JP5730238B2 - Integrated cooling system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an integrated cooling system that uses a plurality of cooling devices each using a different cooling medium, and can cool the cooling medium of the other cooling device with the cooling medium of one of the cooling devices.

As a conventional integrated cooling system, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known.
This conventional integrated cooling system includes a first air-cooling heat exchanger (sub-radiator) that cools a heating element other than an engine such as an electric motor of an automobile with cooling water, and a second air-cooling heat that cools a cooling medium for vehicle air conditioning. An exchanger (capacitor). A water-cooled heat exchanger is arranged in the sub-radiator outflow side tank, and the cooling medium circulating in the sub-radiator is cooled with water and then flows to the condenser.

JP 2010-127508 A

  However, in the conventional integrated cooling system, a water-cooled heat exchanger is disposed inside the sub-radiator, and a high-pressure cooling medium flows inside the water-cooled heat exchanger. If refrigerant gas leaks from the cold heat exchanger into the sub-radiator, the heat exchange efficiency of the sub-radiator decreases, or the internal pressure of the cooling circuit on the sub-radiator side increases and the sub-radiator and components of this cooling circuit are It will be damaged.

  To take this measure, the liquid-tightness of the water-cooled heat exchanger and the pressure resistance of the cooling circuit components on the sub-radiator side must be increased. The dimensions will be large.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problem, and its object is to cool different cooling media with two heat exchangers provided in different cooling circuits, respectively, and to change one cooling medium to the other. In a cooling system that is cooled by a cooling medium, even if one cooling medium leaks into the other cooling medium, it is possible to prevent damage to the components of the cooling circuit on the other cooling medium side, and the abnormal state thereof It is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated cooling system that allows a user to recognize the occurrence of the above.

For this purpose, the integrated cooling system according to the present invention as claimed in claim 1 comprises a first cooling circuit having a first heat exchanger for cooling the first cooling medium at the core between the inflow side tank and the outflow side tank. And a second heat exchanger disposed inside the outflow side tank for cooling the second cooling medium with the first cooling medium, and the pressure of the second cooling medium in the second heat exchanger is An integrated cooling system including a second cooling circuit that is higher than the pressure of the first cooling medium, provided in the outflow side tank, and ruptured at a predetermined pressure or more to allow communication between the inside and outside of the outflow side tank. a fragile portion, and the first abnormality leak detection sensor for detecting the leakage to the first cooling medium of the second cooling medium, and a second abnormality leakage sensor for detecting leakage of the second coolant from the second cooling circuit the first and second abnormality leakage detection sensor is different And a alarm for issuing an alarm upon detection of a leak, at the time of detecting a leak in a case of detecting a leak in the first abnormality leak detection sensor and the second abnormality leakage detection sensor, an alarm by the alarm device It is characterized by different .

The integrated cooling system according to the present invention described in claim 2 is the integrated cooling system according to claim 1, alarm devices, and wherein the acoustic device, horn, and at least one Der Turkey indicator To do.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the integrated cooling system according to the present invention, wherein in the integrated cooling system according to the first or second aspect , the first cooling circuit is a high-power system component for flowing cooling water as the first cooling medium. a use cooling circuit, the second cooling circuit, and wherein the air-conditioning cooling circuit der Turkey flowing air conditioning cooling medium is a second cooling medium.

In the integrated cooling system according to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the second cooling medium leaks into the first cooling medium, the fragile portion is broken and the first cooling medium above it is released to the outside. By reducing the pressure, damage to the components of the first cooling circuit on the first cooling medium side can be prevented. Moreover, since the leak to the 1st cooling medium of a 2nd cooling medium is detected with a 1st abnormal leak detection sensor, and a warning is issued with an alarm device, the user can recognize this abnormal state. Further, not only a warning of leakage of the second cooling medium to the first cooling medium but also a warning of leakage of the second cooling medium from other parts of the second cooling circuit can be given to the user by the alarm device. Further, since the alarm of leakage of the second cooling medium to the first cooling medium is different from the alarm of leakage of the second cooling medium from other parts of the second cooling circuit, which leak occurs to the user. It can be made to recognize.

