JP2005325801A - Fluid circulating device and heating element cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heating element cooling device capable of reducing poor operation of an electrically driven pump occurring due to the heat of fluid when fluid in two circuits having a temperature difference is circulated by the electrically driven pump having a drive part rotationally driving blades of first and second pump chambers by a power. <P>SOLUTION: In the electrically driven pump 12 provided with first and second pump chambers 12c and 12d situated in a pump housing; a motor space 12q; blades 32 and 33 situated in the pump chambers 12c and 12d; and a common motor part situated in a motor space 12q and having a common motor part rotationally driving the blades 32 and 33 by a power, a first pump chamber 12c and a motor space 12q situated in the pump housing such that a second pump chamber 12d is nipped therebetween, the pump chamber 12d is situated in an electric machinery and apparatus cooling circuit 11, and the first pump chamber 12c is situated in a heater passage 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid circulation device that circulates fluid and a heating element cooling device that cools a heating element, and is suitable for cooling a heating element such as an internal combustion engine (engine) or an electric motor mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, an electric pump having two pump chambers and a motor space in a pump housing and rotating blades in each pump chamber by a motor unit disposed in the motor space is known in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). This is called a conventional example).

  In the conventional pump, the first pump chamber and the motor space are arranged in the space in the pump housing so as to sandwich the second pump chamber. That is, the second pump chamber is adjacent to the motor space in which the motor unit is disposed, and the motor space and the first pump chamber are spaced apart.

  In addition, a partition portion that partitions the first and second pump chambers and a partition wall that partitions the second pump chamber and the motor space are disposed in the pump housing. The blades in the first and second pump chambers are fixed to a rotating shaft that penetrates the partition. When the blades of the second pump chamber rotate by receiving the magnetic force applied by the motor unit, the rotating shaft to which the blades of the second pump chamber are integrally fixed and the blades of the first pump chamber also rotate. Thereby, the wing | blade of a 1st pump chamber and a 2nd pump chamber rotates, and can flow the fluid of two independent passages.

In the conventional example, as shown in FIG. 3, the coolant flow absorbed from the engine branches into a front seat side passage 52 that flows to the front seat heat exchanger 54 and a rear seat side passage 53 that flows to the rear seat heat exchanger 55. The first pump chamber 12c is disposed in the front seat side passage 52, and the second pump chamber 12d is disposed in the rear seat side passage 53. Accordingly, the cooling water can be circulated in the front seat side passage 52 and the rear seat side passage 53 by rotating the blade 32 in the first pump chamber 12c and the blade 33 in the second pump chamber 12d.
Japanese Patent No. 3014991

  In the conventional example, two pump chambers are arranged in a front seat side passage 52 and a rear seat side passage 53 through which cooling water having substantially the same temperature flows branched from one passage. Therefore, due to the arrangement relationship between the first and second pump chambers 12c and 12d and the passages 52 and 53, there is no difference in the amount of heat that the motor space 12q receives from the cooling water in the adjacent second pump chamber 12d.

  As shown in FIG. 1 described later, the present inventors have a heater circuit 22 having a heater 25 in which cooling water absorbed from an engine 24 mounted on a hybrid vehicle heats air for air conditioning, and an electric device 15 including an electric motor 16. , 16 are arranged in the cooling circuit 11 for cooling the circuits 11 and 16, respectively, and the cooling water of the circuits 11 and 22 is circulated.

  According to this, there is a difference between the heat-resistant temperature of the electric devices 15 and 16 (referring to a temperature at which operation is possible without malfunction) and the temperature suitable for operation of the engine 24 (the temperature suitable for operation of the engine is about 100 ° C. The heat resistance temperature of electrical equipment is about 65 ° C). Therefore, naturally, there is a temperature difference between the cooling water flowing through the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 and the cooling water flowing through the heater circuit 22.

  At this time, if the second pump chamber 12d adjacent to the motor space is arranged in the heater circuit 22 having a higher temperature of the cooling water, the motor portion 12b in the motor space malfunctions due to the heat of the cooling water, and the operating efficiency is reduced. Sometimes it happens.

