FR2955148A1 - DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE LIQUID PHASE OF A COOLING CIRCUIT OF A THERMAL ENGINE - Google Patents

Abstract

Control device comprises a shell (1) of revolution formed by two half-shells (2, 3) assembled by a plane (10) of seal, delimiting a closed enclosure, which can be supplied with cooling fluid by a tube (5) plunger equipping one (2) of the half-shells (2, 3) and drainable by an outlet (6) of the other half-shell outlet (3), said outlet orifice (6) being surrounded by a wall ( 7) continuous delimiting, inside the enclosure, a chamber (8) around which the fluid can circulate inside a pit (9) surrounding said chamber (8), this chamber (8) insulating said outlet opening (6) of the opening of the plunger tube (5), the free end (5A) of which is arranged in the pit (9). The chamber / pit partition wall (7), the wall (11) of the the enclosure and the tube (5) plunger are configured so that the plunger tube is able to go completely through the pit, in the state in contact by their pla n (10) joint of the half-shells (2, 3), during a rotational movement 360 ° of the half-shell (2) provided with the tube (5) plunger.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for regulating the liquid phase of a cooling circuit of a heat engine, especially for a motor vehicle.

It relates more particularly to a type of control device comprising a revolution envelope positionable on the cooling circuit, generally between the output of the cylinder head and / or the radiator of the engine and the engine inlet, this envelope of revolution, formed by two half-shells assembled by a joint plane, delimiting a closed enclosure, which can be supplied with cooling fluid by at least one fluid supply duct opening inside the enclosure in a dip tube fitted to one of the half-shells, the fluid being, once degassed, evacuable from the chamber via an outlet orifice formed in the lower part of the chamber on the other half-shell, said outlet orifice being surrounded by a continuous wall delimiting, inside the enclosure, a chamber around which the fluid can circulate inside a pit surrounding said chamber, this chamber, open to s at the top, isolating said outlet orifice from the outlet of the dip tube whose free end is disposed in said chamber, outside the chamber, in the pit, below the level of the upper or free edge of the wall separation chamber / pit.

Such regulating devices are well known to those skilled in the art as exemplified by French patent FR-2,890,109.

The degassing of the coolant of a heat engine is an essential action for the proper functioning of the cooling circuit in which the coolant circulates. The regulating device thus ensures the separation of gases, in particular air which is in the liquid and whose presence in the cooling circuit is detrimental to its proper functioning. Such a device also acts as a reservoir thus making it possible to compensate for any losses by micro-leaks from the cooling circuit. It is also used for filling and leveling the cooling fluid circuit.

