JP2021014223A - Heat exchange unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a heat exchange unit which enables reduction of a dimension along a vehicle fore and aft direction.SOLUTION: A heat exchange unit 10 includes: a radiator 100; a condenser 200 disposed at a position located adjacent to the radiator 100 along a predetermined direction; and a shutter apparatus 300 held at a position between the radiator 100 and the condenser 200. The radiator 100 has a tank 120 which is a container for storing a fluid temporarily and disposed in such a manner that its longitudinal direction is arranged along a vertical direction. The shutter apparatus 300 is connected to a connection part 121, which is formed so as to protrude further from an upper end of the tank 120 to the upper side, to be held by the radiator 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a heat exchange unit.

The vehicle is equipped with multiple heat exchangers. Examples of such a heat exchanger include a condenser for air conditioning, a radiator for cooling an internal combustion engine, and the like. As described in Patent Document 1 below, a plurality of heat exchangers are modularized, and the whole is often configured as one heat exchange unit. The heat exchange unit is generally arranged in the front side portion of the vehicle so that the air flowing from the front grill of the vehicle passes through each heat exchanger.

In recent years, as the number of devices arranged in the space inside the vehicle has increased, it has been required to reduce the size of the heat exchange unit, especially along the front-rear direction, as much as possible. If the same size is large, even if the heat exchange unit can be mounted on the vehicle, there is a problem that the heat exchange unit is easily damaged due to deformation of peripheral members at the time of a vehicle collision. Occurs.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-101333

The present inventors have considered, as one aspect of the heat exchange unit as described above, a configuration in which a thin device such as a shutter device is arranged at a position between a pair of heat exchangers. There is. In such a heat exchange unit, as a configuration for holding the shutter device or the like, it is conceivable that the held portion of the shutter device or the like is interposed between the tanks of the respective heat exchangers and fixed. Be done.

However, in such a configuration, it is necessary to secure the distance between the tanks of each heat exchanger by the thickness of the held portion of the shutter device or the like. As a result, the size of the heat exchange unit along the front-rear direction of the vehicle becomes large.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a heat exchange unit capable of suppressing dimensions along the front-rear direction of a vehicle.

The heat exchange unit (10) according to the present disclosure includes a first heat exchanger (100), a second heat exchanger (200) arranged adjacent to the first heat exchanger along a predetermined direction, and the second heat exchanger (200). It includes a held member (300) that is held at a position between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The first heat exchanger is a container for temporarily storing a fluid, and has tanks (110, 120) whose longitudinal direction is along the vertical direction. The held member is held by the first heat exchanger by being connected to the connecting portions (111, 121) formed so as to project further upward from the upper end of the tank.

In the heat exchange unit having such a configuration, a held member such as a shutter device is held at a position between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. At the upper end of the tank of the first heat exchanger, a connecting portion is formed so as to project further upward from the upper end. The held member is held by being connected to this connecting portion. In such a configuration, it is not necessary to interpose a portion of the members to be held to be held between the tanks of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. Therefore, the dimensions along the front-rear direction of the vehicle can be suppressed.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a heat exchange unit capable of suppressing the dimensions of the vehicle along the front-rear direction.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the heat exchange unit according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the heat exchange unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the heat exchange unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a connection portion formed in the tank of the heat exchange unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a protruding portion formed in the shutter device of the heat exchange unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for holding a shutter device of the heat exchange unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for holding a shutter device of the heat exchange unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for holding a shutter device of the heat exchange unit according to the comparative example.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals as much as possible in each drawing, and duplicate description is omitted.

The heat exchange unit 10 according to the present embodiment is a device mounted on a vehicle MV, and is configured as a module in which a radiator 100, a condenser 200, and the like described later are combined and modularized. As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchange unit 10 is mounted on the front side portion of the vehicle MV, specifically, on the rear side of the opening OP provided in the front grill of the vehicle MV. The vehicle MV is a vehicle that travels by a driving force of an internal combustion engine (not shown), but may be a vehicle that travels by a driving force other than the internal combustion engine, such as an electric vehicle.

