CN116056924A - Vehicle with a vehicle body having a vehicle body support - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle (C) is provided with: heat exchangers (5, 6) for exchanging heat with air introduced from the grille opening (2), an opening/closing device (8) capable of changing the air volume of the air supplied to the heat exchangers, and a control unit (82) for controlling the opening/closing device. The opening/closing device has a first opening/closing section (512) for opening/closing a first portion (A13, A14) of the opening/closing device, and a second opening/closing section (511) for opening/closing a second portion (A11, A12) farther from the grill opening than the first portion. The control unit operates the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit so that the opening degree of the first portion becomes smaller than the opening degree of the second portion.

Description

Vehicle with a vehicle body having a vehicle body support

Cross-reference to related applications

The present application claims the benefit of priority based on japanese patent application 2020-153320, filed on 11, 9, 2020, and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle.

Background

In an electric vehicle, a motor is cooled by circulating cooling water through the motor as its power source. Therefore, a radiator for cooling water for cooling the motor is mounted on the electric vehicle. On the other hand, the electric vehicle is compared with the engine vehicle, and the heat generation amount of the motor as the power source of the electric vehicle is smaller than the heat generation amount of the engine as the power source of the engine vehicle. Therefore, the amount of air required to be supplied to the radiator of the cooling water for cooling the motor is smaller than the amount of air required to be supplied to the radiator of the cooling water for cooling the engine. Accordingly, in the conventional electric vehicle, as described in, for example, patent document 1 below, the opening degree of the grille opening for introducing air in front of the vehicle into the radiator is set smaller than the opening degree of the grille opening of the engine vehicle. Specifically, in the vehicle described in patent document 1, the grill opening is formed so as to face only the lower half of the radiator. The vehicle is provided with a duct for guiding air introduced from the grill opening to the radiator. The duct is formed such that the flow path cross-sectional area thereof gradually increases from the grill opening toward the radiator. By reducing the grill opening as in the vehicle described in patent document 1, the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle can be improved, and it is possible to extend the cruising distance of the vehicle.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: german patent application publication No. 102018214105 specification

In the duct described in patent document 1, the pressure in a portion away from the grill opening in the up-down direction tends to be higher than the pressure in a portion close to the grill opening in the up-down direction. As a result, in the radiator, the air volume of the air flowing through the portion distant from the grill opening portion is smaller than the air volume of the air flowing through the portion close to the grill opening portion. Such variation in the air volume distribution of the air is not preferable because it reduces the heat exchange efficiency of the radiator.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a vehicle capable of improving heat exchange efficiency of a heat exchanger.

A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with air introduced from the grill opening; an opening/closing device capable of changing the air volume of the air supplied to the heat exchanger by opening/closing operation of the opening/closing portion; and a control unit that controls the opening/closing device. The opening area of the grille opening is smaller than the projected area of the front surface of the heat exchanger. The opening/closing device has a first opening/closing portion for opening/closing a first portion of the opening/closing device and a second opening/closing portion for opening/closing a second portion of the opening/closing device that is farther from the grill opening than the first portion. The control unit operates the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit so that the opening degree of the first portion is smaller than the opening degree of the second portion.

With this configuration, the opening degree of the first portion of the opening/closing device is made smaller than the opening degree of the second portion of the opening/closing device, and thus air can easily flow to the second portion as compared with the first portion of the opening/closing device. In this way, the pressure of the air in the heat exchanger at the portion disposed near the grill opening can be changed in the direction in which the pressure of the air in the portion disposed far from the grill opening can be changed in the direction in which the pressure of the air is changed. By locally changing the pressure of the air by the deviation of the opening degree of the opening/closing device in this way, the deviation of the pressure of the air due to the position of the grill opening can be reduced. As a result, the variation in the air volume of the air supplied to the heat exchanger can be reduced, and therefore the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a schematic structure of a vehicle according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cooling circuit and the heat pump device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the damper device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical structure of the vehicle of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the sequence of processing executed by the heat system ECU of the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a schematic structure of a vehicle according to a second embodiment.

Fig. 7 (a) and (B) are diagrams schematically showing the schematic structures of the vehicles according to the third and fourth embodiments.

Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a schematic structure of a vehicle according to a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a front structure of a radiator according to a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a schematic structure of a vehicle according to a sixth embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings. In order to facilitate the understanding of the description, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as much as possible in the drawings, and the duplicate description is omitted.

< first embodiment >, first embodiment

The vehicle C shown in fig. 1 is a so-called electric vehicle that travels using a motor as a power source. A grille opening 2 is provided in front of a vehicle body 1 of the vehicle C. The grille opening 2 is provided for supplying air in front of the vehicle body 1 to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6. The air introduced from the grill opening 2 is supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 through the air guide duct 4. The radiator 5 is a component of a cooling circuit for cooling the power unit of the vehicle C, and radiates heat of the cooling water by exchanging heat between the cooling water circulated in the cooling circuit and the air introduced from the grill opening 2. The power unit includes a motor as a power source of the vehicle C, a battery for driving the motor, an inverter device, and the like. The outdoor heat exchanger 6 is a component provided in a heat pump device of an air conditioner mounted on the vehicle C, and operates as a condenser or a heat absorber by exchanging heat between a refrigerant circulating in the heat pump device and air introduced from the grille opening 2. The radiator 5 is disposed in front of the vehicle with respect to the outdoor heat exchanger 6. A blower 7 is provided downstream of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 in the air flow direction. The blower 7 is provided for supplying air to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 when, for example, the vehicle C is stopped. In the present embodiment, the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 correspond to heat exchangers.