  In view of the above, the present invention is a heating element cooling device that circulates fluids of two circuits by an electric pump having blades of first and second pump chambers and a drive unit that rotationally drives these blades with electric power. The purpose of this invention is to reduce the malfunction of the electric pump due to the heat of the fluid when there is a temperature difference in the fluid flowing through the circuit.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the fluid circulation device, the first pump chamber (12c), the second pump chamber (12d), and the motor space (in the pump housing (12a)) ( 12q), blades (32, 33) disposed in the pump chambers (12c, 12d), and a common motor disposed in the motor space (12q) and rotating the blades (32, 33) with electric power An electric pump means (12) having a section (12b), a first fluid circuit (22) through which a fluid circulated by a blade (32) of the first pump chamber (12c), and a second pump chamber (12d) A second fluid circuit (11) through which the fluid circulated by the wing (33) flows,
A fluid having a temperature lower than that of the fluid in the first fluid circuit (22) flows through the second fluid circuit (11), and the second pump chamber (12d) is adjacent to the motor space (12q). The first pump chamber (12c) is disposed so as to be separated from the motor space (12q) with the second pump chamber (12d) interposed therebetween.

  According to this, the fluid of the second fluid circuit (11) having a temperature lower than that of the fluid of the first fluid circuit (22) flows in the second pump chamber (12d) adjacent to the motor space (12q). The heat received by the motor space (12q) from the fluid can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the malfunction of the motor portion (12b) in the motor space (12q) due to the heat of the fluid or the decrease in the operation efficiency.

  Further, when the temperature of the fluid is lower than the heat generation temperature of the motor unit (12b), the heat of the motor unit (12b) is taken away by the fluid, so that it is possible to prevent malfunction due to heat, a decrease in operating efficiency, and the like.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating element cooling device including the fluid circulation device according to the first aspect, wherein the first fluid circuit absorbs heat from the first heating element (24) to increase the temperature. When the fluid in the state flows, the heater circuit (22) having the heater (25) that heats the object to be heated by the fluid is used, the second fluid circuit absorbs heat from the second heating element (15, 16), and a radiator ( If it is set as the cooling circuit (11) through which the fluid which thermally radiates by 13) flows, the heat generating body cooling device which has the effect described in Claim 1 can be comprised.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the heating element cooling device according to the second aspect, the first heating element is an internal combustion engine (24) mounted on the vehicle, and the second heating element is mounted on the vehicle. If the heater (25) heats the air-conditioning air flowing into the vehicle interior of the vehicle as the electric device (15, 16) to be performed, the heating element cooling device having the effect of claim 2 is specifically configured. be able to.

  Further, in the heating element cooling device according to claim 3, as in the invention according to claim 4, the electric device (15, 16) may include at least a motor (16) for vehicle travel.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each said means shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment in which a heating element cooling device according to the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle having two travel drive sources, an engine and a travel motor. In general, there is a difference between the heat resistance temperature (referring to a temperature at which operation is possible without malfunction) of the electric motor that operates the motor for traveling and the motor suitable for engine operation. The temperature suitable for engine operation is about 100 ° C., and the heat resistance temperature of the electric equipment is about 65 ° C.

  Therefore, the heating element cooling device of the first embodiment cools the engine cooling circuit 21 that cools the engine 24 that is the first heating element, the electric motor such as the traveling motor 16 that is the second heating element, and the inverter 15. An electrical equipment cooling circuit 11 is provided as a cooling circuit. In each of the cooling circuits 11 and 21, cooling water that is a heat medium that moves heat flows.

  First, the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 will be described along the flow of cooling water. The cooling water is circulated in the electronic device cooling circuit 11 by a pump 12 which is a first pump means disposed in the electric device cooling circuit 11. The structure of the pump 12 will be described later.

  The cooling water discharged from the pump 12 flows into the electric equipment radiator 13 which is a radiator. In the electric device radiator 13, the cooling water radiates heat to the air blown from the blower 13a, in other words, the cooling water is cooled by the blown air.

  The cooling water radiated by the electric equipment radiator 13 flows to the inverter 15 and absorbs the heat of the inverter 15. As is well known, the inverter 15 converts the DC voltage of the vehicle power supply into an AC voltage, and supplies power to, for example, the traveling motor 17 and controls the rotational speed of the motor 16 and the like by changing the frequency of the AC voltage. It is. In addition, since the heat resistant temperature of the inverter 15 is lower than that of other electric devices, the inverter 15 is disposed immediately downstream of the electric device radiator 13, and the low-temperature cooling water immediately after heat dissipation cools the inverter 15. .

  The cooling water that has absorbed heat from the inverter 15 flows to the traveling motor 16 and absorbs heat from the traveling motor 16. Here, the traveling motor 16 moves the vehicle by driving with electric power. The cooling water that has absorbed heat from the traveling motor 16 is again sucked and discharged to the pump 12 and circulates in the electric equipment cooling circuit 11.

  Next, the engine cooling circuit 21 will be described. The engine cooling circuit 21 has the same configuration as a well-known engine cooling circuit, and the engine cooling circuit 21 is provided with a mechanical pump 23 that receives power from the engine 24 and drives it. Has been.

