JPH10157442A - Viscous heater installing method and viscous heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a viscous heater installing method whereby a quantity of heat matching the filled rate of a viscous fluid can be secured even if the filled rate is small, in the viscous heater generating heat mainly from the shear of the viscous heater existing between the peripheral surface of a rotor and a wall surface opposite thereto. SOLUTION: An upper housing 3 and a lower housing 4 are arranged with an intermediate housing 1 and a cylinder block 2 between them, and a spiral water jacket 8 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block 2 and the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate housing 1. A rotor 11 is rotatably enclosed in the cylinder block 2 constituting a heating chamber 10 and is rotatably supported against the upper housing 3 and the lower housing 4 via a drive shaft 16 and a driven shaft 17. A bevel gear 20 is integrally rotatably secured to the drive shaft 16. A viscous heater is installed in an engine room, with the bevel gear 20 meshing with a bevel gear 23 secured to an external drive shaft 22, and with the rotor 11 extending in the vertical direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for installing a viscous heater and a viscous heater, and more particularly, to a heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber which are partitioned in a housing, and a viscous fluid stored in the heat generating chamber is also supplied to the heat generating chamber. Among the viscous heaters that generate heat by shearing with the stored rotor and exchange this heat with the circulating fluid flowing through the radiating chamber, the viscous fluid whose main heat is present between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the opposed wall surface The present invention relates to a viscous heater installation method and a viscous heater which are generated by shearing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Viscous heaters that utilize the driving force of a vehicle engine have attracted attention as auxiliary heat sources for vehicles. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-246823 discloses a viscous heater incorporated in a vehicle heating device.

In this viscous heater, a front housing and a rear housing are connected to each other in a state of being opposed to each other, and a heat generating chamber is formed inside the heater and a water jacket (heat radiating chamber) is formed outside the heat generating chamber. I have. A drive shaft is rotatably supported on the front housing via a bearing device, and a rotor is fixed to one end of the drive shaft so as to be integrally rotatable in a heating chamber. The front and rear outer wall portions of the rotor and the inner wall portion of the heat generating chamber opposed thereto constitute labyrinth grooves which are close to each other, and a viscous fluid (for example, silicone oil) is interposed in a gap between the wall surface of the heat generating chamber and the wall surface of the rotor. I have.

When the driving force of the engine is transmitted to the drive shaft, the rotor rotates together with the drive shaft in the heating chamber, and viscous fluid interposed between the wall of the heating chamber and the outer wall of the rotor is rotated by the rotor. Shears to generate heat based on fluid friction. The heat generated in the heat generating chamber is exchanged with circulating water flowing in the water jacket, and the heated circulating water is supplied to an external heating circuit to be used for heating the vehicle.

In the above-mentioned conventional viscous heater, since it is necessary to form irregularities for forming labyrinth grooves on the front and rear outer wall portions of the rotor, the rotor main body is similar to a disk whose axial length is shorter than the radius from its axis. It becomes the shape of. In such a rotor, the main shearing action surface is the surface of the uneven ridges on the front and rear outer wall portions of the rotor, and the circling speed (that is, the shearing speed) increases as the uneven ridges are located farther from the axis of the rotor body. Therefore, in order to increase the calorific value of the heater, it is necessary to increase the rotor diameter, that is, to increase the outer diameter of the heater body. However, with such a viscous heater having a large dimension in the radial direction, it is generally difficult to secure a mounting space in a vehicle, particularly in an engine room, and there is a problem in layout design in relation to other vehicle accessories. May be.

The inventor of the present invention has invented a viscous heater (cylindrical viscous heater) in which a rotor is formed in a cylindrical shape and a main shearing action surface for viscous fluid is a peripheral surface of the rotor as a viscous heater for solving this problem. In this viscous heater, even if the diameter of the rotor is small, it is possible to increase the effective shearing surface for heat generation by increasing the length of the rotor, and as compared with the conventional viscous heater, the mounting space in the engine room is reduced. It becomes easy to secure.

[0007]

However, the relationship between the filling rate of the viscous fluid in the heating chamber and the calorific value of the disk-type and cylindrical-type viscous heaters was experimentally investigated. Has been found to be greatly affected. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, in the disk type viscous heater, the heating value is approximately 90% of the theoretical value at a filling rate of 60%.
%, While the cylindrical viscous heater hardly generates heat at a filling rate of 60%, the calorific value becomes almost 50% of the theoretical value at a filling rate of 90%, and a disc type at a filling rate of about 100%. It is equivalent to a viscous heater.

