JP2007009752A - Reserve tank - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reserve tank shortening replacement time of cooling water. <P>SOLUTION: In a reserve tank 1 having an inlet 11 for pouring cooling water into a tank body 10, a flow-out port 13 for making cooling water flow out of an inside of the tank body 10 to a cooling water route 100, and a flow-in port 14 for making cooling water flow in the tank body 10 from the cooling water route 100 provided on the tank body 10 reserving cooling water, a float 20 capable of moving up and down according to liquid surface in the tank body 10 and blocking one of the flow-out port 13 or the flow-in port 14 at an upper end of up and down movement, and an air bypass route 30 making communication between the tank body 10 and a flow passage outside of the one port and releasing air in the cooling water route 100 into the tank body 10 are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reserve tank that stores cooling water.

  FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a conventional reserve tank 200. The reserve tank 200 stores cooling water (LLC) for cooling, for example, a motor, a generator, an inverter, and an engine of a hybrid vehicle. In addition to the side sectional view of the reserve tank 200, FIG. 3 also shows a schematic diagram of the cooling water path 300 connected to the reserve tank 200. In FIG. 3, the reserve tank 200 includes a tank body 210 that stores cooling water. The tank body 210 has an inlet 211 for injecting cooling water into the tank body 210, an outlet 213 for flowing cooling water from the tank body 210 into the cooling water path 300, and the cooling water path 300. And an inflow port 214 for allowing cooling water to flow into the tank main body 210. A cooling water path 300 including a water pump 301, an object to be cooled 302, and a radiator 303 is connected between the outlet 213 and the inlet 214.

  FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the reserve tank 400 disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. The reserve tank 400 has the same basic configuration as the tank body 410 provided with the inlet 411, the outlet 413, and the inlet 414, but from the outlet 413 when the liquid level is inclined. In order to prevent the outflow of air, a float 420 having a shape capable of closing the outlet 413 is provided to be freely movable.

JP 2004-255927 A JP-A-9-158723 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-182262

  However, the conventional reserve tank 200 shown in FIG. 3 has the following problems. That is, when the cooling water is replaced, if the cooling water is injected from the inlet 211 after the cooling water is discharged, the cooling water flows into the cooling water path 300 from both the outlet 213 and the inlet 214, and the inside of the cooling water path 300 The air does not flow smoothly into the reserve tank 200. For this reason, the smooth inflow of the cooling water into the cooling water path 300 is hindered, and the injection speed becomes slow. Further, an air pool is generated in the cooling water path 300 (particularly at a high part in the path), and it takes time to vent the air (operation to release the air to the reserve tank 200 by operating the water pump 301). As a result, the cooling water replacement (injection) time becomes long.

  In the reserve tank 400 shown in FIG. 4, in the initial stage of injection, the float 420 closes the outlet 413, so that the inflow of the cooling water to the cooling water path can be limited to the inlet 414 side. it can. However, when the cooling water flows into the cooling water path from the inlet 414 side, the outlet 413 on the opposite side is closed by the float 420, so there is no air escape path and the air pressure in the cooling water path is increased. . For this reason, there exists a problem that the injection | pouring speed | rate is slow or the float 420 floats on the way, and the replacement time of a cooling water will also become long too.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a reserve tank that can shorten the cooling water replacement time.

  The reserve tank according to the present invention is configured to cause an inlet for injecting the cooling water into the tank main body, and an outflow of the cooling water from the tank main body to the cooling water path into the tank main body for storing the cooling water. The reserve tank is provided with an outlet and an inlet for allowing the cooling water to flow into the tank body from the cooling water path, and can move up and down in the tank body according to the liquid level. A float that closes one of the outlet and the inlet at the lower end of the vertical movement, and a channel outside the one mouth and the tank body are in communication with each other in the cooling water path. And an air bypass path for releasing the air into the tank body.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the tank main body communicates with each other via a through hole, the chamber provided with the outlet, the chamber provided with the inlet, and the chamber provided with the inlet. The float is housed in a chamber provided with the one port and is restrained in the chamber.