  The cooling water discharged from the mechanical pump 23 flows into the engine 24 and absorbs the heat of the engine 24. The flow of cooling water that has absorbed heat from the engine 24 branches into a heater passage 22 that goes to the heater 25 and an engine cooling circuit 21 that goes to the engine radiator 27. The cooling water flowing into the heater passage 22 heats the air flowing into the vehicle interior by the blower 26 by the heater 25, that is, radiates heat to the air in the vehicle interior, and then the engine radiator 27 and the mechanical pump 23 in the engine cooling circuit 21. The engine is joined to the engine cooling circuit 21 at an intermediate position, and is sucked and discharged again to the mechanical pump 23. In the present embodiment, the pump 12 is disposed in the heater passage 22 at a downstream side of the cooling water flow of the heater 25.

  The first pump chamber 12c is disposed in the heater passage 22 when the engine 24 is stopped, that is, when the mechanical pump 23 is stopped, the cooling water in the heater circuit 22 is circulated so that the engine 24 and the cooling water are This is because the air for air conditioning is heated by the heater 25 using the remaining heat.

  On the other hand, the cooling water that has flowed through the engine cooling circuit 21 radiates heat to the air blown from the blower 27 a by the engine radiator 27. In the engine cooling circuit 21, the cooling water flows to the engine radiator 27 (engine cooling circuit 21) when the cooling water is above a certain temperature, and when the cooling water is lower than the certain temperature, the cooling water is sent to the engine radiator. There is provided a thermostat 28 for flowing only the heater passage 22 without flowing to 27 (engine cooling circuit 21).

  As is well known, when the temperature of the engine 24, that is, the cooling water is low, such as when the engine is started after parking for a long time, the operating efficiency (for example, fuel consumption) of the engine 24 is low. However, when the cooling water is lower than a certain temperature by the thermostat 28, the cooling water is not radiated by the engine radiator 27, so the engine 24 is quickly warmed to a temperature with high operating efficiency (hereinafter referred to as warm-up temperature). The warm-up time of the engine 24 can be shortened. On the other hand, when the cooling water temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the heat of the cooling water absorbed from the engine 24 can be radiated by the engine radiator 27.

  Next, the structure of the pump 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. A motor space 12 q in which a motor unit 12 b as a driving means is disposed in a pump housing 12 a that is a case of the pump 12, and first and second motor spaces 12 q. These two pump chambers 12c and 12d are arranged. In the present embodiment, the first pump chamber 12c is disposed in the heater passage 22, and the second pump chamber 12d is disposed in the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 (see FIG. 1).

  The pump structure of this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2. The space in the pump housing 12a is divided into a motor space 12q on the left side in FIG. 2 by a partition wall 12h, and first and second pumps on the right side. It is divided into chambers 12c and 12d. The partition wall 12h is formed of, for example, a non-magnetic material such as resin, and is fixed to the pump housing 12a.

  A motor unit 12b is disposed in the motor space 12q. The motor unit 12b of the present embodiment is provided with a coil 12e that is a magnetic field generating means. In addition, 12f is a drive circuit of the motor part 12b.

  In the present embodiment, the left side of the second pump chamber 12d is disposed in contact with the motor space 12q, and the right side of the second pump chamber 12d is in contact with the first pump chamber 12c. A pump chamber partition plate 12i is disposed between the first and second pump chambers 12c and 12d. The pump chamber partition plate 12i has a hole into which the rotary shaft 31 is rotatably fitted. Further, the first and second pump chambers 12c and 12d have inlets 12j and 12m through which cooling water flows, outlets 12k and 12n through which cooling water flows out, and blades 32 and 33 integrated with the rotary shaft 31, respectively. Has been placed. A blade 32 is disposed in the first pump chamber 12c, and a blade 33 is disposed in the second pump chamber 12d.

  The blades 32 and 33 allow cooling water (arrows A and B) flowing in from the rotation axis direction R to flow out (arrows C and D) from the rotation direction (centrifugal direction) of the rotation shaft 31 (arrows C and D). It has a wing shape. A magnet portion 33a having a shape surrounding the motor portion 12b is formed on the blade 33 of the second pump chamber 12d near the motor portion 12b side. A magnetized member such as a magnet is disposed in the magnet portion 33a.

