JP7159771B2 - Equipment temperature controller - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device temperature control device that adjusts the temperature of a target device by changing the phase of a working fluid between a liquid phase and a gas phase.

Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerant circuit that includes an evaporator that evaporates refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the refrigerant, and a refrigerant pump that circulates the refrigerant between the evaporator and the condenser. In this refrigerant circuit, a refrigerant pump forces the refrigerant to circulate between the evaporator and the condenser. A refrigerant pump is provided in the liquid-phase flow path for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid from the condenser to the evaporator.

JP 2008-281218 A

By the way, the present inventor studied a device temperature control device that uses a loop-type thermosiphon circuit to adjust the temperature of a target device.

This thermosiphon circuit is a working fluid circuit that constitutes a loop-type thermosiphon heat pipe. The thermosiphon circuit includes an evaporator for evaporating the working fluid, a condenser for condensing the working fluid evaporated in the evaporator, a vapor-phase flow path for flowing the vapor-phase working fluid from the evaporator to the condenser, a liquid phase flow path for flowing a liquid phase working fluid from the condenser to the evaporator. In the evaporator, the target device is cooled by heat exchange between the working fluid and the target device.

Then, the present inventors have found the following problems regarding this apparatus temperature control device.

It is conceivable to provide a pump for sending a liquid-phase working fluid to the liquid-phase flow path of the device temperature control device, as in Patent Document 1. According to this, by operating the pump, it is possible to increase the circulation amount of the working fluid in the thermosiphon circuit. Therefore, the cooling capacity of the device temperature control device can be increased.

However, in this case, when the pump is activated, the working fluid circulates between the evaporator and the condenser. Therefore, the cooling performance of the equipment temperature control device may be degraded under the influence of the condenser. That is, the smaller the amount of condensation of the working fluid in the condenser, the smaller the amount of evaporation of the working fluid in the evaporator. As a result, the cooling of the target device is weakened. Further, when the working fluid stops condensing in the condenser, evaporation of the working fluid in the evaporator stops. Therefore, the target device cannot be cooled.

In view of the above points, the present invention provides a device temperature control device that can reduce the influence of the condenser on the cooling performance of the device temperature control device in order to suppress the deterioration of the device temperature control device. The purpose is to

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention of claim 1,
A device temperature control device that adjusts the temperature of a target device (2) by a phase change between a liquid phase and a gas phase of a working fluid,
A device temperature control unit having one or more device heat exchangers (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) configured to allow heat exchange between the target device and the working fluid so that the working fluid evaporates when the target device is cooled. (10) and
a condenser (20) for condensing the gas phase working fluid;
a vapor phase flow path (30) connected to the equipment temperature control unit and the condenser for flowing a vapor phase working fluid from the equipment temperature control unit to the condenser;
a liquid phase flow path (40) connected to the equipment temperature control unit and the condenser for flowing liquid phase working fluid from the condenser to the equipment temperature control unit;
By bypassing the condenser from a part of the device temperature control unit for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid, the liquid phase is transferred to another part of the device temperature control unit for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid. a bypass channel (50) for flowing the working fluid of
and a pump (60) provided in the bypass flow path for pumping liquid-phase working fluid.

In the first aspect of the invention, the pump is provided in the bypass flow path. Therefore, when the pump is actuated, the liquid-phase working fluid flows between the portion of the device temperature control unit for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid and the bypass channel, bypassing the condenser. . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence of the condenser on the cooling performance of the device temperature control device.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the condenser heat-exchanges the working fluid and the air, thereby radiating heat from the working fluid. Thus, a condenser can be used to exchange heat between the working fluid and the air.

Here, unlike the ninth aspect of the invention, it is conceivable that the pump is provided in the liquid phase flow path. In this case, when the temperature of the air is higher than the temperature of the working fluid inside the condenser, the working fluid will not condense in the condenser. Therefore, even if the pump is operated, the liquid-phase working fluid cannot be supplied to the device temperature adjustment section. Therefore, the target device cannot be cooled by the device temperature adjustment unit.

In contrast, according to the ninth aspect of the invention, the pump is operated when the temperature of the air is higher than the temperature of the working fluid inside the condenser. In this case, as long as the liquid-phase working refrigerant exists in the equipment temperature adjustment section, the liquid-phase working fluid can flow from one part of the equipment temperature adjustment part to the other part of the equipment temperature adjustment part. Therefore, the cooling time of the target device can be extended compared to the case where the pump is provided in the liquid phase flow path.

It should be noted that the reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component etc. indicate an example of the correspondence relationship between the component etc. and specific components etc. described in the embodiments described later.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the whole apparatus temperature control apparatus structure of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger and a battery module in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger and battery module in FIG. 1; 2 is a diagram showing a state of the device temperature control device when the device temperature control device of FIG. 1 is tilted and the pump is stopped; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the state of the device temperature control device when the device temperature control device of FIG. 1 is tilted and the pump is operating; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device temperature control device of Comparative Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the whole apparatus temperature control apparatus structure of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole apparatus temperature control apparatus structure of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole apparatus temperature control apparatus structure of 4th Embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the state of the device temperature control device when the device temperature control device of the fifth embodiment is tilted and the pump is stopped. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the state of the device temperature control device when the device temperature control device of the fifth embodiment is tilted and the pump is operating. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the equipment temperature control apparatus of other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the equipment temperature control apparatus of other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the equipment temperature control apparatus of other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the equipment temperature control apparatus of other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the equipment temperature control apparatus of other embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each of the following embodiments, portions that are the same or equivalent to each other will be described with the same reference numerals.

(First embodiment)
A device temperature control device 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. The device temperature control device 1 is mounted in an electric vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as "vehicle") such as an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle. The device temperature control device 1 cools or warms a secondary battery (hereinafter referred to as "battery") mounted on a vehicle to adjust the temperature of the battery.

First, the battery 2 as a target device whose temperature is controlled by the device temperature control device 1 will be described. A large battery 2 installed in a vehicle is placed under the seat or under the trunk of the vehicle as a battery pack (that is, a power storage device) in which one or more battery modules 4 each including a plurality of battery cells 3 are stored. to be installed. Electric power stored in the battery 2 is supplied to the vehicle running motor via an inverter or the like. The battery 2 self-heats when power is supplied while the vehicle is running. When the temperature of the battery 2 becomes high, it not only fails to perform its functions satisfactorily, but also accelerates its deterioration. Therefore, in order to ensure the output and input of the battery 2, a cooling device for maintaining the battery 2 at a predetermined temperature or lower is required.

