JP2005289182A - Engine compartment structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an engine compartment structure reliably suppressing advancement of degradation of a capacitor placed in an engine compartment. <P>SOLUTION: In the engine compartment structure having an air introduction unit 2 to introduce air into an engine compartment of a vehicle, an engine 3 and a capacitor 13 to accumulate the power are provided in the engine compartment 1, and the capacitor 13 and the engine 3 are arranged in the order of the capacitor 13 and the engine 3 from the upstream side with respect to air flows F<SB>1</SB>, F<SB>2</SB>from the air introduction unit 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an engine room structure suitable for use in an automobile.

In recent years, hybrid electric vehicles (hereinafter simply referred to as hybrid vehicles) have attracted attention from the viewpoint of environmental protection. There are various types of hybrid vehicles, but generally, electric power generated by an engine is stored in a power storage device, and a motor is driven by this electric power.
As this power storage device, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a lead battery is generally used. However, in recent years, in place of such a general secondary battery or such a secondary battery. In addition, a technique using an electric double layer capacitor has been developed. In addition, the following nonpatent literatures 1-4 are mentioned as an example of the technique regarding this electric double layer capacitor.

Further, the capacitor is not limited to being mounted on the hybrid vehicle as described above, but can be mounted on a general vehicle. This example will be described with reference to FIG. The engine 103, the transmission 104, the battery 112, and the capacitor 113 are mainly mounted.
The engine 103 is provided with an alternator (generator) 110 and a starter motor 111, and the alternator 110 and the starter motor 111 are connected to a battery 112 and a capacitor 113.

Among these, the alternator 110 is a generator driven by the power generated by the engine 103, and the electric power generated by the alternator 110 is stored in the battery 112 and the capacitor 113.
On the other hand, the starter motor 111 is a motor (electric motor) that is operated by electric power supplied from the battery 112 or the capacitor 113, and is used when starting the engine 103.

The battery 112 is a lead battery and can store the electric power generated by the alternator 110. On the other hand, the capacitor 113 is an electric double layer capacitor, and the electric power generated by the alternator 110 is the same as the battery 112. The stored power can be stored. Since the structure and function of the battery 112 and the capacitor 113 are already known techniques, detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, activated carbon is used as an electrode (not shown) for the capacitor 113 to ensure a large surface area. It can be done.
New energy storage system ECS learned from the experimental set by Ikuo Okamura! "Transistor Technology", CQ Publisher, February 2001, p. 312-320 New energy storage system ECS learned from the experimental set by Ikuo Okamura! "Transistor Technology", CQ Publisher, March 2001, p. 329-339 New energy storage system ECS learned from the experimental set by Ikuo Okamura! "Transistor Technology", CQ Publisher, April 2001, p. 343-351 New energy storage system ECS learned from the experimental set by Ikuo Okamura! "Transistor Technology", CQ Publisher, May 2001, p. 295-302

However, the capacitor has a characteristic that it deteriorates with time, and the progress of the deterioration tends to be accelerated as the atmospheric temperature of the place where the capacitor is placed is higher.
In other words, it is conceivable that the electrolytic solution is decomposed by moisture in the capacitor and carbon dioxide gas is generated, and this carbon dioxide gas covers the surface of the activated carbon electrode. In such a case, the capacitance of the capacitor decreases. The internal resistance increases and the capacitor deteriorates. And this deterioration speed is accelerated, so that temperature is high, as shown in FIG.

Therefore, it is not preferable to install the capacitor in a place where the ambient temperature becomes high, such as the engine room, from the viewpoint of suppressing the deterioration rate of the capacitor.
On the other hand, if this capacitor is placed in a place other than the engine room (for example, a trunk room), the ambient temperature around the capacitor can be lowered compared with the case where it is placed in the engine room, but The distance between an electric device (for example, a starter motor) driven by the supplied power and the capacitor is increased. In such a case, the length of the electric cable connecting the starter motor and the capacitor also increases. However, if the length of the electric cable increases, the internal resistance of the electric cable increases, which is not preferable in terms of energy efficiency. .

Therefore, from the viewpoint of suppressing energy loss due to the length of the electric cable, it is preferable to install the capacitor in the engine room so that the capacitor and the electric device are installed as close as possible.
The present invention has been devised in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a structure of an engine room that can reliably suppress the progress of deterioration of a capacitor placed in the engine room.