  A shaft seal member 34 is provided between the first pump chamber 12c and the second pump chamber 12d to seal between the pump chambers 12c and 12d. As the shaft sealing member, an O-ring, a member that presses a sealing material against a rotating shaft by a pressure difference of a pump chamber as described in Patent Document 1, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-132634, or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-307224 is disclosed. As long as it can seal between the first and second pump chambers 12c and 12d, such as the lip-type seal described in (1), the rotary shaft 31 may be rotatable.

  In addition, 12p is a bracket for fixing the pump 12. In the present embodiment, the number of rotations of the pump 12, the amount of air blown from the blowers 13 a and 27 a and the blower 26 are controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU, not shown). Furthermore, sensor signals such as temperature sensors 14 and 29 are also input to the ECU.

  Next, the operation of the pump 12 of the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described. When a signal from the ECU is input to the drive circuit 12f via the connector 12g, a current flows in the coil 12e and a magnetic field (magnetic force) is generated. . When this magnetic force is received by the magnet portion 33a of the blade 33, the blade 33 rotates about the rotation shaft 31. Further, the blade 32 integrated with the rotating shaft 31 also rotates.

  Due to the rotation of the blades 32 and 33, the cooling water is sucked into the pump chambers 12 c and 12 d from the inlets 12 j and 12 m (arrows A and B), and the outlet 12 k positioned in the rotation direction (centrifugal direction) of the rotary shaft 31. , 12n (arrows C and D). By such an operation of the pump 12, the cooling water of the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 and the cooling water of the heater passage 22 are circulated.

  The cooling water of the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 absorbs heat from the traveling motor 16 and the inverter 15 and radiates this heat by the electronic equipment radiator 13. This prevents the traveling motor 16 and the inverter 15 from exceeding the heat-resistant temperature due to heat generated by the operation. The ECU controls the amount of air blown from the blower 13a (heat load on the radiator 13) so that the temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 14 upstream of the cooling water flow of the inverter 15 does not exceed the heat resistance temperature of the inverter 15.

  In the engine cooling circuit 21, when the temperature of the cooling water is low and the thermostat 28 closes the passage, the cooling water flows only through the heater passage 22. On the other hand, when the temperature of the cooling water is high and the thermostat 28 opens the passage, the cooling water flows through the heater passage 22 and the engine cooling circuit 21. As a result, the engine 24 is prevented from having an inefficient low temperature or a temperature optimum for driving. The ECU controls the amount of air blown by the blower 27a (heat load on the radiator 27) so that the temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 29 upstream of the coolant flow of the engine 24 does not exceed the optimum temperature for the operation of the engine 24. Yes.

  Next, the effects of the first embodiment will be listed. (1) The second pump chamber 12d adjacent to the motor space 12q is cooled in the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 at a temperature lower than the cooling water in the heater passage 22. Since water flows, the heat received by the motor space 12q from the cooling water can be reduced.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the malfunction of the motor unit 12b, the drive circuit 12f, and the like in the motor space 12q due to the heat of the cooling water and the decrease in the operation efficiency. Further, when the temperature of the cooling water is lower than the heat generation temperature of the motor unit 12b, the heat of the motor unit 12b can be absorbed by the cooling water, so that malfunction due to heat, a decrease in operating efficiency, and the like can be prevented.

  (2) Since the pump 12 driven by electricity is arranged in the heater passage 22, even if the mechanical pump 23 driven by the power of the engine 24 is stopped, the cooling water and the engine 24 are circulated by circulating the cooling water in the heater passage 22. Due to this residual heat, the heater 25 can exhibit heating performance.

  (3) The pump 12 rotates the blades 32 and 33 disposed in the two pump chambers 12c and 12d in the pump housing 12a by the single motor unit 12b to cool the independent electronic device cooling circuit 11 and the heater passage 22, respectively. Circulating water. Therefore, the number of pumps can be halved compared to the case where pumps are arranged in the cooling circuit 11 and the heater passage 22 respectively. Thereby, the cost as the whole heat generating body cooling device can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the number of pumps has been reduced by half, the mounting space as the heating element cooling device can be reduced, that is, the mounting property can be improved. Thereby, a heat generating body cooling device can be arrange | positioned in a narrower space.

  (4) Since the piping of the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 and the piping of the heater circuit 22 are concentrated in the pump 12, the pumps are arranged in the circuits 11 and 22, and the piping is compared with the case where the pumps are separated from each other. Can be easily assembled.

