Cooling module

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling module (100) comprising: - an air duct (10) having an inlet face (11) and an outlet face (12) extending parallel to a joining plane (P1), - a heat exchange device (20) comprising an attachment plate (21), - a sealing means (30) configured for arrangement in the joining plane (P1), between the outlet face (12) of the air duct (10) and the heat exchange device (20), the air duct (10) being configured for attachment to the attachment plate (21) by an attachment means (40), allowing the deformation of the sealing means (30) and a decoupling of the heat exchange device (20) from the attachment plate (21) when a force (F') having a component normal to the joining plane (P1) and greater than a preset value is applied to the air duct (10).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Title of the invention: Cooling module

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle cooling modules, in particular a cooling module comprising an air duct and a heat exchange device, for example a radiator.

[0004] A vehicle's cooling system consists of several components, including the radiator. The radiator has a channel structure through which a fluid circulates to dissipate excess heat generated by other vehicle components. The radiator is mounted at the front of the vehicle and is connected to an air duct. The air duct has an inlet through which ambient air enters when the vehicle is in motion and an outlet facing the radiator. Airflow is thus directed from outside the vehicle into the radiator channels where the fluid circulates. Heat exchange occurs between the air and the fluid. A cooling system also includes a fan to assist airflow through the radiator.

[0005] Modern radiators are of the horizontal circulation type (also known as "crossflow"). The channels extend horizontally, taking advantage of the vehicle's width to increase the distance the fluid travels. Such a crossflow radiator comprises a central element made up of multiple channels and two water boxes, or water reservoirs, on either side of the central element and connected to the channel network. One of the two water boxes, called the inlet box, receives the hot fluid from other vehicle components, and the other, called the outlet box, receives the cooled fluid after it has passed through the channels.

[0006] As mentioned previously, an air duct is located on the front face of the radiator, that is, between the radiator and the front of the vehicle. Typically, the air duct is attached to the radiator. Specifically, the air duct includes one or more attachment points allowing it to be connected to the upper, lower, or side sections of the radiator, thus connecting it to each of the water boxes. The air duct therefore extends across the entire surface of the radiator.

[0007] In a frontal collision, the air intake duct and radiator can be damaged. Specifically, the air intake duct, upon impact, is likely to transmit the force to the radiator at its mounting points, potentially damaging the upper, lower, or side sections of the radiator mentioned above. Damage to these components could necessitate repair or even complete radiator replacement.

[0008] The invention falls within this context and proposes an air duct with an innovative fixing method for easy and secure assembly of the air duct to the radiator while preserving the radiator in case of frontal impact.

[0009] As will become apparent from reading the document, the invention is by no means limited to a crossflow radiator and its two water boxes. More generally, the invention applies to any heat exchange device that must be protected during a frontal impact. Such a heat exchange device includes a mounting frame to which the air duct is attached. It is therefore understood that the air duct is intended to be attached to the mounting frame of the heat exchange device.

[0010] To this end, the invention relates to a cooling module comprising:

[0011] an air duct having an inlet face and an outlet face extending parallel to a junction plane,

[0012] a heat exchange device comprising a fixing plate, a sealing means configured to be arranged in the junction plane, between the outlet face of the air duct and the heat exchange device, the air duct being configured to be fixed to the fixing plate by a fixing means allowing deformation of the sealing means and uncoupling of the heat exchange device from the fixing plate when a force having a component normal to the junction plane is greater than a predetermined value is applied to the air duct.

[0013] The invention thus enables the absorption of the frontal impact through the deformation of the sealing means, while preserving the heat exchange device, particularly the part supporting the mounting plate. Indeed, the decoupling of the mounting means between the air duct and the heat exchange device prevents, at least for a period of time, the transmission of the shock received by the air duct to the heat exchange device. The impact sustained by the heat exchange device is therefore minimized.

[0014] A junction plane is defined as a plane that extends parallel to a plane in which the outlet face of the air duct is primarily located. The junction plane is designed to be in contact with the sealing element. In other words, the sealing element has a surface that contains the junction plane.

[0015] Advantageously, the fastening means is configured to compress the sealing means when the air duct is fixed to the mounting plate. Thus, during a frontal impact, the sealing means is further compressed to absorb the force.

[0016] According to one feature of the invention, the fastening means comprises a hook extending from the outlet face of the air duct and a fastening wall supported by the fastening plate configured to cooperate with the hook. Said hook extends substantially in a direction opposite to the inlet face.

