JPH07259668A - Fuel cooling device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To lower the temperature of fuel without the strain by effectively utilizing a motor-driven fan. CONSTITUTION:A fuel system piping 3 is connected to a fuel tank 4 in the rear of an engine 2 of the front of a car body. A motor-driven fan 7 is disposed in the front of the engine 2, and a radiator 6a and an air conditioner condenser 5 are disposed in front of the fan. When a head light switch 14, a rear defogger switch 15 and a wiper switch 16 are OFF, and an air conditioner switch 13 is ON, for example, it is estimated that the temperature of fuel is high, and the motor-driven fan 7 is operated in Hi-mode through a controller 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle fuel cooling device, and more particularly to a device for cooling a fuel pipe and a fuel tank arranged rearward by an electric fan.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle such as an automobile, an electric fan is provided especially in a vehicle equipped with a horizontal engine. This electric fan is usually arranged behind a condenser of a radiator or an air conditioner, and is used for taking in outside air for heat exchange of cooling water and refrigerant. This type of electric fan is generally switched between OFF (stop), LOW (low speed) and Hi (high speed) according to the vehicle speed, ON / OFF of the air conditioner, or cooling water temperature. When is low, it is in the LOW mode (see Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., October 1989 New model manual, NISSAN Bluebird, page B-95).

[0003]

By the way, in an automobile, when the fuel in the fuel tank is supplied to the engine, the fuel that has not been completely burned in the engine is returned to the fuel tank by the return pipe. ing. Therefore, the main cause of this is that the fuel temperature in the fuel tank becomes high and a large amount of vapor is generated. Therefore, the capacity of the canister that adsorbs this vapor must be increased, and there is a large restriction on the layout space. This is a cause of reducing the degree of freedom in arranging various functional parts in the room.

Therefore, it is conceivable to effectively use the above-mentioned electric fan to constantly operate the electric fan in the Hi mode and cool the engine, the fuel system pipe, etc. to lower the fuel temperature. Power consumption increases,
The capacity of the battery and alternator becomes large.

Therefore, the present invention provides a fuel cooling device for a vehicle, which can effectively reduce the fuel temperature while effectively utilizing the electric fan.

[0006]

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle fuel cooling apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a fuel tank at a rear portion of a vehicle body and a heat exchanger at a front portion of the vehicle body. In a vehicle having an electric fan B for cooling the exchanger, a fuel temperature estimating means A is provided, and when it is determined that the fuel temperature is high based on the output signal of the fuel temperature estimating means A, the air conditioner switch G is turned on. A control device C for increasing the drive amount of the electric fan B is provided on the condition that

The fuel temperature estimating means A comprises a headlight switch D, a rear defogger switch E and a wiper switch F, and the headlight switch D is turned off.
When the rear defogger switch E is OFF, the wiper switch F is OFF, and the air conditioner switch is ON, the drive amount of the electric fan B may be increased via the control device C. The condition that the seat heater switch H is OFF may be added to the condition for increasing the drive amount of B.

A solar radiation sensor may be used instead of the headlight switch D, and the headlight switch OFF may be replaced with the solar radiation sensor ON.

Instead of the wiper switch F, a raindrop detection sensor may be used.

The fuel temperature estimating means A in claim 1 may be an outside air temperature sensor, an intake air temperature sensor, or a fuel temperature sensor.

[0011]

When the fuel temperature is high, the electric fan B (the air conditioner switch is turned on is driven by the control device C that receives the output signal of the fuel temperature estimating means A (or the outside air temperature sensor, the intake air temperature sensor, or the fuel temperature sensor). ing)
Is driven at a high rotational speed to cool the engine, the fuel system piping, the fuel tank, etc. behind the electric fan B to lower the fuel temperature.

