The protrusions 42 are V-shaped in plan view as shown in Figure 4, and incline rightward from the front-to-rear center toward both front and rear ends.

[0103] As shown enlarged in FIG. 5 , the protrusion 42 has a cross-sectional shape that tapers toward the tip, with the uppermost protruding portion forming a V-shaped ridge 44. The ridge 44 extends at an angle relative to the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40. The ridge 44 may be an angled edge, or may be formed of a flat or curved surface and have a width in the flow path length direction. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 42 has a protrusion apex 45a, including the ridge 44, that has a cross-sectional shape that is curved in an arc shape, and the uppermost end of the protrusion apex 45a forms the ridge 44. The radius of curvature R of the protrusion apex 45a is within a range of 0.05 to 1.5 times, more preferably 0.25 to 0.9 times, the length dimension L in the flow path length direction of the protrusion base 45b (the end of the protrusion 42 connected to the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32).

[0104] The side of the protrusion 42 located on the upstream side of the flow path 40 is a first inclined surface 46 as an upstream inclined portion that slopes upward from the upstream side to the downstream side and approaches the cooling surface component 12. The side of the protrusion 42 located on the downstream side of the flow path 40 is a second inclined surface 48 as a downstream inclined portion that slopes downward from the upstream side to the downstream side and moves away from the cooling surface component 12. The protrusion 42 protrudes from the bottom surface of the groove 32 gradually increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in a portion upstream of the ridge line 44 (projection apex 45 a) that constitutes the first inclined surface 46, and gradually decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side in a portion downstream of the ridge line 44 (projection apex 45 a) that constitutes the second inclined surface 48. The magnitude relationship between the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 and the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 48 may be any of α<β, α=β, and α>β.

[0105] In other words, the protrusion 42 has a generally triangular cross-sectional shape tapering toward the protrusion tip in a cross section in the flow channel length direction. The protrusion 42 has a cross-sectional outer shape continuously including an arc-shaped protrusion apex 45a, a first inclined surface 46 extending from the upstream end of the protrusion apex 45a toward the protrusion base 45b at an incline toward the upstream side, and a second inclined surface 48 extending from the downstream end of the protrusion apex 45a toward the protrusion base 45b at an incline toward the downstream side. The ridge line 44 is a continuous line extending from the upper end of the protrusion apex 45a in the flow channel width direction and has a V-shape consisting of two inclined straight line portions in a top view.

[0106] The first inclined surface 46 may be curved, but in this embodiment is flat. The upper end of the first inclined surface 46 extends tangentially from the upstream end of the protrusion apex 45a and smoothly connects to the protrusion apex 45a without any corners. The lower end of the first inclined surface 46 may be curved in an arc, and in that case, it is desirable that the lower end of the first inclined surface 46 smoothly connect to the bottom surface of the flow path portion 40c (recessed groove 32) without any corners.

[0107] The inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 with respect to the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32 that constitutes the flow path portion 40 is set to be within a range of 20° to 70°, and more preferably within a range of 30° to 60°. Note that when the first inclined surface 46 has a curved shape, the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 with respect to the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32 can be understood as, for example, the average value of the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 46 with respect to the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32.

[0108] The second inclined surface 48 may be curved, but in this embodiment, it is flat. The upper end of the second inclined surface 48 extends tangentially from the downstream end of the protrusion apex 45a and smoothly connects to the protrusion apex 45a without any corners. The lower end of the second inclined surface 48 may be curved in an arc, and in that case, it is desirable that the lower end of the second inclined surface 48 smoothly connects to the bottom surface of the flow path portion 40c (recessed groove 32) without any corners.

[0109] The inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 48 with respect to the bottom surface of the groove 32 is within a range of 20° to 70°, and more preferably within a range of 30° to 60°. In this embodiment, the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 and the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 48 are substantially the same. However, they may be different from each other, for example, the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 may be larger than the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 48. Note that when the second inclined surface 48 has a curved shape, the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 48 with respect to the bottom surface of the groove 32 can be understood as, for example, the average value of the inclination angles of the second inclined surface 48 with respect to the bottom surface of the groove 32.

[0110] The protrusion height of the protrusions 42 is preferably within a range of 0.1 to 1.3 times, and more preferably within a range of 0.25 to 0.9 times, the width of the protrusions 42 in the flow path width direction. This effectively achieves the agitation effect of the heat medium caused by the flow over the protrusions 42, and also prevents the flow of the heat medium from being excessively restricted by the protrusions 42, thereby realizing a smooth flow of the heat medium.

[0111] The cross-sectional shape of the protrusion 42 has been described using FIG. 5 , which shows a cross section in the flow path length direction passing through the center in the flow path width direction. However, any cross section of the protrusion 42 that is perpendicular to the ridge line 44 has a cross-sectional shape similar to that shown in FIG. 5 , and the above-described numerical ranges are suitably applied to any cross section that is perpendicular to the ridge line 44.

[0112] The protrusions 42 are provided in each of the flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e. The protrusions 42 are provided in each of the flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e, aligned in the length direction of the flow path, which is the direction in which the heat medium flows.

[0113] The protrusions 42 are provided so as to protrude from the bottom surface of the recessed grooves 32 in the flow path member 14 toward the cooling surface component 12, and therefore the portion of the flow path section 40 where the protrusions 42 are formed is made into a narrowed flow path section 50 with a reduced flow path cross-sectional area. In the narrowed flow path section 50, the flow path cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the downstream side on the first inclined surface 46 of the protrusion 42, and the flow path cross-sectional area gradually increases toward the downstream side on the second inclined surface 48 of the protrusion 42, with the flow path cross-sectional area being minimized at the ridge line 44 of the protrusion 42.

[0114] Furthermore, in the flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e provided with a plurality of protrusions 42, a plurality of narrowed flow path sections 50 are formed by the plurality of protrusions 42. In the flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e, the protrusions 42 located on the downstream side have a higher protrusion height, and the narrowed flow path section 50 located on the downstream side has a smaller minimum flow path cross-sectional area. This makes it possible to sufficiently increase the flow velocity of the heat medium passing through the narrowed flow path section 50 on the downstream side.

[0115] The protrusion height dimension at the ridge line 44, which is the maximum protrusion height dimension of the protrusion 42, is preferably 30% or more, and more preferably 50% or more, of the vertical depth dimension of the flow path portion 40. Furthermore, the length dimension of the protrusion 42 in the flow path length direction of the flow path portion 40 is preferably equal to or less than the flow path width dimension of the flow path portion 40, and more preferably equal to or less than 75% of the flow path width dimension of the flow path portion 40. Furthermore, it is desirable that the length dimension (left-right dimension) of the protrusion 42 is smaller than the width dimension (front-rear dimension).

[0116] The heat medium flowing through the parallel flow passage sections 38 flows over the protrusions 42, generating turbulence such as vertical vortices, which disrupts and agitates the flow. This eliminates temperature boundaries in the flow passage cross section (cross section perpendicular to the flow passage length) of each flow passage section 40, reducing temperature variations in the heat medium and achieving temperature uniformity.

[0117] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the ridge lines 44 of the protrusions 42 extend at an angle to the flow path length direction (flow direction of the heat medium) of the flow path section 40, rather than extending parallel to or perpendicular to the ridge lines 44. Therefore, the heat medium that passes over the protrusions 42 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ridge lines 44 changes its flow direction after passing over the protrusions 42, causing the flow to be further disturbed. As a result, the temperature unevenness of the heat medium is effectively reduced by the stirring effect. In particular, in this embodiment, since the ridge lines 44 extend in a V-shape, the flows of the heat medium that have passed over the linear portions of the ridge lines 44 collide with each other, generating turbulence, which is expected to also stir the heat medium.

[0118] 1 to 4, the protrusions 42 are not provided uniformly over the entire parallel flow path section 38, but are provided partially and arranged with a specific bias. In this way, the existence of parts in the parallel flow path section 38 where the protrusions 42 are provided and parts where they are not provided sets the strength of the effect of the protrusions 42 climbing over and disrupting the flow of the heat medium, and sets regions where the effect of the protrusions 42 disrupting the flow of the heat medium differs from one another.

[0119] That is, the number of protrusions 42 increases from the center in the front-rear direction toward both outer sides. In this embodiment, no protrusions 42 are formed in the center flow path section 40c. Furthermore, four protrusions 42 are provided in each of the flow path sections 40b and 40d adjacent to the flow path section 40c on the front-rear direction outer sides, and seven protrusions 42 are provided in each of the flow path sections 40a and 40e adjacent to the flow path sections 40b and 40d on the front-rear ends. Therefore, the flow path section 40c located in the center in the front-rear direction is set to have the weakest effect of disrupting the heat medium flow, while the flow path sections 40a and 40e located at the front-rear ends are set to have the strongest effect of disrupting the heat medium flow. Furthermore, the flow path sections 40b and 40d are set to have a stronger effect of disrupting the heat medium flow than the flow path section 40c but a weaker effect than the flow path sections 40a and 40e. As described above, in the cooling heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment, the flow path portions 40a and 40e, the flow path portions 40b and 40d, and the flow path portion 40c are regions in which the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium by the protrusions 42 differs from one another. Each pair of adjacent flow path portions 40a and 40b, flow path portion 40b and 40c, flow path portion 40c and 40d, and flow path portion 40d and 40e has a region in which the effect of promoting turbulence differs from one another.