In order for the viscous fluid to receive a shearing force due to the rotation of the rotor, it is necessary that the viscous fluid existing in the gap between the wall surface of the rotor and the wall surface of the heat generating chamber is continuous, that is, there is no oil film breakage. . If the filling rate is 100%, the oil film does not break, but if the filling rate is not 100%, the oil film partially breaks. The engine of the vehicle is used as the drive source of the viscous heater, and the rotation of the crankshaft is transmitted to the drive shaft on which the rotor is supported via a pulley and a belt. Installed in the engine room. Therefore, in the cylindrical viscous heater, since the viscous fluid exists in the maximum diameter portion of the rotor, when the filling rate is low, a large centrifugal force is applied during rotation of the rotor and the viscous fluid scatters from the peripheral surface of the rotor to the wall surface side of the heat generating chamber and the oil film is broken. Is likely to occur, and the amount of heat generated is reduced without corresponding to the filling amount. In the case of a disc type, the viscous fluid moves to the side of the heat generating chamber away from the center of the rotor due to the action of centrifugal force. Since a space is created near the center of the bad rotor, there is no problem even if the filling rate is low.

When the viscous heater is not operated and the viscous fluid is filled into the heat generating chamber at a filling rate of 100%, the viscous fluid expands due to the heat generated by the rotation of the rotor by the operation of the viscous heater. I do. As a result, the viscous fluid may leak from the shaft sealing device that prevents the leakage of the viscous fluid from the gap between the drive shaft and the heat generating chamber.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a viscous heater in which main heat is generated by shearing of a viscous fluid existing between a peripheral surface of a rotor and an opposing wall surface. The object of the present invention is to provide a method of installing a viscous heater capable of securing a heat generation amount according to a filling rate of a viscous fluid even if the filling rate of the viscous fluid is small. A second object is to provide a method of installing a viscous heater which can prevent the viscous fluid in the heating chamber from leaking from the drive shaft portion of the rotor even if the shaft sealing device is omitted, in addition to the above effects. A third object is to provide a viscous heater suitable for the two installation methods.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber are defined in a housing, and a viscous fluid housed in the heat generating chamber is provided. Similarly, among the viscous heaters that generate heat by shearing with the rotor housed in the heat generating chamber and exchange this heat with the circulating fluid flowing through the heat radiating chamber, the main heat is generated between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the opposing wall surface. A method of installing a viscous heater generated by shearing an existing viscous fluid, wherein the viscous heater is installed at a predetermined position of a vehicle such that an axis of the rotor extends within a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical direction.

The "range within a predetermined angle" is defined as being perpendicular to the horizontal plane including the axis of the rotor when installed between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the wall surface of the heat generating chamber with the viscous fluid filled therein. The lowest point where the plane intersects the upper surface of the viscous fluid immersed in the peripheral surface of the rotor, the difference in the distance from each point of the highest point to the lower end surface of the rotor is an angle range in which the shorter distance is smaller than the shorter distance, It depends on the outer diameter of the rotor and the axial length.

According to the present invention, when the filling rate of the viscous fluid filled in the heating chamber is less than 100%, the viscous fluid is in a state in which there is a gap without the viscous fluid above the rotor when the rotor is stopped. . When the rotation axis of the rotor is arranged vertically, the position (height) of the upper end of the viscous fluid is equal at any position in the circumferential direction of the rotor. When the rotor rotates, even if a centrifugal force acts on the viscous fluid in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotor, that is, in a horizontal direction, the movement of the viscous fluid is regulated, and the viscous fluid is moved between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the wall of the heat generating chamber facing the rotor. Oil film breakage does not occur in the viscous fluid present between them. Therefore, as the rotor rotates, the viscous heater generates a heat value corresponding to the filling rate of the viscous fluid.