The damper device 8 is disposed in front of the radiator 5 in the vehicle so as to face the radiator 5. The damper device 8 is configured to be capable of switching between an open state in which the air introduced from the grille opening 2 can flow to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and a closed state in which the flow of the air to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be shut off. For example, when the vehicle C is traveling at a high speed, the damper device 8 is closed to improve the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle C. In the present embodiment, the damper device 8 corresponds to an opening/closing device.

Next, the outline structure of each of the cooling circuit using the radiator 5 and the heat pump apparatus using the outdoor heat exchanger 6 will be described.

As shown in fig. 2, the cooling circuit 20 is provided with a radiator 5, a pump 21, and a heating element 22. In the cooling circuit 20, cooling water circulates through these elements. The radiator 5 cools the cooling water by heat-exchanging the cooling water flowing inside with air flowing outside. The pump 21 sucks in the cooling water cooled by the radiator 5 and discharges the cooling water to the heating element 22. The cooling water circulates in the cooling circuit 20 by driving the pump 21. The pump 21 is an electric pump driven based on the supply of electric power. The heating element 22 includes a motor 220, an inverter device 221, a battery 222, and the like, which constitute a power unit of the vehicle C. Inverter device 221 converts dc power charged into battery 222 into ac power to supply to motor 220, and converts ac power generated by the regenerative operation of motor 220 into dc power to charge battery 222. The cooling water discharged from the pump 21 flows through the motor 220, the inverter device 221, and the battery 222. The cooling water cools the heat of the motor 220 and the like by absorbing them. The cooling water whose temperature has risen by absorbing the heat of the motor 220 or the like is supplied to the radiator 5 to be cooled again.

The heat pump device 30 is a constituent element of an air conditioning device 40 of the vehicle C. The heat pump device 30 is provided with an outdoor heat exchanger 6, a water-cooled condenser 31, and an evaporator 32. In the heat pump device 30, the refrigerant circulates through these elements. The heat pump device 30 changes the flow state of the refrigerant between the case where the air conditioner 40 operates in the cooling mode and the case where the air conditioner 40 operates in the heating mode, thereby realizing cooling and heating of the vehicle interior.

Specifically, when the air conditioner 40 operates in the cooling mode, the heat pump device 30 circulates the refrigerant through the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and the evaporator 32. At this time, the outdoor heat exchanger 6 operates as a condenser. That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 6 cools the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and the air flowing outside. The high-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant generated by cooling in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is decompressed and transferred to a low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant by a decompression valve provided in the heat pump device 30, and then supplied to the evaporator 32. The evaporator 32 cools the air in the air-conditioning duct 41 by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing therein and the air flowing through the air-conditioning duct 41 of the air-conditioning apparatus 40. The air is blown into the vehicle interior through the air conditioning duct 41, thereby cooling the vehicle interior. In the evaporator 32, the low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant is transferred into a low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant by heat exchange with air. The low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant is transferred to a high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant by the pump pressure provided in the heat pump device 30, and thereafter, is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 to be cooled again.

On the other hand, when the air conditioner 40 is operated in the heating mode, the heat pump device 30 circulates the refrigerant through the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and the water-cooled condenser 31. At this time, the outdoor heat exchanger 6 operates as a heat absorber. That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 6 heats the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and the air flowing outside. The low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant generated by the heating in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is transferred to a high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant by a pump provided in the heat pump device 30, and then supplied to the water-cooled condenser 31. In the water-cooled condenser 31, the cooling water is heated by heat exchange between the high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant supplied from the heat pump device 30 and the cooling water flowing through the cooling water circuit 42 of the air conditioner 40. The cooling water circuit 42 is provided with a heater core 43 and a pump 44 of the air conditioner 40 in addition to the water-cooled condenser 31. The pump 44 circulates the cooling water in the cooling water circuit 42. The heater core 43 heats the air flowing in the air conditioning duct 41 by exchanging heat between the cooling water flowing therein and the air flowing in the air conditioning duct 41. This air is blown into the vehicle interior through the air conditioning duct 41, thereby heating the vehicle interior. In the water-cooled condenser 31, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant is transferred to the high-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant by heat exchange with the cooling water. The high-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant is depressurized and transferred to a low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant by a pressure reducing valve provided in the heat pump device 30, and then supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 to be heated again.

Next, a schematic configuration of the damper device 8 will be described.

As shown in fig. 3, the damper device 8 includes a frame 50, a plurality of blades 51, and a motor 52.

The frame 50 includes a frame body 500 formed in a rectangular frame shape, and a vertical frame reinforcing portion 501 and a horizontal frame reinforcing portion 502 disposed in a cross shape inside the frame body 500. In the space inside the frame body 500, the air introduced from the grill opening 2 shown in fig. 1 flows in the direction indicated by the arrow Y.

Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction X of the frame body 500 is also referred to as the left-right direction, and the lateral direction Z of the frame body 500 is also referred to as the up-down direction. The direction indicated by the arrow Y orthogonal to both the left-right direction X and the up-down direction Z is also referred to as "air flow direction Y".