The fuel temperature estimating means A has a headlight switch D (a seat heater switch H may be added).
, Rear defogger switch E and wiper switch F
, The headlight switch D (solar radiation sensor), the rear defogger switch E, the wiper switch F
If the (raindrop sensor) is off and the air conditioner switch G is on, it is estimated that the fuel temperature is high, and the electric fan B is driven at a high rotational speed, for example, to operate the engine,
Cool the fuel system piping, fuel tank, etc.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 4, a fuel pipe 3 is connected to the engine 2 of the automobile 1, and the fuel pipe 3 extends rearward and is connected to a fuel tank 4. In front of the engine 2, the air conditioner condenser 5 as a heat exchanger and the radiator 6 are arranged from the front side.
Are provided, and an electric fan 7 is provided between the radiator 6 and the engine 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the electric fan 7 has a motor 10 connected to a fan control controller 8 as a control device through a circuit 9, and the circuit 9 is turned off by a LOW signal from the controller 8. Motor 1 at speed
0 is rotated and the motor 10 is rotated at a high rotation speed by the Hi signal from the controller 8.

A vehicle speed sensor 11, a water temperature sensor 12, an air conditioner switch 13, a headlight switch 14, a rear defogger switch 15 and a wiper switch 16 are connected to the controller 8.

When the headlight switch 14 is off, the rear defogger switch 15 is off, the wiper switch 16 is off and the air conditioner switch 13 is on, the controller 8 controls the water temperature sensor 1
Even if the water temperature detected by 2 is low, the electric fan 7
Is driven in the Hi mode.

The operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the headlight switch 14 is turned off.
(Step 1), rear defogger switch 15
Is OFF (step 2) and the wiper switch 16 is OFF (step 3), the electric fan 7 is operated in the Hi mode on condition that the air conditioner switch 13 is ON (step 5). (Step 6). That is, since the road surface temperature and the outside air temperature tend to increase during the daytime when the humidity is low and not the rainy weather, the fuel temperature tends to increase even if the cooling water temperature is not high. Therefore, the electric fan 7 is operated in the Hi mode to cool the fuel system piping 3 and the fuel tank 4, thereby lowering the fuel temperature.

When any of the headlight switch 14, the rear defogger switch 15 and the wiper switch 16 is ON, the air conditioner switch 13 is turned on.
After turning off N, the water temperature sensor 12 and the vehicle speed sensor 11 control the electric fan 7 in the same manner as the conventional one (step 4).

When the air conditioner switch 13 is off in step 5, the water temperature sensor 12 and the vehicle speed sensor 11 control the electric fan 7 as in the conventional case (step 7).

In the above embodiment, the ON / OFF judgment of the seat heater switch 17 (shown by a chain line in FIG. 3) is added before the ON / OFF judgment of the headlight switch 14 as shown in FIG. It may be a flowchart. This is based on the fact that the seat heater is rarely used when the outside air temperature is high. In this case, when the seat heater switch 17 is OFF, as shown in FIG.
ON, OF of the headlight switch 14 in step 1 of
When F is determined and the seat heater switch 17 is ON, the air conditioner switch 13 is turned on as in the conventional case as in FIG.
After turning off N, the water temperature sensor 12 and the vehicle speed sensor 11 control the electric fan 7 (step 4).

Further, in the above embodiment, a solar radiation sensor is used instead of the headlight switch 14, and the headlight switch 14 is turned on and off by the solar radiation sensor OF.
It may be replaced with F or ON, or a raindrop detection sensor may be used instead of the wiper switch 16.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a water temperature sensor 12, a vehicle speed sensor 11, an air conditioner switch 13, and an outside air temperature sensor 18 are connected to a controller 8 as shown in FIG. When the outside air temperature sensor 18 determines that the outside air temperature is, for example, 30 ° C. or higher, the air conditioner switch 13 is turned on regardless of the input signals from the water temperature sensor 12 and the vehicle speed sensor 11. The motor 10 of the electric fan 7 is driven in the Hi mode on the condition that it is present.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the outside air temperature sensor 18 determines whether the outside air temperature is 30 ° C. or more or less than 30 ° C. (step 1). When the outside air temperature is less than 30 ° C., the air conditioner switch 13 is turned on and off, and the water temperature sensor 12 and the vehicle speed sensor 11 control the electric fan 7 as in the conventional case (step 2).