[0017] Furthermore, the hook has a first sliding surface and a second sliding surface configured to come into contact with the fixing wall. It is understood that the first sliding surface is supported by one portion of the hook and the second sliding surface is supported by a second portion of the hook.

[0018] According to another feature of the invention, the mounting plate has an opening for receiving the second sliding surface when the air duct is attached to the mounting plate. It is understood that the second portion of the hook is partially within the opening once the module is assembled. This second portion is capable of coming into contact with one of the surfaces forming the opening on the mounting plate and acting as a stop. This stop is particularly necessary to ensure the air duct remains attached to the mounting plate when a force in a direction substantially parallel to the joint plane is applied to the air duct, which could cause it to deform under gravity or to move upon impact from outside the air duct relative to the mounting plate.

[0019] Advantageously, the first sliding surface and the second sliding surface form an angle between 130° and 135°. Thus, the hook has an angled shape at the first and second portions, which facilitates interaction between the hook and the fixing plate and reduces the required size of the opening in the fixing plate intended to receive the second sliding surface.

[0020] According to one feature of the invention, the hook came from the material with the air duct.

[0021] According to another feature of the invention, the hook comprises a longitudinal portion extending from the outlet face of the air duct in a first direction forming with the junction plane an angle between 86° and 89°, the fixing wall being configured to be arranged between the longitudinal portion and the second sliding surface.

[0022] This longitudinal portion extends outwards from the exit face. The available space between the longitudinal portion and the second sliding surface is increased, allowing for a larger fixing wall. This results in greater rigidity of the fixing plate.

[0023] According to another feature of the invention, the air duct has a first plane of symmetry, the hook being arranged in the first plane of symmetry. Furthermore, the fixing plate has a longitudinal shape and has a second plane of symmetry, the fixing wall extends from the fixing plate in a second direction parallel to the second plane of symmetry and has a shape symmetrical with respect to the second plane of symmetry.

[0024] It is therefore understood that the means of attachment is located in the plane of symmetry of the cooling module after assembly.

[0025] The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising such a cooling module.

[0026] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description on the one hand, and from several illustrative and non-limiting examples of embodiments given with reference to the attached schematic drawings on the other hand, in which:

[0027] [Fig. 1] represents a perspective view of a cooling module according to the invention,

[0028] [Fig.2] shows a perspective view of a hook according to the invention,

[0029] [Fig. 3] shows another perspective view of the hook of Figure 2 and a fixing plate according to the invention,

[0030] [Fig.4] shows a cross-sectional view of the fastening means in a first position during the assembly of the cooling module,

[0031] [Fig. 5] shows a cross-sectional view of the fastening means in a second position during the assembly of the cooling module,

[0032] [Fig.6] shows a cross-sectional view of the fastening means after assembly of the cooling module,

[0033] [Fig.7] represents a perspective view of the fastening means after the cooling module has been assembled.

[0034] The features, variations, and different embodiments of the invention, as described or as they will be presented in the detailed description that follows, can be combined in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variations of the invention may be conceived comprising only a selection of features, described hereafter in isolation from the other described features, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage and / or to differentiate the invention from the prior art. For clarity, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals in the various figures.

[0035] Figure 1 shows a cooling module 100 according to the invention extending between two side members of a vehicle along the Z-axis as shown in this figure, the Z-axis being horizontal. The cooling module 100 includes an air duct 10 having an inlet face 11 through which air is intended to enter the air duct 10. The air duct 10 includes an outlet face 12 located opposite the air duct 10 with respect to the inlet face 11. The air duct 10 is configured to be arranged on the front face of a vehicle moving along the X-axis as shown in Figure 1.

[0036] The air duct 10 has a first plane of symmetry P2 which is parallel to the Y axis as shown in Figure 1, the Y axis being orthogonal to the X axis. Thus, when using expressions such as "top", "bottom", "upper" and "lower", these are the element positions in the cooling module 100 relative to the Y axis.

[0037] The cooling module 100 further includes a heat exchange device 20, for example a radiator, including a mounting plate 21. In the example illustrated by Figure 1, the mounting plate 21 is arranged at the lower end of the heat exchange device 20.

[0038] Furthermore, the mounting plate 21 has a longitudinal shape and a second plane of symmetry (P3) as shown in Figure 3. Also shown in Figure 1, the outlet face 12 extends parallel to a junction plane PI, and the cooling module 100 is equipped with a sealing means 30, for example, an elastic seal, arranged between the outlet face 12 of the air duct 10 and the heat exchanger 20. The junction plane PI is defined as a plane in contact with the sealing means 30. In other words, it is considered here that the sealing means 30 comprises a surface extending into the junction plane PI. When the sealing means is mounted on the outlet face 12 of the air duct 10, it is understood that the outlet face 12 opens onto the junction plane PI.