The vertical frame reinforcing portion 501 is provided for reinforcing the frame main body portion 500. The cross frame reinforcing portion 502 is provided for reinforcing the frame main body portion 500 and holding the blade 51. The space inside the frame body 500 is divided into four opening areas a11 to a14 by the vertical frame reinforcement 501 and the horizontal frame reinforcement 502.

In the following, two opening areas a11 and a12 of the four opening areas a11 to a14 that are disposed above the lateral frame reinforcement 502 are referred to as "upper opening areas a11 and a12", and two opening areas a13 and a14 that are disposed below the lateral frame reinforcement 502 are referred to as "lower opening areas a13 and a14".

As shown in fig. 1, substantially the lower half portions of the lower opening areas a13 and a14 are located opposite to the grill opening 2. The opening area of the grill opening 2 is smaller than the projected area of the front surfaces of the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, respectively. In the present embodiment, the lower opening areas a13 and a14 correspond to the first portions. The upper opening areas a11 and a12 correspond to a second portion farther from the grill opening 2 than the first portion.

The upper portion 5a of the radiator 5 and the upper portion 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 are disposed so as to face the upper opening areas a11 and a12 of the damper device 8. The lower portion 5b, which is a portion other than the upper portion 5a, of the radiator 5 and the lower portion 6b, which is a portion other than the upper portion 6a, of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 are disposed so as to face the lower opening areas a13, a14 of the damper device 8. The two-dot chain line shown in the radiator 5 of fig. 1 indicates a boundary portion between the upper portion 5a and the lower portion 5b of the radiator 5. Similarly, the two-dot chain line in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 indicates the boundary between the upper portion 6a and the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.

As shown in fig. 3, the plurality of blades 51 are disposed in the four opening areas a11 to a14 of the frame 50, respectively. In the four opening areas a11 to a14, the plurality of blades 51 are arranged so as to have a longitudinal direction in the up-down direction Z, and are arranged in a row in the left-right direction X. Hereinafter, for convenience, among the plurality of blades 51, the blade 51 disposed in the upper opening areas a11 and a12 of the frame body 500 is referred to as "upper blade 511", and the blade 51 disposed in the lower opening areas a13 and a14 is referred to as "lower blade 512". In the present embodiment, the vane 51 corresponds to an opening/closing portion, the lower vane 512 corresponds to a first opening/closing portion, and the upper vane 511 corresponds to a second opening/closing portion.

The motor 52 is fixed to one end portion of the upper surface of the frame body 500 by a screw or the like. The motor 52 applies a rotational force to the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 via a link mechanism, not shown, to rotate the blades 511 and 512. The damper device 8 of the present embodiment can independently control the opening degrees of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512.

In the damper device 8, when the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 are in the open state, a gap is formed between the upper blades 511 and a gap is formed between the lower blades 512, and therefore, the air introduced from the grill opening 2 is supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 through these gaps. On the other hand, when the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 are in the closed state, the gap between the blades 511 and 512 is closed, and thus the supply of air to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is shut off. Further, by independently controlling the opening degrees of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512, the amount of air supplied to the upper portion 5a and the lower portion 5b of the radiator 5 shown in fig. 1 and the amount of air supplied to the upper portion 6a and the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be individually adjusted.

Next, the electrical structure of the vehicle C will be described.

As shown in fig. 4, the vehicle C is provided with various sensors 60 for detecting the running state, the state of the cooling circuit 20, the state of the heat pump device 30, the environmental state inside and outside the vehicle C, and the like. The sensor 60 includes an outside air temperature sensor 61, a vehicle speed sensor 62, a refrigerant pressure sensor 63, a water temperature sensor 64, an inside air temperature sensor 65, an outside air temperature sensor 66, and the like. The outside air temperature sensor 61 detects the temperature of outside air, which is air outside the vehicle C. The vehicle speed sensor 62 detects a vehicle speed as a running speed of the vehicle C. The refrigerant pressure sensor 63 detects the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 in the heat pump device 30. The water temperature sensor 64 detects the temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the heating element 22 in the cooling circuit 20. The internal air temperature sensor 65 detects an internal air temperature as a temperature in the room of the vehicle C. Each of the sensors 61 to 65 outputs a signal corresponding to the detected physical quantity.

The vehicle C is provided with a start switch 70 that is operated when the vehicle C is started, and an operation unit 71 for operating the air conditioner 40. The operation unit 71 includes an a/C switch 710 that is operated when cooling or dehumidifying the vehicle interior.

Further, a powertrain ECU (Electronic Control Unit ) 80, an air conditioner ECU81, and a heat system ECU82 are provided in the vehicle C. The ECUs 80 to 82 are configured mainly with a microcomputer having CPU, ROM, RAM or the like. The ECUs 80 to 82 execute various controls by executing programs stored in advance in the ROM. The ECUs 80 to 82 CAN receive various information from each other by using network communication Nc such as CAN provided in the vehicle C.

The powertrain ECU80 is a portion that overall controls the running state of the vehicle C. For example, when it is detected that the start switch 70 is turned on, the powertrain ECU80 sets the target output torque of the motor 220 based on the accelerator position detected by the accelerator position sensor, after that, until the start switch 70 is turned off. The powertrain ECU80 sets a target energization amount of the motor 220 based on the target output torque, and drives the inverter device 221 so that the actual energization amount of the motor 220 follows the target energization amount. Powertrain ECU80 controls the running state of vehicle C by such energization control of motor 220.

