JP3220956B2 - Controller cooling device for battery-type cargo handling vehicle - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling device for a controller in a battery-type cargo handling vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a battery-type cargo handling vehicle such as a battery forklift has a controller for driving and controlling an electric system based on a command signal for traveling and cargo handling operation. Therefore, most of them are housed in storage rooms formed in balance weights. As is already known, the controller uses a power element generating a large amount of heat, so that the temperature rise in the storage room becomes extremely large. However, such generated heat is dissipated from the outer surface of the machine through the balance weight, but the heat dissipation effect is not sufficient, and the components of the controller may cause thermal malfunction. Concerns are naturally anticipated.

For example, the technique disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-171714 attempts to promote the heat radiation of such a controller. An oil tank is arranged in a balance weight with a slight distance from a controller box. A heat pipe is provided between a heating section (heat radiating section) of the controller box and a cooling section (heat absorbing section) of the oil tank.

[0004]

However, since the above-described radiator of the controller has a structure in which the controller box and the oil tank are connected by a heat pipe, if simplicity is required, it is limited as in the embodiment. It is necessary to arrange the controller box and the oil tank side by side in the balance weight of the space provided, and in order to return the condensate to the heating section by natural convection in a gravitational field, the relative position of the cooling section to the heating section must be adjusted. Being at the top is obviously also a constraint. In other words, the above-mentioned technology imposes considerable restrictions on the layout, and in order to achieve the desired cooling result, the burden on securing the flow rate such as the diameter and number of heat pipes to be added is not neglected. This is an impossible problem.

An object of the present invention is to achieve cooling of a controller with a very simple configuration without increasing the number of components or restricting the layout.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a controller cooling apparatus for controlling a drive of an electric system based on an operation command, and a controller for driving an electric system from a tank via a hydraulic pump to an actuator. The controller is characterized in that the heat radiating portion of the controller is heat-exchangeably coupled to a suction pipe from the tank to the hydraulic pump.

Therefore, the heat generated by the controller is sequentially transmitted to the working fluid via the suction pipe which is entrapped with the heat radiating portion, and further from the hydraulic pump via the pressure pipe and the return pipe into the tank. Is absorbed by the stored fluid. In particular, when the U-shaped groove for holding the suction pipe is recessed in the heat radiating portion made of aluminum base as in the invention according to claim 2, the material characteristics of the heat radiating portion having excellent thermal conductivity and the U-shaped Due to the increase in the relative contact area of the suction lines carried by the grooves, the heat exchange rate of both is greatly improved.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a battery forklift will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle 1,
A traveling operation member such as a steering wheel 2 and an accelerator pedal 3 and a cargo handling operation member such as a lift lever 4 are arranged. A battery case 5 containing a large battery is covered by a hood 6, a sheet 7 is mounted on the hood 6, and a balance weight 8 is connected to the rear of the battery case 5.

A loading hydraulic pump 10 directly connected to a loading motor 9 is disposed in the balance weight 8, and the hydraulic pump 10 is connected to a tank 11 and a suction pipe 12a disposed below the vehicle body frame. Are in communication. A pressure pipe 12b extending from the hydraulic pump 10 is connected to an actuator (not shown) controlled by a control valve 13, and further connected to the control valve 13 and the tank 1.
1 is communicated with a return line 12c. Therefore, for example, when the control valve 13 is operated by the lift lever 4, the pressurized fluid is supplied to the head side of the lift cylinder, and the fork F is raised.

In the balance weight 8, a controller box 14 is provided at a slight distance from the hydraulic pump 10.
Aluminum base (radiator) 15 for battery case 5
Mounted through. The controller box 14 accommodates a controller 16 (only a circuit board is shown in FIG. 3) in which power elements are appropriately arranged, and the controller 16 responds when the accelerator pedal 3 or the like is operated. The electric system is drive-controlled to operate the traveling member.

The most characteristic structure of the present invention is that a U-shaped groove 15a is formed in the joint interface of the aluminum base 15 facing the controller box 14 so as to be recessed through the U-shaped groove 15a.
a, the suction pipe line 12a having a pipe diameter matching the groove width in advance is inserted in the form of being held. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 starts running and the cargo handling work is performed based on the driving of the actuator, the controller box 14 is heated by the heat generated by the power elements and the like constituting the controller 16, but this heat is immediately joined. To the aluminum base 15 having good thermal conductivity. As described above, a through-shaped U-shaped groove 15a is formed in the joint interface of the aluminum base 15 so that at least the U-shaped groove 15a is formed.
Since the curved surface directly holds the inserted suction pipe 12a, the heat transmitted to the aluminum base 15 is further transmitted to the working fluid flowing through the suction pipe 12a. The working fluid that has absorbed heat is returned from the hydraulic pump 10 to the tank 11 via the pressure pipe 12b and the return pipe 12c, and the retained heat is absorbed by the stored fluid in the tank 11. That is, since the heat generated by the controller 16 is transferred to the low-temperature working fluid and sequentially transported by heat exchange between the aluminum base 15 and the suction pipe 12a,
Thermal malfunction of the controller components is well prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the suction pipe 12a connected to the cargo handling hydraulic pump 10 is used as the heat exchange medium has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
Naturally, it is also possible to substitute a suction line connected to the hydraulic pump for power steering.

[0013]

As described above in detail, according to the controller cooling device of the present invention, the heat generated by the controller is changed to the working fluid by the heat exchange between the radiator of the controller and the suction pipe connected to the hydraulic pump. As a result, the thermal malfunction of the controller can be prevented beforehand. In addition, the cooling device does not require the addition of new components, and is entirely economical because it is entirely covered by existing components.Furthermore, there are restrictions on the layout of each component as seen in the prior art. Not at all.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the controller is configured to increase the contact area between the heat radiating portion of the controller and the suction pipe, the heat exchange efficiency between the two can be remarkably improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a battery forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of the cooling device.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view showing a controller portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 is a hydraulic pump, 11 is a tank, 12a is a suction pipe,
15 is an aluminum base (radiator), 16 is a controller

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B66F 9/22, 9/24

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A controller for driving and controlling an electric system based on an operation command; and a conduit connected to an actuator from a tank via a hydraulic pump, wherein a heat radiating portion of the controller has a suction port from the tank to the hydraulic pump. A cooling device for a controller in a battery-type cargo-handling vehicle, wherein the controller is heat-exchangeably coupled to a pipeline. 2. The heat radiating portion is made of an aluminum base and has a suction interface at a joint interface with the controller.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the groove is recessed.