The heat exchange unit 10 includes a radiator 100, a condenser 200, and a shutter device 300. As described above, these are modularized, and the whole is configured as one heat exchange unit 10.

The radiator 100 is a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between air and cooling water. Cooling water circulates between the radiator 100 and an internal combustion engine (not shown). The cooling water that has passed through the internal combustion engine and has become hot is cooled by heat exchange with air when passing through the radiator 100, and the temperature is lowered. The low-temperature cooling water is supplied to the internal combustion engine again and used for cooling the internal combustion engine. It should be noted that what is cooled by the cooling water passing through the radiator 100 may be an internal combustion engine as in the present embodiment, but may be a device other than the internal combustion engine such as an inverter. The radiator 100 corresponds to the "first heat exchanger" in this embodiment.

The condenser 200 is a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between air and a refrigerant. The condenser 200 is configured as part of a refrigeration cycle that constitutes an air conditioner (not shown). In the condenser 200, heat is dissipated from the refrigerant to the air. The condenser 200 is arranged at a position adjacent to the radiator 100 along the front-rear direction of the vehicle MV. Specifically, the condenser 200 is arranged at a position upstream of the radiator 100 along the direction in which air flows, that is, the direction from the opening OP toward the rear side. The condenser 200 corresponds to the "second heat exchanger" in this embodiment. The air that has flowed into the vehicle MV from the opening OP passes through the condenser 200 and the radiator 100 in order, and is subjected to heat exchange in each heat exchanger.

The shutter device 300 is a device for adjusting the flow rate of air passing through the condenser 200 and the radiator 100. The shutter device 300 is held at a position between the radiator 100 and the condenser 200 along the direction of air flow as described above. The shutter device 300 corresponds to the "held member" in the present embodiment. A specific configuration for holding the shutter device 300 will be described later.

The configuration of the radiator 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the condenser 200 is removed from the heat exchange unit, that is, a state in which only the radiator 100 and the shutter device 300 are used.

The radiator 100 includes a tank 110 and a tank 120. The tank 110 is a container for temporarily storing the cooling water, and is arranged on the right side portion of the radiator 100 of the vehicle MV. The tank 110 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the vertical direction. Like the tank 110, the tank 120 is a container for temporarily storing the cooling water, and is arranged on the left side portion of the radiator 100 of the vehicle MV. The tank 120 is also arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the vertical direction. Both the tank 110 and the tank 120 are made of resin.

A protruding portion 113 protruding toward the front side of the vehicle MV is formed on the upper portion of the tank 110. Similarly, a protruding portion 123 that protrudes toward the front side of the vehicle MV is formed in the upper portion of the tank 120. All of these are for attaching and fixing the condenser 200.

The tank 110 and the tank 120 are connected by a plurality of tubes 130 (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 6) extending in the left-right direction. Each tube 130 is laminated along the vertical direction. Fins (not shown) are arranged between the tubes 130 adjacent to each other. Reinforcing plates 150 for reinforcing the tubes 130 and fins are arranged on the uppermost side and the lowermost side of the portion where the fins are laminated in the vertical direction. Since known tubes and fins can be used as the plurality of tubes 130 and fins, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The end of each tube 130 on the tank 110 side along its longitudinal direction is connected to the core plate 141. The core plate 141 is a substantially flat metal member extending in the vertical direction. A plurality of through holes (not shown) are formed in the core plate 141, and each tube 130 is inserted into and in contact with the through holes. The tank 110 covers the core plate 141 from the right side of the vehicle MV, and is fixed to the core plate 141 by crimping. The space between the tank 110 and the core plate 141 is a space for storing cooling water. Therefore, the core plate 141 can be said to be a part of a container for storing cooling water, that is, a part of a tank 110.

The end of each tube 130 on the tank 120 side along its longitudinal direction is connected to the core plate 142. The core plate 142 is a substantially flat metal member extending in the vertical direction. A plurality of through holes (not shown) are formed in the core plate 142, and each tube 130 is inserted into and in contact with the through holes. The tank 120 covers the core plate 142 from the left side of the vehicle MV, and is fixed to the core plate 142 by crimping. The space between the tank 120 and the core plate 142 is a space for storing cooling water. Therefore, the core plate 142 can be said to be a part of a container for storing cooling water, that is, a part of a tank 120.