The air conditioning ECU81 is a part that integrally controls the air conditioning apparatus 40. For example, output signals of the inside air temperature sensor 65 and the operation unit 71 are input to the air conditioning ECU81. When the a/C switch 710 is turned on, the air conditioner ECU81 operates the heat pump device 30 shown in fig. 2 in the cooling mode to cool or dehumidify the vehicle interior. On the other hand, when the internal air temperature detected by the internal air temperature sensor 65 is equal to or lower than the predetermined heating temperature determination value, the air conditioner ECU81 causes the heat pump device 30 shown in fig. 2 to operate in the heating mode to perform heating in the vehicle interior. The heating temperature determination value is a temperature set in advance, for example, set to "15 ℃.

The heat system ECU82 is a part that controls the air volume of the air supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 by opening and closing the main driving damper device 8. Specifically, output signals of the various sensors 60, the start switch 70, and the operation unit 71 are input to the thermal system ECU82. The thermal system ECU82 detects various state amounts based on the output signals of the sensor 60, and detects the operation states of the start switch 70 and the operation portion 71 based on their respective output signals. The thermal system ECU82 individually sets the target opening degrees of the upper vane 511 and the lower vane 512 of the damper device 8 based on the various state amounts detected by the sensor 60, the operation states of the start switch 70 and the operation unit 71, and the like, and drives the motor 52 of the damper device 8 so that the opening degrees of the vanes 511 and 512 become the target opening degrees. As described above, in the present embodiment, the thermal system ECU82 corresponds to the control unit that controls the damper device 8.

Next, the driving control of the damper device 8 performed by the thermal system ECU82 will be specifically described.

The thermal system ECU82 repeatedly executes the process shown in fig. 5 at a prescribed cycle. When the process shown in fig. 5 is started, the thermal system ECU82 sets the positions of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the damper device 8 to initial positions. The initial position is, for example, a position corresponding to the fully closed state.

As shown in fig. 5, first, as the process of step S10, the thermal system ECU82 determines whether the start switch 70 is turned on. When the start switch 70 is not turned on, the thermal system ECU82 makes a negative determination in the process of step S10, and temporarily ends the process shown in fig. 5.

When the start switch 70 is turned on, the heat system ECU82 makes a positive determination in the process of step S10, and determines whether or not it is necessary to supply air to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 as the subsequent process of step S11. For example, the heat system ECU82 determines that the supply of air to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is not necessary based on the condition shown in (a 1) and (a 2) below being satisfied at the same time.

(a1) The a/C switch 710 is not turned on, and the internal air temperature detected by the internal air temperature sensor 65 is higher than the heating temperature determination value. That is, it is not necessary to operate the heat pump device 30 in either the cooling mode or the heating mode.

(a2) When the temperature of the cooling water detected by the water temperature sensor 64 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature determination value. That is, the heating element 22 does not need to be cooled. The temperature determination value is set in advance to a value that can determine whether or not the cooling of the heating element 22 is necessary.

In the case (a 2), for example, where the water temperature sensor 64 is provided in each of the motor 220, the inverter device 221, and the battery 222 included in the heating element 22, the temperature determination value may be set for each cooling water temperature individually. In this case, the temperature determination value for the cooling water temperature of the motor 220 is set to, for example, "65 ℃", and the temperature determination value for the cooling water temperature of the battery 222 is set to, for example, "40 ℃".

When the conditions (a 1) and (a 2) are satisfied at the same time, the heat system ECU82 determines that it is not necessary to supply air to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and makes a negative determination in the process of step S11. In this case, as the process of step S12, the thermal system ECU82 executes the full-close control to set the upper opening areas a11, a12 and the lower opening areas a13, a14 of the damper device 8 to the fully-closed state. Specifically, the heat system ECU82 drives the motor 52 to set both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 in the fully closed state. This cuts off the introduction of air through the grill opening 2, thereby improving the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle C. Therefore, the electric power economy of the vehicle C can be improved.

On the other hand, if the condition of at least one of (a 1) and (a 2) is not satisfied, the heat system ECU82 determines that it is necessary to supply air to at least one of the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6. For example, in the case where the condition (a 1) is not satisfied, there are a case where the a/C switch 710 is not turned on and a case where the internal air temperature detected by the internal air temperature sensor 65 is equal to or lower than the heating temperature determination value. In the former case, the heat pump device 30 needs to be operated in the cooling mode, and therefore, air needs to be supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6. In the latter case, the heat pump device 30 needs to be operated in the heating mode, and therefore, air needs to be supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6. Further, when the condition (a 2) is not satisfied, that is, when the temperature of the cooling water of the heat generating element 22 exceeds a predetermined temperature determination value, the cooling circuit 20 needs to be driven to cool the heat generating element 22, and therefore, air needs to be supplied to the radiator 5.

If it is determined that at least one of the conditions (a 1) and (a 2) is not satisfied and that it is necessary to supply air to at least one of the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, the heat system ECU82 performs affirmative determination in the process of step S11, and executes opening degree adjustment control for adjusting the opening degrees of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the damper device 8 as the process of step S13 that follows. Specifically, the heat system ECU82 sets both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 to an on state, and drives the motor 52 so that the opening degree of the upper blade 511 is smaller than the opening degree of the lower blade 512 as shown in fig. 1. Since the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 are both opened, air can be supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the cooling circuit 20 and the heat pump device 30 can be driven.