In addition, in a season such as summer when the outside temperature is high, the temperature of the battery 2 rises not only while the vehicle is running but also while the vehicle is parked. In addition, the battery 2 is often placed under the floor or under the trunk of the vehicle, and although the amount of heat given to the battery 2 per unit time is small, the temperature of the battery 2 gradually rises when the battery is left for a long period of time. Since the life of the battery 2 is shortened if the battery 2 is left in a high temperature state, it is desired to maintain the temperature of the battery 2 at a predetermined temperature or less even while the vehicle is parked.

Furthermore, the battery 2 is composed of a plurality of battery cells 3 . In the battery 2, if the temperature of each battery cell 3 varies, the deterioration of the battery cells 3 will be biased and the power storage performance will decrease. This is because the input/output characteristics of the battery 2 are determined according to the characteristics of the most deteriorated battery cell 3 because the battery 2 includes a series connection of a plurality of battery cells 3 . Therefore, in order to allow the battery 2 to exhibit desired performance over a long period of time, it is important to equalize the temperature to reduce the temperature variation among the plurality of battery cells 3 .

Further, generally, as other cooling devices for cooling the battery 2, an air-cooling type cooling means using a blower and a cooling means using cold heat of a vapor compression type refrigerating cycle are generally used. However, the air-cooling type cooling means using a blower only blows the air in the passenger compartment, so the cooling capacity is low. In addition, since the air blown by the blower cools the battery 2 with the sensible heat of the air, the temperature difference between the upstream side and the downstream side of the air flow becomes large, and the temperature variation among the plurality of battery cells 3 cannot be sufficiently suppressed. Further, although the cooling means using the cold heat of the refrigeration cycle has a high cooling capacity, it is necessary to drive a compressor or the like that consumes a large amount of electric power while the vehicle is parked. This is not preferable because it causes an increase in power consumption, an increase in noise, and the like.

Therefore, the device temperature control device 1 of the present embodiment employs a thermosiphon system in which the temperature of the battery 2 is adjusted by natural circulation of the working fluid without forced circulation of the working fluid by a compressor.

Next, the configuration of the device temperature control device 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 , the device temperature control device 1 includes a device temperature control section 10 , a condenser 20 , a gas pipe 30 and a liquid pipe 40 . The device temperature adjustment section 10, the condenser 20, the gas pipe 30 and the liquid pipe 40 are connected to each other to form a loop type thermosiphon circuit. A predetermined amount of working fluid is enclosed in the thermosiphon circuit. As the working fluid, for example, a Freon-based refrigerant such as HFO-1234yf or HFC-134a is used. Note that the upper and lower sides indicated by double-headed arrows in the drawing indicate the upper side and the lower side in the direction of gravity when the device temperature control device 1 is mounted on a vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the device temperature adjustment section 10 is configured by one device heat exchanger 11 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the equipment heat exchanger 11 has a tubular upper header tank 111 , a tubular lower header tank 112 , and a heat exchange core portion 113 .

The upper header tank 111 is provided at a position on the upper side of the equipment heat exchanger 11 in the direction of gravity. The upper header tank 111 forms therein a channel through which the working fluid flowing out from each heat exchange core portion 113 flows. The lower header tank 112 is provided at a position on the lower side of the equipment heat exchanger 11 in the direction of gravity. The lower header tank 112 forms therein a channel through which the working fluid flowing into the heat exchange core portion 113 flows. The lower header tank 112 is a portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 for flowing liquid-phase working fluid. In this embodiment, the lower header tank 112 corresponds to a portion of the device temperature control unit for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid.

The heat exchange core part 113 is configured to be capable of exchanging heat with the target device so that the liquid-phase working fluid evaporates when the target device is cooled. The heat exchange core portion 113 forms a plurality of flow paths inside the plate-like member. A plurality of channels of the heat exchange core portion 113 communicate with channels in the upper header tank 111 and channels in the lower header tank 112 . Note that the heat exchange core portion 113 may be formed by stacking a plurality of tubes in which flow paths for working fluid are formed.

Each constituent member 111, 112, 113 of the equipment heat exchanger 11 is made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or copper. The constituent members 111, 112, and 113 of the equipment heat exchanger 11 may be made of a material with high thermal conductivity other than metal.

The battery module 4 is installed outside the heat exchange core portion 113 with an electrically insulating heat conductive sheet 114 interposed therebetween. The heat conductive sheet 114 ensures insulation between the heat exchange core portion 113 and the battery module 4 . Furthermore, the thermal resistance between the heat exchange core portion 113 and the battery module 4 becomes small. Note that the battery module 4 and the heat exchange core portion 113 may be directly connected without the heat conductive sheet 114 interposed therebetween.

In this embodiment, the plurality of battery cells 3 forming the battery module 4 are arranged in a direction (for example, horizontal direction) intersecting the direction of gravity. A plurality of battery cells 3 are installed on both side surfaces of the heat exchange core portion 113 . As shown in FIG. 3 , each of the plurality of battery cells 3 has its surface 7 opposite to the surface 6 provided with the terminals 5 disposed on the side surface of the heat exchange core portion 113 via the heat conductive sheet 114 . It is As shown in FIG. 1, the equipment heat exchanger 11 is mounted on the vehicle such that the plurality of battery cells 3 are arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction.

The battery module 4 can exchange heat with the working fluid inside the heat exchange core portion 113 . When the plurality of battery cells 3 generate heat, the liquid-phase working fluid inside the heat exchange core portion 113 evaporates. Thereby, the plurality of battery cells 3 are evenly cooled by the latent heat of evaporation of the working fluid.

As shown in FIG. 2, an outlet 115 through which the working fluid flows is provided at one longitudinal end of the upper header tank 111 . An inlet 116 into which the working fluid flows is provided at one longitudinal end of the lower header tank 112 .

The condenser 20 is arranged above the equipment heat exchanger 11 in the direction of gravity. The condenser 20 is a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the gas-phase working fluid flowing into the condenser 20 through the gas pipe 30 and a predetermined heat receiving medium. In this embodiment, the predetermined heat-receiving medium is the air outside the vehicle (that is, outside air).

The equipment temperature control device 1 includes a fan 22 . The condenser 20 is an air-cooled heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air blown by the fan 22 or running wind and the gas-phase working fluid. The vapor-phase working fluid flowing through the condenser 20 radiates heat to the air passing through the condenser 20, thereby condensing, that is, undergoing a phase change to a liquid-phase working fluid. Note that the condenser 20 is generally provided in the front engine room of the vehicle.

An inflow port 201 into which a vapor-phase working fluid flows is provided on the upper side of the condenser 20 in the gravitational direction. An outflow port 202 through which the liquid-phase working fluid flows out is provided on the lower side of the condenser 20 in the direction of gravity.

The gas pipe 30 internally forms a gas-phase flow path for flowing the vapor-phase working fluid evaporated inside the equipment heat exchanger 11 from the equipment heat exchanger 11 to the condenser 20 . One end of the gas pipe 30 is connected to the inlet 201 of the condenser 20 . The other end of the gas pipe 30 is connected to the outflow port 115 of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . The gas pipe 30 communicates the inflow port 201 of the condenser 20 and the outflow port 115 of the equipment heat exchanger 11 .