  In order to achieve the above object, an engine room structure according to the present invention (Claim 1) is an engine room structure having an air introduction part for introducing air into an engine room of a vehicle, An engine and a capacitor for storing electric power, and the capacitor and the engine are arranged in order of the capacitor and the engine from the upstream side with respect to the air flow from the air introduction unit. It is characterized by being.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the structure of the engine room according to the first aspect, wherein an intake passage for guiding the air introduced from the air introduction portion to the intake port of the engine is provided. , And is arranged in the intake passage.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the structure of the engine room according to the first aspect is disposed downstream of the air introduction portion with respect to the air flow, and cools the cooling water of the engine. And a radiator fan which is disposed downstream of the radiator and introduces the air into the engine room through the air introduction portion and the radiator, and the capacitor is disposed downstream of the radiator fan. It is characterized by being arranged.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure of the engine room according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the case includes a case that encloses and encloses the capacitor, and is disposed between the case and the capacitor. It is characterized by the provision of a desiccant that removes moisture that enters the inside.

According to the structure of the engine room of the present invention, the capacitor and the engine are arranged in the order of the capacitor and the engine from the upstream side with respect to the air introduced into the engine room. The air can cool the capacitor preferentially over the engine, and the deterioration of the capacitor placed in the engine room can be reliably suppressed. (Claim 1)
In addition, since the capacitor is provided in the intake passage that guides the air introduced from the air introduction portion to the intake port of the engine, the capacitor can be actively cooled by the air introduced by the intake negative pressure of the engine. . (Claim 2)
Further, by providing the capacitor on the downstream side of the radiator fan with respect to the air flow, the capacitor can be actively cooled without lowering the cooling efficiency of the radiator. (Claim 3)
In addition, since the capacitor is hermetically protected by the case and a desiccant is provided between the case and the capacitor, it is possible to reliably suppress deterioration of the capacitor due to moisture. (Claim 4)

  Hereinafter, the structure of an engine room according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration, and as shown in FIG. In addition, an opening (air introduction part) 2 is formed on the front surface, and an engine 3, a transmission 4, a battery 12, a capacitor 13, a radiator 16, and a radiator fan 17 are mainly mounted.

Of these, the radiator 16 cools the cooling water of the engine 3 and is downstream of the flow of air introduced into the engine room 1 through the opening 2 (see arrows F ₁ and F _{2 in} FIG. 1). It is mounted on. Further, a radiator fan 17 is disposed further downstream than the radiator 16, and when the radiator fan 17 is operated, air is forcibly introduced into the engine room 1 through the opening 2 and the radiator 16, and this air is supplied to the radiator. The heat of the cooling water is deprived when passing through 16, and the heat in the cooling water is released into the air.

The engine 3 includes an intake manifold (engine intake port) 5, and an intake passage 6 is connected to the intake manifold 5.
An intake intake 7 for taking in air introduced from the opening 2 is formed at the tip of the intake passage 6, and an air filter 8 is provided downstream of the flow of air taken in from the intake intake 7. The air is taken into the intake manifold 5 of the engine 3 after removing dust from the air taken in from the intake intake 7.

The intake passage 6 is formed so that the passage cross-sectional area becomes wider on the downstream side of the air filter 8. Note that the space where the cross-sectional area is widened is referred to as an expansion space 9, and the capacitor 13 is disposed in the expansion space 9.
The engine 3 is provided with an alternator 10 and a starter motor 11, which are connected to a battery 12 and a capacitor 13, respectively. Among these, the alternator 10 is a generator driven by the power generated by the engine 3, and the electric power generated by the alternator 10 is stored in the battery 12 and the capacitor 13. On the other hand, the starter motor 11 is a motor that is operated by electric power supplied from the battery 12 or the capacitor 13, and is used when starting the engine 3.

The battery 12 is a lead battery and can store the electric power generated by the alternator 10. On the other hand, the capacitor 13 is an electric double layer capacitor, and is similar to the battery 12 by the alternator 10. The generated power can be stored.
In other words, both the battery 12 and the capacitor 13 have the same function in that they are power storage devices that store the power generated by the alternator 10, but the battery 12 stores the power through a chemical change. The capacitor 13 is different in that it stores electric power as it is. The capacitor 13 is also significantly different from the battery 12 in that it is suitable for discharging a large amount of power in a short time.