[0039] Depending on the vehicle's front configuration, the PI junction plane can be vertical or form a non-right angle with the Z-axis. For example, the PI junction plane can form an angle of between 80° and 84° with the Z-axis. This allows for space savings in vehicle models with a lower front-end height.

[0040] The air duct 10 is configured to be fixed to the mounting plate 21 by a fastening means 40 which includes a hook 13 extending from the outlet face 12 of the air duct 10 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The hook 13 is arranged in the first plane of symmetry P2 of the air duct 10 and includes a longitudinal portion 134 extending from the outlet face 12 of the air duct 10 in a first direction DI as seen in Figure 2. As illustrated in Figure 6, said first direction DI forms an angle A2 with the joining plane PI of between 86° and 89°, preferably 88°. It is therefore understood that the hook 13 is located substantially in the center of the lower part of the outlet face 12 of the air duct 10 and extends slightly outwards from the outlet face 12.

[0041] The hook 13 further comprises a first portion 81 having a first sliding face 131 and a second portion 82 having a second sliding face 132. As illustrated in Figure 6, the first sliding surface 131 and the second sliding surface 132 form an angle A1 between 130° and 130°. In the illustrated example, the first portion 81 has a central through-recess, and the first sliding face 131 is distributed on either side of this recess. However, the invention is not limited to this particular geometry of the hook, which may very well have a first solid portion without a recess or without a through-recess.

[0042] As illustrated in figures 2 and 3, the first portion 81 of the hook has another surface, called the stop surface 133, substantially vertical with respect to the longitudinal portion 134 and arranged under the second portion 82 of the hook 13. In this illustrated example, the stop surface 133 is also distributed on both sides of the recess passing through the first portion 81 of the hook 13.

[0043] In the illustrated example, the hook 13 and the air duct 10 form a single unit. The hook 13 is part of a fastening means 40 for assembling the air duct 10 onto the mounting plate 21 of the heat exchanger 20. The mounting plate 21, as shown in Figure 3, includes a mounting wall 23 configured to cooperate with the first sliding surface 131, the second sliding surface 132, and the abutment surface 133 of the hook 13. The mounting wall 21 extends downward from the mounting plate 21 in a second direction D2 parallel to the second plane of symmetry P3 and has a symmetrical shape with respect to the second plane of symmetry P3. It is therefore understood that the mounting wall 21 is arranged at the center of the mounting plate 21.

[0044] Still visible in figure 3, the fixing plate 21 has an opening 22 allowing to receive the second sliding surface 132 when the air duct 10 is fixed on the fixing plate 21. The opening 22 having a rectangular shape is arranged above the fixing wall 23.

[0045] We will now explain the assembly of the air duct 10 and the mounting plate 21 as well as the operation of the mounting means 40 of the cooling module 100.

[0046] During assembly, the air duct 10 and the fixing plate 21 are brought together in a direction orthogonal to the junction plane PI and the lower edge of the fixing wall 23 comes into contact with the first sliding surface 131 of the hook 10 as seen in figure 4.

[0047] Throughout the movement of the fixing wall 23 on the first sliding surface 131, the fixing wall 23 exerts a force on the first portion 81 of the hook 13 which bends downwards as illustrated by figure 5.

[0048] The approach of the air duct 10 and the fixing plate 21 continues and the fixing wall 23 reaches the top of the first portion 131 of the hook and leaves the first sliding surface 131 to join the second sliding surface 132.

[0049] As soon as the fixing wall 23 reaches the end of the second sliding surface 132, the lower edge of the fixing wall 23 separates from the second portion 82 of the hook 13. The fixing wall 23 no longer exerts a downward force on the hook 13. The hook 13 immediately returns to its initial position. There is no further bending of the hook 13.

[0050] The first sliding surface 131 and the second sliding surface 132, forming an angle between 130° and 135°, are not in the same plane. Therefore, as the fixing wall 23 slides on the second sliding surface 132, the hook 13 returns slightly to its initial position and becomes less deflected than when the fixing wall 23 slides on the first sliding surface 131. This configuration is particularly advantageous for cushioning the return of the hook 13 to its initial position.