When the rotation axis of the rotor is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the distance between the upper surface of the viscous fluid in a state where the peripheral surface of the rotor is immersed and the lower end surface of the rotor differs depending on the position of the peripheral surface. . The viscous fluid existing on the upper end side of the rotor from the plane passing through the point whose distance from the lower end face of the rotor is the minimum and orthogonal to the rotor axis along the wall of the heat generating chamber facing the rotor by the action of centrifugal force during rotation of the rotor. Because of the spread, the oil film breaks. However, even if a viscous fluid existing on the opposite side, that is, a viscous fluid existing on the lower end side of the rotor is subjected to centrifugal force during rotation of the rotor, an oil film breaks between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the wall surface of the heat generating chamber facing the rotor. Is generated, and a heat amount corresponding to the filling rate is generated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the second object,
In the invention described in claim 1, in the invention described in claim 1, the drive shaft of the rotor is connected to an external drive source, and the housing is positioned at a predetermined position of the vehicle such that the connection side of the drive shaft to the external drive source is on the upper side. To be installed at

In the present invention, since the drive shaft is connected to the external drive source on the upper side, leakage of the viscous fluid to the outside from the bearing member rotatably supporting the drive shaft on the housing is prevented.

In order to achieve the third object, a third aspect is provided.
In the invention described in the above, a heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber are partitioned in a housing, and heat is generated by shearing a viscous fluid stored in the heat generating chamber by a rotor also stored in the heat generating chamber, and this heat is generated by the heat. A viscous heater that exchanges heat with a circulating fluid flowing through a heat radiating chamber and that mainly generates heat by shearing a viscous fluid existing between a peripheral surface of a rotor and an opposing wall surface, wherein the rotor is rotatably supported by the housing. An external drive shaft disposed horizontally in a state where the drive shaft extends within a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. Is attached to the drive shaft.

The viscous heater according to the present invention, when installed in an engine room with the drive shaft extending within a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction, rotates the external drive shaft for transmitting rotation from the crankshaft of the engine. The force is smoothly transmitted to the drive shaft via the torque transmitting means. Therefore, it is easy to carry out the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. Further, if the viscous heater is installed such that the rotational force transmitting means is on the upper side, the invention according to claim 2 can be implemented.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a viscous heater incorporated in a heating device of a vehicle will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing of the viscous heater is configured such that an upper housing 3 and a lower housing 4 are arranged with a middle housing 1 and a cylinder block 2 interposed therebetween. And the upper housing 3
In a state where the gaskets 5 and 6 are arranged between the lower housing 4 and the middle housing 1 and the cylinder block 2, the gaskets 5 and 6 are joined and fixed by bolts 7 screwed to the lower housing 4 from the upper housing 3 side. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower housing 4 has a square flange 4a.
The bolt 7 is screwed into a screw hole formed in the flange 4a.

The cylinder block 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a helically extending concave portion 2a formed on the outer peripheral surface, and is press-fitted into the cylindrical central housing 1 so that the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block 2 and the central housing 1 are formed. A water jacket 8 as a heat radiating chamber is formed between the water jacket 8 and the inner peripheral surface. A water inlet port 9a for taking in circulating water as a circulating fluid from a heating circuit (not shown) of the vehicle into the water jacket 8 is provided at a lower end side of an outer peripheral portion of the middle housing 1,
A water outlet port 9b for sending out circulating water from the water jacket 8 to the heating circuit is provided on the upper end side of the outer peripheral portion (all are shown in FIG. 2).

Cylinder block 2 constituting heat generating chamber 10
The rotor 11 is rotatably accommodated therein. The rotor 11 includes a cylindrical member 12 made of an aluminum alloy, a pair of fixed plates 13 and 14 pressed into both ends thereof, and a fixed plate 1.
By a steel ring 15 press-fitted into a hole formed outside the center of each of the cylinders 3 and 14, a hollow drum having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface having an axis length L longer than a radius R from the axis is formed. It is configured. Spline processing is performed on the inner peripheral surface of the ring 15, and a drive shaft 16 is fitted to the upper ring 15,
A driven shaft 17 is fitted to the lower ring 15. The rotor 11 has a drive shaft 16 and a driven shaft 17 with respect to the upper housing 3 and the lower housing 4.
It is rotatably supported via 8,19. The dual bearing devices 18 and 19 are press-fitted and fixed to the housings 3 and 4, and the bearing device 18 that supports the drive shaft 16 has a shaft sealing function (for example, a bearing with a lip seal).

The radius R and the axial length L of the rotor 11 are set between the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 11 and the opposing wall surface of the heat generating chamber 10 (that is, the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder block 2) and each end surface of the rotor 11 (each fixed plate). 13, 14) and the inner end surface of the heat generating chamber 10 (the inner wall surfaces of the upper and lower housings 3, 4).
It is set so that a minute clearance (gap) is formed. The heating chamber 10 is filled with a required amount of silicone oil as a viscous fluid. The silicone oil is also filled in the recess 4b of the lower housing 4.