The structure and function of the battery 12 and the capacitor 13 are already well-known techniques and will not be described in detail. However, activated carbon is used as an electrode (not shown) for the capacitor 13 to ensure a large surface area. It can be done.
Further, as described above, the capacitor 13 is provided in the expansion space 9 with a space having a large passage area in the intake passage 6, and the supply of air to the intake manifold 5 is hindered by the capacitor 13. Thus, the capacitor 13 can be reliably cooled by the air introduced from the intake intake 7.

The capacitor 13 is covered and sealed with a case 14, and a desiccant 15 is provided between the case 14 and the capacitor 13. As a result, even if moisture enters the case 14, the entered moisture is removed by the desiccant 15 so that the moisture does not enter the capacitor 13.
Since the structure of the engine room according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, the following operations and effects are achieved.

Air is introduced into the engine room 1 through the opening 2, and the air is introduced into the intake passage 6 from the intake intake 7, and then the dust is removed by the air filter 8, and then the engine 3. It is supplied to the intake manifold 5.
At this time, since the air flowing through the intake passage 6 can flow along the periphery of the capacitor 13, the temperature around the capacitor 13 is lowered, and thus the capacitor 13 is disposed in the engine room 1. Even if it exists, progress of degradation of the capacitor 13 due to heat can be reliably suppressed.

The capacitor 13 is disposed in the intake passage 6 where the passage cross-sectional area is increased, that is, in the expansion space 9, and therefore does not hinder the flow of air supplied to the intake manifold 5.
Further, by disposing the capacitor 13 in the engine room 1, the distance between the alternator 10 and the capacitor 13 and the distance between the starter motor 11 and the capacitor 13 can be shortened. The length of the electric cable connecting the capacitor 13 and the capacitor 13 and the starter motor 11 can be shortened, and power loss due to the internal resistance of the electric cable can be reliably suppressed.

  Even if the air introduced into the engine room 1 from the opening 2 contains a lot of moisture, the capacitor 13 is sealed in the case 14, and the case 14, the capacitor 13, Since the desiccant 15 is provided in between, it is possible to reliably prevent moisture from entering the capacitor 13, thereby preventing a situation in which deterioration of the capacitor 13 is promoted. .

  In particular, since the vehicle may travel in rain and snow, it is assumed that the air supplied to the engine 3 through the opening 2 of the engine room 1 contains a lot of moisture. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the capacitor 13 is sealed and enclosed by the case 14, and the desiccant 15 is provided between the capacitor 13 and the case 14, whereby the deterioration of the capacitor 13 proceeds. Can be surely prevented.

  As described above, according to the structure of the engine room according to the present embodiment, the capacitor 13 and the engine 3 are arranged in the order of the capacitor 13 and the engine 3 from the upstream side with respect to the air introduced into the engine room 1. Therefore, even when the capacitor 13 is disposed in the engine room 1, the increase in the ambient temperature of the capacitor 13 is suppressed, and the deterioration of the capacitor 13 is surely suppressed. it can.

Further, since the capacitor 13 is provided in the intake passage 6 interposed between the opening 2 and the intake manifold 5 of the engine 3, the capacitor is introduced by the air positively introduced by the intake negative pressure of the engine 3. 13 can be efficiently cooled.
Next, a modified example of the structure of the engine room according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that this modification example is basically the same as the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and therefore, the description will focus on parts that differ from the above-described embodiment. Further, the same members as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and only different portions are denoted by different reference numerals. In this modification, the difference from the above-described embodiment is that the heat shield 18 is provided in the engine room 20 and the arrangement position of the capacitor 13 is different.

That is, in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1, the capacitor 13 is disposed in the intake passage 6, but in this modification, the capacitor 13 is connected to the radiator fan 17 as shown in FIG. 2. A heat shield 18 is disposed between the capacitor 13 and the engine 3 in the engine room 20 of the present modification.
That is, in the present modification, a radiator 16 that cools the cooling water of the engine 3 is disposed in the engine room 20 on the downstream side of the opening 2, and the radiator is further on the downstream side of the radiator 16. A fan 17 is provided. Therefore, when the radiator fan 17 is operated, air is forcibly introduced into the engine room 20, and the cooling water is cooled when the air passes through the radiator 16.