The liquid pipe 40 internally forms a liquid-phase flow path for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid condensed inside the condenser 20 from the condenser 20 to the equipment heat exchanger 11 . One end of the liquid pipe 40 is connected to the outlet 202 of the condenser 20 . The other end of the liquid pipe 40 is connected to the inflow port 116 of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . The liquid pipe 40 connects the outlet 202 of the condenser 20 and the inlet 116 of the equipment heat exchanger 11 .

Note that the gas pipe 30 and the liquid pipe 40 are names for convenience and do not mean pipes through which only gas-phase or liquid-phase working fluid flows. That is, both gas-phase and liquid-phase working fluids may flow through both the gas pipe 30 and the liquid pipe 40 . Further, the shapes of the gas pipe 30 and the liquid pipe 40 can be appropriately changed in consideration of the mountability on the vehicle.

The device temperature control device 1 includes a bypass pipe 50 and a pump 60 .

The bypass pipe 50 connects the rear portion of the lower header tank 112 and the front portion of the lower header tank 112 . The bypass pipe 50 internally forms a bypass flow path for bypassing the condenser 20 from the rear side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 and allowing the liquid-phase working fluid to flow to the front side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11. is doing. The rear side portion of the device heat exchanger 11 is a portion of the device heat exchanger 11 that is on the rear side of the center in the front-rear direction. The front side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 is a portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 on the front side of the center in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the rear side portion of the lower header tank 112 corresponds to part of the portion for flowing liquid-phase working fluid in the device temperature control section. The front side portion of the lower header tank 112 corresponds to another part of the portion for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid in the device temperature control portion.

One end side of the bypass pipe 50 is connected to a side of the liquid pipe 40 closer to the equipment heat exchanger 11 than the condenser 20 . That is, the first connection portion 501 to which one end side of the bypass pipe 50 is connected is provided on the side closer to the device heat exchanger 11 than the condenser 20 in the liquid pipe 40 .

The other end of the bypass pipe 50 opposite to the one end is connected to the rear end of the lower header tank 112 . That is, the second connection portion 502 to which the other end of the bypass pipe 50 is connected is provided at the rear end of the lower header tank 112 . Therefore, the second connection portion 502 is located on the vehicle rear side of the first connection portion 501 .

The pump 60 is provided at a position between the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 in the bypass pipe 50 . The pump 60 is a fluid machine that pumps liquid-phase working fluid. The pump 60 is positioned closer to the second connection portion 502 than the first connection portion 501 in the bypass pipe 50 . The pump 60 causes the liquid-phase working fluid to flow inside the bypass pipe 50 from the second connection portion 502 toward the first connection portion 501 .

FIG. 1 shows the state of the device temperature control device 1 when the vehicle is horizontally arranged. A state in which the vehicle is horizontally arranged means a state in which the vehicle is arranged on a horizontal plane. As shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle is horizontally arranged, the equipment heat exchanger 11 is in a horizontal state. That the equipment heat exchanger 11 is in a horizontal state means that the position of the liquid surface FL of the liquid-phase working fluid inside the equipment heat exchanger 11 in the gravitational direction is the front side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . It means the same state as the rear part.

When the equipment heat exchanger 11 is in a horizontal state, the liquid level FL of the working fluid is located midway in the height direction of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . In this embodiment, the liquid level FL of the working fluid is positioned near the center of the equipment heat exchanger 11 in the height direction. All of the bypass pipe 50 including the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 and the pump 60 are positioned below the liquid level FL of the working fluid when the equipment heat exchanger 11 is in a horizontal state. do.

Thus, the bypass pipe 50 is connected to the thermosiphon circuit. The bypass pipe 50 is connected to a portion of the thermosiphon circuit that includes the equipment heat exchanger 11 and does not include the condenser 20 . This forms a bypass circuit that bypasses the condenser 20 and circulates through the equipment heat exchanger 11 and the bypass pipe 50 . This bypass circuit does not include the condenser 20 .

The equipment temperature control device 1 includes a control device 62 and an inclination sensor 64 . Controller 62 controls the operation of pump 60 and fan 22 . The tilt sensor 64 detects the tilt of the device temperature adjustment section 10 . The tilt sensor 64 is connected to the input side of the controller 62 . The tilt sensor 64 outputs a sensor signal regarding the tilt of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . The tilt sensor 64 may detect the tilt of the vehicle as the tilt of the device temperature adjustment section 10 .

Next, operation of the device temperature control device 1 when the device temperature control device 1 cools the battery 2 will be described. <Horizontal state>
As shown in FIG. 1, the tilt sensor 64 does not detect the tilt of the device temperature adjuster 10 when the device temperature adjuster 10 is in a horizontal state. When the inclination sensor 64 does not detect the inclination of the device temperature adjustment section 10, the control device 62 stops the pump 60. FIG.

The battery 2 generates heat while the vehicle is running, and the temperature of the battery 2 rises. At this time, the heat transferred from the plurality of battery cells 3 to the device heat exchanger 11 evaporates the liquid-phase working fluid inside the device heat exchanger 11 . The multiple battery cells 3 are cooled by latent heat of vaporization when the liquid-phase working fluid evaporates. The vapor-phase working fluid produced by evaporation flows into the condenser 20 via the gas pipe 30 . In the condenser 20, the liquid-phase working fluid is cooled and condensed by heat exchange with the air blown by the fan 22 or the running wind. The liquid-phase working fluid condensed and generated in the condenser 20 flows into the equipment heat exchanger 11 via the liquid pipe 40 .

In the device temperature control device 1 of the present embodiment, the working fluid naturally circulates inside the surf siphon circuit even without a driving force required for circulation of the working fluid by a compressor or the like. Therefore, the device temperature control device 1 can achieve efficient temperature control of the battery 2 while suppressing both power consumption and noise compared to a refrigeration cycle or the like.

Further, when the device temperature adjustment unit 10 is in a horizontal state, the height H of the liquid surface FL inside the device heat exchanger 11 is are almost the same. Therefore, the device temperature control device 1 can uniformly cool the plurality of cells 3 . The height H of the liquid surface inside the equipment heat exchanger 11 is the height from the bottom of the equipment heat exchanger 11 to the liquid surface. In this embodiment, the lower portion of the lower header tank 112 when the equipment heat exchanger 11 is in a horizontal state is the bottom portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . Also, the height of the liquid level inside the equipment heat exchanger 11 is measured in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the lower header tank 112 .