  In the above aspect, the lower end of the through hole that communicates the chamber in which the one port is provided and the chamber in which the injection port is provided is the chamber in which the other port is provided and the chamber in which the injection port is provided. It is preferable that it is set at a position higher than the lower end of the through-hole that communicates.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the reserve tank which can shorten the replacement | exchange time of cooling water can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a reserve tank 1 according to the present embodiment. This reserve tank 1 is interposed in the circulation path of the cooling water and stores the cooling water. FIG. 1 schematically shows a cooling water path 100 connected to the reserve tank 1 in addition to a side sectional view of the reserve tank 1. Here, the reserve tank 1 is mounted on a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as drive sources, and stores cooling water for cooling the motor and the generator. However, the reserve tank may store other cooling water. In the present specification, “upper” and “lower” with respect to the reserve tank mean upper and lower in the installed state when the reserve tank is used, for example, in a state where the reserve tank is mounted on the vehicle.

  In FIG. 1, the reserve tank 1 includes a tank body 10 that stores cooling water. An inlet 11 for injecting cooling water into the tank body 10 from the outside is provided in the upper part (more specifically, the top surface) of the tank body 10. The inlet 11 can be opened and closed by a lid (not shown).

  At the lower part of the tank body 10 (more specifically, near the bottom), an outlet 13 for allowing the cooling water to flow out from the tank body 10 to the cooling water path 100 and the cooling from the cooling water path 100 to the tank body 10 are cooled. An inlet 14 for allowing water to flow in is provided.

  An outlet joint pipe 15 that communicates with the outlet 13 and an inlet joint pipe 16 that communicates with the inlet 14 protrude from the tank body 10. The outlet joint pipe 15 and the inlet joint pipe 16 are joints for connecting the reserve tank 1 to the cooling water path 100, and the cooling water path 100 is provided between the outlet joint pipe 15 and the inlet joint pipe 16. Connected. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the outlet joint pipe 15, the water pump 101, the object to be cooled (motor and generator) 102, the radiator 103, and the inlet joint pipe 16 are connected in this order via the cooling water pipe.

  Partition walls 17 and 18 are provided in the tank body 10, whereby the tank body 10 is provided with a chamber R 1 provided with an outlet 13, a chamber R 2 provided with an inlet 11, and an inlet 14. The room R3 is divided in this order. The partition wall 17 partitions the chamber R1 and the chamber R2, and the partition wall 18 partitions the chamber R2 and the chamber R3. The partition walls 17 and 18 are provided with through holes 17a and 18a for allowing cooling water to flow between the chambers, respectively, and preferably above the through holes 17a and 18a (preferably the partition walls 17 and 18 In the vicinity of the upper end), air vent holes 17b, 18b are provided for ensuring air circulation between the chambers. The partition walls 17, 18 have a reinforcing structure for structurally strengthening the reserve tank 1, and also have a cooling water flow rate control structure for preventing rapid movement of the cooling water.

  As described above, when cooling water is injected during cooling water exchange, if the cooling water can flow into the cooling water path 100 from both the outlet 13 and the inlet 14, the air inside the cooling water path can be smoothly discharged. The cooling water replacement time becomes longer. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to restrict the inflow of cooling water into the cooling water path in one direction, the inside of the tank body 10 can be moved up and down according to the liquid level, and the outlet 13 or A float 20 that closes any one of the inlets 14 is provided. In the following description, one of the outlet 13 and the inlet 14 where the float 20 is set is referred to as “one port” and the other is referred to as “the other port”. In FIG. 1, a float 20 that closes the inlet 14 at the lower end of the vertical movement is provided in the chamber R3 in which the inlet 14 is provided. Here, in order to prevent the float 20 from passing through the through hole 18a or the air vent hole 18b and moving to the adjacent chamber R2, that is, to limit the movable range of the float 20 to the chamber R3, the size of the float 20 is The size is set such that it cannot pass through the through hole 18a and the air vent hole 18b. As the float 20, an appropriate one can be adopted as long as it operates as described above, and the shape, material, structure, etc. are not particularly limited. For example, the float 20 may be a hollow structure or a secret structure. The float 20 may be provided so as to be able to float freely in the chamber R3, or may be supported by the tank body 10 so as to move on a predetermined track.