The main function of such a device is that of the degassing of the coolant. To obtain a good degassing, it is necessary to avoid any phenomenon of cascade during the entry of liquid and to keep the outlet orifice immersed whatever the conditions of use of said device. Moreover, the chamber positioned around the outlet orifice makes it possible to isolate said outlet orifice so as to keep it immersed permanently. In addition, this chamber, by allowing the fluid to circulate at least partially around said chamber and consequently around the outlet orifice, considerably lengthens the path of the cooling liquid within the enclosure thus allowing effective degassing of said liquid in an enclosure of reduced volume, regardless of the conditions of use, including when tilting the device close to 45 °. Finally, the wall of this chamber forces the fluid to move towards the top of the chamber. The rising current causes the gaseous bubbles on the surface of the liquid, which makes it possible to have a stream of degassed liquid at the outlet. However, it is increasingly necessary for the same degassing box to be able to adapt to several types of vehicles. However, in general, the volume left free in the engine compartment for the reception of the regulating device is reduced so that the location of the inputs and outputs and the fixing means inside the location reserved for the device is imposed.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a control device of the above-mentioned universal type, whose design makes it possible to easily modify the relative positioning of the input, output and fixing means of the device without impairing the performance of the device in terms of degassing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control device of the aforementioned type, whose design allows easy maintenance.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a device for regulating the liquid phase of a cooling circuit of a heat engine, in particular for a motor vehicle, of the type comprising a revolution envelope that can be positioned on the cooling circuit, generally between the outlet of the cylinder head and / or the radiator of the engine and the engine inlet, this envelope of revolution, formed by two half-shells assembled by a joint plane, delimiting a closed enclosure, which can be supplied with cooling fluid by at least one fluid supply duct opening inside the enclosure into a dip tube equipping one of the half-shells, the fluid being, once degassed, evacuable from the chamber via an outlet orifice formed in the lower part of the enclosure on the other half-shell, said outlet orifice being surrounded by a continuous wall delimiting, inside the chamber, a chamber around the the fluid can circulate inside a pit surrounding said chamber, this chamber, open at its top, isolating said outlet orifice from the outlet of the dip tube whose free end is disposed in said enclosure, to the outside the chamber, in the pit, below the level of the upper or free edge of the chamber / pit partition wall so as to be immersed in the fluid present in the pit and which circulates in said pit before entering the chamber; passing chamber over the chamber / pit partition wall, characterized in that the chamber / pit partition wall and the boundary wall of the enclosure which form the banks of the pit and the dip tube are configured from so that the free end of the plunger tube is able to completely traverse the pit, in the state of contact in contact with their joint plane of the half-shells during a rotational movement over 360 ° of the half-shell provided with the dip tube around the axis of revolution of the envelope, 30 orthogonal to the joint plane of the two half-shells. Thanks to the design of the entire device, which allows the dip tube to occupy any angular position around the outlet orifice, it is possible to choose an optimal angular positioning, on the one hand for the half-shell said upper, provided with the dip tube, and secondly for the so-called lower half-shell provided with the outlet orifice and generally means for fixing the device to the vehicle, the half-shells being able to relative to the other, occupy any angular position. Thus, for example, the supply duct and the means for fixing the device to the vehicle can be positioned plumb with each other or in a diametrically opposite manner according to the relative angular positioning retained for the two half-hours. shells.

To allow such relative angular positioning of the two half-shells, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the free end of the dip tube is spaced from the axis of revolution orthogonal to the joint plane by a distance greater than the distance separating the chamber / pit separation wall from said axis of revolution, and the chamber / pit separation wall and the delimiting wall of the enclosure forming the banks of the pit are, at the level of the reception zone the free end of the dip tube in the pit, spaced apart from each other in a direction radial to the axis of revolution orthogonal to the joint plane a minimum distance greater than the overall dimensions along the same direction radial of the free end of the dip tube.

Preferably, the chamber / pit separation wall is provided at its base, at or near its zone of connection to the enclosure delimiting wall, with at least one emptying orifice of the pit.

With this arrangement, the maintenance of the device is facilitated because it is not necessary to disassemble the device to obtain a total emptying of the enclosure without affecting the ease of positioning of the device. Preferably, the half-shell, provided with the outlet orifice, is equipped with means, preferably a start, fixing pending for attachment of the device to the vehicle.

When the means for fixing the device to the vehicle are made in the form of a pending fixing start, a fastener adapted to the device and the vehicle can be used for connecting the device to the vehicle. Thus, again, using the same device, it is possible to equip several types of the vehicle. The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a control device 15 according to the invention in the assembled state of the half-shells constituting the casing of the device;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lower half-shell provided with the outlet port and means for attaching the device to the vehicle;

FIG. 3 represents a perspective view of the lower half-shell ready to receive a fastener to the vehicle and a level sensor; FIG. 4 represents a perspective view of the upper half-shell equipped with the plunger tube;

Figure 5 shows a perspective view in elevation of the regulating device object of the invention. As mentioned above, the subject of the invention is a device for regulating the liquid phase of a cooling circuit of a heat engine, especially for a motor vehicle. This device comprises an envelope 1 of revolution, that is to say in the form of a piece of revolution, positionable on the cooling circuit, generally between the output of the cylinder head and / or the engine radiator and the motor input. This envelope 1 of revolution is formed by two half-shells 2, 3 assembled by a joint plane 10 and delimiting, in the assembled state, a closed enclosure, also of revolution.