<Tilted state>
FIG. 4 shows the state of the device temperature control device 1 when the vehicle is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane and the pump 60 is stopped. In FIG. 4 , the vehicle is tilted so that the rear side of the vehicle is positioned below the front side of the vehicle in the direction of gravity. At this time, the device temperature adjuster 10 is tilted such that the rear side of the device temperature adjuster 10 is positioned lower than the front side of the device temperature adjuster 10 in the direction of gravity. In this state, inside the equipment heat exchanger 11, the liquid-phase working fluid is biased toward the rear side of the vehicle. The liquid level H1 at the front side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 is lower than the liquid level height H2 at the rear side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . The amount of liquid-phase working fluid that exchanges heat with each of the plurality of battery cells 3 differs between the front portion and the rear portion of the device heat exchanger 11 . Therefore, the cooling performance of the equipment heat exchanger 11 differs between the front portion and the rear portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . In particular, the vehicle front side of the equipment heat exchanger 11 has a small amount of liquid-phase working fluid, so there is a possibility that dryout may occur due to a shortage of liquid-phase working fluid. Therefore, the plurality of battery cells 3 cannot be evenly cooled.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device 62 operates the pump 60 when the vehicle is in a tilted position. Similar to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 shows the state of the device temperature control device 1 when the vehicle is tilted and the pump 60 is in operation.

Specifically, the controller 62 operates the pump 60 when the tilt sensor 64 detects the tilt of the device temperature adjustment section 10 . When the tilt sensor 64 detects the tilt of the device temperature adjuster 10, the controller 62 determines that the device temperature adjuster 10 is tilted based on the sensor signal input from the tilt sensor 64. is the case.

By operating the pump 60 , the liquid-phase working fluid concentrated in the rear portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 is supplied to the front portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 via the bypass pipe 50 . Therefore, the unevenness of the liquid-phase working fluid inside the equipment heat exchanger 11 is eliminated. That is, the liquid level H1 at the front side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 can be brought close to the liquid level height H2 at the rear side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . As a result, the cooling performance of the equipment heat exchanger 11 can be made close to the front side portion and the rear side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . Therefore, the plurality of battery cells 3 can be evenly cooled.

As described above, the device temperature control device 1 of the present embodiment includes a device temperature adjustment unit 10 having one device heat exchanger 11, a condenser 20, a gas pipe 30, a liquid pipe 40, a bypass A pipe 50 and a pump 60 are provided. A first connection portion 501 to which one end side of the bypass pipe 50 is connected is provided in the liquid pipe 40 . A second connection portion 502 to which the other end side of the bypass pipe 50 is connected is provided at the rear end portion of the device temperature adjustment portion 10 . In this manner, the second connection portion 502 is provided at a portion of the device temperature adjustment portion 10 that is horizontally separated from the first connection portion 501 .

According to this, the device temperature control device 1 is tilted, and the liquid is Pump 60 operates when the phases have different amounts of working refrigerant present. A liquid-phase working fluid flows through the bypass pipe 50 by the pump 60 . As a result, the amount of the liquid-phase working refrigerant existing in the device temperature adjustment section 10 closer to the first connection portion 501 and the device temperature adjustment portion 10 closer to the second connection portion 502 are brought closer to the same. be able to. Therefore, even if the device temperature control device 1 is tilted, the plurality of battery cells 3 can be cooled evenly.

Further, in the present embodiment, the entire bypass pipe 50 and the pump 60 are positioned below the liquid level FL of the working fluid when the equipment heat exchanger 11 is in a horizontal state. Therefore, the liquid-phase working fluid can be sent by the pump 60 even when the device temperature adjustment unit 10 is tilted. In order for the pump 60 to operate stably, it is desirable that the liquid-phase working fluid flows into the pump 60 . This is because if the gas-liquid two-phase or gas-phase working fluid flows into the pump 60, the operation of the pump 60 becomes unstable or stops working.

Further, in the present embodiment, the pump 60 is positioned closer to the second connection portion 502 than the first connection portion 501 in the bypass pipe 50 . The second connection portion 502 is located on the vehicle rear side of the first connection portion 501 . Therefore, when the vehicle is tilted such that the rear side of the vehicle is positioned lower than the front side of the vehicle in the direction of gravity, the pump 60 can be positioned in a portion where the liquid-phase working fluid exists. . Therefore, the pump 60 can deliver liquid-phase working fluid.

Here, the device temperature control device 1 of this embodiment and the device temperature control device J1 of Comparative Example 1 shown in FIG. 6 are compared. The device temperature control device J1 of Comparative Example 1 differs from the device temperature control device 1 of the present embodiment in that the pump 60 is provided in the liquid pipe 40 and the bypass pipe 50 is not provided. Other configurations of the device temperature control device J1 of Comparative Example 1 are the same as those of the device temperature control device 1 of the present embodiment.

In the device temperature control device J<b>1 of Comparative Example 1, when the pump 60 operates, the working fluid circulates between the device temperature control section 10 and the condenser 20 by the pump 60 . Therefore, the cooling performance of the equipment temperature control device J1 is affected by the condenser 20 . Specifically, it is conceivable that the temperature of the air is higher than the temperature of the working fluid inside the condenser 20 . A case where the temperature of the air becomes higher than the temperature of the working fluid is, for example, a case where the air is outside air under the scorching sun in summer. In this case, the working fluid is not condensed in the condenser 20 and the liquid-phase working fluid is not supplied to the device temperature adjustment section 10 . Therefore, the device temperature adjustment unit 10 cannot cool the plurality of battery cells 3 .

In contrast, in the device temperature control device 1 of the present embodiment, the pump 60 is provided in the bypass pipe 50 . Therefore, when the pump 60 operates, the liquid-phase working fluid flows from the rear portion of the device temperature control section 10 to the front portion of the device temperature control portion 10 bypassing the condenser 20 . Therefore, the influence of the condenser 20 on the cooling performance of the device temperature control device 1 can be reduced. Specifically, the pump 60 operates when the temperature of the air is higher than the temperature of the working fluid. Even in this case, as long as the liquid-phase working refrigerant exists in the device temperature adjustment unit 10, the liquid-phase working fluid flows from the rear portion of the device temperature adjustment unit 10 to the front portion of the device temperature adjustment unit 10. be able to. Therefore, compared to the case where the pump 60 is provided in the liquid pipe 40, the cooling time of the plurality of battery cells 3 can be extended.

(Second embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 7 , in this embodiment, the device temperature control device 1 includes a first condenser 20 and a second condenser 24 . The first condenser 20 is the same as the condenser 20 of the first embodiment. The first condenser 20 and the second condenser 24 are connected in parallel. The second condenser 24 forms part of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The second condenser 24 is connected to the low-pressure side portion of the refrigerant circuit that constitutes the refrigeration cycle. The second condenser 24 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle and the gas-phase working fluid.