[0120] In each of the flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e, the plurality of protrusions 42 are spaced apart from one another in the lengthwise direction of the flow path. Therefore, between the protrusions 42 in each of the flow path sections 40, there are portions where there are no protrusions 42 and the lower surface is flat.

[0121] The protrusions 42 are provided on the downstream side of the parallel flow path section 38, but not on the upstream side. More specifically, the protrusions 42 are provided on the right side, which is downstream of the center of the parallel flow path section 38 in the flow path length direction (left-right direction), and not on the left side, which is upstream. Therefore, the downstream region where the protrusions 42 are provided has a stronger effect of disrupting the heat medium flow than the upstream region where the protrusions 42 are not provided. In other words, the parallel flow path section 38 has regions where the protrusions 42 have different effects of disrupting the heat medium flow, arranged on the upstream side (region where the protrusions 42 are not provided) and the downstream side (region where the protrusions 42 are provided) in the heat medium flow direction. The protrusions 42 do not extend to the downstream end of the parallel flow path section 38, but are located to the left of the right end of the inner periphery fixing portion 30.

[0122] Furthermore, in the flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e, the protrusions 42 are arranged so that the spacing between them in the left-right direction, which is the flow path length direction of each flow path section 40, becomes narrower toward the right side, which is the downstream side of the parallel flow path section 38. Therefore, in each of the flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e, the effect of the protrusions 42 on disturbing the flow of the heat medium becomes stronger toward the downstream side. Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the fact that regions with different turbulence promotion effects are set on the upstream and downstream sides depending on the presence or absence of the protrusions 42, the downstream region is also formed by regions with different turbulence promotion effects depending on the spacing between the protrusions 42. Two or more regions with different spacing between the protrusions 42 that constitute the downstream region are set side by side in the flow direction of the heat medium. Specifically, for example, in the flow path section 40a, it can be recognized as an aspect in which regions with different turbulence promoting effects are set in the upstream region from the upstream end to the first protrusion 42, the midstream region from the first protrusion 42 to the fourth protrusion 42, and the downstream region from the fourth protrusion 42 to the seventh protrusion 42. Note that it is not necessary for the spacing between all of the protrusions 42 to be narrower on the right side, and for example, there may be a portion where the spacing is the same or a portion where the spacing is wider on the right side.

[0123] Furthermore, when the heat medium flows over the protrusions 42, it passes through the narrowed flow path section 50 with a small flow path cross-sectional area, and therefore the flow velocity increases. This more effectively disturbs the flow of the heat medium that flows over the protrusions 42. In particular, in this embodiment, the narrowed flow path section 50 has a smaller flow path cross-sectional area as it moves downstream. Therefore, the flow velocity of the heat medium can be sufficiently increased even on the downstream side when passing through the narrowed flow path section 50, and the flow of the heat medium can be effectively disturbed.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 6 , a battery pack 52 is mounted on the cooling heat exchanger 10 having such a structure as a cooling target. The battery pack 52 is a battery used in an electrically powered vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid car. The battery pack 52 has, for example, a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with a front-to-rear width dimension greater than a left-to-right length dimension. Furthermore, upwardly protruding terminal portions 54 are provided at both front and rear end portions of the battery pack 52. The terminal portions 54 serve as output terminals for outputting a large current through a bus bar (not shown). Therefore, in use, the front and rear end portions of the battery pack 52, which include the terminal portions 54, are more likely to become hotter than the front and rear center portion.

[0125] 6 , a plurality of battery packs 52 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and the lower surfaces of the plurality of battery packs 52 are superimposed on the cooling surface 16 formed by the upper surface of the cooling surface component 12. In this embodiment, 15 battery packs 52 are attached to one cooling surface 16.

[0126] In the cooling heat exchanger 10, the cooling surface 16 is kept at a low temperature by heat exchange between the cooling heat medium flowing through the cooling flow path 36 and the cooling surface component 12. A battery pack 52, which generates heat during operation, is set on the cooling surface 16, and the battery pack 52 is cooled by heat exchange between the cooling surface component 12 equipped with the cooling surface 16 and the battery pack 52. In other words, the battery pack 52 is cooled by heat exchange via the cooling surface component 12 between the battery pack 52 and the heat medium flowing inside the cooling flow path 36.

[0127] The temperature of the heat medium rises as it receives heat from the battery pack 52. In particular, the temperature of the heat medium flowing in the upper part of the cooling flow path 36 close to the battery pack 52 becomes high. On the other hand, the heat medium flowing in the lower part of the cooling flow path 36 is farther from the battery pack 52, and the temperature rise is suppressed compared to the upper part. Therefore, a temperature distribution in which the temperature becomes higher toward the upper part of the heat medium in the cooling flow path 36 is likely to occur due to heat exchange with the battery pack 52. As a result, the temperature difference between the battery pack 52 and the high-temperature heat medium flowing in the upper part becomes smaller, causing a decrease in the efficiency of heat exchange between the battery pack 52 and the heat medium.

[0128] Therefore, in the cooling heat exchanger 10, protrusions 42 are provided in the parallel flow path section 38 of the cooling flow path 36, and the heat medium is agitated when it passes over the protrusions 42, thereby reducing the temperature difference in the vertical direction of the heat medium. This prevents the upper heat medium flowing near the battery pack 52 from becoming too hot, and ensures a large temperature difference between the battery pack 52 and the upper heat medium, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the battery pack 52 and the heat medium.

[0129] Furthermore, because the heat medium exchanges heat with the multiple battery packs 52 while flowing from upstream to downstream, the temperature becomes higher downstream, which tends to reduce the efficiency of heat exchange with the battery packs 52. Therefore, in the cooling heat exchanger 10, the protrusions 42 are provided only on the downstream side where a temperature rise sufficient to cause a reduction in heat exchange efficiency occurs in the upper part of the heat medium, and the protrusions 42 agitate the heat medium on the downstream side to suppress the temperature rise in the upper part of the heat medium. This ensures a temperature difference between the battery packs 52 and the heat medium flowing nearby, not only on the upstream side where the low-temperature heat medium flows in, but also on the downstream side where the high-temperature heat medium flows out, thereby maintaining cooling performance.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 6 , when multiple battery packs 52 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, which is the flow path length direction of the parallel flow path section 38, conventionally, cooling of the downstream battery pack 52 tends to be insufficient, and performance degradation due to deterioration of the downstream battery pack 52 tends to progress. Furthermore, when the performance of one of the downstream battery packs 52 deteriorates, the performance of the entire battery cell made up of the multiple battery packs 52 deteriorates due to the influence of the deteriorated battery pack 52, which is a problem specific to battery cooling. However, with the cooling heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment, the downstream battery pack 52 is also effectively cooled due to the stirring action of the heat medium by the protrusions 42, etc., and therefore, degradation of only some of the multiple battery packs 52 can be suppressed, and performance degradation of the entire battery cell can be prevented.

[0131] Furthermore, because there are no protrusions 42 on the upstream side of the parallel flow path section 38, the heat medium flowing in the lower section away from the battery pack 52 experiences only a small temperature increase due to heat exchange with the battery pack 52 when flowing upstream, and is therefore kept at a low temperature. Therefore, the temperature of the heat medium flowing in the upper section is significantly reduced by the stirring of the heat medium that has reached the downstream side by the protrusions 42, and effective cooling performance can be obtained even on the downstream side.

[0132] Furthermore, in the cooling heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment, the multiple protrusions 42 are arranged so that the spacing between them becomes narrower as they move downstream. This makes the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium stronger toward the downstream side, and maintains cooling performance even downstream, where a decrease in the efficiency of heat exchange with the battery pack 52 due to a rise in the temperature of the heat medium is likely to become a problem. Moreover, in this embodiment, the protrusion height of the protrusions 42 increases toward the downstream side, so that the protrusions 42 have a stronger effect of stirring the heat medium downstream.

[0133] As described above, in the cooling heat exchanger 10, the arrangement, number, and other configuration of the protrusions 42 are set taking into consideration the flow direction of the heat medium in the parallel flow path section 38, making it possible to maintain cooling performance over a wide range of flow directions of the heat medium.