  (5) The motor unit 12b is arranged in the sealed space by the partition plate 12h, and the wing 33 (magnet unit 33a) is rotated through the partition plate 12h by the magnetic force generated by the coil unit e of the motor unit 12b. . For this reason, the motor part 12b can be driven in the sealed space sealed more reliably. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cooling water from flowing into the motor unit 12b having electric components that are sensitive to moisture and damaging the motor unit 12b.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the first fluid circuit is the heater passage 22 and the second fluid circuit is the electric equipment cooling circuit 11 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described circuit, and two independent temperature differences are present. The effect can be exhibited if applied to the circuit. The fluid circuit is, for example, a cooling / cooling water circuit that is cooled by a water / refrigerant heat exchanger and in which cooling water that cools conditioned air into the vehicle interior flows through a cooler.

  Heat sources that are cooled by the cooling fluid include heat generation due to physical changes such as refrigeration cycle radiators, desiccant adsorption heat generation, heat generation due to chemical reactions such as combustors and fuel cells (FC), secondary batteries and electricity. There are various heat generation such as various conversion loss of parts.

  Moreover, although the example which cools the heat-generation source of a vehicle was shown in the above-mentioned embodiment, this invention cools not only the heat-generation source mounted in moving bodies, such as a vehicle, but the heat-source fixed by the cooling fluid. You may do.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the electric device is the inverter 15 has been described. However, the electric device generates heat by the operation of a DC-DC converter, which is a transformer that converts voltage, and a generator that mainly supplies power to the traveling motor 16. Any device can be used. Further, heat may be absorbed from a heating element that generates heat by driving with an electric device such as a transmission gear for switching the number of rotations of the motor.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the electronic devices are arranged in series in the cooling circuit 11, but devices having close heat resistance temperatures may be arranged in parallel.

  In the above-described embodiment, the blades 32 and 33 of the pump 12 have a centrifugal shape in which the fluid from the axial direction R flows in the centrifugal direction. However, the flow-through shape in which the fluid from the centrifugal direction flows in the centrifugal direction. It may be.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the motor unit 12b is disposed in the space sealed by the partition wall 12h and the blade 33 is rotated through the partition wall 12h is shown. However, the blades 32 and 33 are integrally coupled to a rotating shaft that penetrates the partition wall 12h, and a shaft sealing means (seal member) that seals between the pump chamber and the motor space is disposed on the rotating shaft to provide a motor portion 12b (motor space). ) To prevent the cooling water from entering.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the heat generating body cooling device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the pump of 1st Embodiment. It is a circuit diagram which shows the prior art example which used the pump which concerns on patent document 1 for the circulation of the cooling water which flows into a heat exchanger.

Explanation of symbols

11 ... Electric equipment cooling circuit (second fluid circuit, cooling circuit),
12 ... Electric pump (electric pump means), 12a ... Pump housing,
12b ... motor section, 12c ... first pump chamber, 12d ... second pump chamber,
12q ... motor space, 13 ... electric equipment radiator (radiator),
15 ... Inverter (second heating element), 16 ... Driving motor (second heating element),
22 ... heater passage (first fluid circuit), 24 ... engine (first heating element, internal combustion engine),
25 ... heater, 32, 33 ... wings.

Claims (4)

The first pump chamber (12c), the second pump chamber (12d) and the motor space (12q) arranged in the pump housing (12a), and the blades (32, 32d) arranged in each pump chamber (12c, 12d) 33) and an electric pump means (12) having a common motor part (12b) disposed in the motor space (12q) and rotationally driving the blades (32, 33) with electric power;
A first fluid circuit (22) through which a fluid circulated by the blade (32) of the first pump chamber (12c) flows;
A second fluid circuit (11) through which a fluid circulated by the blade (33) of the second pump chamber (12d) flows,
A fluid having a temperature lower than that of the fluid in the first fluid circuit (22) flows in the second fluid circuit (11),
The second pump chamber (12d) is disposed adjacent to the motor space (12q),
The fluid circulation device, wherein the first pump chamber (12c) is disposed so as to be separated from the motor space (12q) with the second pump chamber (12d) interposed therebetween. A heating element cooling device comprising the fluid circulation device according to claim 1,
The first fluid circuit is a heater circuit (22) having a heater (25) that heats the object to be heated by the fluid while the fluid that has absorbed heat from the first heating element (24) flows and flows.
The heating element cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the second fluid circuit is a cooling circuit (11) through which a fluid that absorbs heat from the second heating element (15, 16) and radiates heat by the radiator (13) flows. The first heating element is an internal combustion engine (24) mounted on a vehicle,
The second heating element is an electric device (15, 16) mounted on the vehicle,
The heating element cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the heater (25) heats the air-conditioning air flowing into the vehicle interior of the vehicle. The heating element cooling device according to claim 3, wherein the electric device (15, 16) includes at least a motor (16) for vehicle travel.

Images