[0051] During assembly, i.e., when the air duct 10 and the mounting plate 21 are brought together, the sealing means 30 arranged between these two elements is compressed and attempts to return to its initial shape. The sealing means 30 then exerts a restoring force Fl on the air duct 10 and a restoring force F2 on the mounting plate 21, which attempt to separate them from each other, as shown in Figure 6. These restoring forces Fl and F2 cause the abutment surface 133 of the hook 13 and the mounting wall 23 to come into contact with each other and remain in contact after the assembly of the cooling module 100, also shown in the figure. At the same time as the hook 13 returns to its initial position, the second portion 82 of the hook 13 rises upwards and is level with the opening 22 on the mounting plate 21.In the position after assembly, the second portion 82 moves in the direction of the restoring force Fl and enters the opening 22 as illustrated by Figure 7. The fixing wall 23 is located between the longitudinal portion 134 and the second sliding surface 132 in this same position.

[0052] Thus, the second portion 82 of the hook 13 is likely to come into contact with one of the surfaces forming the opening 22 in the event of displacement of the air duct 13 relative to the fixing plate 21 in the YZ plane.

[0053] Furthermore, the fact that the second portion 82 extends slightly downwards allows for a smaller opening 22 on the fixing plate 21. For a predetermined footprint of the fixing plate 21, it is therefore possible to reduce the size of the opening 22 while increasing the size of the fixing wall 23 for better rigidity of the latter.

[0054] When a force F' with a component normal to the junction plane PI exceeds a predetermined value and is applied to the air duct 10 as illustrated in Figure 1, the duct can move towards the mounting plate 21 in the X direction. The stop formed by the stop surface 133 and the mounting wall 23 is removed, leading to the disengagement of the heat exchange device 20 from the mounting plate 21. The air duct 10 and the mounting plate 21 are no longer in contact during the impact from this direction. The risk of damaging the mounting plate 21 is thus reduced, or even eliminated.

[0055] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples just described, and many modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the features of different embodiments of the invention can be combined to carry out the invention, provided that these embodiments are not incompatible with each other.

Claims

DEMANDS 1- Cooling module (100) comprising: an air duct (10) having an inlet face (11) and an outlet face (12) extending parallel to a junction plane (PI), a heat exchange device (20) comprising a mounting plate (21), a sealing means (30) configured to be arranged in the junction plane (PI), between the outlet face (12) of the air duct (10) and the heat exchange device (20), the air duct (10) being configured to be fixed on the fixing plate (21) by a fixing means (40) allowing deformation of the sealing means (30) and uncoupling of the heat exchange device (20) from the fixing plate (21) when a force (F') having a component normal to the junction plane (PI) is greater than a predetermined value is applied on the air duct (10). 2- Cooling module according to claim 1 in which the fixing means (40) is configured to compress the sealing means (30) when the air duct (10) is fixed to the fixing plate (21). 3- Cooling module according to any one of the preceding claims in which the fastening means (40) comprises a hook (13) extending from the outlet face (12) of the air duct (10) and a fastening wall (23) carried by the fastening plate (21) configured to cooperate with the hook (13). 4- Cooling module according to the preceding claim in which the hook (13) has a first sliding surface (131) and a second sliding surface (132) configured to come into contact with the fixing wall (23). 5- Cooling module according to the preceding claim in which the fixing plate (21) has an opening (22) allowing to receive the second sliding surface (132) when the air duct (10) is fixed on the fixing plate (21). 6- Cooling module according to the preceding claim in which the first sliding surface (131) and the second sliding surface (132) form an angle between 130° and 135°. 7- Cooling module according to any one of claims 3 to the preceding one in which the hook (13) is made of material with the air duct (10). 8- Cooling module according to any one of claims 3 to the preceding one in which the hook (13) comprises a longitudinal portion (134) extending from the outlet face (12) of the air duct (10) in a first direction (Dl) forming with the junction plane (PI) an angle between 86° and 89°, the fixing wall (23) being configured to be arranged between the longitudinal portion (134) and the second sliding surface (132). 9- Cooling module according to any one of claims 3 to the preceding one in which the air duct (10) has a first plane of symmetry (P2), the hook (13) being arranged in the first plane of symmetry (P2). 10- Cooling module according to any one of claims 3 to the preceding one wherein the fixing plate (21) has a longitudinal shape and presents a second plane of symmetry (P3), the fixing wall (23) extends from the fixing plate (21) in a second direction (D2) parallel to the second plane of symmetry (P3) and has a shape symmetrical with respect to the second plane of symmetry (P3). 11- Vehicle comprising a heat exchange device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.

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