JP2006257912A - Pump device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pump device, miniaturizable with a simple constitution, by efficiently removing heat generated from a control part of a driving coil, without being influenced by an external atmospheric state. <P>SOLUTION: This pump device has a housing 10 having an inside space, a partition wall 20 for partitioning the inside space into a fluid chamber 30 capable of flowing fluid and a control chamber 40, a rotor 32 arranged in the fluid chamber 30 and having a magnet 31, the driving coil 41 arranged in the control chamber 40 and rotatably driving the rotor 32 by generating a magnetic field, and the control part 42 for controlling this driving coil 41. The control part 42 is arranged so as to contact directly with the partition wall 20 or indirectly via a heat conduction member 70. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pump device for circulating a fluid.

  There is an electric pump as a pump device for circulating a fluid. Such an electric pump has a control part which consists of electronic parts, such as a power transistor. In an electric pump, if the drive control of the pump by the control unit is frequently performed or the drive time is lengthened, the amount of heat generated from the control unit increases. Therefore, in the electric pump, it is necessary to cool the control unit in order to prevent trouble due to heat.

  As an electric pump provided with the structure for cooling such a control part, there existed an air cooling type water pump and a water cooling type water pump which are demonstrated below (for example, refer patent document 1).

  In the air-cooled water pump shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, the surface of an electronic component, which is a heat source, is brought into contact with the pump housing from the inside, and thereby, in the external atmosphere (air) where the pump is placed. Radiates heat. Further, the housing is subjected to a surface treatment in order to increase heat radiation efficiency.

  Further, the water-cooled water pump shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1 is provided with a water-cooling jacket so as to be in close contact with the surface of the electronic component, and by bypassing the water pumped by the pump, Cooling is performed by absorbing water generated by electronic components in water.

JP 2001-123996 A (FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, since the air-cooled water pump shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 is a system that performs cooling by radiating heat to the external atmosphere, there is a problem that the amount of heat radiation is likely to vary depending on the outside air temperature or the like. . When the air-cooled water pump is used as a water pump for an automobile engine, for example, the temperature in the engine room becomes very high during the daytime in summer, for example, and the cooling efficiency of the water pump is deteriorated. For this reason, when an air-cooled water pump is used, measures such as attaching a special heat dissipating member are required to maintain a certain level of cooling efficiency.

  Further, the water-cooled water pump shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1 needs to separately provide a water-cooling jacket for cooling an electronic component that is a heat source and a pipe associated therewith. However, when such piping is provided, there arises a problem that the structure of the pump becomes complicated or enlarged. And the complexity and enlargement of such a pump will also increase the burden of inspection and maintenance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and its object is to make it less susceptible to the influence of the external atmosphere and to efficiently remove the heat generated from the control unit of the drive coil. It is possible to provide a small pump device with a simple configuration.

  The pump apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing having an internal space, a partition that divides the internal space into a fluid chamber and a control chamber through which fluid can move, and a magnet disposed in the fluid chamber. A rotor, a drive coil that is disposed in the control chamber and generates a magnetic field to rotationally drive the rotor, and a control unit that controls the drive coil, and the control unit directly to the partition wall, Or it exists in the point arrange | positioned so that it may contact indirectly through a heat conductive member.

  In the pump device of this configuration, the control unit that controls the drive coil is disposed so as to be in direct contact with the partition wall that separates the fluid chamber and the control chamber or indirectly through the heat conducting member. The heat generated in the control unit is transmitted to the fluid flowing in the fluid chamber through the partition wall. That is, the control unit is cooled by heat exchange with the fluid. In addition to high cooling efficiency compared to conventional air-cooled pump devices, the heat exchange type pump device with such a refrigerant (cooling water) is hardly affected by the state of the external atmosphere, and its reliability is improved. Can be improved.

  In addition, since heat generated from the control unit of the pump device can be transferred to the fluid in the fluid chamber circulated by the pump device, new cooling pipes for cooling the control unit, heat radiating members, etc. There is no need to provide. For this reason, the structure of a pump can be simplified.

  In the pump device according to the present invention, the control unit is mounted on a substrate, and a surface of the substrate opposite to the surface on which the control unit is mounted is indirectly connected to the partition via the heat conducting member. It is preferable to arrange so as to be in contact with each other.

  In the pump device of this configuration, since the surface opposite to the surface on which the control unit of the substrate is mounted faces toward the partition wall, the control unit that is the part to which the heat generated inside the control unit is best transmitted The wiring portion (for example, the terminal portion of the power transistor) can be brought into contact with the partition wall so that heat can be transferred. Therefore, more efficient heat exchange can be performed between the control unit and the cooling water.

  In the pump device of the present invention, it is preferable that the partition wall is made of nonmagnetic stainless steel.