The cooling water supplied from the outside to the radiator 100 moves between the tank 110 and the tank 120 through the tube 130. At that time, heat exchange is performed between the cooling water passing through the inside of the tube 130 and the air passing through the outside of the tube 130. The air is introduced from the opening OP of the front grill, and flows from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle MV by a fan (not shown). The air is the air after passing through the condenser 200 and the shutter device 300. The cooling water is cooled by air to lower its temperature.

The configuration of the condenser 200 will be described. The condenser 200 includes a tank 210 (not shown) and a tank 220 (see FIG. 6). The tank 210 is a container for temporarily storing the refrigerant for air conditioning, and is arranged on the right side portion of the vehicle MV in the condenser 200. The tank 210 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the vertical direction. Like the tank 210, the tank 220 is a container for temporarily storing the refrigerant, and is arranged on the left side portion of the condenser 200 on the vehicle MV. The tank 220 is also arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the vertical direction.

The tank 210 and the tank 220 are connected by a plurality of tubes 230 (see FIG. 6) extending in the left-right direction. Each tube 230 is laminated along the vertical direction. Fins (not shown) are arranged between the tubes 230 adjacent to each other. Since known tubes and fins can be used as the plurality of tubes 230 and fins, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The refrigerant supplied from the outside to the condenser 200 moves between the tank 210 and the tank 220 through the tube 230. At that time, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant passing through the inside of the tube 230 and the air passing through the outside of the tube 230. The air is introduced from the opening OP of the front grill, and flows from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle MV by a fan (not shown). The refrigerant is deprived of heat by air and condenses, changing from a gas phase to a liquid phase.

The configuration of the shutter device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 again. The shutter device 300 includes a frame 310 and a blade 320.

The frame 310 is a rectangular frame made of resin. The outer shape of the frame 310 when viewed from the front side of the vehicle MV is substantially the same as the outer shape of the portion of the radiator 100 through which air passes. A plurality of blades 320 are held inside the frame 310.

The blade 320 is an elongated plate-shaped member extending in the vertical direction, and a plurality of blades 320 are provided in the shutter device 300. The shape of each blade 320 is as shown in FIG. 3, but the illustration is simplified in FIG.

The blades 320 are arranged so as to be arranged along the left-right direction of the vehicle MV. Each blade 320 is rotatably supported around a rotation axis along the vertical direction. By rotating the blade 320 as described above, the open state in which a gap is formed between the blades 320 and the closed state in which the ends of the blades 320 are in contact with each other and no gap is formed between them. You can switch between states.

Such an operation of the blade 320 is realized by a drive device 400 provided on the upper part of the frame 310 and a power transmission mechanism (not shown). In the above open state, air passes through the heat exchange unit 10 and flows. As a result, heat exchange is performed in each of the radiator 100 and the condenser 200. On the other hand, in the closed state, the flow of air passing through the heat exchange unit 10 is blocked by the blade 320 of the shutter device 300. Therefore, heat exchange is hardly performed in each of the radiator 100 and the condenser 200.