[0134] The fact that the temperature of the heat medium decreases as it moves over the protrusions 42 can also be seen from the simulation results of the temperature distribution of the heat medium within the flow path section 40 shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows the temperature distribution of the heat medium flowing over one flow path section 40 using different hues. It can be seen from FIG. 7 that the temperature of the heat medium changes upstream and downstream of the protrusions 42. That is, as the heat medium moves over the ridge lines 44 of the protrusions 42 from upstream to downstream, the temperature of the heat medium decreases downstream of the ridge lines 44 of the protrusions 42. This is thought to be because turbulence occurs in the heat medium downstream of the ridge lines 44 of the protrusions 42, stirring the heat medium and causing the low-temperature heat medium flowing in the lower part of the flow path section 40 to mix with the heat medium flowing in the upper part, thereby decreasing the temperature of the heat medium in the upper part of the flow path section 40.

[0135] 7, it can be seen that the narrower the spacing between the protrusions 42, the greater the drop in the temperature of the heat medium flowing through the upper part of the flow path portion 40. Therefore, the simulation results in FIG. 7 also confirmed that narrowing the spacing between the protrusions 42 can more effectively cause the protrusions 42 to disrupt the flow of the heat medium.

[0136] Furthermore, the battery pack 52 generates a large amount of heat at its front and rear end portions where the terminal portions 54 are provided, and these end portions tend to be hotter than the front and rear center portion. Therefore, the heat medium flowing through the parallel flow path portion 38 tends to be hotter toward the outer front and rear ends. Therefore, in the cooling heat exchanger 10, of the five flow path portions 40a-40e that make up the parallel flow path portion 38, the more protrusions 42 are provided in the flow path portions 40 located further outward in the front-rear direction. That is, the flow path portions 40a and 40e located directly below the front and rear ends of the battery pack 52 are provided with the most protrusions (seven protrusions 42), which have the strongest stirring effect on the heat medium flow and prevent a decrease in heat exchange efficiency due to a rise in the temperature of the heat medium in the upper portion. Furthermore, the flow path portions 40b and 40d, which are close to the front and rear ends of the battery pack 52, are provided with four protrusions 42, fewer than the flow path portions 40a and 40e but more than the flow path portion 40c, and these protrusions 42 effectively prevent a local temperature rise in the heat medium.

[0137] In this way, in the cooling heat exchanger 10, the arrangement and number of the protrusions 42 are set in consideration of the temperature distribution (heat generation pattern) of the battery pack 52, which is the object to be cooled, and therefore, it is possible to efficiently cool the battery pack 52.

[0138] In the cooling heat exchanger 10, the protrusions 42 that disturb the flow of the heat medium in the parallel flow path section 38 are provided in necessary portions, but not in unnecessary portions. This makes it possible to improve the cooling performance while realizing a smooth flow of the heat medium without unnecessarily disturbing the flow of the heat medium.

[0139] In this embodiment, the downstream region, which is a specific region, is set differently from the upstream region, which is another region, by including the protrusions 42. In the downstream region, which is a specific region, the cross-sectional shape of the flow path portion 40 is changed by the protrusions 42, and the cooling efficiency of the heat medium is adjusted based on the effect of the protrusions 42 in promoting turbulent flow of the heat medium. Moreover, in the downstream region, the spacing between the protrusions 42 becomes unevenly narrower toward the downstream side, so the downstream region can also be considered as multiple regions, in which case the regions are set differently from each other in terms of the spacing between the protrusions 42.

[0140] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front and rear outer regions, which are specific regions, are set differently in that the number of protrusions 42 formed is greater than the number of protrusions 42 formed in the front and rear inner regions, which are other regions. In the front and rear outer regions, which are specific regions, the cooling efficiency of the heat medium is adjusted based on the effect of the protrusions 42 in promoting turbulent flow of the heat medium. In this embodiment, for example, from the perspective of the presence or absence of protrusions 42, the front and rear flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e, which are provided with protrusions 42, can be considered as specific regions, and the central flow path section 40c, which does not have protrusions 42, can be considered as another region. Alternatively, for example, focusing on the difference in the number of protrusions 42 formed, the flow path sections 40a to 40e can each be considered as a specific region different from the others.

[0141] According to the method for adjusting the cooling effect of the cooling heat exchanger 10, which adjusts the cooling efficiency of the heat medium in a specific region, for example, by setting the specific region to a part of the battery pack 52 that generates a large amount of heat, efficient cooling of the battery pack 52 can be achieved.

[0142] The radius of curvature R of the protrusion 42 is preferably within a range of 0.05 to 1.5 times the length L of the protrusion base 45b (the end of the protrusion 42 connected to the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32) in the flow path length direction. By making the radius of curvature R of the protrusion 45a at least 0.05 times the length L of the protrusion base 45b, the protrusion 45a has a smooth arc-shaped cross section without any substantial corners. Furthermore, by making the radius of curvature R of the protrusion 45a at most 1.5 times the length L of the protrusion base 45b, it is possible to prevent the length of the protrusion 42 in the flow path length direction from becoming excessively long, and it is possible to set the inclination angles α and β of the first inclined surface 46 and the second inclined surface 48, which smoothly connect to the protrusion 42, to be sufficiently large. In this embodiment, the radius of curvature R of the projection top 45a is set to be within the range of 0.05 to 0.5 times the length L of the projection base 45b.

[0143] Furthermore, the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 with respect to the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32 that constitutes the flow path portion 40 is within a range of 20° to 70°. By setting the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 to 20° or more, the flow of the heat medium from the upstream side toward the protrusions 42 is effectively disturbed by the first inclined surface 46, which forms a sufficiently large angle with respect to the flow direction of the heat medium, thereby improving cooling performance through a stirring effect. Furthermore, by setting the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 46 to 70° or less, the flow of the heat medium can be prevented from being excessively restricted by the protrusions 42.

[0144] The inclination angle β that the second inclined surface 48 forms with the bottom surface of the recessed groove 32 is within the range of 20° to 70°. By setting the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 48 to 20° or more, it is expected that the flow of the heat medium that passes over the protrusions 42 will easily separate from the second inclined surface 48, thereby making it easier for a turbulent flow such as a vortex to occur downstream of the protrusions 42. Furthermore, by setting the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 48 to 70° or less, the flow of the heat medium along the second inclined surface 48 is also ensured, and efficient stirring of the heat medium due to merging with the flow that has separated from the second inclined surface 48 can be expected.

[0145] 8 shows a cooling heat exchanger 60 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same components and parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0146] The cooling heat exchanger 60 includes a flow path member 62. The flow path member 62 is generally rectangular plate-shaped and includes a recessed portion 64 that opens upward. The recessed portion 64 is shaped like an inverted U in plan view shown in FIG. 8 , and includes a central fixing portion 66 that extends leftward from the right edge of the outer periphery fixing portion 20. The central fixing portion 66 is integrally formed and continuous with the outer periphery fixing portion 20, and its upper surface is located on approximately the same plane as the outer periphery fixing portion 20. The left end of the central fixing portion 66 does not reach the left edge of the outer periphery fixing portion 20, and is spaced to the right from the left edge of the outer periphery fixing portion 20.

[0147] The cooling flow passage 68, formed by covering the upper opening of the recessed portion 64 with a cooling surface component (not shown), has an inverted U-shaped flow passage shape that extends linearly from the right end to the left, bends rearward, and then extends linearly to the right at its end. In this embodiment, the supply hole 22 is formed in the right front corner of the recessed portion 64, and the discharge hole 26 is formed in the right rear corner of the recessed portion 64.

[0148] The cooling flow path 68 has parallel flow path sections 70, 72 at both ends extending in the left-right direction. The upstream parallel flow path section 70 is composed of two flow path sections 74a, 74b that each extend linearly in the left-right direction. The heat medium flows through these two flow path sections 74a, 74b in the same direction, from right to left. An inner circumferential fixed section 30 that also extends linearly in the left-right direction is provided between the two flow path sections 74a, 74b. The downstream parallel flow path section 72 is composed of two flow path sections 76a, 76b that each extend linearly in the left-right direction. The heat medium flows through these two flow path sections 76a, 76b in the same direction, from left to right. An inner circumferential fixed section 30 that also extends linearly in the left-right direction is provided between the two flow path sections 76a, 76b.

[0149] An intermediate junction 78 is provided between the upstream parallel flow path section 70 and the downstream parallel flow path section 72 in the cooling flow path 68, connecting the parallel flow path sections 70, 72 in series. The intermediate junction 78 forms the left end of the recessed section 64 and extends in the front-to-rear direction to the left of the central fixing portion 66. The heat medium flows into flow path sections 74a, 74b of the upstream parallel flow path section 70, then merges at the intermediate junction 78, and further flows into flow path sections 76a, 76b of the downstream parallel flow path section 72.

[0150] The upstream parallel flow path section 70 is provided with multiple protrusions 42. The protrusions 42 are formed on both flow path sections 74a and 74b. The protrusions 42 are provided on the downstream sides of the flow path sections 74a and 74b, but not on the upstream sides. The protrusions 42 are arranged in each flow path section 74 so that the spacing between the protrusions 42 in the flow path length direction (left-right direction) becomes narrower as they move downstream. Furthermore, the flow path section 74a located on the front-rear outer side (front side) has a greater number of protrusions 42 than the flow path section 74b located on the front-rear inner side. The protrusions 42 located at the downstream end of the flow path section 74a and the protrusions 42 located at the downstream end of the flow path section 74b are located at approximately the same position in the flow path length direction of the flow path sections 74a and 74b. Furthermore, the protrusions 42 are provided further upstream in the flow path section 74a than in the flow path section 74b.