The drive shaft 16 protruding from the front housing 3
A bevel gear 20 is fixed to a tip end of the bracket by a hexagon socket head cap screw 21 so as to be integrally rotatable. The bevel tooth 20 is installed in the engine room of the vehicle in a state of meshing with a bevel gear 23 fixed to the external drive shaft 22 so as to be integrally rotatable. The external drive shaft 22 is supported by an engine 24 (shown in FIG. 3) via a bracket, and a pulley 22a is fixed to be integrally rotatable. Bevel gear 20
In the state where the drive shaft 16 extends within a range of a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction, a rotational force transmitting means for transmitting the rotational force of the external drive shaft 22 disposed to extend horizontally to the drive shaft 16 is provided. Configure.

As shown in FIG. 3, a pulley 22a is disposed around a vehicle engine 24 as an external drive source, and is connected to a crankshaft pulley 25 fixed to a crankshaft (not shown) via a belt 26. It is operatively connected to be rotated together with the idler pulley 27, the alternator pulley 28, the water pump pulley 29, and the power steering pulley 30.

Next, the operation of the viscous heater configured as described above will be described. The viscous heater is installed in a predetermined position where the drive shaft 16 extends in the engine room in the vertical direction and the bevel gear 20 meshes with the bevel gear 23. In this state, the silicone oil filled in the heat generating chamber 10 is filled in the gap between the rotor 11 and the inner surface of the cylinder block 2 from the lower side of the housing to the height corresponding to the filling amount by the action of gravity. In consideration of the thermal expansion at the time of heat generation, when the operation of the viscous heater is continued and the temperature of the silicone oil rises, the filling amount of the silicone oil is increased to a level between the end surface of the upper housing 3 and the end surface of the rotor 11. Is the amount to be filled.

When the engine 24 is driven, the pulley 22a is rotated via the belt 26, and the external drive shaft 22 and the bevel gear 23 are rotated integrally with the pulley 22a.
The drive shaft 16 is rotated integrally with the rotor 11 via the bevel gear 22. Accordingly, the outer surface of the rotor 11 and the heating chamber 1
The silicone oil staying in the gap (clearance) between the inner wall and the inner wall generates heat due to the shearing action. This heat is transferred to the water jacket 8 via the cylinder block 2.
The heat is exchanged with the circulating water flowing through the inside, and the heated circulating water is supplied to the heating of the vehicle interior through a heating circuit.

When the silicone oil fills the space between the upper end surface of the rotor 11 and the inner end surface of the upper housing 3, shear heat of the silicone oil is generated at positions facing the peripheral surface and both end surfaces of the rotor 11. However, since there is a space having a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of each of the bearing devices 18 and 19 at the center of the inner end surfaces of both housings 3 and 4, no shear heat is generated at that portion. Therefore, the viscosity coefficient of the silicone oil (viscous fluid) is μ, and the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 11 is
Δ1, the gap between each end face of the rotor 11 and the inner end face of the heat generating chamber 10 is δ2, the angular velocity is ω, the bearing device 1
If the radius of the 8 and 19 is r, the calorific value Q1 at each end face of the rotor ^{11, Q1 = πμω 2 (R 4} -r 4) / δ2 , and the calorific value Q2 of the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 20, Q2 = 2πμω ² R ³ L / δ1. In this viscous heater, since the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 11 is a main shearing surface, δ1 <δ2 is set, and since radius R <axial length L, Q1 <Q2. A large amount of heat Q2 is secured on the outer peripheral surface.

Since the rotor 11 is arranged to extend in the vertical direction, the centrifugal force acting on the silicone oil by the rotation of the rotor 11 acts in a direction orthogonal to the gravity. When the silicone oil tries to spread outward due to the action of the centrifugal force, it is restricted by the wall surface of the heat generating chamber 10 and tends to move upward with a space. However, the silicone oil existing in the gap between the peripheral surface of the rotor 11 and the wall surface of the heat generating chamber 10 facing the surface of the heat generating chamber 10 is constantly urged by the action of gravity in the direction opposite to the space existing in the heat generating chamber 10. Therefore,
The silicone oil can hardly move upward, and the silicone oil formed between the wall surface of the heat generating chamber 10 and the peripheral surface of the rotor 11 does not break the oil film, and generates heat corresponding to the filling amount.