Other configurations of the device temperature control device 1 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained in this embodiment as well. In addition, in this embodiment, the first condenser 20 and the second condenser 24 are connected in parallel. However, the first condenser 20 and the second condenser 24 may be connected in series.

(Third Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the battery 2 is composed of a plurality of battery modules, specifically two battery modules 4A and 4B. The device temperature adjustment unit 10 is configured by a plurality of device heat exchangers, specifically, two device heat exchangers 11A and 11B, a gas connection pipe 32, and a liquid connection pipe . The configuration of each of the two equipment heat exchangers 11A and 11B is the same as the configuration of the equipment heat exchanger 11 of the first embodiment.

One of the two device heat exchangers 11A and 11B, the device heat exchanger 11A, is configured to exchange heat with one of the two battery modules 4A and 4B, the battery module 4A. Of the two device heat exchangers 11A and 11B, the other device heat exchanger 11B is configured to exchange heat with the other battery module 4B of the two battery modules 4A and 4B.

The two equipment heat exchangers 11A and 11B are connected in parallel to the condenser 20 . The outflow ports 115 of the device heat exchangers 11A and 11B are connected to each other by a gas connecting pipe 32 . The gas connection pipe 32 constitutes a channel for flowing the gas phase working fluid. The inlets 116 of the equipment heat exchangers 11A and 11B are connected to each other via liquid connecting pipes 42 . The liquid connection pipe 42 constitutes a channel for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid.

In this embodiment, the two device heat exchangers 11A and 11B are mounted on the vehicle so that the two device heat exchangers 11A and 11B are aligned in the vehicle front-rear direction. When mounted on a vehicle, the direction in which the plurality of battery cells 3 of each battery module 4A, 4B are arranged is the left-right direction of the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the first connection portion 501 to which one end side of the bypass pipe 50 is connected is provided in the liquid pipe 40 closer to the device heat exchanger 11A on the front side of the vehicle than the condenser 20 . A second connection portion 502 to which the other end side of the bypass pipe 50 is connected is provided at an end portion of the lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11B on the vehicle rear side opposite to the inlet port 116 . The configuration of the device temperature control device 1 of the present embodiment other than the above is the same as that of the device temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the vehicle is horizontally arranged, the device temperature adjustment section 10 is in a horizontal state. The horizontal state of the device temperature adjustment unit 10 means that the device heat exchangers 11A and 11B are arranged horizontally. In other words, the horizontal state of the device temperature adjustment unit 10 means a state in which the liquid surface FL of the liquid-phase working fluid inside the device heat exchangers 11A and 11B is at the same position in the gravitational direction.

When the device temperature adjustment unit 10 is in a horizontal state, the liquid surface FL of the working fluid is positioned midway in the height direction between the two device heat exchangers 11A and 11B. All of the bypass pipe 50 including the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 and the pump 60 are positioned below the liquid level FL of the working fluid when the device temperature adjustment portion 10 is in a horizontal state. .

Next, operation of the device temperature control device 1 when the device temperature control device 1 cools the battery 2 will be described.
<Horizontal state>
When the device temperature adjustment section 10 is in the horizontal state, the tilt sensor 64 does not detect the tilt of the device temperature adjustment section 10 . When the inclination sensor 64 does not detect the inclination of the device temperature adjustment section 10, the control device 62 stops the pump 60. FIG. With the pump 60 stopped, the working fluid naturally circulates through the thermosiphon circuit. The flow of the working fluid of the device temperature control device 1 in this embodiment is basically the same as in the first embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the following points. The liquid-phase working fluid flowing out from the condenser 20 branches, and the branched liquid-phase working fluid flows into the two equipment heat exchangers 11A and 11B, respectively. The vapor-phase working fluids that flow out from the two equipment heat exchangers 11A and 11B are merged, and the merged vapor-phase working fluid flows into the condenser 20 .

<Tilted state>
Similar to the state of the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 4, when the vehicle is arranged tilted with respect to the horizontal plane, the rear side device heat exchanger 11B is replaced by the front side device heat exchanger 11A. located below in the direction of gravity. In this manner, the device temperature adjuster 10 is tilted such that the rear side of the device temperature adjuster 10 is positioned lower than the front side of the device temperature adjuster 10 in the direction of gravity.

In this state, when the pump 60 is stopped, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid existing inside the front side equipment heat exchanger 11A is present inside the rear side equipment heat exchanger 11B. less than the amount of working fluid in the liquid phase. In this manner, the liquid-phase working fluid is biased toward the vehicle rear side of the device temperature control section 10 . Therefore, the cooling performance differs between the front side equipment heat exchanger 11A and the rear side equipment heat exchanger 11B. Therefore, the two battery modules 4A and 4B cannot be cooled equally.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the controller 62 operates the pump 60 when the tilt sensor 64 detects the tilt of the device temperature adjustment section 10 . The liquid-phase working fluid flows through the bypass pipe 50 by operating the pump 60 . As a result, the liquid-phase working fluid that is concentrated in the equipment heat exchanger 11B on the rear side can be supplied to the equipment heat exchanger 11A on the front side. The amount of the liquid-phase working fluid present in each of the front-side equipment heat exchanger 11A and the rear-side equipment heat exchanger 11B can be made nearly the same. As a result, the respective cooling performances of the front side equipment heat exchanger 11A and the rear side equipment heat exchanger 11B can be brought close to each other. Therefore, the two battery modules 4A and 4B can be evenly cooled even when the device temperature control device 1 is tilted.

In the present embodiment, the lower header tanks 112 and the liquid connection pipes 42 of the device heat exchangers 11A and 11B correspond to portions of the device temperature control unit for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid. The lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11B on the rear side corresponds to a part of the equipment temperature control section for flowing liquid-phase working fluid. The lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11A on the front side corresponds to another part of the equipment temperature control section for flowing liquid-phase working fluid.

(Fourth embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 9, the device temperature control device 1 includes a temperature sensor 66 in this embodiment. A temperature sensor 66 is provided in the battery 2 . A temperature sensor 66 detects the temperature of the battery 2 . A temperature sensor 66 is connected to the input side of the controller 62 . Other configurations of the device temperature control device 1 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The controller 62 operates the pump 60 when the temperature of the battery 2 detected by the temperature sensor 66 is higher than a predetermined temperature. The liquid-phase working fluid flows through the bypass pipe 50 by operating the pump 60 . As a result, the supply speed of the liquid-phase working fluid to the entire area of the device temperature adjustment unit 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction is increased. Therefore, it is possible to increase the amount of refrigerant circulating between the device temperature adjustment section 10 and the condenser 20 . Therefore, the cooling capacity of the device temperature control device 1 can be increased.

When the temperature of the battery 2 becomes too high, it is desirable to increase the cooling capacity of the device temperature control device 1 . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the case where the temperature of the battery 2 detected by the temperature sensor 66 is higher than the predetermined temperature corresponds to the case where there is a request to increase the cooling capacity of the device temperature adjustment section 10 .