The configuration for holding the shutter device 300 will be described. In the present embodiment, the shutter device 300 is connected and held to the upper end portions of the pair of tanks 110 and 120 included in the radiator 100. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged configuration of the upper end portion of the tank 120 in the heat exchange unit 10. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the shutter device 300 is removed from the portion of the heat exchange unit 10 shown in FIG. 3 so that only the radiator 100 is used. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the radiator 100 is removed from the portion of the heat exchange unit 10 shown in FIG. 3 so that only the shutter device 300 is used. In FIG. 4, a plurality of tubes 130 and fins are simplified and drawn.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a connecting portion 121 is formed in the tank 120 of the radiator 100. The connecting portion 121 is formed so as to project further upward from the upper end of the tank 120. The connecting portion 121 is made of resin and is integrated with the tank 120. A through hole 122 is formed in the connecting portion 121 so as to penetrate the connecting portion 121 along the front-rear direction of the vehicle MV.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the frame 310 of the shutter device 300 is formed with an arm portion 311 and a protruding portion 312. The arm portion 311 is formed so as to extend linearly from the upper end portion of the frame 310 toward the left side of the vehicle MV. The projecting portion 312 is formed so as to project from the tip of the arm portion 311 toward the rear side of the vehicle MV. A plurality of projecting portions 312 are formed, and hooks 313 for preventing them from coming off are formed in some of them. The height of the position where the arm portion 311 and the protruding portion 312 are provided is the same as the height of the position where the through hole 122 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 312 is inserted through the through hole 122 from the front side of the vehicle MV. At the time of insertion, the hook 313 formed on the protruding portion 312 is hooked on the support column provided inside the through hole 122 and is fitted. As a result, the protruding portion 312 is connected to and fixed to the connecting portion 121. As a result, the shutter device 300, which is a held member, is fixed to the tank 120 of the radiator 100.

The portion of the frame 310 on the right side of the vehicle MV is connected to and fixed to the tank 110 by the same configuration as described above. That is, a connection portion 111 similar to the connection portion 121 is formed on the upper end portion of the tank 110, and an arm portion 311 and a protrusion 312 similar to the left side portion are formed on the right side portion of the frame 310. .. A protruding portion 312 formed in the right arm portion 311 is connected and fixed to a through hole (not shown) formed in the connecting portion 111.

In order to explain the effect of having the heat exchange unit 10 configured as described above, a comparative example shown in FIG. 8 will be described.

The heat exchange unit 10A according to this comparative example includes a radiator 100, a condenser 200, and a shutter device 300, as in the present embodiment. In this comparative example, the configuration for combining and integrating these three structures is different from that of the present embodiment.

In FIG. 8, the configuration of the tank 120 and its vicinity of the heat exchange unit 10A is schematically shown in a top view. In the comparative example, the arm portion 311 extending from the frame 310 of the shutter device 300 is provided at a position lower than that of the present embodiment. The arm portion 311 extends toward the left side of the vehicle MV and is interposed at a position between the tank 120 and the tank 220. At that position, the arm portion 311 is connected and fixed to the tank 120 by a connection mechanism (not shown).

In such a configuration, it is necessary to leave a wide space between the tank 120 and the tank 220 in order to avoid interference between the arm portion 311 which is a holding portion of the shutter device 300 and other members. is there. In particular, in the tank 120, since the core plate 142 projects to the front side, it is necessary to secure a wide distance between the front side end portion of the core plate 142 and the rear side end portion of the tank 220. In FIG. 8, such a wide interval to be secured is indicated by the reference numeral “L2”. In this comparative example, as a result of securing a wide interval of L2, the size of the heat exchange unit 10A along the front-rear direction of the vehicle MV has become relatively large. In recent years, as the number of devices arranged in the space inside the vehicle increases, the restrictions on dimensions tend to become stricter, so the configuration of such a comparative example is not preferable.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a part of the configuration of the heat exchange unit 10 according to the present embodiment from the same viewpoint as in FIG. Further, FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the portion of the heat exchange unit 10 shown in FIG. 6 when viewed from the side, specifically, the left side of the vehicle MV. In these, the reinforcing plate 150 (see FIG. 4) arranged on the upper side of the tube 130 is not shown.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the present embodiment, a portion of the shutter device 300 for holding, that is, an arm portion 311 or a protruding portion 312 is interposed between the tank 120 and the tank 220. It is arranged at a position further above the upper ends of the tank 120 and the core plate 142. It is necessary to widen the distance between the tank 120 and the tank 220, specifically, the distance between the front end of the core plate 142 and the rear end of the tank 220 for the purpose of holding the shutter device 300. Since there is no such interval, it is possible to reduce the interval to the minimum. In FIG. 6, the interval in this embodiment is shown as “L1”. L1 is smaller than L2 in the comparative example of FIG.