As shown in fig. 5, when the process of step S12 or step S13 is executed, the thermal system ECU82 determines whether or not the start switch 70 has been turned off as the process of step S14. If the start switch 70 is not operated to be turned off, the thermal system ECU82 makes a negative determination in the process of step S14, and returns to the process of step S11. On the other hand, when the heat system ECU82 makes an affirmative determination in the process of step S14, that is, when the start switch 70 is turned off, the process of step S15 is performed, and the process shown in fig. 5 is temporarily terminated after the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 are displaced to the initial positions.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following operations and effects (1) to (5) can be obtained.

(1) By making the opening degree of the lower vane 512 smaller than that of the upper vane 511, the air flows more easily to the upper opening areas a11, a12 than to the lower opening areas a13, a14 of the damper device 8. Therefore, the pressure of the air in the lower portions 5b and 6b of the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be changed in the higher direction, and the pressure of the air in the upper portions 5a and 6a can be changed in the lower direction. In this way, the pressure of the air is locally changed by the deviation of the opening degree of the damper device 8, and thereby the deviation of the pressure of the air due to the position of the grill opening 2 can be reduced. As a result, the variation in the air volume of the air supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be reduced, and therefore, the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

(2) The damper device 8 includes one motor 52 for operating the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512. According to this configuration, the number of components can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which a motor for operating the upper blade 511 and a motor for operating the lower blade 512 are provided separately.

(3) The damper device 8 is disposed immediately in front of the radiator 5 in the air flow direction. According to this structure, the damper device 8 can be provided by using the space provided in front of the radiator 5.

(4) As shown in fig. 1, the width H11 of the grille opening 2 in the up-down direction Z of the vehicle C is shorter than the widths H12 of the lower opening areas a13, a14 of the damper device 8 in the up-down direction Z of the vehicle C. By setting the width of the grill opening 2 to be short in this configuration, the amount of air taken into the duct 4 can be reduced, and thus the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle C can be improved.

(5) When the start switch 70 of the vehicle C is turned off, the thermal system ECU82 displaces the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 to the initial positions. According to this configuration, each time the start switch 70 is turned off, the positions of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 can be corrected.

(6) The heat system ECU82 controls the opening degrees of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512, respectively, according to the operation states of the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, respectively. According to this configuration, more appropriate air flows corresponding to the respective operation states of the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be realized.

< second embodiment >

Next, a vehicle C according to a second embodiment will be described. The following description focuses on differences from the vehicle C of the first embodiment.

As one of the operating conditions of the heat pump device 30, a case where the heat pump device 30 operates in the heating mode in an environment where the outside air temperature is low is considered. In such a situation, if water entering from the grille opening 2 adheres to the damper device 8, the blades 511 and 512 of the damper device 8 may not be able to perform opening and closing operations due to the adhered water freezing. In such a case, if abnormality of the damper device 8 is detected because the blades 511 and 512 cannot be opened or closed, the indicator of the vehicle C may be turned on, and the driver may be confused.

On the other hand, in the damper device 8, the lower blade 512 disposed in the vicinity of the grille opening 2 is likely to be wet, and the upper blade 511 disposed apart from the grille opening 2 is unlikely to be wet. In consideration of this, if the lower blade 512 is kept in a closed state and only the upper blade 511 is opened and closed in an environment where there is a possibility that the adhered water freezes, air can be supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 through the upper opening areas a11 and a12 even if the lower blade 512 freezes due to the water being adhered. Therefore, the heat pump device 30 can be operated in the heating mode. Specifically, the thermal system ECU82 controls the damper device 8 as follows.

The heat system ECU82 of the present embodiment acquires information on the operating state of the heat pump device 30 from the air conditioner ECU 81. In the process of step S13 shown in fig. 5, the heat system ECU82 determines whether or not the heat pump device 30 is operating in the heating mode and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 61 is equal to or lower than the freezing determination temperature. The freezing determination temperature is a temperature determination value for determining whether or not water is likely to freeze when the water adheres to the damper device 8, and is set to "5 ℃, for example. When it is determined that the heat pump apparatus 30 is operating in the heating mode and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 61 is equal to or lower than the freezing determination temperature, the heat system ECU82 drives the motor 52 such that the upper blade 511 is opened and the lower blade 512 is closed as shown in fig. 6.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following operation and effects (7) can be further obtained.

(7) According to the configuration of the vehicle C of the present embodiment, even in an environment where the damper device 8 is likely to freeze due to water, the heat pump device 30 can be operated in the heating mode. Therefore, heating in the vehicle interior can be continued, and the comfort in the vehicle interior can be ensured.

< third embodiment >

Next, a vehicle C according to a third embodiment will be described. The following description focuses on differences from the vehicle C of the first embodiment.

The outdoor heat exchanger 6 is generally configured to have a plurality of tubes and tanks connected to both ends of the tubes. In the outdoor heat exchanger 6, the refrigerant flowing through the inside of each tube exchanges heat with the air flowing through the outside of each tube. In the outdoor heat exchanger 6 constructed in such a structure, when frost adheres to the surfaces of the tubes, the heat transfer area with respect to air is substantially reduced, and thus the heat exchange efficiency may be significantly reduced. Therefore, the heat pump device 30 may operate in a so-called defrost mode which melts frost when it adheres to the surfaces of the tubes of the outdoor heat exchanger 6. In the defrosting mode, for example, the refrigerant is circulated through the outdoor heat exchanger 6 in a state where the supply of air to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is shut off. Thereby, frost adhering to the surface of the tube can be melted by the heat of the refrigerant.