In this embodiment, the pump 60 is activated when the temperature of the battery 2 detected by the temperature sensor 66 is higher than the predetermined temperature. However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and the pump 60 may be operated when there is a request to increase the cooling capacity of the device temperature adjustment section 10 such as when charging the battery 2 .

During charging of the battery 2, especially during rapid charging, the temperature of the battery 2 rises. Furthermore, speeding up the charging time of rapid charging is being studied. Specifically, the maximum input power during the current rapid charging is about 50 kW. However, with the aim of shortening the charging time, a method of charging with an input power of 150 kW or more is being studied in the future. As the input power increases, the amount of heat generated by the battery 2 also increases, and there is a risk that the thermosiphon that uses only natural circulation will not be able to provide the cooling capacity. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to ensure the cooling capacity during rapid charging of the battery 2 .

Also in the third embodiment, the control device 62 may be configured to operate the pump 60 when there is a request to increase the cooling capacity of the device temperature adjustment section 10 .

(Fifth embodiment)
In this embodiment, the operation of the device temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment when the vehicle runs downhill will be described. As shown in FIG. 10 , in this embodiment, the device temperature control device 1 includes a temperature sensor 66 in addition to the tilt sensor 64 .

When the vehicle travels downhill, the amount of heat generated by the battery decreases. Therefore, when the tilt sensor 64 detects the tilt of the device temperature adjustment unit 10 in the state shown in FIG. 10 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 66 is lower than the predetermined temperature, the controller 62 to stop The state shown in FIG. 10 is a state in which the front side of the device temperature adjustment section 10 is positioned lower than the rear side of the device temperature adjustment section 10 in the direction of gravity. By stopping the pump 60, power consumption, that is, a decrease in battery capacity can be suppressed.

However, when the downhill is long or the slope of the downhill is steep, regenerative charging of the battery 2 is performed. When regenerative charging is performed, the amount of heat generated by the battery 2 increases. In this case, the device temperature adjuster 10 is tilted so that the front side of the device temperature adjuster 10 is positioned lower than the rear side of the device temperature adjuster 10 in the direction of gravity. In this state, inside the equipment heat exchanger 11, the liquid-phase working fluid is biased toward the front side of the vehicle. The liquid level H1 at the front side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 is higher than the liquid level height H2 at the rear side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . The amount of liquid-phase working fluid that exchanges heat with each of the plurality of battery cells 3 differs between the front portion and the rear portion of the device heat exchanger 11 . Therefore, the plurality of battery cells 3 cannot be evenly cooled.

Therefore, when the tilt sensor 64 detects the tilt of the device temperature adjustment section 10 in the state shown in FIG. 10 and when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 66 is higher than the predetermined temperature, the controller 62 As shown in FIG. 11, the pump 60 is activated. As a result, the liquid-phase working fluid concentrated in the front portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 is supplied to the rear portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . Therefore, the height H1 of the liquid level at the front side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 can be brought close to the height H2 of the liquid level at the rear side portion of the equipment heat exchanger 11 . As a result, the plurality of battery cells 3 can be evenly cooled.

(Other embodiments)
(1) In the first embodiment, as indicated by arrows in FIG. . However, the pump 60 may flow the liquid-phase working fluid from the first connecting portion 501 toward the second connecting portion 502 inside the bypass pipe 50 in the opposite direction of the arrow in FIG. In this case as well, the liquid-phase working fluid can flow between the bypass pipe 50 and the lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11 by bypassing the condenser 20 . Therefore, an effect similar to that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In this case, the liquid-phase working fluid flows through the bypass pipe 50 from the front portion of the lower header tank 112 to the rear portion of the lower header tank 112 , bypassing the condenser 20 . For this reason, the front side portion of the lower header tank 112 corresponds to part of the portion for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid in the device temperature control section. The rear side portion of the lower header tank 112 corresponds to another part of the portion for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid in the device temperature control portion.

(2) As in the first embodiment, when the device temperature adjustment unit 10 is configured by one device heat exchanger 11, the respective positions of the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 are , is not limited to the locations described in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12 , the first connecting portion 501 may be provided in a portion of the lower header tank 112 on the front side of the center in the front-rear direction. Further, the second connection portion 502 may be provided at a portion of the lower header tank 112 , excluding the rear end portion of the lower header tank 112 , on the rear side of the center in the front-rear direction. This also provides the same effects as in the first embodiment.

Further, the respective positions of the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 are not limited to the above positions. The first connecting portion 501 may be provided at either the liquid pipe 40 or the lower header tank 112 . The second connecting portion 502 may be provided at a portion of the lower header tank 112 that is horizontally separated from the first connecting portion 501 . For example, both the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 may be provided at the front side portion of the lower header tank 112 . Also, both the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 may be provided at a portion on the rear side of the lower header tank 112 .

With this, when the device temperature control device 1 is tilted, the side of the device heat exchanger 11 closer to the first connecting portion 501 and the side of the device heat exchanger 11 closer to the second connecting portion 502 , the amount of working refrigerant present in the liquid phase can be brought close to the same.

(3) In the third embodiment, the number of device heat exchangers constituting the device temperature control section 10 was two. However, as shown in FIG. 13, the number of device heat exchangers constituting the device temperature adjustment unit 10 may be three or more.

In the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 13, the device temperature adjustment unit 10 is configured by three device heat exchangers 11A, 11B, 11C, gas connection pipes 32A, 32B, and liquid connection pipes 42A, 42B. ing. Each of the three equipment heat exchangers 11A, 11B, and 11C is configured to be capable of exchanging heat with each of the three battery modules 4A, 4B, and 4C.

The three equipment heat exchangers 11A, 11B, and 11C are connected in parallel to the condenser 20 . The outflow ports 115 of the respective equipment heat exchangers 11A, 11B, 11C are connected to each other by gas connecting pipes 32A, 32B. The gas connection pipes 32A and 32B constitute flow paths for flowing gas-phase working fluid. The inlets 116 of the equipment heat exchangers 11A, 11B, 11C are connected to each other via liquid connection pipes 42A, 42B. The liquid connection pipes 42A and 42B constitute flow paths for flowing liquid-phase working fluid.

A first connecting portion 501 of the bypass pipe 50 is provided in the liquid pipe 40 as in the third embodiment. The second connection portion 502 of the bypass pipe 50 is provided in the lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11B located on the rearmost side among the three equipment heat exchangers 11A, 11B, and 11C. In the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 13, the lower header tanks 112 and the liquid connection pipes 42A and 42B of the device heat exchangers 11A, 11B, and 11C flow the liquid-phase working fluid in the device temperature control section. corresponds to the part for The lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11B on the rear side corresponds to a part of the equipment temperature control section for flowing liquid-phase working fluid. The lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11A on the front side corresponds to another part of the equipment temperature control section for flowing liquid-phase working fluid.