  In the integrated cooling system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the user can easily recognize the abnormal situation by using sound or light for the alarm. Moreover, if this integrated cooling system is a vehicle-mounted system, a vehicle-mounted device can be used as it is without providing a new alarm device.

The integrated cooling system according to the third aspect of the present invention can be optimally applied to an air conditioning system for a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle and a cooling system for a heavy electrical system component.

It is a top view which shows the whole integrated cooling system of Example 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the outflow side tank of the sub radiator which incorporates the water cooling heat exchanger which is the principal part of the integrated cooling system of Example 1. FIG. It is a perspective view of the modification of the guide member used with the integrated cooling system of Example 1. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on examples shown in the drawings.

First, the whole structure of the integrated cooling system of Example 1 is demonstrated based on FIG.
The integrated cooling system of the first embodiment is used for a hybrid vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor and capable of being driven by either one or both.

The integrated cooling system of the first embodiment includes an air conditioning cooling circuit AC for a cooling medium of an air conditioning system, and a high-power component cooling circuit EC for cooling water that cools high-power components such as an electric motor and an inverter. The cooling circuit AC for air conditioning and the high-power component cooling circuit EC are integrated by the water-cooled condenser 5 so that heat can be exchanged between the cooling media.
The high-power system component cooling circuit EC corresponds to the first cooling circuit of the present invention, and the air conditioning cooling circuit AC corresponds to the second cooling circuit of the present invention.

The air conditioning cooling circuit AC includes an air-cooled condenser 1, an expansion valve 2, an evaporator 3, a compressor 4, a water-cooled condenser 5, and a flow path such as a pipe connecting them.
For example, HFC-134a (chemical formula: CH ₂ FCF ₃ ) is used as a cooling medium flowing between these parts. The flow direction of the cooling medium is indicated by arrows in FIG.
Note that the air-cooled capacitor 1 also constitutes a part of the high-power component cooling circuit EC. Further, the cooling medium HFC-134a corresponds to the second cooling medium of the present invention.

The air-cooling condenser 1 includes an inflow side tank and an outflow side tank that are spaced apart from each other, and a core portion that has a plurality of tubes (or alternately arranged tubes and cooling fins) that connect the two tanks. The cooling medium flowing in from the inflow side tank is heated between the cooling medium and the running wind (forced wind by the motor / fan when the vehicle is stopped) while flowing through the core toward the outflow side tank. Exchanges are made and cooled.
Here, the air-cooled cooling medium flows to the expansion valve 2 through the flow path 12.

  The expansion valve 2 makes the cooling medium cooled by the air-cooling condenser 1 into a supercooled liquid at a low pressure and squeezes the cooling medium to be easily vaporized as a low-temperature and low-pressure mist refrigerant. The vaporized cooling medium thus formed is sent to the evaporator 3 through the flow path 13.

The evaporator 3 is disposed in a ventilation duct of an air conditioner unit (not shown) disposed in the passenger compartment, and a low-temperature and low-pressure cooling medium that has been decompressed and expanded after passing through the expansion valve 2 is supplied to the air flow of the blower. It receives and evaporates, and cools the airflow which flows inside the air duct toward the passenger compartment.
The cooling medium exited from the evaporator 3 is sent out to the inlet of the compressor 4 through the flow path 14.

The compressor 4 compresses the cooling medium sent from the evaporator 3 to a high pressure, and is composed of, for example, a variable discharge capacity compressor, and is output from a controller (not shown) to a solenoid valve for capacity control (not shown). The discharge capacity changes (several% to 100%) in response to the control signal. The compressor 4 is belt-driven by an electric motor (not shown) via an electromagnetic clutch or a direct pulley (no electromagnetic clutch) (not shown).
The cooling medium discharged from the outlet of the compressor 4 is sent to the inlet of the water-cooled condenser 5 through the flow path 15.