[0151] A plurality of protrusions 42 are also provided in the downstream parallel flow path section 72. The protrusions 42 are formed on both flow path sections 76a and 76b. The protrusions 42 are provided on the downstream sides of the flow path sections 76a and 76b, but not on the upstream sides. The protrusions 42 are arranged in each flow path section 76 so that the spacing between the protrusions 42 in the flow path length direction (left-right direction) decreases toward the downstream side. The flow path section 76a located on the outer front-rear side (rear side) has a greater number of protrusions 42 than the flow path section 76b located on the inner front-rear side. The protrusions 42 located at the downstream end of the flow path section 76a and the protrusions 42 located at the downstream end of the flow path section 76b are located at approximately the same position in the flow path length direction of the flow path sections 76a and 76b. The protrusions 42 are provided further upstream in the flow path section 76a than in the flow path section 76b.

[0152] According to the cooling heat exchanger 60 having such a structure, as with the cooling heat exchanger 10 of the first embodiment, effective cooling performance can be maintained over a wider area of ​​the cooling flow path 68, and the cooling performance can be set according to the temperature distribution of the battery pack (not shown) that is the object to be cooled.

[0153] An intermediate junction 78 is provided to serially connect the upstream parallel flow path section 70 and the downstream parallel flow path section 72, and the heat medium that has flowed through the flow path sections 74a, 74b that make up the upstream parallel flow path section 70 joins and mixes at the intermediate junction 78. Therefore, unevenness in the temperature of the heat medium is further suppressed at the intermediate junction 78, and the entire heat medium is kept at a relatively low temperature, thereby improving the cooling performance in the downstream parallel flow path section 72.

[0154] The intermediate junction 78 is not essential, and for example, the flow path portions 74a, 76a and the flow path portions 74b, 76b may be provided independently without merging with each other.

[0155] 9 and 10 show a cooling heat exchanger 80 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The cooling heat exchanger 80 has a laminated structure in which a cooling surface component 12 and a flow path component 82 are stacked one on top of the other.

[0156] The flow path member 82 is provided with a plurality of columnar fixing portions 84 that protrude upward from the bottom surfaces of the five recessed grooves 32a to 32e. The columnar fixing portions 84 are generally cylindrical, and their upper surfaces are located on the same plane as the upper surfaces of the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portion 30. The columnar fixing portions 84 are provided at positions separated from the protrusions 42 in the flow path length direction, and are provided independently of the protrusions 42. The five recessed grooves 32a to 32e are provided with the same number of columnar fixing portions 84, and these columnar fixing portions 84 are arranged at approximately the same positions as each other in the flow path length direction.

[0157] When the cooling surface component 12 is superimposed on and fixed to the flow path member 82, the lower surface of the cooling surface component 12 is superimposed in contact with the upper surfaces of the outer peripheral fixing portions 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portions 30, as well as the upper surfaces of the columnar fixing portions 84 (see FIG. 10 ). Like the outer peripheral fixing portions 20 and the inner peripheral fixing portions 30, the columnar fixing portions 84 are fixed to the cooling surface component 12 by means of adhesive or the like.

[0158] In the cooling heat exchanger 80 having this structure, the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 82 are also fixed at the columnar fixing portions 84, so that the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 82 can be more firmly joined together. This makes it possible to prevent problems such as the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path member 82 becoming separated due to, for example, the action of hydraulic pressure of the heat medium flowing through the cooling flow path 36, the action of bending force on the cooling heat exchanger 80, etc.

[0159] The columnar fixing portion is not necessarily limited to a cylindrical shape, but may be, for example, an elliptical columnar shape, a polygonal columnar shape, an irregular columnar shape, or the like.

[0160] 11 shows a cooling heat exchanger 90 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the cooling heat exchanger 10 of the first embodiment, the cooling heat exchanger 90 has protrusions 42 formed in each of the four flow passages 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e.

[0161] In the cooling heat exchanger 10 of the first embodiment, the flow path section 40a and the flow path section 40e have the same number of protrusions 42 arranged at the same intervals and in the same positions, so that the effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium (turbulence promotion effect) is approximately the same. Also, the flow path section 40b and the flow path section 40d have the same number of protrusions 42 arranged at the same intervals and in the same positions, so that the effect of promoting turbulence is approximately the same. In contrast, in the cooling heat exchanger 90 of the present embodiment, the five flow path sections 40a to 40e all have different numbers of protrusions 42, so that the effect of promoting turbulence is different from one another.

[0162] Specifically, for example, the numbers of protrusions 42 formed in flow path sections 40a and 40e located at the front and rear ends are different from each other, and the turbulence promoting effect of the protrusions 42 is different from that of flow path sections 40a and 40e. Also, the numbers of protrusions 42 formed in flow path sections 40b and 40d are different from each other, and the turbulence promoting effect of the protrusions 42 is different from that of flow path sections 40b and 40d. Note that the flow path sections 40a to 40e of this embodiment are arranged in the order of the number of protrusions 42 provided in descending order: flow path section 40e, flow path section 40a, flow path section 40d, flow path section 40b, and flow path section 40c.

[0163] Since the number of protrusions 42 formed in the flow path sections 40a to 40e is different from one another, regions with different turbulence promoting effects are set between the flow path sections 40a to 40e. The cooling efficiency of the heat medium in each flow path section 40 of the cooling heat exchanger 90 is higher the more protrusions 42 are formed in the flow path section 40, and high cooling performance is exhibited at both the front and rear ends of the cooling heat exchanger 90, and particularly at the rear end.

[0164] According to the cooling heat exchanger 90 of this embodiment, for example, when the heat generation amount of the battery pack (52) differs between the front and rear terminals (54, 54), it is possible to provide cooling performance according to the heat generation amount of each terminal (54). In this embodiment, when the heat generation amount of the rear terminal (54) is greater than the heat generation amount of the front terminal (54), it is possible to further reduce the temperature difference throughout the battery pack (52) by cooling according to the heat generation amount.

[0165] In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which regions with different turbulence promotion effects are set for each flow path section 40 by varying the number of protrusions 42 formed between the flow path sections 40. However, such differences in turbulence promotion effects can also be set by varying the height, shape, spacing, and arrangement of the protrusions 42 between the flow path sections 40. Furthermore, differences in the number, height, shape, spacing, and arrangement of the protrusions 42 as described above can also be appropriately combined to set differences in turbulence promotion effects between the regions. Incidentally, in each flow path section in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 , for example, regions with different turbulence promotion effects can be recognized as regions with different protrusions 42 or regions with different spacing between the protrusions 42, as in the previous embodiment. Therefore, in the following embodiments, descriptions of regions with different turbulence promotion effects should not be interpreted in a limiting manner.

[0166] 12 shows a cooling heat exchanger 100 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the cooling heat exchanger 100, protrusions 42 are formed on each of the flow path sections 40a to 40c, while protrusions 42 are not formed on the flow path sections 40d and 40e, and the protrusions 42 are positioned biased toward the front of the parallel flow path section 38.

[0167] Each of the flow path sections 40a to 40c is provided with a plurality of protrusions 42. The protrusions 42 in each of the flow path sections 40a to 40c are located at the center in the flow path length direction (left-right direction), and regions without protrusions 42 are set at the upstream end and downstream end. Therefore, in this embodiment, the parallel flow path section 38 has a plurality of protrusions 42 partially arranged so as to be biased toward the front end and the center in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the number of protrusions 42 formed in each of the flow path sections 40a to 40c increases toward the front.

[0168] The intervals between the six protrusions 42 provided in the flow path section 40a become wider toward both outer sides (upstream and downstream sides) in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40a. Similarly, the intervals between the four protrusions 42 provided in the flow path section 40b become wider toward both outer sides (upstream and downstream sides) in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40b. On the other hand, the intervals between the three protrusions 42 provided in the flow path section 40c are substantially constant in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40c.

[0169] The minimum spacing between the protrusions 42 in the flow path section 40a is smaller than the minimum spacing between the protrusions 42 in the flow path section 40b. The protrusions 42 located at the outer end of the flow path section 40a in the flow path length direction are located further outward in the flow path length direction than the protrusions 42 located at the outer end of the flow path section 40b in the flow path length direction. Furthermore, the protrusions 42 located at the outer end of the flow path section 40b in the flow path length direction are located further outward in the flow path length direction than the protrusions 42 located at the outer end of the flow path section 40c in the flow path length direction.

[0170] The cooling heat exchanger 100 according to this embodiment can exhibit better cooling performance in the central portion of the front end where the protrusions 42 are concentrated. Therefore, when the amount of heat generated by the object to be cooled is large in the central portion of the front end, the portion with the large amount of heat can be efficiently cooled.