On the other hand, when the outside air temperature is 30 ° C. or higher, if the air conditioner switch 13 is ON (step 2), the electric fan 7 is operated in the Hi mode (step 4). That is, even if the cooling water temperature is not high, the fuel temperature may be high due to the high outside air temperature. Therefore, by operating the electric fan 7 in the Hi mode, the fuel system pipe 3 and the fuel tank 4 can be operated. Is cooled, which lowers the fuel temperature.

When the air conditioner switch 13 is off (step 3), the water temperature sensor 12 and the vehicle speed sensor 11 control the electric fan 7 as in the conventional case (step 5).

In the above embodiment, the outside air temperature sensor 1
Instead of 8, the intake air temperature sensor may be used to estimate the fuel temperature, and instead of the outside air temperature sensor 18, the fuel temperature sensor may be used to directly determine the fuel temperature.

In this way, according to each embodiment, the electric fan is operated in the Hi mode only under the condition that the fuel temperature becomes high (or when the fuel temperature is actually high), so that the capacity of the battery and the alternator is reduced. The fuel temperature can be lowered without increasing the temperature.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, when the electric fan does not have the Hi and LOW modes, the number and time of the electric fan ON state are increased by ON / OFF control to increase the electric fan. The driving amount of the fan may be increased.

[0031]

According to the invention described in claim 1, when the fuel temperature is likely to be high, by increasing the driving amount of the electric fan, the cooling air is supplied to the rear fuel system piping and the fuel tank. Can be sent, which can reduce the fuel temperature.

Therefore, the occupying space of the canister becomes smaller as compared with the conventional case in which the canister is made large in size to adsorb a large amount of vapor generated due to the rise in the fuel temperature, and other functional parts in the engine room are The degree of freedom of arrangement can be increased.

Further, the electric fan increases the drive amount only when it is estimated that the fuel temperature is high, which is advantageous in that it is not necessary to increase the capacity of the battery or the alternator.

According to the invention described in claims 2, 4 and 5, in addition to the effect according to claim 1, existing switches such as a headlight switch (solar radiation sensor), a rear defogger switch and a wiper switch (raindrop detection sensor). ON, O
Since it can be estimated that the fuel temperature is high depending on the FF state, the electric fan can be controlled without newly providing a sensor.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects, the O of the seat heater switch is increased.
Since the accuracy of the determination can be increased by adding the determination of N or OFF, the electric fan is less wastefully driven and the load on the battery can be reduced.

According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effect according to claim 1, there is an effect that higher discrimination accuracy can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a complaint correspondence diagram.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram centering on the controller.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an automobile.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing another discrimination step in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram centering on the controller.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 ... Fuel tank 5 ... Air conditioner condenser (heat exchanger) 6 ... Radiator (heat exchanger) A ... Fuel temperature estimation means B ... Electric fan C ... Control device D ... Headlight switch E ... Rear defogger switch F ... Wiper switch G ... Air conditioner switch H ... Seat heater switch

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle having a fuel tank at a rear portion of a vehicle body, a heat exchanger at a front portion of the vehicle body, and an electric fan for cooling the heat exchanger, provided with a fuel temperature estimating means, and an output of the fuel temperature estimating means. A fuel cooling device for a vehicle, which is provided with a control device for increasing the drive amount of the electric fan on condition that the air conditioner switch is ON when it is determined that the fuel temperature is high based on the signal. . 2. The fuel temperature estimating means comprises a headlight switch, a rear defogger switch, and a wiper switch. The headlight switch is OFF, the rear defogger switch is OFF, and the wiper switch is O.
The fuel cooling device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the drive amount of the electric fan is increased via the control device when the air conditioner switch is ON in the FF. 3. The fuel cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the condition that the seat heater switch is OFF is added as a precondition. 4. The fuel cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a solar radiation sensor is used instead of the headlight switch, and the headlight switch OFF is replaced with the solar radiation sensor ON. 5. The raindrop detection sensor is used in place of the wiper switch, and the raindrop detection sensor is used.
The vehicle fuel cooling device described. 6. The fuel cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fuel temperature estimating means is an outside air temperature sensor, an intake air temperature sensor, or a fuel temperature sensor.