The water-cooled condenser 5 is disposed inside the outflow side tank 8, the cooling medium is introduced from the upper side thereof, is discharged from the lower side thereof, and the inside of the outflow side tank 8 is strongly electrified along the outer periphery of the water-cooled condenser 5. By flowing the cooling water of the system circuit EC, heat exchange is performed between the cooling medium and the cooling water, and the cooling medium can be cooled.
The cooling medium flowing out from the water-cooled condenser 5 is returned to the air-cooled condenser 1 through the flow path 16.
The water-cooled condenser 5 corresponds to the second heat exchanger of the present invention.

  Although not explicitly shown in the figure, a liquid tank is provided between the air-cooled condenser 1 and the expansion valve 2 to filter moisture and dust contained in the high-pressure medium-temperature liquefied refrigerant liquefied by the air-cooled condenser 1. In addition, the refrigerant may be removed at a portion, and excess refrigerant may be temporarily stored so that the cooling medium can be sufficiently supplied during rapid cooling or the like.

On the other hand, the high-power system cooling circuit EC has a water-cooled condenser 5, a sub-radiator 6, a high-power component cooling section (not shown), and a flow path such as a pipe connecting them, and cooling water is interposed between them. It is made to flow.
The sub-radiator 6 corresponds to the first heat exchanger of the present invention, and the cooling water corresponds to the first cooling medium of the present invention.

As described above, the water-cooled condenser 5 can cool the cooling medium flowing through the air-conditioning cooling circuit AC with the cooling water flowing through the strong electric system cooling circuit EC.
The cooling water that has flowed out of the water-cooled condenser 5 is sent to the high-power component cooling unit 7 through the flow path.

  The sub-radiator 6 is disposed near a main radiator for cooling the internal combustion engine (not shown), and is made of a resin and is provided with a separated inflow side tank 7 and outflow side tank 8, and between these tanks 7, 8. And a core portion 6a having cooling fins arranged between adjacent tubes. The cooling water flows from the inlet port 7a provided on the upper side of the inflow side tank 7, and flows out from the outlet port 8a provided on the lower side of the outflow side tank 8 through the core portion 6a.

  A degas tank 9 is attached to the upper portion of the sub radiator 6. The degas tank 9 is provided with a pressure cap on the upper surface, to the inflow port 7a provided in the upper part of the inflow side tank 7 through the pipe 10a, and to the lower part of the outflow side tank 8 through the pipe 10b. It is connected to the outflow port 8a provided. Air and gas in the cooling water are collected and stored here, and then released to the outside. In addition, cooling water is contained therein, and the cooling water is stored or supplied in accordance with a change in the amount of cooling water circulating through the high-power component cooling circuit EC. An overflow pipe 11 is attached to discharge water to the outside when the cooling water becomes excessive.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, there is a fragile part 80 in which the thickness of the tank is made thinner than the other part, and a lower part of the outer periphery of the sub-radiator 6 on the outer side surface of the outflow side tank 8. And a guide member 81 that is open to the center. A discharge pipe 17 is attached to the guide member 81.

  In the unlikely event that the cooling medium enters the cooling water, the internal pressure of the high-voltage component cooling circuit EC is prevented from being damaged by the expansion of the cooling medium and increasing the internal pressure of the high-voltage component cooling circuit EC. When the value exceeds a predetermined value, the fragile portion 80 is broken and the rupture strength of the fragile portion 80 is increased so that a part of the cooling water or the cooling medium is discharged from the upper side surface of the outflow side tank 8 through the guide member 81 to the outside. It is set.

  The distance L from the bottom inner surface of the outflow side tank 8 to the lower end of the fragile portion 80 is such that the fragile portion 80 is broken and a part of the cooling water flows out to the outside from the bottom inner surface of the outflow side tank 8. In the volume up to the lower end of the fragile portion 80, the size is set such that a minimum amount of cooling water required to allow the high-power system component cooling circuit EC to function can be secured.

  The cooling water warmed by the high-power system cooling part flows from the inflow side tank 7 and flows through the core part 6a toward the outflow side tank 8, so that the running wind (however, when the vehicle is stopped, the motor Heat is exchanged between the forced air generated by the fan and the cooling water, and the cooling water is cooled and sent to the water-cooled condenser 5 through the flow path.