FIG. 4 shows the result of measurement of the calorific value of the viscous heater while changing the filling amount of the silicone oil. In addition,
A state where the silicone oil is substantially filled in the concave portion 4b of the lower housing 4 is defined as a filling rate 0. Unlike the conventional cylindrical viscous heater, the calorific value corresponding to the filling amount was obtained from a low filling ratio to a high filling ratio, confirming the above.

The viscous heater of this embodiment has the following effects. (A) Since the rotor 11 is installed at a predetermined position on the vehicle with the axis of the rotor 11 extending in the vertical direction, even if centrifugal force acts on the silicone oil when the rotor 11 rotates, heat generated opposite to the peripheral surface of the rotor 11 is generated. An oil film does not break in the silicone oil existing between the wall surface of the chamber 10 and the calorific value corresponding to the filling rate can be secured.

(B) Since the connection side of the drive shaft 16 to the external drive source is on the upper side, the filling amount is adjusted so that the filling rate becomes 100% when the temperature of the silicone oil rises, in consideration of the thermal expansion of the silicone oil. If adjusted, drive shaft 1
Leakage of viscous fluid from the bearing device 18 that rotatably supports the housing 6 to the housing (upper housing 3) to the outside is prevented. As a result, an inexpensive bearing without an oil seal function can be used as the bearing device 18.

(C) The drive shaft 16 extends in the vertical direction, and the drive shaft 16 transmits to the drive shaft 16 the torque of the external drive shaft 22 extending horizontally.
0) is fixed, so that the rotation of the engine 24 can be smoothly transmitted to the drive shaft 16 even if the viscous heater is installed so that the rotor 11 extends vertically.

(D) Since the water jacket 8 is spirally formed by the concave portion 2a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block 2 and the inner surface of the middle housing 1,
Even if the circulating water is formed along the periphery of the elongated cylindrical heat generating chamber, the circulating water flows smoothly while avoiding partial stagnation or short circuit. As a result, the heat exchange efficiency is improved. Also, the recess 2a
The surface area of a portion where heat of the heat generating chamber 10 is exchanged with circulating water in the water jacket 8 is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency is improved.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the structure of a torque transmitting means for transmitting the rotation of an engine 24 as an external drive source to a drive shaft 16 is different from that of the above-described embodiment, and the other structures are the same. The same parts as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

An L-shaped bracket 31 is fixed to the upper housing 3 by bolts 32.
The shaft 34 is rotatably supported via a bearing 33. A pulley 35 is fixed to a first end of the shaft 34, and a bevel gear 36 meshing with the bevel gear 20 is fixed to a second end of the shaft 34 so as to be integrally rotatable. The bevel gear 20, the shaft 34, the pulley 35, and the bevel gear 36 constitute a rotational force transmitting unit.

When this viscous heater is installed in the engine room of a vehicle, the pulley 35 is disposed so that the pulley 35 is on the same plane as the pulleys for other auxiliary machines such as the alternator pulley 28 and the water pump pulley 29, A belt 26 that transmits the rotation of the crankshaft pulley 25 is wound. When the engine 24 is driven, the rotation of the crankshaft is transmitted to the pulley 35 via the crankshaft pulley 25 and the belt 26, and the shaft 34 and the bevel gear 36 rotate together with the pulley 35, and the bevel gear 2
0, the drive shaft 16 is rotated.

In this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as in the above-described embodiment, the pulley 35 for winding the belt 26 for transmitting the rotation of the crankshaft pulley 25 is provided in the viscous heater, so that the engine has a pulley. It is not necessary to support the viscous heater, and the degree of freedom of the installation position of the viscous heater is increased.

The embodiment is not limited to the above, and may be changed, for example, as follows. (1) In the first and second embodiments, the pulley 2
2a or clutch means is provided between the pulley 35 and the drive shaft 16. As the clutch means, in addition to the electromagnetic clutch, a clutch mechanism that transmits rotation to the drive shaft when the rotation speed of the pulley is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed and cuts off the rotation when the rotation speed exceeds the predetermined speed can be used. For example, in the second embodiment, a clutch means is easily provided between the pulley 35 and the shaft 34. In these configurations, the driving force of the engine can be selectively transmitted to the drive shaft 16 as needed, and when the rotation speed of the engine is equal to or higher than a predetermined number of rotations, the transmission of the rotation to the drive shaft 16 is cut off. (Viscous fluid) can be prevented from becoming excessively heated. Therefore, thermal deterioration of the viscous fluid is suppressed, and the life of the viscous fluid is extended.