Further, the locations where the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 are provided are not limited to the locations shown in FIG. 13 . As shown in FIGS. 14, 15, and 16, a first connecting portion 501 and a second connecting portion 502 may be provided.

In the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 14 , the first connecting portion 501 is provided in the device heat exchanger 11A located on the frontmost side among the three device heat exchangers 11A, 11B, and 11C. The second connection portion 502 is provided in the device heat exchanger 11B, as in the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. In the device temperature control device shown in FIG. 14 as well, the second connection portion 502 is separated from the first connection portion 501 in the horizontal direction.

In the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 15 , the first connecting portion 501 is a liquid connection pipe located at a portion forward of the center in the front-rear direction in the range where the plurality of device heat exchangers 11A, 11B, and 11C are arranged. 42A. The second connection portion 502 is provided in the device heat exchanger 11B, as in the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. In the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 15, the lower header tank 112 of the device heat exchanger 11B on the rear side corresponds to a part of the device temperature control section for flowing liquid-phase working fluid. The liquid connection pipe 42A corresponds to another part of the part for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid in the device temperature control part.

In the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 16, the first connection portion 501 is provided in the liquid pipe 40, as in the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. The second connection portion 502 is provided in the liquid connection pipe 42B positioned on the rear side of the center in the front-rear direction in the range where the plurality of equipment heat exchangers 11A, 11B, and 11C are arranged. In the device temperature control device 1 shown in FIG. 16, the liquid connection pipe 42B corresponds to a part of the device temperature control section for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid. The lower header tank 112 of the equipment heat exchanger 11A on the front side corresponds to another part of the equipment temperature control section for flowing liquid-phase working fluid.

As described above, the first connection portion 501 may be provided in a portion of the device temperature adjustment portion 10 on the front side of the center in the front-rear direction. The second connection portion 502 may be provided in a portion of the device temperature adjustment portion 10 on the rear side of the center in the front-rear direction. According to this, an effect similar to that of the third embodiment can be obtained.

Also, the first connection portion 501 may be provided on either the liquid pipe 40 or the device temperature adjustment portion 10 . The second connection portion 502 may be provided at a portion of the device temperature adjustment portion 10 that is horizontally separated from the first connection portion 501 . According to this, when the device temperature control device 1 is tilted, the side of the device temperature adjustment section 10 closer to the first connection portion 501 and the side of the device temperature adjustment portion 10 closer to the second connection portion 502 , the amount of working refrigerant present in the liquid phase can approach the same.

(4) In the third embodiment and the like, a plurality of equipment heat exchangers are connected in parallel. However, multiple equipment heat exchangers may be connected in series. Moreover, a plurality of equipment heat exchangers may be connected in a combination of parallel and series.

(5) In the first embodiment and the third embodiment, when the device temperature adjustment section 10 is in the horizontal state, the entire bypass pipe 50 including the first connection section 501 and the second connection section 502 is filled with the working fluid. It was positioned below the liquid surface FL. However, at least one of the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502, not the entire bypass pipe 50, may be positioned below the liquid surface FL of the working fluid. According to this, when the device temperature adjustment unit 10 is tilted such that one of the first connection portion 501 and the second connection portion 502 is positioned lower than the other, the liquid-phase working fluid is supplied to the bypass pipe 50. can flow. In addition, the condenser 20 is bypassed from a portion of the device temperature adjustment unit 10 for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid, and the liquid-phase is transferred to another portion of the portion for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid. The position of the connecting portion of the bypass pipe 50 does not matter as long as the working fluid can flow.

(6) In each of the embodiments described above, the equipment heat exchanger 11 is arranged in a direction parallel to the direction of gravity. However, the equipment heat exchanger 11 may be arranged in a direction parallel to the horizontal direction. In this case, the heat exchange core portion 113 is positioned below the battery 2 .

(7) In each of the above-described embodiments, the target device whose temperature is adjusted by the device temperature control device 1 is the battery 2 . However, the target equipment may also be other equipment that needs to be cooled or warmed up, such as a motor, inverter or charger. Also, the target device may be one that is not mounted on a vehicle.

(8) In each of the above embodiments, the device temperature control device 1 has a function of cooling the target device. On the other hand, in other embodiments, the device temperature control device 1 may have a function of warming up the target device.

(9) In each of the above-described embodiments, a Freon-based refrigerant is used as the working fluid. However, other fluids such as propane, carbon dioxide, etc. may be employed as the working fluid.

(10) In each of the above-described embodiments, the condenser 20 is arranged above the device temperature control unit 10 in the gravitational direction. However, if circulation of the working fluid is possible, the condenser 20 may be arranged at the same position as the device temperature adjustment section 10 in the direction of gravity. Further, the predetermined heat-receiving medium that exchanges heat with the working fluid flowing through the condenser 20 is not limited to air. The predetermined heat-receiving medium may be a refrigerant circulating in a refrigerating cycle, cooling water circulating in a cooling water circuit, or the like.

(11) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims, including various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. Moreover, the above-described embodiments are not unrelated to each other, and can be appropriately combined unless the combination is clearly impossible. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, it goes without saying that the elements constituting the embodiment are not necessarily essential, unless it is explicitly stated that they are essential, or they are clearly considered essential in principle. stomach. In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, when numerical values such as the number, numerical value, amount, range, etc. of the constituent elements of the embodiment are mentioned, when it is explicitly stated that they are particularly essential, and when they are clearly limited to a specific number in principle It is not limited to that specific number, except when In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, when referring to the material, shape, positional relationship, etc. of the constituent elements, unless otherwise specified or in principle limited to a specific material, shape, positional relationship, etc. , its material, shape, positional relationship, and the like.

(summary)
According to the first aspect shown in part or all of the above embodiments, the device temperature control device includes a device temperature control unit, a condenser, a gas phase flow channel, a liquid phase flow channel, a bypass A channel and a pump are provided.

Moreover, according to the second aspect, the first connecting portion to which the one end side of the bypass channel is connected is provided in either the liquid phase channel or the device temperature adjusting portion. The second connecting portion, to which the other end of the bypass channel is connected, is provided at a portion of the device temperature adjusting portion that is horizontally separated from the first connecting portion. In the first aspect, the bypass flow path can be connected in this manner.

Moreover, according to the third aspect, the one or more equipment heat exchangers is one equipment heat exchanger. The first connecting portion is provided in either the liquid phase flow path or the single equipment heat exchanger. The second connection portion is provided at a portion of the single equipment heat exchanger that is horizontally separated from the first connection portion. In a second aspect, the bypass flow path can be connected in this way.