The high-power system parts cooling section is a cooling path formed inside the case of the electric motor, a cooling path formed at the bottom of the case of the inverter, and the like by flowing the cooling water cooled by the sub-radiator 6 to these, These are cooled by taking away the heat generated by high-power components such as electric motors and inverters.
The cooling water warmed by cooling the high-power components is sent to the sub-radiator 6 through the flow path.

A proximity sensor 21 is provided at the location of the weak portion 80, and when the weak portion 80 is broken, this is detected, and a detection signal is sent to the controller 23. The proximity sensor 21 corresponds to a first abnormal leak detection sensor of the present invention.
Further, a temperature sensor 22 for detecting the temperature of the cooling medium on the outlet side of the compressor 4 is provided, the temperature is detected here, and the detection signal is sent to the controller 23. This temperature sensor 22 corresponds to a second abnormal leak detection sensor of the present invention.

Based on the detection signals from the proximity sensor 21 and the temperature sensor 22, the controller 23 leaks the cooling medium in all parts from the air conditioning cooling circuit AC, and cools the cooling circuit EC for the high-power components from the air conditioning cooling circuit AC. Judgment of leakage of the cooling medium into the water is made, and an alarm signal is issued to the alarm device 24.
The alarm device 24 uses at least one of an acoustic device, a horn, and a display device of the vehicle. When the alarm device 24 receives an alarm signal from the controller 23, the alarm device 24 notifies the user of an abnormality in the cooling circuit by sound or light.

The operation of the integrated cooling system configured as described above will be described below.
In the cooling circuit AC for air conditioning, the cooling medium is air-cooled by the air-cooling condenser 1, becomes a supercooled liquid state, and is sent to the expansion valve 2 through the flow path 12.
The expansion valve 2 makes it easy to vaporize as a low-temperature and low-pressure mist refrigerant by reducing the pressure of the cooling medium in the supercooled liquid state to a low pressure. The cooling medium thus vaporized is sent to the evaporator 3 through the flow path 13, where the low-temperature and low-pressure cooling medium that has passed through the expansion valve 2 and expanded under reduced pressure is subjected to the air flow of the blower. The cooling medium, which has been evaporated to a low temperature, cools the air flow that flows in the air duct toward the passenger compartment and cools the passenger compartment.
The cooling medium heated by exchanging heat with the evaporator 3 is sent to the compressor 4 through the flow path 14.

In the compressor 4, the cooling medium is compressed to a high pressure (and therefore the temperature also rises), and then sent to the water-cooled condenser 5 through the flow path 15 and the first switching valve V1.
When the cooling medium passes through the water-cooled condenser 5, it is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling water of the high-power system component cooling circuit EC, further cooled by the air-cooled condenser 1 through the flow path 16, and passed through the flow path 12. Sent to expansion valve 2.
In this way, the cooling medium circulates through the air conditioning cooling circuit AC.

On the other hand, in the high electric component circuit EC, the cooling water heated by cooling the high electric components such as the electric motor and the inverter in the high electric component cooling section is sent to the sub-radiator 6 through the flow path. The cooling water is air-cooled by the sub-radiator 6 and sent to the water-cooled condenser 5 through the flow path.
In the water-cooled condenser 5, heat exchange is performed between the low-temperature cooling water cooled by the sub-radiator 6 and the cooling medium flowing into the water-cooled condenser 5 from the compressor 4 of the air conditioning cooling circuit AC. After being cooled with cooling water, it is sent to the high-power system part cooling section through the flow path.
Although the cooling water is slightly warmed by the water-cooled condenser 5, it is sufficiently low to cool the high-power components, so the high-power components are cooled and returned to the sub-radiator 6 through the flow path. In this way, the cooling water circulates through the high-power component cooling circuit EC.

The above is the normal operation.
On the other hand, when the cooling medium leaks from the air conditioning cooling circuit AC to the outside, the temperature of the cooling medium on the outlet side of the compressor 4 decreases, and the controller 23 detects and determines the leakage based on this temperature change. As a result, the alarm 24 is activated and a warning is issued to the user.
This leak detection detects leaks from all parts of the cooling circuit AC for air conditioning.
Note that when the cooling medium does not flow into the cooling water of the cooling circuit EC for the high-power components due to this leakage, the proximity sensor 21 does not operate, and there is no possibility that the pressure in the cooling circuit EC for the high-power components will abnormally expand. .