[0171] In this embodiment, the protrusions 42 are provided in a concentrated manner in the center of the front end, thereby enhancing cooling performance in a specific spot, but the position where the protrusions 42 enhance cooling performance in a specific spot can be appropriately set in consideration of factors such as the distribution of heat generated by the object to be cooled, and is not limited to the center of the front end. Also, although the protrusions 42 enhance cooling performance in only one location in this embodiment, they can also be set in multiple locations.

[0172] 13 shows a cooling heat exchanger 110 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the cooling heat exchanger 110, the five flow path sections 40a to 40e have substantially the same configurations, such as the shape, size (including height), arrangement, and spacing of the protrusions 42. As a result, in this embodiment, the flow path sections 40a to 40e have substantially the same effect of disrupting the flow of the heat medium. Furthermore, each flow path section 40 has multiple protrusions 42 arranged and spaced substantially the same as the flow path sections 40a and 40e in the first embodiment. Therefore, regions in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40 where the protrusions 42 disrupt the flow of the heat medium differ from one another are provided.

[0173] As shown in this embodiment, the effect of turbulence of the heat medium flow does not necessarily need to be different among the multiple flow path sections 40 constituting the parallel flow path section 38, and may be different only in the flow path length direction (flow direction of the heat medium) of the parallel flow path section 38. According to the cooling heat exchanger 110 of this embodiment, when, for example, the entire left and right sides of the battery pack (52) generate heat, it is possible to cool the entire left and right sides of the battery pack (52), and even on the downstream side where the temperature of the heat medium is likely to rise due to heat exchange with the battery pack (52), it is possible to obtain effective cooling performance due to the turbulence promoting effect of the protrusions 42.

[0174] Figure 14 shows a cooling heat exchanger 120 as a seventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 15, the cooling heat exchanger 120 of this embodiment has a structure in which a cooling surface component 12 and a flow path component 121 are overlapped and fixed to each other, and a cooling flow path 36 is formed between the overlapping surfaces of the cooling surface component 12 and the flow path component 121. The flow path component 121 of this embodiment is made of a pressed metal fitting, and the outer peripheral fixing portion 20, supply port 24, discharge port 28, inner peripheral fixing portion 30, etc. are integrally formed by pressing.

[0175] As shown in FIG. 14 , in the cooling heat exchanger 120, protrusions 42 are formed only in the flow path section 40c, which constitutes the central portion of the parallel flow path section 38 in the flow path width direction, and protrusions 42 are not formed in the other flow path sections 40a, 40b, 40d, and 40e. Furthermore, the protrusions 42 are formed only in the central portion of the flow path section 40c in the flow path length direction, and protrusions 42 are not formed in the upstream and downstream portions of the flow path section 40c. The central portion of the flow path section 40c in the flow path length direction is a turbulent flow section 122 with protrusions 42 formed therein. The upstream side of the turbulent flow section 122 is a first laminar flow section 124 as a laminar flow section without protrusions 42, and the downstream side of the turbulent flow section 122 is a second laminar flow section 126 without protrusions 42. The cross-sectional shape of the surface of the protrusions 42 exposed in the flow path section 40c is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0176] The turbulent flow section 122 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 42 aligned in the flow channel length direction. As shown in FIG. 15 , the protrusion height of the plurality of protrusions 42 on the turbulent flow section 122 increases toward the center in the flow channel length direction. Therefore, the protrusion height of the plurality of protrusions 42 aligned in the length direction gradually increases toward the center, and then gradually decreases from the center toward the downstream side. Note that, in this embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 42 have similar shapes in the cross section in the flow channel length direction shown in FIG. 15 . However, the shapes of the plurality of protrusions 42 may be different from each other, for example, by making the length of the base end (protrusion base 45 b) constant.

[0177] 14 and 15, the spacing (pitch) between adjacent protrusions 42 in the turbulent flow section 122 narrows toward the center in the flow path length direction, with the spacing between the protrusions 42 in the center portion in the flow path length direction being narrower than the spacing between the protrusions 42 at both ends. Therefore, the spacing between adjacent protrusions 42 in the length direction gradually narrows toward the center, and then gradually widens from the center toward the downstream side. In the flow path section 40c of this embodiment, the same number of protrusions 42 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the center in the flow path length direction.

[0178] The first laminar flow section 124, which does not have protrusions 42, is connected on its upstream side to an inlet-side flow path section 128 equipped with a supply port 24 and on its downstream side to the turbulent flow section 122. The first laminar flow section 124 has a smaller flow path length dimension than the turbulent flow section 122. As shown in FIG. 15 , the bottom surface of the first laminar flow section 124 is an inclined bottom surface 130 that slopes upward toward the downstream side, approaching the lower surface of the cooling surface component 12 as it moves downstream. As a result, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first laminar flow section 124 decreases toward the downstream side. While the inclination angle of the inclined bottom surface 130 may vary along the flow path length direction or the flow path width direction (between the multiple flow path sections 40), in this embodiment, the inclination angle is constant and the inclination angle is a flat surface inclined relative to the lower surface of the cooling surface component 12. Note that the lower surface of the cooling surface component 12 is a flat surface substantially parallel to the upper surface, i.e., the cooling surface 16, so the inclined bottom surface 130 is also inclined relative to the cooling surface 16.

[0179] The second laminar flow section 126, which does not have protrusions 42, is connected on the upstream side to the turbulent flow section 122 and on the downstream side to an outlet-side flow path section 132 equipped with the discharge port 28. The second laminar flow section 126 has a flow path length dimension smaller than that of the turbulent flow section 122. The second laminar flow section 126 extends in the flow path length direction with a substantially constant cross section. Note that the turbulent flow section 122 has substantially the same constant cross section as the second laminar flow section 126 between adjacent protrusions 42, 42, excluding the protrusions 42. Therefore, the lower surfaces of both the second laminar flow section 126 and the turbulent flow section 122 are flat surfaces extending substantially parallel to the lower surface of the cooling surface component 12.

[0180] The inlet-side flow path section 128 is provided upstream of the parallel flow path section 38, and the plurality of flow path sections 40 branch off from the inlet-side flow path section 128 and extend downstream. The outlet-side flow path section 132 is provided downstream of the parallel flow path section 38, and the plurality of flow path sections 40 converge.

[0181] In this embodiment, the inlet-side channel section 128 and the outlet-side channel section 132 have different volumes. That is, the inlet-side channel section 128 has a larger volume than the outlet-side channel section 132. In this embodiment, the inlet-side channel section 128 has a larger channel depth dimension than the outlet-side channel section 132. Note that the channel length dimension and channel width dimension of the inlet-side channel section 128 and the outlet-side channel section 132 may be different from each other, but are substantially the same in this embodiment.

[0182] In the cooling heat exchanger 120 according to this embodiment, the protrusions 42 are provided only in the central portions of the parallel flow path section 38 in the width and length directions, so that when the heat-generating portion of an object to be cooled, such as a battery pack, placed on the cooling surface 16, is located in the central portions of the cooling surface 16 in the width and length directions, the object to be cooled can be efficiently cooled. Furthermore, by improving the cooling performance of only the portion corresponding to the heat-generating portion of the object to be cooled by the protrusions 42, localized deterioration of cooling performance due to heat generation in the object to be cooled is prevented, and the entire object to be cooled can be cooled more uniformly. Therefore, deterioration of the object to be cooled due to localized high temperatures can be effectively prevented.

[0183] In this embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 42 arranged in the length direction of the flow path portion 40c are formed so that the protrusion height increases toward the center in the length direction of the flow path. The higher the protrusion height of the protrusions 42, the stronger the agitation effect of the heat medium by the protrusions 42. Therefore, in this embodiment, the effect of improving cooling performance by agitating the heat medium toward the center in the length direction of the flow path portion 40c can be more strongly obtained.

[0184] In addition, in this embodiment, the multiple protrusions 42 aligned in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40c are arranged so that the spacing between adjacent protrusions 42, 42 narrows toward the center in the flow path length direction. Since the narrower the spacing between the protrusions 42, 42, the stronger the agitation effect of the heat medium by the protrusions 42, in this embodiment, the effect of improving cooling performance by agitating the heat medium can be more strongly obtained toward the center in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40c.

[0185] In this embodiment, the turbulent flow section 122, in which the protrusions 42 are formed, is provided only in the central portion of the flow path 40c in the longitudinal direction of the flow path, and a first laminar flow section 124 without protrusions 42 is provided upstream of the turbulent flow section 122, and a second laminar flow section 126 without protrusions 42 is provided downstream of the turbulent flow section 122. This allows the heat transfer medium to flow smoothly without being obstructed by the protrusions 42 in the upstream and downstream portions other than the central portion where improved cooling performance is desired.