As described above, in the heat exchange unit 10 according to the present embodiment, the connecting portion 121, which is formed so that the shutter device 300, which is a held member, projects further upward from the upper end of the tank 120. By being connected to the radiator 100, it is held by the radiator 100, which is the first heat exchanger. Similarly, the shutter device 300 is also held by the radiator 100, which is the first heat exchanger, by being connected to the connecting portion 111, which is formed so as to project further upward from the upper end of the tank 110. Has been done. With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the dimensions of the heat exchange unit 10 along the front-rear direction of the vehicle MV as compared with the comparative example of FIG.

The first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger included in the heat exchange unit 10 may be the radiator 100 and the condenser 200 as in the present embodiment, but may be other heat exchangers, respectively. Good. For example, any heat exchanger may be an outdoor heat exchanger of a heat pump system or a low water temperature radiator for cooling relatively cold equipment.

In the present embodiment, the held member held at a position between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is the shutter device 300 for adjusting the air flow. Instead of such an aspect, the held member may be a member other than the shutter device 300. The held member may be a thin member held between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

In each of the tanks 110 and 120 in the present embodiment, the portion including the connecting portions 111 and 121 is formed of resin. Therefore, a relatively complicated connection portion 121 or the like can be formed more easily than resin molding.

In the present embodiment, as the first heat exchanger, a radiator 100 for cooling the cooling water by heat exchange with air is provided. In the radiator 100, the pressure inside the tanks 110 and 120 is relatively low. Therefore, even when the tank 120 or the like is formed of resin as described above, its strength does not matter.

The shutter device 300, which is a held member, is fixed to the connecting portions 111 and 121 only by fitting the retaining hook 313 (see FIG. 5) without using a fastening member such as a bolt. Therefore, the number of parts is reduced, and the man-hours for assembling the heat exchange unit 10 are also reduced.

In the present embodiment, the shutter device 300 is held by the radiator 100 only in the arm portion 311 and the protruding portion 213 on the upper side thereof. Instead of such a mode, the shutter device 300 may be held by the radiator 100 even in the lower portion thereof. For example, a part of the reinforcing plate 150 arranged on the lower side projects toward the front side of the vehicle MV, and the protruding portion supports the shutter device 300 from the lower side. It may be configured.

In the above, an example in which the shutter device 300, which is a held member, is connected to the tank 120 or the like of the radiator 100 on the rear side thereof has been described, but the shutter device 300 is on the front side of the condenser 200. It may be in a mode of being connected to the tank 220 or the like. That is, the condenser 200 may correspond to the first heat exchanger, and the radiator 100 may correspond to the second heat exchanger.

The present embodiment has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Those skilled in the art with appropriate design changes to these specific examples are also included in the scope of the present disclosure as long as they have the features of the present disclosure. Each element included in each of the above-mentioned specific examples, its arrangement, conditions, shape, etc. is not limited to the illustrated one, and can be appropriately changed. The combinations of the elements included in each of the above-mentioned specific examples can be appropriately changed as long as there is no technical contradiction.

10: Heat exchange unit 100: Radiator 110, 120: Tank 111, 121: Connection part 200: Condenser 300: Shutter device

Claims (5)

The heat exchange unit (10)
With the first heat exchanger (100)
A second heat exchanger (200) arranged at a position adjacent to the first heat exchanger along a predetermined direction,
A held member (300) held at a position between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is provided.
The first heat exchanger is a container for temporarily storing a fluid, and has tanks (110, 120) whose longitudinal direction is along the vertical direction.
The held member is
A heat exchange unit held by the first heat exchanger by being connected to connecting portions (111, 121) formed so as to project further upward from the upper end of the tank. The heat exchange unit according to claim 1, wherein the held member is a shutter device for adjusting the flow of air passing through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The heat exchange unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tank includes a portion including the connection portion made of resin. The heat exchange unit according to claim 3, wherein the first heat exchanger is a radiator for cooling cooling water by heat exchange with air. The heat exchange unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the held member is fixed to the connecting portion without using a fastening member.

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