(2) The rotor 11 may have a heat generating chamber on the inner peripheral surface side. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower fixing plate 14 is omitted, and the lower housing 4 is provided with a protrusion 4 c inserted into the rotor 11. The drive shaft 16 is provided with a retaining ring (circlip) 16a that contacts the lower end of the ring 15. The gap between the peripheral surface of the projection 4c and the inner peripheral surface of the rotor 11 also serves as the heat generating chamber 37. The gap between the peripheral surface of the convex portion 4c and the inner peripheral surface of the rotor 11 is formed at a size effective for shearing heat generation of the viscous fluid, for example, at the same interval as the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 11 and the inner surface of the cylinder block 2. You. A water jacket 38 is formed in the lower housing 4 inside the heat generating chamber 37, and is connected to an external heating circuit via a water inlet port and a water outlet port (not shown). A lower plate 39 that covers an open end of the water jacket 38 is fixed to the lower side of the lower housing 4 via a gasket 40. Bolts 7 (not shown) are screwed into lower plate 39 through lower housing 4. In this case, even if the rotors 11 have the same size, the calorific value increases. Further, since the water jacket 38 is also provided inside the rotor 11, the heat exchange rate is improved. Note that the water jacket 38 may be omitted.

(3) In (2), a plurality of holes 41 may be formed at positions corresponding to the upper ends of the protrusions 4c of the rotor 11. In this case, since the inside and the outside of the rotor 11 are communicated via the hole 41, the viscous fluid is smoothly filled into the heat generating chamber 37 when the viscous fluid is filled.

(4) In (2), the water jacket 38 may communicate with the water jacket 8 so that the water inlet port and the water outlet port are common to both water jackets 8 and 38. The outer water jacket 8 is formed in a spiral shape, while the inner water jacket 38 is formed so that circulating water flows in a meandering manner in the vertical direction, and a communication portion with the water jacket 8 is formed on the lower side. When the water inlet port is provided below the viscous heater, the circulating water introduced from the water inlet port is first introduced into the inner water jacket 38, passes through the water jacket 38, and is then introduced into the outer water jacket 8. After passing through the water jacket 8, the water is sent out from the water outlet port provided on the upper side to the external heating circuit.

(5) The rotor 11 is installed at a predetermined position of the vehicle in a state where the axis of the rotor 11 is not vertical and the axis of the rotor 11 extends within a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the axis O of the rotor 11 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 7, the predetermined angle is a point P1 at the lowest point and the highest point at which a plane including the axis of the rotor 11 and orthogonal to the horizontal plane intersects with the upper surface of the viscous fluid immersed in the peripheral surface of the rotor 11. , P2 to rotor 11
When the distances to the lower end surface 11a are L1 and L2,
The difference is an angle range where the difference is smaller than the shorter distance L1. Even if the filling rate is the same, the range in which the rotor 11 can be inclined differs depending on the ratio between the diameter of the rotor 11 and the shaft length. The smaller the diameter, the larger the inclination angle from the vertical direction.

When the rotor 11 rotates in this state, of the viscous fluid filled between the peripheral surface of the rotor 11 and the wall surface of the heat generating chamber 10, the distance from the lower end surface 11 a of the rotor 11 to the rotor 11 is shifted from the position of L 1. The viscous fluid existing on the upper end side of the heat generating chamber 1 is opposed to the rotor 11 by the action of centrifugal force.
Since the oil spreads along the 0 wall, the oil film breaks. However, the viscous fluid existing on the opposite side, that is, the viscous fluid existing on the lower end side of the rotor 11, may not be in contact with the peripheral surface of the rotor 11 and the wall surface of the heat generating chamber 10 even when centrifugal force acts when the rotor 11 rotates. There is no oil film shortage occurring between them, and a heat quantity corresponding to the filling rate of the viscous fluid in that portion is generated.

When the rotor 11 is installed so that its axis is inclined from the vertical direction, it can be easily handled by changing the pitch cone angle of the bevel gear 20 to an angle corresponding to the inclination. (6) When the electric vehicle is equipped with a viscous heater, the drive shaft 16 may be driven by a motor different from a wheel driving motor. In this case, since the driving system of the viscous heater is completely independent, a rotating force transmitting means for transmitting the rotating force of the external driving shaft disposed in a horizontally extending state to the driving shaft is not required, and the viscous heater is not required. The degree of freedom of the installation posture increases.