On the other hand, in the defrosting mode, in order to shut off the supply of air to the outdoor heat exchanger 6, both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the damper device 8 may be closed. However, when both of these blades 511 and 512 are closed, air cannot be supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and therefore the heat pump device 30 cannot be operated in the heating mode. That is, heating in the vehicle interior is not possible, and the comfort in the vehicle interior may be impaired.

Therefore, in the process of step S13 shown in fig. 5, the heat system ECU82 according to the present embodiment, upon acquiring information on the operation state of the heat pump device 30 from the air conditioner ECU81, determines that the heat pump device 30 is operating in the defrosting mode, and alternately executes the control shown in (b 1) and (b 2) below at predetermined time intervals.

(b1) The motor 52 is driven so that the upper blade 511 is opened and the lower blade 512 is closed as shown in fig. 7 (a).

(b2) The motor 52 is driven so that the upper blade 511 is closed and the lower blade 512 is opened as shown in fig. 7 (B).

Thus, in the vehicle C, the first state corresponding to (b 1) and the second state corresponding to (b 2) are alternately switched.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following operation and effects (8) can be obtained.

(8) In the case of performing the control of (b 1) described above, air is supplied to the upper portion 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and therefore, this portion can be used as a heat absorber. In addition, since air is not supplied to the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, the adhered frost can be melted by the heat of the refrigerant in this portion. That is, the upper portion 6a functions as a heat absorbing region, and the lower portion 6b functions as a defrosting region. On the other hand, when the control of (b 2) is performed, since air is supplied to the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, this portion can be used as a heat absorber. In addition, since air is not supplied to the upper portion 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, the adhered frost can be melted by the heat of the refrigerant in this portion. That is, the upper portion 6a functions as a defrosting region, and the lower portion 6b functions as a heat absorbing region. According to this structure, frost adhering to the upper portion 6a and the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be removed at the same time, and therefore, degradation in performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 due to adhesion of frost can be avoided. Further, since the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be continuously used as a heat absorber, continuous heating of the vehicle interior is possible.

< fourth embodiment >, a third embodiment

Next, a vehicle C according to a fourth embodiment will be described. The following description focuses on differences from the vehicle C of the third embodiment.

When the heat pump device 30 is driven in the defrosting mode, water generated by the melting of the frost is accumulated on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6. When this water freezes, the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 may be significantly reduced, or freeze burst may occur in the outdoor heat exchanger 6. Therefore, it is desirable to remove the water accumulated on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 as much as possible.

Therefore, the heat system ECU82 of the present embodiment further executes a drain mode for removing water from the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 after the heat pump device 30 operates in the defrost mode.

Specifically, as the drainage mode, the thermal system ECU82 alternately executes the control shown in (b 1) and (b 2) described above at predetermined time intervals. Thus, for example, when the control of (b 1) is switched from the control of (b 2), the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is switched from the state where no air flows to the state where air flows. Accordingly, the air volume of the air flowing through the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be rapidly changed. By the rapid change in the air volume of the air, the water accumulated in the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is blown off. When the control of (b 2) is switched from the control of (b 1), water accumulated in the upper portion 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is blown away. As a result, the water accumulated in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be removed.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following operation and effects (9) can be obtained.

(9) After the heat pump device 30 operates in the defrosting mode, the heat system ECU82 executes a drain mode in which the air volume of the air passing through the upper portion 6a and the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is abruptly changed, thereby removing the water accumulated in the outdoor heat exchanger 6. This can remove water accumulated in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 due to the defrosting mode, and thus can avoid a decrease in heat exchange efficiency, freeze burst, and the like of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.

< fifth embodiment >, a third embodiment

Next, a vehicle C according to a fifth embodiment will be described. The following description focuses on differences from the vehicle C of the first embodiment.

As shown in fig. 8, in the vehicle C of the present embodiment, the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 are thermally coupled via the outer fins 9. That is, heat exchange between the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be performed via the outer fins 9. In this way, for example, when the outdoor heat exchanger 6 operates as a heat absorber, the waste heat of the radiator 5 can be transmitted to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9, and therefore the thermal efficiency of the vehicle C as a whole can be improved. As a result, the electric power economy of the vehicle C can be improved.

On the other hand, when the waste heat of the radiator 5 is transmitted to the outdoor heat exchanger 6, it is effective to set both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the damper device 8 to the closed state. As a result, the radiator 5 is not cooled by air, and therefore, the waste heat of the radiator 5 can be efficiently transferred to the outdoor heat exchanger 6. However, merely transferring the waste heat of the radiator 5 to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 in this manner may not satisfy the heating requirement of the air conditioner 40.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 9, the radiator 5 is configured to flow in a U-shape with cooling water from the lower portion 5b toward the upper portion 5 a. In this case, as a result of heat of the radiator 5 being transferred to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9, the temperature of the cooling water flowing inside the radiator 5 decreases as going downstream. That is, the temperature of the upper portion 5a of the radiator 5 is lower than the temperature of the lower portion 5 b. Therefore, the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can absorb the required heat from the lower portion 5b of the radiator 5, but at the same time may not absorb the required heat from the upper portion 5a of the radiator 5. As a result, the heat absorption amount of the entire outdoor heat exchanger 6 is insufficient, and the air blown into the vehicle interior cannot be sufficiently heated by the air conditioner 40, so that it is difficult to appropriately perform heating in the vehicle interior, and the comfort in the vehicle interior may be impaired.