In the examples shown, the enclosure is of generally spherical shape and each half-shell has the general shape of a half-sphere. This enclosure could also have been cylindrical. The chamber is supplied with cooling fluid by at least one fluid supply conduit 4 opening into the chamber into a plunger tube 15 fitted to one of the half-shells, in this case the half upper shell represented in 2 in the figures. The fluid is once degassed, discharged from the chamber via an outlet orifice 6 formed in the lower part of the enclosure on the other half-shell, shown at 3 in the figures, and can still be called lower half-shell. The fluid discharged from the enclosure 20 returns to a circulating pump provided in the engine cooling circuit and serves to charge the cooling circuit. In other words, one of the half-shells, said upper half-shell 2, is provided with a plunger tube for supplying fluid to the enclosure and the other half-shell, said half-shell 3 is provided with a fluid outlet port 6 of the enclosure.

Such a device is usually called a degassing box. The effectiveness of the device is essentially due to the fact that the outlet orifice 6, formed in the lower part of the enclosure, is surrounded by a continuous wall 7 delimiting, inside the enclosure, a chamber 8 around of which the fluid can circulate inside a pit 9 surrounding said chamber 8. This chamber 8, open at its apex, isolates the outlet orifice 6 from the outlet of the plunger tube whose free end 5A is arranged in said enclosure, outside the chamber 8, in the pit 9, below the level of the upper or free edge of the chamber / pit partition wall 7, which may also be called the chamber delimiting wall 7. The free end 5A of the plunger tube 5 is thus permanently immersed in the fluid present in the pit 9, this fluid circulating in said pit 9 before entering the chamber 8 by passing over the delimiting wall 7 from the room.

The boundary wall 7 of the chamber 8, which also functions as a wall 7 separating the chamber from the pit, necessarily lengthens the path of the liquid inside the chamber between the supply duct and the orifice 6 of the chamber. output thus improving the degassing quality.

In the examples shown, the chamber / pit partition wall 7 is a circular wall centered on the axis D of revolution of the envelope, orthogonal to the joint plane of the two half-shells and passing through the orifice 6 of fluid outlet. Note that the axis of revolution of the casing is shown at D in FIG. 1. As the chamber / pit separation wall 7 has a concavity facing the outlet orifice 6, its convex face improves the circulation of the casing. 9. Of course, the chamber / pit partition wall 7 could have had a more complex shape without departing from the scope of the invention.

In a manner characteristic of the invention, the chamber / pit partition wall 7 and the enclosure delimiting wall 11 which form the banks of the pit 9 and the plunger tube 5 are configured, that is to say in particular dimensioned and shaped, so that the dip tube is able to travel completely through the pit, that is to say able to traverse the pit by performing a complete turn around the chamber, in the state in contact with support by their plane 10 of 30 seal half-shells 2, 3 during a rotational movement 360 ° of the half-shell 2 provided with the plunger tube around the axis of revolution of the envelope orthogonal to the plane seal of the two half-shells.

In other words, the plunger tube can rotate 360 ° around the chamber with its free end disposed in the pit and make complete rotation of said chamber in the state of contact in contact with the half-shells by their joint plane and, during a relative drive rotation of the half-shells, around the axis of revolution orthogonal to the joint plane or the mean assembly plane of the half-shells without any obstacle comes s' to oppose this displacement. The free end 5A of the plunger tube can therefore follow a 360 ° circular path inside the pit without encountering obstacles. Thus, the half-shells can be assembled to each other in any angular position.

To allow the free end 5A of the plunger tube to flow freely inside the tank 360 ° without encountering any obstacle, the free end 5A of the plunger tube 5 is spaced from the axis D of revolution the envelope orthogonal to the joint plane 10 by a minimum distance greater than the distance separating the boundary wall 7 from the chamber 8 of said axis, and the delimiting wall 7 of the chamber 8 and the delimiting wall 11 of the enclosure forming the banks of the pit are, at the receiving zone of the free end 5A of the plunger tube 5 in the pit 9, spaced apart from each other in a direction radial to the axis of orthogonal revolution to the joint plane 10 a minimum distance greater than the overall dimensions in the same radial direction of the plunger tube, in particular the portion of the plunger tube disposed in the pit 9. 25 The longitudinal banks of the pit are therefore dismissed one of the at a distance sufficient at the receiving zone of the free end of the dip tube to allow the insertion between the two banks of the free end of the dip tube and the bank of the pit formed by the wall 7 of separation chamber 8 / pit 9 is shaped never to be in the circular path followed by the dip tube, in particular by the free end 5A of the dip tube, during a 360 ° rotation drive of the half shell 2 provided with the plunger tube 5 around the axis D of revolution of the envelope, this axis D of revolution being itself orthogonal to the joint plane of the half-shells constituting the envelope.