Moreover, according to the fourth aspect, the one or more equipment heat exchangers are a plurality of equipment heat exchangers. Each of the plurality of equipment heat exchangers is arranged horizontally and connected to each other. The first connecting portion connects the liquid-phase flow path, a part of the plurality of device heat exchangers, and an adjacent device heat exchanger among the plurality of device heat exchangers. It is provided either with the connecting channel. The second connection part is one of a part of the plurality of equipment heat exchangers and a connection flow path connecting adjacent equipment heat exchangers of the plurality of equipment heat exchangers. Among them, it is provided at a portion away from the first connecting portion. In a second aspect, the bypass flow path can be connected in this way.

Further, according to the fifth aspect, when the device temperature adjustment unit is in the horizontal state, the liquid surface of the working fluid is positioned midway in the height direction of the one or more device heat exchangers, and the first At least one of the connecting portion and the second connecting portion is positioned below the liquid surface of the working fluid. According to this, when the device temperature adjustment section is tilted such that one of the first connection section and the second connection section is positioned lower than the other, the liquid-phase working fluid can flow through the bypass flow path. can.

Further, according to the sixth aspect, when the device temperature adjustment unit is in the horizontal state, the liquid surface of the working fluid is positioned midway in the height direction of the one or more device heat exchangers, and the first All of the bypass flow path including the connecting portion and the second connecting portion are located below the liquid surface of the working fluid. According to this, since the bypass channel and the pump are positioned below the liquid surface, the liquid-phase working fluid can be reliably pumped.

Further, according to the seventh aspect, the pump is located closer to the second connecting portion than the first connecting portion in the bypass flow path. When the device temperature control unit is tilted and the second connection portion side of the device temperature control portion is often lower than the first connection portion side of the device temperature control portion, it is preferable to arrange the pump in this way. . Accordingly, when the device temperature adjustment unit is tilted such that the second connection portion side of the device temperature adjustment portion is lower than the first connection portion side of the device temperature adjustment portion, liquid-phase working fluid is present. A pump can be positioned where the Therefore, the liquid-phase working fluid can be delivered by the pump.

Further, according to the eighth aspect, the target device and the device temperature control device are mounted on the vehicle. The second connection portion is located on the vehicle rear side of the first connection portion. Specifically, in the second to seventh aspects, such a configuration can be adopted.

Moreover, according to the ninth aspect, the condenser heat-exchanges the working fluid and the air, thereby dissipating heat from the working fluid.

Moreover, according to the tenth aspect, the device temperature control device further includes a tilt sensor that detects a tilt of the device temperature control unit. The pump operates when the tilt sensor detects the tilt of the device temperature control unit. Specifically, in the first to ninth aspects, such a configuration can be adopted.

Further, according to the eleventh aspect, the pump operates when there is a request to increase the cooling capacity of the equipment temperature adjustment section. Specifically, in the first to tenth aspects, such a configuration can be adopted.

Further, according to the twelfth aspect, when there is a request to increase the cooling capacity of the device temperature adjustment unit, the temperature of the target device is higher than the predetermined temperature. Specifically, such a configuration can be employed in the eleventh aspect.

2 battery 10 device temperature control section 11 device heat exchanger 20 condenser 30 gas pipe 40 liquid pipe 50 bypass pipe 501 first connection portion 502 second connection portion 60 pump

Claims (12)

A device temperature control device that adjusts the temperature of a target device (2) by a phase change between a liquid phase and a gas phase of a working fluid,
Equipment temperature having one or more equipment heat exchangers (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) configured to allow heat exchange between the target equipment and the working fluid so that the working fluid evaporates when the target equipment is cooled an adjustment unit (10);
a condenser (20) for condensing the gas phase working fluid;
a vapor-phase flow path (30) connected to the device temperature control unit and the condenser for flowing a vapor phase working fluid from the device temperature control unit to the condenser;
a liquid-phase flow path (40) connected to the device temperature control section and the condenser for flowing liquid-phase working fluid from the condenser to the device temperature control section;
A liquid-phase working fluid is transferred from a part of the device temperature adjustment part for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid to another part of the part for flowing the liquid-phase working fluid by bypassing the condenser. A bypass channel (50) for flowing
and a pump (60) provided in the bypass flow path for sending a liquid-phase working fluid. A first connection part (501) to which one end side of the bypass channel is connected is provided in either the liquid phase channel or the device temperature adjustment part,
2. The device temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein a second connection portion (502) to which the other end of the bypass flow path is connected is provided at a portion of the device temperature adjustment portion that is horizontally separated from the first connection portion. tuning device. the one or more appliance heat exchangers is one appliance heat exchanger (11);
The first connection part is provided in either the liquid phase flow path or the one equipment heat exchanger,
3. The equipment temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein said second connection portion is provided in a portion of said one equipment heat exchanger horizontally separated from said first connection portion. the one or more equipment heat exchangers are a plurality of equipment heat exchangers (11A, 11B, 11C);
Each of the plurality of equipment heat exchangers is arranged in the horizontal direction and connected to each other,
The first connection part includes the liquid-phase flow path, a part of the plurality of device heat exchangers (11A), and an adjacent device among the plurality of device heat exchangers. provided in either the connection flow path (42A) that connects the heat exchanger for
The second connection part is a connection flow that connects a part of the plurality of equipment heat exchangers (11B) and an adjacent equipment heat exchanger of the plurality of equipment heat exchangers. 3. The apparatus temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein the temperature control device is provided at a portion of either the path (42B) or the path (42B) away from the first connection portion. When the device temperature adjustment unit is in a horizontal state, the liquid surface of the working fluid is located midway in the height direction of the one or more device heat exchangers, and the first connection portion and the second connection 5. The device temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the portion and the portion is located below the liquid surface of the working fluid. When the device temperature adjustment unit is in a horizontal state, the liquid surface of the working fluid is positioned midway in the height direction of the one or more device heat exchangers, and the first connection portion and the second connection 5. The device temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein all of the bypass passage including the portion is positioned below the liquid surface of the working fluid. 7. The device temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein said pump is located closer to said second connection portion than said first connection portion in said bypass channel. The target device and the device temperature control device are mounted on a vehicle,
8. The device temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein the second connection portion is located on the vehicle rear side relative to the first connection portion. 9. The apparatus temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the condenser heats the working fluid by exchanging heat between the working fluid and air. further comprising a tilt sensor (64) that detects the tilt of the device temperature adjustment unit,
10. The device temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the pump operates when the tilt sensor detects the tilt of the device temperature control unit. 11. The device temperature control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the pump operates when there is a request to increase the cooling capacity of the device temperature control unit. 12. The device temperature control device according to claim 11, wherein when there is a request to increase the cooling capacity of the device temperature control unit, the temperature of the target device is higher than a predetermined temperature.

Images