The term "viscous fluid" as used herein means "viscous fluid"
It refers to any medium that generates heat based on fluid friction under the shearing action of the rotor, and is not limited to high-viscosity liquids or semi-liquids, and is not limited to silicone oil.

The inventions other than those described in the claims which can be grasped from the embodiment and the modified examples will be described below together with their effects. (1) In the invention described in claim 1 or 2,
The rotor is installed such that its axis extends vertically.
In this case, the state where the filling rate of the viscous fluid is small, for example, 50
% Or less, the oil film does not break in the viscous fluid existing between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the wall surface of the heating chamber facing the rotor when the rotor rotates, and a heat generation amount corresponding to the filling rate can be secured.

(2) In the third aspect of the present invention,
The rotational force transmitting means extends in a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft and supports the pulley so as to be integrally rotatable, a bevel gear fixed to the shaft so as to be integrally rotatable, meshes with the bevel gear and is integral with the drive shaft. And a bevel gear fixed rotatably. In this case, since the pulley for winding the belt for transmitting the rotation of the crankshaft pulley is provided in the viscous heater, there is no need to support the pulley for driving the engine viscous heater, and the degree of freedom of the installation position of the viscous heater is large. Become.

[0049]

As described in detail above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, in the viscous heater in which the main heat is generated by shearing of the viscous fluid existing between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the opposed wall surface, Even if the filling rate of the viscous fluid is small, a heat value corresponding to the filling rate can be secured.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in consideration of the thermal expansion of the viscous fluid, the filling rate becomes 10 when the temperature of the viscous fluid rises.
By adjusting the filling amount to be 0%, it is possible to prevent the viscous fluid in the heating chamber from leaking from the drive shaft portion of the rotor even if the shaft sealing device is omitted. Therefore, an inexpensive bearing without an oil seal function can be used as the bearing device.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the installation method according to the first and second aspects of the invention can be easily implemented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a viscous heater according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement of pulleys for driving a viscous heater.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a relationship between a filling rate of a viscous fluid and a calorific value.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of a viscous heater according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a viscous heater of a modified example.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a position of a viscous fluid when a rotor is arranged obliquely.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between a filling rate of a viscous fluid and a calorific value of a disk type and a cylindrical type viscous heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Middle housing which comprises a housing, 2 ... Cylinder block similarly, 2a ... Concave part which comprises a radiation chamber, 3 ...
Upper housing, 4 ... Lower housing, 4c ... Protrusion,
8, 38: water jacket as heat dissipation chamber
37: heating chamber, 11: rotor, 16: drive shaft, 20: bevel gear as rotational force transmitting means, 22: external drive shaft, 34
.., A shaft constituting a rotational force transmitting means, 35.
36 ... also bevel gear.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuhiko Minami 2-1-1 Toyota-machi, Kariya-shi, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Industries Corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber are defined in a housing, and heat is generated by shearing a viscous fluid stored in the heat generating chamber by a rotor also stored in the heat generating chamber.
Among viscous heaters for exchanging heat with a circulating fluid flowing through the radiating chamber, a method for installing a viscous heater in which main heat is generated by shearing a viscous fluid existing between a peripheral surface of a rotor and an opposing wall surface, A method for installing a viscous heater, wherein a viscous heater is installed at a predetermined position of a vehicle in a state in which an axis of a rotor extends within a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical direction. 2. The viscous vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the drive shaft of the rotor is connected to an external drive source, and the housing is installed at a predetermined position of the vehicle such that a connection side of the drive shaft to the external drive source is on the upper side. How to install the heater. 3. A heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber are defined in a housing, and heat is generated by shearing a viscous fluid stored in the heat generating chamber by a rotor also stored in the heat generating chamber.
This heat is exchanged with the circulating fluid flowing through the heat radiating chamber, and a main heat is generated by shearing viscous fluid existing between the peripheral surface of the rotor and the opposing wall surface. The drive shaft is movably supported by the drive shaft so as to be integrally rotatable, and the drive shaft is disposed so as to extend horizontally when the drive shaft extends within a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. A viscous heater to which a torque transmitting means for transmitting the torque of the external drive shaft to the drive shaft is attached.