JP2007170317A - Cooling module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling module improving the cooling capacity of a heat exchanger. <P>SOLUTION: The cooling module comprises: a core part 10 heat-exchanging air with cooling water passing through tubes; a radiator 1 disposed to both ends of the core part 10 and having an upper tank 11a and a lower tank 11b which communicate with the tubes; and a shroud 3 disposed downstream of an airflow of a radiator 1 so as to hold an electric blower 2 supplying air to the radiator 1 and forming an air passage from the radiator 1 to the electric blower 2. A cooling water passage 4 in which cooling water flows is disposed downstream of an airflow of the shroud 3, an oil cooler 6 through which oil flows is disposed in the cooling water passage 4, and is constituted so that the oil cooler 6 performs heat-exchange between the cooling water and the oil. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling module in which a heat exchanger and a shroud are assembled together.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a method in which an oil cooler for cooling automobile engine oil is disposed in a lower tank of a radiator and engine oil is cooled with engine cooling water (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-21394

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, since the oil cooler is disposed in the lower tank of the radiator, the size of the lower tank is restricted by the oil cooler. For this reason, the size of the lower tank cannot be reduced. Therefore, if the mounting space of the radiator is not changed, there is a problem that the size of the core portion cannot be increased and the cooling performance of the radiator cannot be improved.

  An object of this invention is to provide the cooling module which can improve the cooling capability of a heat exchanger in view of the said point.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a core part (10) that performs heat exchange between air and a first fluid that passes through a tube, and a tank that is provided at both ends of the core part (10) and communicates with the tube. A first heat exchanger (1) having a portion (11a, 11b) and an air flow downstream of the first heat exchanger (1), and air is supplied to the first heat exchanger (1). A cooling module comprising a shroud (3) that holds a blower (2) to be supplied and forms an air passage from the first heat exchanger (1) to the blower (2). The fluid flow path (4) into which the first fluid flows is arranged on the downstream side of the air flow, and the second heat exchange through which the second fluid passes is inside the fluid flow path (4). The second heat exchanger (6) is provided with a first fluid and a second fluid. To carry out heat exchange between are a first feature.

  Thus, in order to arrange | position the 2nd heat exchanger (6) in the fluid flow path (4) formed in the shroud (3), in the tank part (11b) of the 1st heat exchanger (1). The size is not constrained by the second heat exchanger (6). For this reason, in the first heat exchanger (1), the size of the tank portion (11b) can be reduced, and the size of the core portion (10) can be increased accordingly. Thereby, the cooling performance of the first heat exchanger (1) can be improved.

  Since no other parts are originally mounted on the surface of the shroud (3) on the downstream side of the air flow, a fluid flow path (4) is provided in the space, and a second flow path is provided in the fluid flow path (4). By disposing the heat exchanger (6), the cooling performance of the first heat exchanger (1) can be improved without changing the mounting space.

  In the present invention, on the downstream side of the air flow of the shroud (3), the first fluid bypasses at least the core portion (10) and flows into the fluid flow path (4), and the first flow path The second feature is that a flow path switching valve (9) for switching the flow path of one fluid between the core section (10) side and the bypass path (8) side is provided.

  Originally, no other parts are mounted on the surface of the shroud (3) on the downstream side of the air flow. Therefore, by arranging the bypass path (8) and the flow path switching valve (9) in the space, a sufficient installation space for the bypass path (8) and the flow path switching valve (9) is secured, and the layout is free. It becomes possible to increase the degree.

  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)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The cooling module of this embodiment is for vehicles, and this cooling module is usually mounted on the front end of the vehicle.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing the cooling module according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooling module includes a radiator 1 that cools cooling water by exchanging heat between cooling water and outside air of an engine (internal combustion engine) (not shown), and an electric motor that blows cooling air to the radiator 1. A blower 2 and a shroud 3 that holds the electric blower 2 and guides the airflow so that the airflow induced by the electric blower 2 flows to the radiator 1 are provided. The radiator 1 corresponds to the first heat exchanger of the present invention, and the cooling water corresponds to the first fluid of the present invention.

  The radiator 1 has a metal (for example, aluminum alloy) radiator tube (not shown) through which engine coolant flows. This radiator tube is a tube through which cooling water flows, and is formed in a flat shape so that the air flow direction (perpendicular to the paper surface) coincides with the major axis direction, and the longitudinal direction coincides with the vertical direction. A plurality of them are arranged in parallel in the direction. In addition, wave-shaped fins (not shown) are joined to the flat surfaces on both sides of the radiator tube, and this fin increases the heat transfer area with the air to exchange heat between the cooling water and the air. Promoting. Hereinafter, the substantially rectangular heat exchanging portion including the radiator tube and the fin is referred to as a core portion 10.