  Further, as described above, the provision of the float 20 causes a problem that there is no air escape path, the air pressure in the cooling water passage 100 becomes high, the injection speed is slow, and the float 20 floats in the middle. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to secure an air escape path, the flow path outside the one port where the float 20 is set and the tank body 10 are communicated with each other, and the air in the cooling water path 100 is transferred to the tank body 10. It is assumed that an air bypass passage 30 for escaping inside is provided. Here, the outside of one port means the side opposite to the tank body 10 side when viewed from the one port. In FIG. 1, since the float 20 is set in the chamber R <b> 3 in which the inlet 14 is provided, the air bypass path 30 is set between the flow path outside the inlet 14 and the tank body 10. Specifically, joint pipes 31 and 32 are respectively provided on the tank body 10 and the inlet joint pipe 16, and one end is connected to the joint pipe 31 between the joint pipes 31 and 32 and the other end. An air flow pipe 33 connected to the joint pipe 32 is provided. Here, the joint pipe 31 on the tank body 10 side is installed at least above the inlet 14 and preferably prevents the coolant from flowing out from the tank body 10 through the air bypass path 30 to the coolant path 100. Therefore, the tank body 10 is installed in the vicinity of the upper end. On the other hand, the joint pipe 32 on the inlet joint pipe 16 side is preferably installed on the upper side of the inlet joint pipe 16 from the viewpoint of allowing air in the cooling water passage 100 to escape smoothly to the tank body 10.

  Further, in the present embodiment, one of the ports is provided in order to preferentially supply the cooling water to the other port (the port through which the cooling water flows out) at the time of cooling water injection at the time of cooling water exchange. The lower end of the through hole that communicates the chamber (the chamber in which the float 20 is set) and the chamber in which the injection port is provided communicates with the chamber in which the other port is provided and the chamber in which the injection port is provided. It is set at a position higher than the lower end of the through hole. In FIG. 1, since the float 20 is provided in the chamber R3, the lower end of the through hole 18a between the chamber R3 and the chamber R2 is higher than the lower end of the through hole 17a between the chamber R1 and the chamber R2. Set to position.

  Next, the operation of the reserve tank 1 having the above configuration will be described together with the operation of the entire cooling water circulation path.

  Normally, the tank body 10 is sufficiently filled with cooling water, and the level of the cooling water in the tank body 10 is, for example, as shown by the solid line L in FIG. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the float 20 floats in the cooling water, and the inflow port 14 is open. In this state, when the water pump 101 is driven, the cooling water in the tank body 10 flows out from the outlet 13 and is sent to the cooling target (motor and generator) 102, after taking heat from the cooling target 102. Are sent to the radiator 103. The radiator 103 is cooled by exchanging heat with the outside air and then flows into the tank body 10 through the inlet 14. In this way, the cooling water circulates through the cooling water circulation path including the reserve tank 1 to cool the cooling target 102.

  When the cooling water is replaced, first, cooling water in the cooling water circulation path, that is, the reserve tank 1 and the cooling water path 100 is discharged to the outside from a drain port (not shown) provided in the cooling water circulation path. At this time, the liquid level of the tank main body 10 is lowered, and the float 20 is lowered accordingly. Finally, the tank main body 10 is emptied, and the float 20 reaches the lower end of the vertical movement and closes the inlet 14 as shown by the broken line in FIG.

  When the discharge of the cooling water is completed, the cooling water is injected from the inlet 11. At this time, since the inlet 14 is closed by the float 20, the cooling water flows into the cooling water path 100 from the outlet 13. That is, the inflow direction of the cooling water is regulated in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. When the cooling water flows into the cooling water path 100, the air in the cooling water path 100 passes through the air bypass path 30 into the tank body 10. That is, an air escape direction is formed in the same direction as the cooling water inflow direction. Further, since the lower end of the through hole 18a is set at a position higher than the lower end of the through hole 17a, the cooling water injected from the injection port 11 is preferentially supplied to the outflow port 13.