Further, the capacitor 13 is disposed downstream of the radiator fan 17 with respect to the air flow introduced into the engine room 20, and the air forcedly introduced into the engine room 20 by the radiator fan 17 is provided. The capacitor 13 is cooled.
Further, a heat shield 18 is provided between the capacitor 13 and the engine 3 so that heat (radiant heat) generated from the engine 3 suppresses the temperature rise of the capacitor 15 and prevents deterioration of the capacitor. Yes.

Since the structure of the engine room according to this modification is configured as described above, the following operations and effects are achieved.
Air is introduced into the engine room 20 through the opening 2, and air is further actively introduced into the engine room 20 by operating the radiator fan 17.
This air not only cools the radiator 16 but also cools the capacitor 13 disposed downstream of the radiator fan 17, thereby preventing an increase in temperature around the capacitor 13 and heat (in this case, an increase in ambient temperature). It is possible to reliably suppress the deterioration of the capacitor 13 due to the above.

In addition, since the heat shield 18 is disposed between the capacitor 13 and the engine 3, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which heat (in this case, radiant heat) generated from the engine 3 is transmitted to the capacitor 13. it can.
As described above, according to the structure of the engine room of the present invention according to this modification, the capacitor 13 and the engine 3 are arranged in this order from the upstream side with respect to the air introduced into the engine room 20. Therefore, relatively cool air before cooling the engine 3 is blown to the capacitor 13 placed in the engine room 1, and the deterioration of the capacitor 13 can be reliably suppressed.

Further, by providing the capacitor 13 on the downstream side of the radiator fan 17 with respect to the air flow introduced into the engine room 1, the capacitor 13 can be more actively cooled without reducing the cooling efficiency of the radiator 16. Can do.
In addition, since the capacitor 13 is hermetically protected by the case 14 and the desiccant 15 is provided between the case 14 and the capacitor 13, even if moisture enters the case 14 by any chance. Since the moisture can be removed by the desiccant 15, it is possible to reliably prevent the moisture from entering the capacitor 13, thereby reliably suppressing deterioration of the capacitor 13 due to moisture. it can.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention and its modification were demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the embodiment or modification which concerns, It implements in various deformation | transformation in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. Can do.
In the above-described embodiment and its modification, the case where the engine room structure of the present invention is applied to a general automobile traveling only by the driving force of the engine 3 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case. . For example, you may apply the engine room structure of this invention to the hybrid electric vehicle provided with the drive motor which assists the drive force of an engine.

In the above-described embodiment and its modification, the case where the battery 12 is a lead battery has been described as an example. However, any secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel battery may be used. Further, if the capacitor 13 has a sufficient electric capacity, such a secondary battery can be eliminated.
In the above-described embodiment and its modification, the case where the capacitor 13 is connected to the alternator 10 and the starter motor 11 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the capacitor 13 includes the alternator 10. It is good also as a structure connected to various generators and electrical components other than.

It is a block diagram showing typically the whole composition of the structure of the engine room concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing typically the whole composition of the structure of the engine room concerning the modification of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows typically the whole structure of the structure of the conventional engine room. It is a typical graph shown about aged deterioration of a capacitor.

Explanation of symbols

1 Engine room 2 Opening (air introduction part)
3 Engine 5 Air intake manifold (engine intake)
6 Intake passage 7 Intake intake 10 Alternator (generator)
13 Electric double layer capacitor (capacitor)
14 Case 15 Desiccant 17 Radiator fan 18 Radiator 19 Heat shield

Claims (4)

An engine room structure having an air introduction part for introducing air into an engine room of a vehicle,
In the engine room,
Engine,
With a capacitor to store power,
The structure of the engine room, wherein the capacitor and the engine are arranged in order of the capacitor and the engine from the upstream side with respect to the air flow from the air introduction section. An intake passage for guiding the air introduced from the air introduction portion to the intake port of the engine is provided;
The engine room structure according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor is disposed in the intake passage. A radiator disposed downstream of the air introduction portion with respect to the air flow and configured to cool the cooling water of the engine;
A radiator fan disposed on the downstream side of the radiator and for introducing the air into the engine room through the air introduction portion and the radiator;
The engine room structure according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor is disposed downstream of the radiator fan. A case for sealing and enclosing the capacitor;
2. The engine room structure according to claim 1, further comprising a desiccant disposed between the case and the capacitor and configured to remove moisture entering the case.

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