Therefore, when the heat of the radiator 5 is transmitted to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 only via the outer fins 9 and the heat absorption amount of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 cannot be satisfied, the heat system ECU82 of the present embodiment drives the motor 52 so that the upper blade 511 is opened and the lower blade 512 is closed as shown in fig. 8. As a result, in the outdoor heat exchanger 6, the waste heat of the radiator 5 can be absorbed via the outer fins 9 in the lower portion 6b thereof, and an insufficient amount of heat can be absorbed from the air in the upper portion 6a thereof. As a result, the required heat absorption amount as a whole of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be ensured.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following operations and effects (10) can be obtained.

(10) When the outdoor heat exchanger 6 operates as a heat absorber that absorbs heat from the radiator 5 through the outer fins 9, the heat system ECU82 sets the upper blade 511 to an open state and sets the lower blade 512 to a closed state. According to this configuration, the heat absorption amount of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be ensured more reliably, and therefore, the interior of the vehicle can be appropriately heated. Thereby, the comfort in the vehicle interior can be ensured.

< sixth embodiment >

Next, a vehicle C according to a sixth embodiment will be described. The following description focuses on differences from the vehicle C of the first embodiment.

As shown in fig. 10, the vehicle C of the present embodiment is equipped with a multifunctional heat exchanger 10 instead of the radiator 5, and is equipped with a radiator 11 instead of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.

The multifunctional heat exchanger 10 has a first heat exchange portion 10A at a lower portion thereof and a second heat exchange portion 10B at an upper portion thereof. The first heat exchange portion 10A is used as the outdoor heat exchanger 6 of the heat pump device 30 described above. The first heat exchanging portion 10A is disposed opposite to the lower opening areas a13, a14 of the damper device 8. The cooling water for cooling the battery 222 flows inside the second heat exchange portion 10B. The second heat exchange portion 10B cools the cooling water by heat exchanging the cooling water flowing inside thereof with air flowing outside thereof. The second heat exchanging portion 10B is disposed opposite to the upper opening areas a11, a12 of the damper device 8.

Cooling water for cooling the motor 220 flows inside the radiator 11. The radiator 11 cools the cooling water by heat-exchanging the cooling water flowing inside thereof with air flowing outside thereof. The upper portion 11a of the radiator 11 is disposed so as to face the upper opening areas a11, a12 of the damper device 8. The lower portion 11b of the heat sink 11 is disposed so as to face the lower opening areas a13 and a 14.

As such, in the vehicle C of the present embodiment, the cooling circuit for cooling the motor 220 and the cooling circuit for cooling the battery 222 are provided independently. In the radiator 11, the cooling water having a higher temperature than the second heat exchange portion 10B can be cooled. In the present embodiment, motor 220 corresponds to the first heat generator, and battery 222 corresponds to the second heat generator.

When cooling of the battery 222 is not required, the heat system ECU82 drives the motor 52 so that the upper blade 511 is closed and the lower blade 512 is opened as shown in fig. 10. As a result, the air introduced from the grill opening 2 flows only into the first heat exchange portion 10A of the multifunctional heat exchanger 10, and the volume of the air flowing into the first heat exchange portion 10A can be increased as compared with the case where the air flows into both the first heat exchange portion 10A and the second heat exchange portion 10B.

When the heat pump device 30 is stopped, the heat system ECU82 may drive the motor 52 so that the upper blade 511 is opened and the lower blade 512 is closed.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following operations and effects (11) can be obtained.

(11) When cooling of the battery 222 is not required, the heat system ECU82 sets the lower blade 512 to an open state and sets the upper blade 511 to a closed state. According to this configuration, the air is not supplied to the first heat exchanging portion 10A of the multi-functional heat exchanger 10 that does not need to exchange heat with the air, and the amount corresponding to this is supplied to the second heat exchanging portion 10B of the multi-functional heat exchanger 10, so that the air volume of the air can be increased. Therefore, for example, in the case where the first heat exchange portion 10A is used as a condenser in the heat pump device 30, the refrigerant flowing through the first heat exchange portion 10A can be cooled more reliably, and therefore the cooling efficiency of the refrigerant can be improved. Therefore, the first heat exchanging portion 10A can be made compact.

< other embodiments >

The above embodiment can be implemented as follows.

The structure of the vehicle C of the fifth embodiment, that is, the structure in which the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 are thermally coupled via the outer fins 9 may be applied to the vehicle C of the third embodiment. According to this configuration, when the heat pump device 30 performs the defrosting mode for removing frost adhering to the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, instead of using heat of the refrigerant circulating inside the outdoor heat exchanger 6, a method using heat transferred from the radiator 5 to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9 can be used.

The damper device 8 is not limited to having two opening/closing portions, i.e., the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512, and may have three or more opening/closing portions.

The damper device 8 may be disposed between the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 or directly behind the outdoor heat exchanger 6 in the air flow direction.