  In the pump device of this configuration, the partition wall that has been conventionally formed of a resin material is made of nonmagnetic stainless steel, so that the partition wall can be made thin while ensuring the necessary strength. Therefore, the distance between the magnet and the drive coil of the rotor arranged opposite to each other with the partition wall interposed therebetween can be shortened, and the drive force generated by the drive coil can be efficiently transmitted to the rotor. In addition, since the partition walls are made of non-magnetic stainless steel, the partition walls can be made thinner as described above, and the thermal conductivity can be increased as compared with the case of being made of a resin material. The generated heat can be efficiently transferred to the fluid in the fluid chamber.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to an engine cooling water circulation pump will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a cooling water circulation path by the pump device 100 of the present embodiment. The pump device 100 is disposed in a cooling water circulation path between a water-cooled engine 60 and a radiator 50 mounted on an automobile or the like. The cooling water discharged from the pump device 100 is sent to the water-cooled engine 60 to absorb heat generated by engine combustion, and then sent to the radiator 50 to be cooled by radiating the absorbed heat, and then pumped. Return to device 100. In this way, the cooling water is circulated.

  FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the pump device 100 according to the present embodiment. In the pump device 100, the internal space in the housing 10 is separated into a fluid chamber 30 and a control chamber 40 by a partition wall 20. In this embodiment, the housing 10 includes a rotor housing 10a, an intermediate housing 10b, a drive coil housing 10c, and a control unit housing 10d.

  The partition wall 20 is formed, for example, by deep drawing a nonmagnetic stainless steel plate into a cylindrical shape having an opening at one end in the axial direction. A flange portion 20a is formed around the opening of the partition wall 20, and the flange portion 20a is sandwiched and fixed by the fastening member 1 between the rotor housing 10a and the intermediate housing 10b. Further, a holding portion 20 b for holding a rotor 32 described later is formed on the other axial end side of the partition wall 20.

  The thickness of the partition wall 20 is preferably as thin as possible within a range where necessary strength can be ensured. That is, by making the partition wall 20 thinner, the distance between the magnet 31 of the rotor 32 and the drive coil 41 can be shortened. Therefore, the transmission efficiency of the driving force generated by the drive coil 41 to the magnet 31 of the rotor 32 can be increased. In addition, although the thickness of the suitable partition 20 changes with the magnitude | sizes of the pump apparatus 100, in the case of the pump for cooling water circulation as shown in this example, it can be about 0.3-1 mm, for example. .

  The fluid chamber 30 is defined by a space surrounded by the rotor housing 10 a and the partition wall 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a pump chamber 30a communicating with the cooling water suction portion 33 and the discharge portion 34 and in which the impeller 32c of the rotor 32 is disposed, and a cylindrical shape formed communicating with the pump chamber 30a. And a rotor chamber 30b in which a cylindrical portion 32a provided with the magnet 31 of the rotor 32 is disposed. The control chamber 40 is defined by a space surrounded by the drive coil housing 10 c, the control unit housing 10 d, and the partition wall 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the drive coil chamber 40 a formed in the drive coil housing 10 c and in which the drive coil 41 is disposed, and the control unit housing 10 d on the other end side in the axial direction from the holding portion 20 b of the partition wall 20. The driver room 40b is formed so as to be surrounded by the control unit 42. Each connection portion between the housings is fixed in a watertight manner via the seal member 3.

  In the fluid chamber 30, a rotor 32 having a magnet 31 for flowing cooling water is disposed. The rotor 32 includes a cylindrical portion 32a, a shaft 32b fixed in contact with the cylindrical portion 32a, and an impeller 32c attached to the distal end side (the suction portion 33 side) of the shaft 32b. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the impeller 32c is disposed in the pump chamber 30a, and the cylindrical portion 32a and the shaft 32b are disposed in the rotor chamber 30b.

  Moreover, the rotor 32 partially thickens the wall part of the cylindrical part 32a, and accommodates the magnet 31 in this thickened part. Therefore, the magnet 31 and the rotor 32 can rotate integrally. When the rotor 32 rotates, the cooling water cooled in the radiator 50 flows into the fluid chamber 30 from the suction portion 33 connected to the fluid chamber 30. This cooling water is discharged from the discharge portion 34 having an opening in the direction of the rotational circle of the impeller 32 c of the rotor 32, and is sent to the engine block 61 (see FIG. 1) of the water-cooled engine 60.

  The control chamber 40 accommodates a drive coil 41 for rotationally driving the rotor 32 on the fluid chamber 30 side, and a control unit 42 for controlling the drive coil 41. In the present embodiment, the drive coil 41 is disposed in the drive coil chamber 40a, and the control unit 42 is disposed in the driver chamber 40b. For example, a power transistor 42 a is used for the control unit 42. The drive coil 41 and the power transistor 42 a are supplied with power by connecting a harness (not shown) to the connector 2 provided from the housing 10 to the substrate 43. When a current flows through the drive coil 41, a magnetic field is generated, and this magnetic field passes through the partition wall 20 and acts on the magnet 31 of the rotor 32.