As mentioned above and to facilitate the complete emptying of the chamber, if necessary, the wall 7 of the delimitation of the chamber 8 is provided at its base, at or near its zone of connection to the wall delimiting wall 11. the enclosure, at least one orifice 12 for emptying the pit 9.

By drain orifice disposed in the vicinity of the zone of connection of the boundary wall of the chamber to the enclosure wall delimiting wall 11, is meant an orifice spaced from said connection zone by a distance generally at most equal to at 20 mm.

This drain orifice 12 passes right through the boundary wall 7 of the chamber 8 and puts the contents of the pit in communication with the contents of the chamber 8. This emptying orifice 12 is preferably calibrated. The half-shell 3, provided with the outlet orifice 6, is equipped with means, preferably a start 13, fixing pending for attachment of the device to the vehicle. In the examples shown, the fixing means are formed by a fastening start waiting for at least one attachment piece 16 adapted to form a connecting piece between the vehicle and the device.

Generally, the regulating device is fixed inside the engine compartment of the vehicle and the fastening piece is a bracket screwed to the vehicle and preferably fastened by snap-fastening to the standby fixing start 13.

In the examples shown, the fixing start 13 comprises at least one rail 14 and means 15, such as a finger or a hook, for locking, preferably by snapping, inside the rail 14, with a piece 16 of In this embodiment, the fastener can be modified to adapt to a new type of vehicle without having to modify the regulating device. Thus, this control device can be considered universal on the one hand because it allows any angular offset between the fastening means equipping the lower half-shell and the feed duct 4 equipping the upper half-shell, on the other hand because it allows to receive a fastener of any shape.

In the examples shown, at least a portion of the means for fixing the device in the vehicle is made in one piece with the half-shell 3 provided with the outlet orifice 6.

Preferably, at least a part of the fastening means, in particular the fastening start, is made in one piece in the form of a one-piece or even monolithic assembly with the half-shell 3 provided with the orifice 6. Release. This results in a simplification of the assembly since each half-shell can be made in the form of a monolithic piece and without insert insert. The two half-shells are then assembled to each other in a sealed manner at their joint plane after having been oriented according to the space requirements of the environment of the device.

In the examples shown, the half-shell 2 provided with the plunger tube 25 is provided with a filling orifice 17, the neck 18 of said orifice 17 being surrounded by an outer peripheral wall 19 spaced from said collar 18 and delimiting with said collar 18 an annular volume around said neck 18 adapted to receive the fluid, especially in case of overpressure inside the enclosure.

The filling orifice 17 extends generally above and vertically from the outlet orifice 6 of the lower half-shell 3 to the assembled state of the two half-shells. It is therefore aligned with the outlet port 6 and the center of the sphere formed by the enclosure. In general, the outlet orifice 6 extends vertically above the filling orifice 17 in the position of use of the device, that is to say when the outlet orifice 6 constitutes the most effective point. bottom of the speaker. This orifice 17 for filling the cooling fluid of the enclosure may also serve as a purge device. For this purpose, the filling orifice 17 may be closed by means of a stopper provided with a valve. The opening and closing of the valve are controlled by the value of the pressure of the gas inside the enclosure. During operation of the device, the gas extracted from the coolant accumulates inside the sealed enclosure. To avoid an overpressure that can damage said enclosure, a valve is provided. When the gas pressure is high within the chamber, this pressure causes the opening of said valve to let gas escape and reduce the pressure. The positioning in the upper part of the chamber of the purge valve makes it possible to evacuate the gas without causing losses of liquid during the purging operation.

In the examples shown, the outer peripheral wall 19 formed around the filling orifice 17 is interrupted at at least one point by a discharge chute 20. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the discharge chute 20 is a curved chute which follows the convex external profile of the half-shell 2 from the top towards the joint plane 10 of the half-shells. This chute forms a fluid flow ramp capable of accumulating in the annular volume around the neck of the filling orifice 17.

Finally, the device contains a level sensor 22 and a level indicator 21 housed inside said chamber 8.