On the other hand, the part in the outflow side tank 8 of the cooling circuit AC for air conditioning, that is, the part in the outflow side tank 8 of the inflow side and outflow side pipe connected to the water cooling condenser 5 or the water cooling condenser 5 is damaged. When the cooling medium leaks into the cooling water, the cooling medium starts to vaporize, and the internal pressure in the high-power system component cooling circuit EC increases.
When this internal pressure reaches a predetermined pressure, the weak part 80 of the outflow side tank 8 that constitutes a part of the high-electric component cooling circuit EC and has the weakest strength is broken.

  When the fragile portion 80 is broken, the cooling water above the lower end of the fragile portion 80 is discharged from the opening through the guide member 81 to the outside from the outer side surface of the outflow side tank 8. In this case, the outflow direction is outside the sub-radiator 6 in the width direction, so that it does not hit other in-vehicle components as much as possible.

The release of the partial cooling water suppresses an increase in the internal pressure of the high-power system component cooling circuit EC, and avoids damage to the components of the high-power system component cooling circuit EC.
In addition, since the cooling water does not flow out from the lower end of the fragile portion 80 of the outflow side tank 8 (at a distance L from there), it is at least necessary to make the high voltage system cooling circuit EC function. The amount is secured. As a result, even if the cooling circuit AC for air conditioning fails, the minimum cooling function of the cooling circuit EC for the high-power components is secured, and the high-power components are continuously cooled.

  The cooling medium leaked into the cooling water is almost vaporized, a part of the cooling medium is accumulated above the fragile portion 80 of the outflow side tank 8, and the rest passes through the fragile portion 80 and exits from the guide member 81 to the outside. .

Further, when the fragile portion 80 is broken in this way, the proximity sensor 21 detects this and sends this detection signal to the controller 23. The controller 23 determines that the refrigerant liquid has leaked into the cooling water based on this detection signal, and sends an alarm signal to the alarm device 24. The alarm device 24 displays an alarm with an alarm sound or light so that the user can recognize the abnormality.
Note that when the leakage of the cooling medium into the cooling water is abnormal, the alarm sound and warning display by the alarm device 24 may be different from the case of leakage at other parts.

As described above, the integrated cooling system of the present embodiment has the following effects.
In the integrated cooling system of the present embodiment, the water-cooled condenser 5 is disposed in the outflow side tank 8 of the sub-radiator 6, and a capacity more than the minimum necessary for the cooling circuit EC for the high-power components can be secured. A fragile portion 80 is provided at the height L of the outflow side tank 8.
As a result, in the outflow side tank 8 of the sub-radiator 6, the cooling medium of the cooling circuit AC for air conditioning leaks into the cooling water of the cooling circuit EC for the high-power components and flows into the cooling water to vaporize the pressure in the outflow side tank 8 Even if the temperature rises, the fragile portion 80 provided above the outflow side tank 8 is broken, and the leaked cooling medium is discharged to the outside together with the cooling water above the lower end of the fragile portion 80.

In this case, the cooling water below the fragile portion 80 does not continue to leak to the outside, and the minimum amount of cooling water necessary for the high-power cooling circuit EC is secured, so an electric motor, an inverter, a battery, etc. It is possible to continue to ensure the cooling of the high-power components.
On the other hand, since the water-cooled condenser 5 is disposed in the outflow side tank 8, under normal conditions, the cooling medium is cooled by the cooling water that has been cooled by the core portion 6a of the sub-radiator 6 and has flowed into the outflow side tank 8. Since it cools, the cooling efficiency can be improved.

In addition, since the proximity sensor 21 is provided near the fragile portion 80 and the breakage of the fragile portion 80 is detected and an alarm is issued by the alarm device 24, the user is informed that the cooling medium has leaked into the cooling water. Can be recognized.
In addition, since the temperature sensor 22 detects a leak in any part of the air conditioning cooling circuit AC and issues an alarm in the alarm device 24, the user can be made aware of all the leaks.
In this case, since the warning is different between the former and the latter, the user can recognize which leakage has occurred.