  When the cooling water path 100 is filled with cooling water, the liquid level of the tank body 10 rises and reaches the level of the solid line L. At this time, the float 20 floats by buoyancy and rises according to the liquid level.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in order to cause the cooling water to flow into the cooling water path from the inside of the tank body and the inlet for injecting the cooling water into the tank body in the tank body that stores the cooling water. The reserve tank is provided with an outlet for the cooling water and an inlet for allowing cooling water to flow into the tank body from the cooling water path. "Float that closes either the outlet or the inlet at the lower end of the movement" and "the channel outside the one port is connected to the tank body, and the air in the cooling water path is moved into the tank body. An air bypass route for escaping to the air. For this reason, at the time of cooling water injection at the time of cooling water exchange, the flow direction of the cooling water can be limited to one direction, and the air in the cooling water path can be smoothly released. In other words, cooling water can be introduced from one of the outlet and the inlet and air can be discharged from the other. As a result, the injection speed can be increased, the air bleeding time can be shortened, and the replacement (injection) work time can be shortened.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the tank body is divided into a chamber provided with an outlet, a chamber provided with an inlet, and a chamber provided with an inlet that communicate with each other through a through hole. The float is accommodated in the room provided with the one opening and is restrained in the room. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the float can be constrained in the vicinity of the one mouth, and the possibility of the occlusion failure of the float can be reduced along with the improvement of the strength of the reserve tank.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the lower end of the through hole that communicates the chamber provided with the one port and the chamber provided with the injection port is provided with the chamber provided with the other port and the injection port. It is set at a position higher than the lower end of the through-hole communicating with the chamber. For this reason, the cooling water injected from the injection port can be preferentially supplied to the other port (the port through which the cooling water flows into the cooling water path), and the injection can be further speeded up. Moreover, the timing at which cooling water flows into the chamber provided with one of the ports can be delayed, and the timing at which the float floats can be delayed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change variously within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, although the air bypass path is provided between the inlet joint pipe 16 and the tank body 10 in the above embodiment, the cooling water pipe 104 connected to the inlet joint pipe 16 as shown in FIG. It may be provided between the tank body 10. In FIG. 2, a joint pipe 34 protrudes from the cooling water pipe 104, and an air circulation pipe 33 is provided between the joint pipes 31 and 34. Similarly, when the float 20 is provided in the chamber R <b> 1, the air bypass path may be provided between the outlet joint pipe 15 and the tank body 10, or the cooling water pipe connected to the outlet joint pipe 15. And the tank body 10 may be provided. That is, one of the branches of the air bypass path may be set in the reserve tank 1 or may be set in a path before and after the reserve tank 1.

It is a sectional side view of the reserve tank concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of an air bypass path | route. It is a sectional side view of the conventional reserve tank. It is a sectional side view of the reserve tank currently indicated by patent documents 1.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reserve tank, 10 Tank main body, 11 Inlet, 13 Outlet, 14 Inlet, 15 Outlet joint pipe, 16 Inlet joint pipe, 17, 18 Bulkhead, 17a, 18a Through hole, 17b, 18b Air vent hole, 20 Float , 30 Air bypass path, 31, 32 Joint pipe, 33 Air circulation pipe, 100 Cooling water path, 101 Water pump, 102 Cooling target (motor and generator), 103 Radiator, 104 Cooling water piping, R1, R2, R3 chamber.

Claims (3)

An inlet for injecting the cooling water into the tank main body in the tank main body for storing the cooling water, an outlet for allowing the cooling water to flow out from the tank main body into the cooling water path, and the cooling water A reserve tank provided with an inlet for allowing the cooling water to flow into the tank body from a path;
A float that can move up and down in accordance with the liquid level in the tank body, and closes either the outlet or the inlet at the lower end of the vertical movement;
An air bypass path for communicating the flow path outside the one port and the tank body, and allowing the air in the cooling water path to escape into the tank body;
A reserve tank characterized in that is provided. The reserve tank according to claim 1,
The tank body is divided into a chamber provided with the outlet, a chamber provided with the inlet, and a chamber provided with the inlet, which communicate with each other through a through-hole.
The reserve tank is housed in a chamber provided with the one port and is restrained in the chamber. The reserve tank according to claim 2,
The lower end of the through hole that communicates the chamber provided with the one port and the chamber provided with the injection port is a through hole that communicates the chamber provided with the other port and the chamber provided with the injection port A reserve tank that is set higher than the lower end of the hole.

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