At least a portion of this level sensor is attached and snapped into the chamber.

The regulation device, which is the subject of the invention, operates in a manner similar to existing control devices. It is distinguished simply by the fact that the two half-shells can, at the time of their assembly, be assembled to each other in any angular position function including the desired angular offset between the duct 4 of the supply of the upper half-shell and the fixing means of the lower half-shell.

Claims (10)

REVENDICATIONS1. Device for regulating the liquid phase of a cooling circuit of a heat engine, in particular for a motor vehicle, of the type comprising a casing (1) of revolution that can be positioned on the cooling circuit, generally between the outlet of the cylinder head and / or the radiator of the engine and the engine inlet, this envelope (1) of revolution, formed by two half-shells (2, 3) assembled by a plane (10) of seal, delimiting an enclosure, closed, fluid-powered cooling by at least one conduit (4) of fluid supply opening inside the enclosure in a tube (5) fitted to one of the (2) half-shells (2, 3), the fluid being, once degassed, evacuable from the enclosure through an outlet orifice (6) formed in the lower part of the enclosure on the other half-shell (3), said orifice (6) output being surrounded by a continuous wall (7) delimiting, within the enclosure, a chamber (8) around which the fluid can circulate inside a pit (9) surrounding said chamber (8), this chamber (8), open at its top, isolating said outlet orifice (6) from the opening of the tube (5). ) plunger whose free end (5A) is disposed in said enclosure outside the chamber (8) in the pit (9), below the level of the upper or free edge of the wall (7) separation chamber / pit so as to be immersed in the fluid present in the pit and flowing in said pit (9) before entering the chamber (8) by passage over the wall separation (7) chamber / pit, characterized in that the chamber (8) / pit (9) separation wall (7) and the enclosure delimiting wall (11) which form the banks of the pit (9) and the tube (5) plunger are configured so that the free end (5A) of the plunger tube (5) is able to completely traverse the pit (9) in the state in abutment contact by their plane (10) joint of the half-shells (2, 3), during a rotational movement 360 ° of the half-shell (2) provided with the tube (5) plunger around the axis (D) of revolution of the envelope (1) orthogonal to the joint plane (10) of the two half-shells. 2. Device according to claim 1, 13characterized in that the free end (5A) of the tube (5) plunger is spaced from the axis (D) of revolution orthogonal to the plane (10) joint a minimum distance greater than at the distance separating the chamber / pit separation wall (7) from said axis (D) of revolution, and in that the chamber / pit separation wall (7) and the wall delimiting wall (11) forming the banks of the pit (9) are, at the receiving zone of the free end (5A) of the tube (5) plunger in the pit (9), spaced apart from each other in a radial direction to the axis (D) of revolution orthogonal to the plane (10) of joint a minimum distance greater than the overall dimensions along the same radial direction of the free end of the tube (5) plunger. 3. Device according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the wall (7) separation chamber / pit is provided at its base, at or near its connection area to the wall (11) 15 delimitation of the enclosure, at least one hole (12) for emptying the pit (9). 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the half-shell (3) provided with the orifice (6) output, is equipped with means, preferably a start (13) , fixing pending for attachment of the device to the vehicle. 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the fastening start (13) comprises at least one rail (14) and means (15), such as finger or hook, locking, preferably snap-fastening, to the inside of the rail (14), with a fastener part (16) inserted inside the rail (14). 6. Device according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that at least a portion of the fastening means of the device 30 to the vehicle is made in one piece with the half-shell (3) provided with the outlet port (6). 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the half-shell (2) provided with the tube (5) plunger is provided with a hole (17) for filling, the neck (18) of said orifice (17) being surrounded by an outer peripheral wall (19) spaced from said neck (18) and delimiting with said neck (18) an annular volume around said neck (18) adapted to receive the fluid, especially in case of overpressure inside the enclosure. 8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the outer peripheral wall (19) formed around the filling orifice (17) is interrupted in at least one point by a lo chute (20) draining. 9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the discharge chute (20) is a curved chute following the convex external profile of the half-shell (2) from the top towards the plane (10) of joint half-shells. 10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it contains a level sensor (22) and a level indicator (21) housed inside said chamber (8). 20