  A plurality of drive coils 41 can be arranged around the rotation axis of the rotor 32 at predetermined angles (for example, three for every 120 °). The power transistor 42a can continuously rotate the rotor 32 by sequentially turning on / off the plurality of drive coils 41.

  The power transistor 42 a is disposed toward the partition wall 20. As one of the arrangement methods, for example, there is a method of bringing the power transistor 42 a into contact with the partition wall 20 indirectly through the heat conducting member 70. Here, the partition 20 is comprised with the nonmagnetic stainless steel which is a metal material. Accordingly, the partition wall 20 can be made thin and the thermal conductivity is higher than that of the conventional resin material, so that the heat generated in the power transistor 42a can be efficiently transmitted to the cooling water in the fluid chamber 30. Moreover, since nonmagnetic stainless steel hardly generates rust even when it comes into contact with cooling water, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems due to the influence of rust in the flow path of the cooling water. For example, SUS304L, SUS316L, or the like can be used as the nonmagnetic stainless steel constituting the partition wall 20.

  As the heat conductive member 70 interposed between the power transistor 42a and the partition wall 20, a known heat conductive resin having flexibility can be used. As such a heat conductive resin, for example, epoxy resin, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, or the like can be used.

  By the way, the power transistor 42a is normally covered with a sealing material, and only the terminal 42b is exposed to the outside. For this reason, the heat generated inside the power transistor 42a is best transferred to the portion of the terminal 42b. Accordingly, the surface of the substrate 43 opposite to the surface on which the power transistor 42a is mounted (that is, the surface P where the terminal 42b of the power transistor 42a is exposed) is directed to the partition wall side, and this surface P is thermally conductive. If it arrange | positions so that it may contact the partition 20 indirectly via the member 70, the transmission to the partition 20 of the heat which generate | occur | produced in the power transistor 42a can be performed efficiently.

  As described above, the heat generated from the control unit 42 of the pump device 100 is transmitted to the cooling water flowing through the fluid chamber 30 via the partition wall 20, thereby improving the cooling efficiency compared to the conventional air-cooled pump device. While being able to raise, it can be set as the structure which is hard to be influenced by the state of external atmosphere.

  Further, in the present invention, since the cooling water of the water-cooled engine 60 circulated by the pump device 100 can be used as the refrigerant for cooling the control unit 42 of the pump device 100, new cooling for cooling the control unit 42 is possible. There is no need to install piping. For this reason, the structure of the pump can be simplified and downsized, and measures such as attaching a special heat radiating member to the pump are not necessary.

<Another embodiment>
(1) In the above embodiment, the housing 10 has a four-piece structure including the rotor housing 10a, the intermediate housing 10b, the drive coil housing 10c, and the control unit housing 10d. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, the rotor housing 10a and the intermediate housing 10b can be integrated to form a three-piece structure.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the power transistor 42 a is indirectly brought into contact with the partition wall 20 through the heat conducting member 70 has been described. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the power transistor 42 a may be in direct contact with the partition wall 20. In this case, it is preferable to fix the substrate 43 at a position close to the partition wall 20 so that the power transistor 42a slightly biases the partition wall 20. Thereby, reliable contact between the power transistor 42a and the partition wall 20 is obtained. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, in order to increase the contact area between the power transistor 42a and the partition wall 20, the heat conducting member 70 is disposed around the power transistor 42a. Of course, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which such a configuration is not provided.

(3) The pump device 100 of the present invention can be applied to various applications in addition to a water pump used in an engine such as an automobile. For example, it can also be used for various oil pumps for automobile engines, various pumps used in industrial engines, and a refrigerant transport pump for air conditioning equipment.

Schematic which shows the circulation path of the cooling water by the pump apparatus which concerns on this invention The internal block diagram of the pump apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. The internal block diagram of the pump apparatus which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing 20 Partition 30 Fluid chamber 31 Magnet 32 Rotor 40 Control chamber 41 Drive coil 42 Control part 43 Board | substrate 70 Heat conduction member 100 Pump apparatus

Claims (3)

A housing having an internal space;
A partition that divides the internal space into a fluid chamber and a control chamber through which fluid can move;
A rotor having a magnet disposed in the fluid chamber;
A drive coil that is disposed in the control chamber and generates a magnetic field to rotationally drive the rotor, and a control unit that controls the drive coil;
The said control part is a pump apparatus arrange | positioned so that it may contact with respect to the said partition directly or indirectly through a heat conductive member.   The control unit is mounted on a substrate, and the surface of the substrate opposite to the surface on which the control unit is mounted is disposed so as to indirectly contact the partition through the heat conducting member. The pump device according to claim 1.   The pump device according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is made of nonmagnetic stainless steel.

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