[0186] The first laminar flow section 124, located upstream of the turbulent flow section 122, has an inclined bottom surface 130, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path decreases downstream. This causes the heat medium flowing through the first laminar flow section 124 to flow faster downstream. As the accelerated heat medium flows into the turbulent flow section 122, the flow becomes more likely to be disturbed by overcoming the protrusions 42, and the effect of improving cooling performance due to the stirring action of the heat medium is more effectively exerted.

[0187] In the turbulent flow section 122, the flow path cross section is substantially constant except for the protrusions 42. As a result, in the portions without the protrusions 42, changes in the flow velocity of the heat medium due to changes in the flow path cross section are unlikely to occur, and providing the protrusions 42 makes it easier to control changes in the flow of the heat medium.

[0188] In the cooling heat exchanger 120 of this embodiment, the volume of the inlet-side flow path section 128 is larger than the volume of the outlet-side flow path section 132. Therefore, for example, the flow path cross-sectional areas of the flow path sections 74, 76 constituting the parallel flow path sections 70, 72 connecting the inlet-side flow path section 128 and the outlet-side flow path section 132 can be made smaller toward the downstream side, thereby making it possible to suppress a decrease in the flow velocity of the heat medium downstream of the flow path sections 74, 76.

[0189] 16 and 17 show a cooling heat exchanger 140 according to an eighth aspect of the present invention. In the cooling heat exchanger 140, a plurality of protrusions 142 provided in the flow path portion 40 are configured as first protrusions 142a and second protrusions 142b, which have mutually different shapes when viewed in the flow path length direction. Note that the protrusions 142 are generally V-shaped when viewed in the vertical direction, similar to the protrusions 42 of the seventh embodiment.

[0190] As shown in FIG. 16 , the first protrusion 142a has a minimum protruding height at the center of the flow path section 40 in the flow path width direction, and the protruding height gradually increases toward both sides in the flow path width direction. In other words, the first protrusion 142a has a low protruding portion 144 with a small protruding height at the center in the flow path width direction, and high protruding portions 146, 146 with a large protruding height at both ends in the flow path width direction. While the rate of change in the protruding height of the first protrusion 142a may vary in the flow path width direction, in this embodiment, the first protrusion 142a increases at a constant rate toward both sides in the flow path width direction, and the ridge line 44 has a linear shape. In this embodiment, both ends of the first protrusion 142a, which is at its highest point, are integrally connected to the side wall portions (the outer peripheral fixing portion 20 or the inner peripheral fixing portion 30) of the flow path section 40, and the first protrusion 142a is provided continuously across the entire flow path width direction of the flow path section 40.

[0191] As shown in FIG. 17 , the second protrusion 142b has a maximum protrusion height at the center of the flow path section 40 in the flow path width direction, and the protrusion height gradually decreases toward both sides in the flow path width direction. In other words, the second protrusion 142b has a high protrusion 146 with a large protrusion height at the center in the flow path width direction, and low protrusions 144, 144 with a small protrusion height at both ends in the flow path width direction. The rate of change in the protrusion height of the second protrusion 142b may vary in the flow path width direction, but in this embodiment, the protrusion height decreases at a constant rate toward both sides in the flow path width direction, and the ridge line 44 has a linear shape. In this embodiment, both ends of the second protrusion 142b that are lowest are integrally connected to the side wall portions of the flow path section 40, and the second protrusion 142b is provided continuously across the entire flow path width direction of the flow path section 40.

[0192] The first protrusions 142a and the second protrusions 142b are arranged in multiples in the length direction of the flow path section 40, and are arranged at different positions in the flow path section 40 in the flow path length direction. In this embodiment, the first protrusions 142a and the second protrusions 142b are arranged alternately so as to be adjacent to each other in the flow path length direction. Therefore, in the central portion of the flow path section 40 in the flow path width direction, the low protrusions 144 of the first protrusions 142a and the high protrusions 146 of the second protrusions 142b are arranged alternately in the flow path length direction. Furthermore, at both end portions of the flow path section 40 in the flow path width direction, the high protrusions 146, 146 of the first protrusions 142a and the low protrusions 144, 144 of the second protrusions 142b are arranged alternately in the flow path length direction.

[0193] The heat medium flowing in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40 is disturbed and agitated by climbing over the first protrusions 142a and the second protrusions 142b. In particular, the flow of the heat medium is more strongly disturbed by climbing over the high protrusions 146, 146 of the first protrusions 142a and the high protrusions 146 of the second protrusions 142b, and the effect of improving cooling performance by agitating the heat medium is exhibited.

[0194] The heat medium tends to avoid the high protrusions 146, 146 of the first protrusions 142a and the high protrusions 146 of the second protrusions 142b, which have high flow resistance, and preferentially flow through the low protrusions 144, 144 of the first protrusions 142a and the low protrusions 144, 144 of the second protrusions 142b, which have low flow resistance. Therefore, in this embodiment, the high protrusions 146, 146 of the first protrusions 142a and the low protrusions 144, 144 of the second protrusions 142b are alternately arranged in the flow path length direction, and the low protrusions 144 of the first protrusions 142a and the high protrusions 146 of the second protrusions 142b are alternately arranged in the flow path length direction. As a result, the heat medium that has passed through the low protrusions 144 of the first protrusions 142a flows toward the high protrusions 146 of the second protrusions 142b, which are located downstream, thereby more strongly stirring the heat medium due to the high protrusions 146 of the second protrusions 142b. Furthermore, the heat medium that has passed through the low protrusions 144, 144 of the second protrusions 142b flows toward the high protrusions 146, 146 of the first protrusions 142a located downstream, thereby more strongly stirring the heat medium by the high protrusions 146, 146 of the first protrusions 142a. In this way, by alternately arranging the first protrusions 142a and the second protrusions 142b in the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40, it is possible to advantageously obtain an improved effect on cooling performance based on the stirring action of the heat medium, etc.

[0195] Although it is desirable that the first protrusions 142a and the second protrusions 142b be arranged alternately in the flow channel length direction, for example, multiple first protrusions 142a may be arranged adjacent to each other in the flow channel length direction, or multiple second protrusions 142b may be arranged adjacent to each other in the flow channel length direction. The number of first protrusions 142a and the number of second protrusions 142b may differ from each other. The heights of the low protrusions 144 of the first protrusions 142a and the low protrusions 144, 144 of the second protrusions 142b may differ from each other, and the heights of the high protrusions 146, 146 of the first protrusions 142a and the high protrusions 146 of the second protrusions 142b may differ from each other.

[0196] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific description. For example, the number of flow path sections 40 constituting the parallel flow path section 38 is not particularly limited, and may be two or more. Furthermore, as long as the multiple flow path sections 40 constituting the parallel flow path section 38 are arranged in parallel with each other, they do not need to extend strictly parallel to each other; they may extend in a wavy, meandering pattern or at an angle relative to each other. As can be seen from this, the flow direction of the heat medium in the multiple flow path sections 40 constituting the parallel flow path section 38 being the same does not necessarily mean that the flow directions are strictly the same, but rather that the heat medium flows in the same direction overall. Specifically, for example, the flow directions of the heat medium in adjacent flow path sections 40 constituting the parallel flow path section 38 can be considered to be the same even if the flow direction of the heat medium is inclined relative to each other within a range of 15 degrees or less.

[0197] The specific shape of the protrusions is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a spot-like hemispherical shape, a cone shape, a frustum shape, a columnar shape, or the like. The protrusions do not necessarily have to be provided across the entire width of the flow path section 40. While the protrusions are desirably V-shaped in plan view as in the above embodiment, they may extend, for example, perpendicular to the flow path length direction of the flow path section 40 or may be inclined in one direction and extend in a one-sided manner. Furthermore, when V-shaped protrusions are used in plan view, the V-shape inclined downstream from the center in the front-to-rear direction toward both ends in the above embodiment. However, for example, they may be V-shaped (inverted V-shape) inclined upstream from the center in the front-to-rear direction toward both ends. Furthermore, the side surfaces of the protrusions on both sides in the flow path length direction do not necessarily have to be inclined surfaces, but may be flat surfaces perpendicular to the flow path length direction, stepped surfaces, or the like.

[0198] For example, a protrusion 150 as shown in FIG. 18 may be employed. That is, the protrusion 150 has a large radius of curvature at the protrusion apex 152, and a first inclined surface 154 as an upstream inclined portion, which is the upstream side, and a second inclined surface 156 as a downstream inclined portion, which is the downstream side, are both curved surfaces, so that the protrusion apex 152 is smoothly connected to the bottom surface of the flow path 40 without any corners. Therefore, the entire cross-sectional outline of the protrusion 150 in the flow path length direction is a continuously curved shape. Furthermore, in the protrusion 150 shown in FIG. 18, the radius of curvature of the protrusion apex 152, which is arc-shaped in the cross section in the flow path length direction, is preferably 0.7 times or more, and more preferably 1 time or more, the length dimension L of the protrusion base 45b. Furthermore, the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 154 of this embodiment with respect to the bottom surface of the flow path portion 40 is 25° or less, and the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 156 of this embodiment is 25° or less. In short, compared to the protrusions 42 (see FIG. 5 ) shown in the first embodiment, the protrusions 150 of this embodiment have a flatter shape in which the ratio of the protrusion height dimension to the length dimension L of the protrusion base 45b is smaller in the cross section in the flow path length direction, and the rate of change in the flow path cross-sectional area due to the protrusions 150 is smaller. With such protrusions 150, pressure loss when the heat medium passes over the protrusions 150 is reduced, making it possible to circulate the heat medium using an inexpensive pump with relatively low performance.