In the vehicle C according to the first to fifth embodiments, the damper device 8 disposed in front of the radiator 5 is used as an opening/closing device that changes the air volume of the air supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6. Alternatively, a damper mechanism having the same or similar function as the damper device 8 may be provided in the fan cover of the blower 7. In this case, the damper mechanism provided in the blower 7 corresponds to an opening/closing device. The same applies to the vehicle C of the sixth embodiment.

The air guide duct 4 may not be provided in the vehicle C.

The thermal system ECU82 and its control method described in the present invention may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers provided by a processor and memory programmed in such a way as to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. The thermal system ECU82 and the control method thereof described in the present invention may also be implemented by a special purpose computer provided by a processor configured to include one or more special purpose hardware logic circuits. The thermal system ECU82 and the control method thereof described in the present invention may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers constituted by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor including one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored as instructions executable by a computer on a non-transitory tangible storage medium that can be read by the computer. The dedicated hardware logic circuits and the hardware logic circuits may also be implemented as digital circuits or analog circuits comprising a plurality of logic circuits.

The structure of each embodiment is not limited to the electric vehicle, and may be applied to a hybrid vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle. For example, the structures of the second to fourth embodiments and the sixth embodiment can be applied to a hybrid vehicle. The structures of the first to fourth embodiments and the sixth embodiment are applicable to a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

The present invention is not limited to the specific examples described above. Examples of the above-described specific examples, which are appropriately modified by those skilled in the art, are included in the scope of the present invention as long as the features of the present invention are provided. The elements, arrangement, conditions, shape, and the like of each specific example described above are not limited to the illustrated matters, and may be appropriately changed. The combination of the elements of the above-described specific examples can be appropriately changed without technical contradiction.

Claims (10)

1. A vehicle, characterized by comprising:

heat exchangers (5, 6, 10, 11) that exchange heat with air introduced from the grill opening (2);

an opening/closing device (8) capable of changing the air volume of the air supplied to the heat exchanger by opening/closing operation of an opening/closing part (51); and

A control unit (82) for controlling the opening/closing device,

the opening area of the grille opening is smaller than the projected area of the front surface of the heat exchanger,

the opening/closing device has a first opening/closing part (512) for opening/closing a first portion (A13, A14) of the opening/closing device, and a second opening/closing part (511) for opening/closing a second portion (A11, A12) of the opening/closing device, which is farther from the grill opening than the first portion,

the control unit operates the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit so that the opening degree of the first portion becomes smaller than the opening degree of the second portion.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a vehicle,

the opening/closing device is disposed directly in front of or directly behind the heat exchanger in the air flow direction.

3. A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

the width of the grill opening in the up-down direction of the vehicle is shorter than the width of the second portion in the up-down direction of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle according to any one of claim 1 to 3, wherein,

When a start switch of the vehicle is turned off, the control unit displaces the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit to initial positions.

5. The vehicle according to any one of claim 1 to 4, characterized in that,

the control unit controls the opening degree of each of the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit according to the operation state of the heat exchanger.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is further characterized by,

an outdoor heat exchanger (6) is provided as the heat exchanger, the outdoor heat exchanger exchanges heat between the air and the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump device (30),

in the heat pump apparatus, the outdoor heat exchanger may operate as a heat absorber for absorbing heat of air by the refrigerant, and the control unit may set the first opening/closing unit to a closed state and the second opening/closing unit to an open state when the temperature of the air is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature.

7. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is further characterized by,

an outdoor heat exchanger (6) for exchanging heat between air and refrigerant circulating in a heat pump device (30), and a radiator (5) for exchanging heat between air and cooling water for cooling a heating element of the vehicle are provided as the heat exchangers,

The outdoor heat exchanger and the radiator are thermally coupled via an outer fin (9),

when the outdoor heat exchanger operates as a heat absorber that absorbs heat from the radiator by the refrigerant via the outer fins, the control unit sets the first opening/closing unit to a closed state and sets the second opening/closing unit to an open state.

8. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is further characterized by,

having a radiator (11) and an outdoor heat exchanger (10) as said heat exchangers,

the radiator exchanges heat between cooling water for cooling a first heat-generating body of the vehicle and air,

the outdoor heat exchanger has a first heat exchange unit (10A) for exchanging heat between the air and the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump device (30), and a second heat exchange unit (10B) for exchanging heat between the air and the cooling water of a second heat generating body different from the first heat generating body,

in the outdoor heat exchanger, the first heat exchange portion is disposed opposite to the first portion of the opening/closing device, and the second heat exchange portion is disposed opposite to the second portion of the opening/closing device,

when the cooling of the second heating element is not required, the control unit sets the first opening/closing unit to an open state and sets the second opening/closing unit to a closed state.

9. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is further characterized by,

an outdoor heat exchanger (6) is provided as the heat exchanger, the outdoor heat exchanger exchanges heat between the air and the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump device (30),

in the heat pump apparatus, when the outdoor heat exchanger operates as a heat absorber that absorbs heat of air from a refrigerant, the control unit alternately switches between a first state in which the first opening/closing unit is set to a closed state and a second state in which the second opening/closing unit is set to an open state and the second opening/closing unit is set to a closed state.

10. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that,

the opening/closing device further includes a motor (52) that operates the first opening/closing portion and the second opening/closing portion.

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