  In addition, since the fragile portion 80 is provided above the water-cooled condenser 5, even if the cooling medium in the air conditioning cooling circuit AC leaks, the cooling medium in the air conditioning cooling circuit AC secures an amount necessary for cooling. While being performed, the cooling medium in the water-cooled condenser 5 can be continuously cooled with the cooling water around the entire circumference thereof.

In addition, the fragile portion 80 is provided on the side surface of the outflow side tank 8, and the opening of the fragile portion 80 and the guide member 81 is directed in the width direction of the sub-radiator 6, and thus in the vehicle width direction.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the cooling water discharged to the outside through the fragile portion 80 from getting on other auxiliary machines and causing a malfunction.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and even if there is a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention, it is included in the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the integrated cooling system mounted on the hybrid vehicle has been described. However, the integrated cooling system of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to other devices such as an electric vehicle.

  In addition, the integrated cooling system of the present invention is not limited to the air conditioning cooling circuit and the high power component cooling circuit of the embodiment, but integrates different cooling media so that one cooling circuit has a higher pressure than the other cooling circuit. Any cooling system may be used.

  Further, the first abnormal leak detection sensor of the present invention is not limited to the proximity sensor 21, and other means such as a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the outflow side tank 8 may be used.

The shape of the guide member 81 may be changed to a guide member 90 as shown in FIG. 3, and the discharge port 91 may be directed in the vehicle front-rear direction. In this case, without changing the outflow side tank 8 provided with the fragile portion 80, the direction of the cooling water discharged when the coolant leaks can be changed from the vehicle width direction to the vehicle front-rear direction only by replacing the guide members 81, 90. By changing, it is possible to prevent the cooling water from being applied to other auxiliary machines next to the sub-radiator 6. This change is inexpensive because only the guide members 81 and 90 need to be changed.
In order to avoid this, depending on the position of the auxiliary machinery, the discharge port 91 can be directed in a diagonal direction.

1 Air-cooled condenser 2 Expansion valve 3 Evaporator 4 Compressor 5 Water-cooled condenser (second heat exchanger)
6 Sub radiator (first heat exchanger)
6a Core 7 Inflow side tank
8 Outflow side tank
80 Vulnerable parts
81, 90 Guide member
9 Degas tank
10a, 10b pipe
11 Overflow tank
12-16 flow path
17 Release pipe
21 Proximity sensor (first abnormal leak detection sensor)
22 Temperature sensor (second abnormal leak detection sensor)
23 Controller
24 Alarm

Claims (3)

A first cooling circuit having a first heat exchanger that cools the first cooling medium at a core portion between the inflow side tank and the outflow side tank;
A second heat exchanger disposed in the outflow side tank for cooling the second cooling medium with the first cooling medium, wherein the pressure of the second cooling medium in the second heat exchanger is A second cooling circuit that is higher than the pressure of one cooling medium;
In an integrated cooling system with
A fragile portion provided in the outflow side tank, and ruptured at a predetermined pressure or more to enable communication between the inside and outside of the outflow side tank ;
A first abnormality leak detection sensor for detecting the leakage to the first cooling medium of the second cooling medium,
A second abnormal leakage detection sensor for detecting leakage of the second cooling medium from the second cooling circuit;
An alarm that issues an alarm when the first and second abnormal leakage detection sensors detect abnormal leakage ; and
Equipped with a,
The integrated cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm by the alarm device is different between when the first abnormal leak detection sensor detects a leak and when the second abnormal leak detection sensor detects a leak . The integrated cooling system of claim 1, wherein
Integrated cooling system wherein the alarm is an acoustic instrument, horn, characterized by at least one Der Turkey indicator. In the integrated cooling system according to claim 1 or 2,
The first cooling circuit is a cooling circuit for high-power components that flows cooling water as the first cooling medium,
The integrated cooling system, wherein the second cooling circuit is an air conditioning cooling circuit for flowing an air conditioning cooling medium that is the second cooling medium.

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