[0199] The protrusions do not necessarily have to be provided continuously across the entire width of the flow path portion, but the width of the protrusions in the width direction of the flow path portion is preferably 50% or more, and more preferably 70% or more, of the width of the flow path portion, which restricts the flow that bypasses the protrusions and makes it easier for the flow to overcome the protrusions, thereby efficiently achieving the effect of disrupting the flow of the heat medium by the protrusions.

[0200] The plurality of protrusions may be configured with a plurality of types having different shapes, sizes, etc. By varying the shapes, sizes, etc. of the protrusions, it is possible to set regions in which the protrusions have different effects of disrupting the flow of the heat medium.

[0201] Specifically, for example, in the cooling heat exchanger 10 of the first embodiment, the protrusion height of the protrusions 42 provided in the flow path portion 40a may be greater than the protrusion height of the protrusions 42 provided in the flow path portion 40e. This allows the flow path portion 40a, where the protrusions 42 with a greater protrusion height are provided, to have different disturbances to the heat medium flow from the flow path portion 40e, where the protrusions 42 with a smaller protrusion height are provided, thereby providing regions in the flow path portions 40a and 40e with different disturbances to the heat medium flow. Furthermore, when multiple protrusions 42 are provided in one flow path portion 40, the protrusion heights of the multiple protrusions 42 can be made different to provide multiple regions in the flow path portion 40 with different disturbances to the heat medium flow in the flow path length direction. That is, by gradually increasing the protrusion height of the protrusions 42 toward the downstream side, the disturbance to the heat medium flow can be stronger downstream than upstream.

[0202] Furthermore, for example, by combining wide protrusions that span the entire flow path width of the flow path section with narrow protrusions that are provided on only a portion of the flow path width of the flow path section, the effect of the protrusions in disrupting the flow of heat medium can be greater in the formation area of ​​the wide protrusions than in the formation area of ​​the narrow protrusions.

[0203] The "regions with different effects of disrupting the flow of the heat medium" and the "specific region in which the cross-sectional shape of the flow path portion is changed to disrupt the flow of the heat medium" are preferably understood as, for example, a length region in which multiple protrusions are formed with a predetermined regularity or the cross-sectional shape of the flow path portion is repeatedly changed. The "predetermined regularity" referred to here is not limited to, for example, "a configuration in which identical protrusions are formed at regular intervals" or "a configuration in which identical portions of the cross-sectional shape of the flow path are provided at regular intervals." It also includes, for example, "the spacing or period of the protrusions or the cross-sectional shape of the flow path that changes with regularity," such as the spacing between the protrusions or the period of change in the cross-sectional shape of the flow path gradually narrowing in the flow path direction, and / or "the shape or size of the protrusions or the cross-sectional shape of the flow path that changes with regularity," such as gradually increasing in the flow path direction. Furthermore, the "length region in which multiple protrusions are formed with a predetermined regularity or the cross-sectional shape of the flow path portion is repeatedly changed" is preferably a configuration in which the cross-sectional shape of the flow path portion returns to a constant basic cross-sectional shape (including size) set between portions of the cross-sectional shape, such as between protrusions. The change in the cross-sectional shape of the flow path portion is not limited to protrusions, but may also be, for example, recesses or narrowing of the entire periphery.

[0204] Furthermore, there may be at least two "regions in which the protrusions have different effects of disrupting the flow of the heat medium," and one of the multiple regions may be a region without protrusions. The multiple regions compared as "regions in which the protrusions have different effects of disrupting the flow of the heat medium" are preferably configured to have the same flow path length. However, for example, the multiple regions to be compared may be compared with the region with the shortest flow path length as the reference. Similarly, by setting at least one specific region as the "specific region in which the cross-sectional shape of the flow path portion is changed to disrupt the flow of the heat medium," it is possible to recognize the existence of the specific region whose cooling efficiency is adjusted compared to other regions, and there are no limitations on the location, number, length, etc. of the specific region.

[0205] The position, number (arrangement density), shape, size, etc. of the protrusions 42 shown in each of the above embodiments are merely examples, and are set appropriately taking into consideration, for example, the temperature distribution of the battery pack 52, the amount of heat generated by the battery pack 52, the flow direction of the heat medium, etc. Specifically, for example, when cooling a battery pack in which the terminal portion 54 is provided in the center portion in the front-rear direction, the protrusions 42 can be arranged so that the number of protrusions 42 in the flow path portion 40c located in the center portion in the front-rear direction is greatest and the number of protrusions 42 in the flow path portions 40a, 40e located at both front and rear ends is least, thereby making it possible to efficiently cool the center portion in the front-rear direction of the battery pack, which generates a large amount of heat.

[0206] In the above embodiment, a structure in which a small number of protrusions 42 are sparsely provided in the parallel flow path section 38 has been exemplified, but for example, the protrusions 42 may be arranged substantially uniformly over substantially the entire parallel flow path section 38, and portions without protrusions 42 may be provided locally in the parallel flow path section 38. Furthermore, for example, a plurality of types of protrusions that differ in their effect of disturbing the flow of the heat medium due to differences in shape or size may be provided over the entire parallel flow path section 38.

[0207] In the above embodiment, a structure is exemplified in which the protrusion 42 is spaced downward from the cooling surface component 12 and a narrowed flow path portion 50 is formed between the protrusion 42 and the cooling surface component 12, but for example, the protrusion 42 may be partially abutting the cooling surface component 12.

[0208] As illustrated in the above embodiment, the narrowed flow path section 50 desirably has a flow path cross-sectional area that decreases toward the downstream side in the heat transfer medium flow direction. However, for example, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the downstream narrowed flow path section may be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the upstream narrowed flow path section in at least a portion of the heat transfer medium. Furthermore, the flow path cross-sectional areas of all narrowed flow path sections may be substantially constant. Furthermore, the flow path cross-sectional areas of multiple narrowed flow path sections arranged in parallel at the same position in the heat transfer medium flow direction may be different from each other.

[0209] In the above embodiment, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the narrowed flow path portion 50 is varied by varying the height of the protrusion 42. However, for example, it is also possible to adjust the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the narrowed flow path portion formed between the protrusion 42 and the protruding portion inserted into the groove 32 by providing a protruding portion that protrudes from the underside of the cooling surface component 12 at a position corresponding to the protrusion 42. In this case, by varying the protruding heights of the multiple protruding portions of the cooling surface component 12, it is possible to vary the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the narrowed flow path portion while maintaining the protruding height of the protrusion 42 constant. Furthermore, for example, it is also possible to change the height position of the protruding tip of the protrusion 42 in the extension direction of the ridge line 44, thereby changing the separation distance between the protrusion 42 and the cooling surface component 12. In this way, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the narrowed flow path portion can be adjusted by changing the height and width of the portion of the protrusion 42 outside the maximum protruding portion without changing the maximum protruding height of the protrusion 42.

[0210] Furthermore, the flow path lengths of the narrowed flow path portions provided on the plurality of protrusions 42 do not need to be constant and can be set individually as appropriate. For example, by varying the flow path lengths of the narrowed flow path portions, the flow resistances of the heat transfer medium can be adjusted relative to each other.

[0211] For example, the cooling surface component 12 may be made of synthetic resin, and the flow path component 14 may be made of metal. The cooling surface component 12 made of synthetic resin is preferably formed from a thermally conductive synthetic resin, such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyamide, polypropylene, or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), mixed with a thermally conductive filler such as aluminum oxide (alumina), silica, or silicon carbide, in order to ensure a high heat transfer coefficient.

[0212] The object to be cooled is not necessarily limited to a battery for an electric vehicle, and may be, for example, a stationary battery for industrial use, etc. Furthermore, while the first embodiment illustrates a case in which multiple battery packs 52 are arranged on the cooling surface 16 of one cooling heat exchanger 10, for example, one battery pack 52 may be arranged on the cooling surface 16 of one cooling heat exchanger 10. Furthermore, for example, one battery pack 52 may be arranged across multiple cooling heat exchangers 10.