  Metal (for example, aluminum alloy) upper tanks that extend in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the radiator tube (in the present embodiment, the vertical direction) and communicate with the plurality of radiator tubes at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the radiator tube 11a and a lower tank 11b are provided. The upper tank 11a is connected to the upper end in the longitudinal direction (vertical upper end) of the plurality of radiator tubes, and distributes the engine cooling water to the plurality of radiator tubes. The lower tank 11b is the longitudinal direction of the plurality of radiator tubes. Connected to the lower end (lower end in the vertical direction), the engine cooling water flowing out from the plurality of radiator tubes is collected. The upper tank 11a and the lower tank 11b correspond to the tank portion of the present invention.

  In addition, an inlet pipe 12a is formed in the upper tank 11a, and engine cooling water flows into the upper tank 11a from the inlet pipe 12a. On the other hand, an outlet pipe 12b is formed in the lower tank 11b, and engine cooling water flows out from the outlet pipe 12b to the engine (not shown) side.

  The shroud 3 is made of resin (for example, made of polypropylene containing glass fiber) and is disposed so as to cover the surface of the core portion 10 of the radiator 1 on the downstream side of the air flow. More specifically, the shroud 3 extends from the ring-shaped portion adjacent to the electric blower 2 while curving so as to protrude toward the radiator 1 toward the outer peripheral portion of the core portion 10.

  A cooling water passage 4 is provided on the shroud 3 below the electric blower 2 in the vertical direction. One end side of the cooling water passage 4 is connected to an outlet pipe 12b of the lower tank 11b, and the other end side is connected to a cooling water outlet 5 connected to an engine cooling water inlet side of an engine (not shown). ing. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the resin-made cooling water flow path wall part 4a which forms the cooling water flow path 4 is joined to the surface of the shroud 3 on the vehicle rear side (air flow downstream side) by welding or the like.

  An oil cooler 6 is provided inside the cooling water flow path 4 so as to follow the flow of engine cooling water. The oil cooler 6 has a plurality of flat oil tubes (not shown) through which oil flows, and cools the oil by exchanging heat between the oil and the engine coolant. As the oil, an engine oil for lubricating a sliding portion in the engine or an oil such as a fluid for automatic transmission (ATF) is used. The oil cooler corresponds to the second heat exchanger of the present invention, and the oil corresponds to the second fluid of the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the cooling module of the first embodiment will be described.

  First, the radiator 1 distributes the engine coolant introduced from the inlet pipe 12a to each radiator tube (not shown) in the upper tank 11a. When flowing through each radiator tube, the engine cooling water exchanges heat with the cooling air sent from the electric blower 2, and the engine cooling water temperature is lowered. The engine cooling water cooled when passing through the radiator tube flows into the lower tank 11b. Therefore, the relatively low-temperature engine cooling water after cooling flows through the lower tank 11b.

  Then, the engine coolant in the lower tank 11b flows out from the outlet pipe 12b to the coolant channel 4 side. When flowing through the cooling water flow path 4, the engine cooling water exchanges heat with the oil in the oil cooler 6, and the oil temperature is lowered. The engine cooling water that has cooled the oil flows out from the cooling water outlet 5 to the engine (not shown).

  By the way, in the conventional cooling module, as shown in FIG. 3A, the oil cooler J6 is disposed in the lower tank J11b, so that the size of the lower tank J11b is restricted by the oil cooler J6. For this reason, the size of the core part J10 could not be increased.

  On the other hand, in the cooling module of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the oil cooler 6 is disposed in the cooling water passage 4 formed in the shroud 3 and is not disposed in the lower tank 11b. The size of the lower tank 11b is not restricted by the oil cooler 6. For this reason, the size of the lower tank 11b can be reduced, and the size of the core portion 10 can be increased accordingly. Thereby, the cooling performance of the radiator 1 can be improved.

  Since no other parts are originally mounted on the surface of the shroud 3 on the rear side of the vehicle, by providing the cooling water flow path 4 incorporating the oil cooler 6 in the space, without changing the mounting space, It becomes possible to improve the cooling performance of the radiator 1.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  4A and 4B are engine cooling circuit diagrams according to the second embodiment, in which FIG. 4A shows the time when the engine coolant is high, and FIG. 4B shows the time when the engine 100 is warming up.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in this embodiment, an engine cooling circuit in which cooling water for cooling the engine 100, which is a heating element, circulates is provided. The water pump 7 disposed in the engine cooling circuit circulates the engine cooling water, and the bypass path 8 is a detour that flows the cooling water by bypassing the radiator 1. A flow path switching valve 9 for adjusting the flow rate of the engine coolant flowing through the bypass path 8 is provided at the junction between the engine cooling circuit and the bypass path 8. As the flow path switching valve 9, a mechanical valve such as a thermostat can be suitably used, but an electric control valve may be used.

  FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state where the cooling module according to the second embodiment is viewed from the vehicle rear side.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bypass path 8 and the flow path switching valve 9 are disposed on the vehicle rear side (air flow downstream side) of the shroud 3. More specifically, the bypass path 8 is disposed from the upper side to the lower side in the vertical direction along the electric blower 2 on the surface of the shroud on the vehicle rear side. One end of the bypass path 8 is connected to the flow path switching valve 9, and the other end is connected to the end of the cooling water flow path 4 on the outlet pipe 12 b side. Further, the resin bypass passage wall portion 8a forming the bypass passage 8 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the shroud 3 in the same manner as the cooling water passage wall portion 4a (see FIG. 2) described in the section of the first embodiment. It is joined to the surface by welding or the like.

  Next, the operation of the cooling module of the second embodiment will be described.

  When the engine cooling water is at a high temperature (for example, when the vehicle is traveling), the engine cooling water that has become a high temperature by cooling the engine 100 is cooled by the radiator 1 as shown in FIG. The engine coolant that has passed through the radiator 1 cools the oil cooler 6 and then flows into the engine 100 again.

  On the other hand, during the warm-up operation of the engine 100, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the engine cooling water that has cooled the engine 100 to a high temperature flows into the bypass path 8 and flows into the oil cooler 6, Thereafter, it flows into the engine 100 again. At this time, the engine cooling water is not cooled by the radiator 1 and therefore flows to the oil cooler 6 while the temperature is high. For this reason, since oil can be heated up early, it becomes possible to improve a fuel consumption.

  As described above, by providing the shroud 3 with the bypass path 8 and the flow path switching valve 9 that bypass the radiator 1, the engine coolant can flow only through the oil cooler 6 without passing through the radiator 1 during warm-up. it can. Thereby, since oil can be heated up at an early stage, fuel consumption can be improved. Since no other parts are originally mounted on the rear surface of the shroud 3, the bypass path 8 and the flow path switching valve are arranged by disposing the bypass path 8 and the flow path switching valve 9 in the space. It is possible to secure a sufficient installation space of 9 and increase the degree of freedom of layout.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above embodiments, the radiator 1 is used as the first heat exchanger assembled integrally with the shroud 3, but in addition, the refrigerant circulating in the vehicle refrigeration cycle (air conditioner) and the outside air A condenser that cools the refrigerant by exchanging heat may be assembled integrally. At this time, the condenser is disposed on the upstream side of the air flow from the radiator 1, that is, on the front side of the vehicle.

  Moreover, in the said 2nd Embodiment, although the bypass path 8 was comprised so that the core part 10, the upper tank 11a, and the lower tank 11b of the radiator 1 might be bypassed, it comprised so that only the core part 10 might be bypassed. Also good.

It is a front view which shows the state which looked at the cooling module which concerns on 1st Embodiment from the vehicle rear side. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is a cross-sectional permeation | transmission figure which shows a cooling module, (a) shows the conventional structure, (b) has shown the structure of 1st Embodiment. It is an engine cooling circuit diagram concerning a 2nd embodiment, (a) shows the time of high water temperature, and (b) shows the time of warming up. It is a front view which shows the state which looked at the cooling module which concerns on 2nd Embodiment from the vehicle rear side.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Radiator (1st heat exchanger), 2 ... Electric blower (blower), 3 ... Shroud, 4 ... Cooling water flow path (fluid flow path), 6 ... Oil cooler (2nd heat exchanger), 8 ... Bypass path, 9 ... flow path switching valve, 10 ... core part, 11a ... upper tank (tank part), 11b ... lower tank (tank part).

Claims (2)

A core portion (10) that performs heat exchange between air and a first fluid that passes through the tube; and tank portions (11a, 11b) that are provided at both ends of the core portion (10) and communicate with the tube. A first heat exchanger (1) and a blower (2) arranged on the downstream side of the air flow of the first heat exchanger (1) and supplying air to the first heat exchanger (1) A cooling module comprising a shroud (3) that holds and forms an air passage from the first heat exchanger (1) to the blower (2),
On the downstream side of the air flow of the shroud (3), a fluid flow path (4) into which the first fluid flows is disposed,
Inside the fluid flow path (4), a second heat exchanger (6) through which a second fluid passes is provided,
The cooling module according to claim 2, wherein the second heat exchanger (6) performs heat exchange between the first fluid and the second fluid. On the downstream side of the air flow of the shroud (3), a bypass path (8) for allowing the first fluid to bypass at least the core portion (10) and flow into the fluid flow path (4), and the first The cooling module according to claim 1, further comprising a flow path switching valve (9) that switches a flow path of the fluid between the core portion (10) side and the bypass path (8) side. .

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