[0213] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Cooling heat exchanger (first embodiment) 12 Cooling surface constituent member 14 Flow path member 16 Cooling surface 18 Recessed portion 20 Outer peripheral fixing portion 22 Supply hole 24 Supply port 26 Discharge hole 28 Discharge port 30 Inner peripheral fixing portion (partition wall portion) 32 (32a to 32e) Recessed groove 36 Cooling flow path 38 Parallel flow path portion 40 (40a to 40e) Flow path portion 42 Protrusion 44 Ridge line 45a Protrusion top portion 45b Protrusion base portion 46 First inclined surface (upstream inclined portion) 48 Second inclined surface (downstream inclined portion) 50 Narrowed flow path portion 52 Battery pack (cooling target) 54 Terminal portion 60 Cooling heat exchanger (second embodiment) 62 Flow path member 64 Recessed portion 66 Central fixing portion 68 Cooling flow path 70 Parallel flow path section 72 Parallel flow path section 74 (74a, 74b) Flow path section 76 (76a, 76b) Flow path section 78 Intermediate junction section 80 Cooling heat exchanger (third embodiment) 82 Flow path member 84 Columnar fixing section 90 Cooling heat exchanger (fourth embodiment) 100 Cooling heat exchanger (fifth embodiment) 110 Cooling heat exchanger (sixth embodiment) 120 Cooling heat exchanger (seventh embodiment) 121 Flow path member 122 Turbulent flow section 124 First layer flow section (laminar flow section) 126 Second laminar flow section 128 Inlet side flow path section 130 Inclined bottom surface 132 Outlet side flow path section 140 Cooling heat exchanger (eighth embodiment) 142 Protrusion 142a First protrusion 142b Second protrusion 144 Low protrusion 146 High protrusion 150 Protrusion (another embodiment) 152 Protrusion apex 154 First inclined surface (upstream inclined surface) 156 Second inclined surface (downstream inclined surface) R Radius of curvature of protrusion apex L Length dimension of protrusion base α Inclination angle of first inclined surface β Inclination angle of second inclined surface

Claims

1. A cooling heat exchanger having a cooling flow path formed therein through which a heat medium for cooling flows, for cooling an object placed overlaid on a cooling surface, wherein the cooling flow path is made up of a plurality of flow path sections extending in parallel adjacent to each other, and is provided with parallel flow path sections in which the heat medium flows in the same direction in the plurality of flow path sections, and a plurality of protrusions are formed in the parallel flow path section to disturb the flow of the heat medium, and the parallel flow path section is set with areas in which the effects of the protrusions disturbing the flow of the heat medium differ from one another.

2. A cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein the areas having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set at different positions in the flow direction of the heat medium in at least one of the flow path sections constituting the parallel flow path section.

3. A cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 2, wherein the regions set at different positions in the flow direction of the heat medium in the parallel flow path section have different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium, and the more downstream the region, the stronger the effect of the protrusions on the flow of the heat medium is set.

4. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusions are provided across the entire flow path width of the flow path section constituting the parallel flow path section, and a narrowed flow path section through which the heat transfer medium flows is provided on the protruding tip side of the protrusions.

5. A cooling heat exchanger as set forth in claim 4, wherein a plurality of said narrowed flow passage portions are formed by said plurality of protrusions, and at least one of said plurality of narrowed flow passage portions has a flow passage cross-sectional area different from the others.

6. A cooling heat exchanger as set forth in claim 5, wherein the flow path cross-sectional areas of the plurality of narrowed flow path sections provided in one flow path section become smaller from the upstream side to the downstream side of the flow path section.

7. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the projections are provided partially relative to the parallel flow path portion, and the region where the projections are formed and the region where the projections are not formed are configured to have different effects on disrupting the flow of the heat medium.

8. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cooling surface component that constitutes the cooling surface has a laminated structure in which it is superimposed on a flow path member having a groove, the groove of the flow path member being covered by the cooling surface component member, thereby forming the cooling flow path, and the plurality of protrusions protrude from the flow path member towards the cooling surface component member.

9. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one pair of adjacent flow path sections in the parallel flow path section are provided with regions that have different effects on disturbing the flow of the heat medium.

10. A cooling heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the object to be cooled is a battery.

11. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the regions having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set by varying the spacing between the plurality of protrusions in the direction of the heat medium flow.

12. A cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 11, wherein the spacing between the multiple protrusions aligned in the flow path length direction in the flow path section narrows toward downstream, and the regions having different effects of disrupting the flow of the heat medium are set in the flow path length direction of the flow path section.

13. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the regions having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set by varying the heights of the plurality of protrusions.

14. A cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 13, wherein the height of the plurality of protrusions arranged in the flow path section in the flow path length direction increases toward downstream, and the regions having different effects of disturbing the flow of the heat medium are set in the flow path length direction of the flow path section.

15. A cooling heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the protrusion has a ridgeline that extends at an angle relative to the flow path length direction of the flow path portion.

16. A cooling heat exchanger according to claim 15, wherein the protrusions extend in a V-shape inclined in the longitudinal direction of the flow path toward both sides of the width direction of the flow path portion.

17. A cooling heat exchanger according to claim 16, wherein the projections are V-shaped and extend obliquely downstream of the cooling flow path on both sides in the width direction of the cooling flow path.

18. A cooling heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the protrusions are provided only in the central portion of the flow path in the flow path length direction.

19. A cooling heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the protrusions are provided only on the flow path section that constitutes the central portion in the flow path width direction of the parallel flow path section.

20. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the plurality of protrusions are arranged in a line in the flow path length direction of the flow path section, and the spacing between the protrusions located in the central portion of the flow path section in the flow path length direction is smaller than the spacing between the protrusions located on both sides of the flow path section in the flow path length direction.

21. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the width dimension of the protrusion in the flow path width direction of the flow path portion is 50% or more of the flow path width dimension of the flow path portion.

22. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the flow path width dimension of the flow path section is within the range of 0.3 to 30 times the width dimension of the partition section separating adjacent flow path sections.

23. A cooling heat exchanger as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the protrusion height dimension of the protrusion is within the range of 0.1 to 1.3 times the width dimension of the protrusion.

24. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the flow path section has a laminar flow section where the protrusions are not provided, and the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path section in the laminar flow section becomes smaller toward the downstream side.

25. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in claim 24, wherein the flow path length of the laminar flow section is shorter than the flow path length of the turbulent flow section where the protrusions are formed outside the laminar flow section.

26. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in claim 25, wherein in the turbulent flow section where the protrusions are formed in the part of the flow path outside the laminar flow section, the part excluding the protrusions has a constant cross section.

27. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein an inlet-side flow path section is provided upstream of the parallel flow path section, and the plurality of flow path sections branch off from the inlet-side flow path section and extend downstream, and an outlet-side flow path section where the plurality of flow path sections join is provided downstream of the parallel flow path section, and the volume of the inlet-side flow path section is made larger than the volume of the outlet-side flow path section.

28. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein the protrusion height varies in the flow path width direction of the flow path section, and either a low protrusion with a low protrusion height or a high protrusion with a high protrusion height is located in the central portion of the protrusion in the flow path width direction, and either the low protrusion with a low protrusion height or the high protrusion with a high protrusion height is located at each end portion of the protrusion in the flow path width direction.

29. A cooling heat exchanger as described in claim 28, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are arranged in a line in the flow path length direction of the flow path section, and the plurality of protrusions are configured by alternatingly arranging first protrusions in the flow path length direction of the flow path section, the first protrusions having the low protrusion set in the center part of the flow path width direction of the flow path section and the high protrusions set at both end parts, and second protrusions having the high protrusion set in the center part of the flow path width direction of the flow path section and the low protrusions set at both end parts, in the flow path length direction of the flow path section.

30. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 29, wherein the protrusion has a cross-sectional shape that tapers toward the protrusion tip in a cross section of the flow path section in the flow path length direction, and comprises an arc-shaped protrusion apex, an upstream inclined portion that extends from the protrusion apex toward the upstream side of the flow path section at an angle toward the protrusion base, which is the bottom side of the flow path section, and a downstream inclined portion that extends from the protrusion apex toward the downstream side of the protrusion base, which is provided smoothly and continuously without corners.

31. A cooling heat exchanger as set forth in claim 30, wherein, in a cross section of the flow path portion in the flow path length direction, the radius of curvature of the protrusion top is within a range of 0.05 to 1.5 times the length dimension of the protrusion base, and, in a cross section of the flow path portion in the flow path length direction, the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion relative to the bottom surface of the flow path portion is within a range of 20 to 70 degrees.

32. A cooling heat exchanger according to claim 30, wherein the inclination angle of the upstream inclined portion relative to the bottom surface of the flow path portion is 25° or less in a cross section of the flow path portion in the flow path length direction.

33. A cooling heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 32, wherein the protrusions extend across the entire width of the flow path of the flow path portion and are continuous with the side wall portions of the flow path portion at both ends.

34. A method for adjusting the cooling effect of a cooling heat exchanger having a cooling surface on which a cooling object is placed, and having a parallel flow path section in which internal cooling flow paths through which a heat medium for cooling flows extend adjacent to each other in parallel and are made up of a plurality of flow path sections in which the heat medium flows in the same direction, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the flow path sections in the parallel flow path section is changed to set a specific area in which the flow of the heat medium is disturbed in a manner different from other areas, thereby adjusting the cooling efficiency of the heat medium in the specific area.

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