JPH1035261A - Viscous heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leakage of viscous fluid in a viscous heater out of bearings interposed between a member which partly encloses a heating chamber and is adapted to produce heat through its shear and a driving shaft by imposing no excessive force on the bearings. SOLUTION: A front housing body 1 and a rear housing body 2 are united with a bolt 3 through a gasket 4 interposed therebetween to contain a front section plate 5 and a rear section plate 6. A heating chamber 12 is defined between the section plates 5 and 6, and water jackets 13 and 14 are defined outside the heating chamber. A rotor 23 arranged in the heating chamber 12 is forcibly fitted on the rear end of a driving shaft 20 which is rotatably supported on a front housing 8 by means of bearings 18 and 19. The bearing 19 is adjacent to the heating chamber 12 loosely fitted between the inner periphery of the section plate 5 and the outer periphery of the driving shaft 20. Seal members 25 and 26 are arranged between the outer periphery of the bearing 19 and the front section plate 5 and between the inner periphery of the bearing 19 and the driving shaft 20 respectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber defined in a housing, and heat generated by shearing a viscous fluid contained in the heat generating chamber with a rotor is exchanged with a circulating fluid in the heat radiating chamber. To a viscous heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A viscous heater that utilizes the driving force of a vehicle engine has attracted attention as an auxiliary heat source for a vehicle, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-57877 discloses a viscous heater used for a vehicle heating device. Have been. In this viscous heater, a heat receiving chamber (radiation chamber) is formed by fastening the front and rear housings in a state where the front and rear housings are opposed to each other, and a rotation including a rotor, a cover including the rotor, and a casing in the heat radiation chamber. The body is disposed in a state supported by the tip of the drive shaft. The rotor is fixed to the drive shaft so as to be integrally rotatable, and the cover is integrally fixed by bolts to a casing rotatably fixed to the drive shaft via a rolling bearing. Further, the impeller is fixed to the cover by bolts. When the rotor rotates together with the drive shaft, the rotor and the rotating body rotate relative to each other due to the resistance of the impeller from the water in the heat radiation chamber, and the viscosity of silicone oil or the like interposed between the inner surface of the rotating body and the outer surface of the rotor. The fluid is sheared and generates heat. The heat is exchanged with water in the radiating chamber. In the heat radiating chamber, circulating water is taken in from an inlet port and sent out from an outlet port to an external heating circuit. Then, the circulating water heated by the heat of the heat generating chamber is supplied to the heating of the vehicle interior by the heating circuit.

[0003]

In the above-described conventional viscous heater, the casing forming the heat generating chamber is rotatably supported on a drive shaft via a bearing. A viscous fluid is accommodated in the heat generating chamber, and when a clearance is formed between the bearing and the drive shaft and between the bearing and the casing, the viscous fluid leaks from the heat generating chamber. The temperature of the heat generating chamber is considerably high, and the temperature of a member (casing) that separates the heat generating chamber from the heat radiating chamber is also considerably high. As a result, a gap may be formed between the outer peripheral surface of the bearing and the inner peripheral surface of the casing due to thermal expansion of the casing supported on the drive shaft via the bearing, and the viscous fluid may leak. In order to efficiently transfer the heat generated in the heat generating chamber to the circulating fluid (circulating water) in the heat radiating chamber, it is preferable to use a material having good heat conductivity as the material of the casing,
Aluminum and aluminum alloys are preferred. But,
Since aluminum and aluminum alloy have an expansion rate 1.5 times or more as large as that of steel, which is a material of the rolling bearing, gaps are more likely to occur.

The viscous fluid leaks from between the bearing and the drive shaft or the partition member during operation of the viscous heater by firmly pressing the bearing into the drive shaft and the partition member in anticipation of thermal expansion at high temperatures. Can be prevented. However, when the bearing is firmly press-fitted into the partition member, the partition member is deformed at the time of press-fitting, and there is a problem that the parallelism between the rotor and the heat generating chamber deviates from a predetermined value.

Further, since the housing and the partition member (casing) are fastened by bolts or the like at the outer peripheral portion, the central portion may be deformed when the internal pressure in the heat generating chamber rises or when the water flow in the water jacket fluctuates. The deformation is transmitted to the drive shaft. In the case where the rotation is transmitted to the drive shaft via the electromagnetic clutch, an axial force acts on the drive shaft when the electromagnetic clutch is demagnetized. Therefore, when the bearing is firmly pressed into the drive shaft and the partition member, the movement of the drive shaft is transmitted to the partition member via the bearing, and the gap between the heat generating chamber and the rotor is caused by the movement of the partition member. There is also a problem that the change may adversely affect the operation of the viscous heater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to surround a part of a heat generating chamber and make it impossible for a bearing to be interposed between a member generating shear heat and a drive shaft. An object of the present invention is to provide a viscous heater in which a force is not applied and a viscous fluid can be prevented from leaking from a gap between a bearing and a member fitted with the bearing.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber are defined in a housing, and the viscous fluid stored in the heat generating chamber is sheared by a rotor. In the viscous heater for exchanging heat generated by the heat exchange with the circulating fluid in the radiating chamber, a drive shaft supporting the rotor so as to be integrally rotatable is fitted to a member that surrounds a part of the heat generating chamber and generates heat by shearing. The bearing is rotatably supported via a bearing that performs the heat generation, and a seal member is provided at least between the outer periphery of the bearing and the member that generates heat by shearing. The member that generates heat by shearing refers to a member (for example, a partition wall) that generates heat while shearing the viscous fluid by relative rotation with the rotor.

In this viscous heater, the member that generates heat by shearing supports the drive shaft via a bearing. Since the sealing member is present between the member that generates shear heat and the bearing, leakage of the viscous fluid occurs even when a gap is formed between the member and the bearing when the member or the like thermally expands due to shear heat. Is prevented. Further, since the bearing can be loosely fitted to the member, it is easy to assemble the bearing at a predetermined position, and even when the strength of the member is low, the member does not deform when the bearing is fitted. Further, when a force for moving the drive shaft in the axial direction acts on the drive shaft when the viscous heater is operated,
Since the member that generates heat by shearing can be loosely fitted to the bearing, the member moves relative to the drive shaft without deformation, and the heat generation chamber does not deform.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the heat radiating chamber is provided before and after the heat generating chamber, and a first partition that divides the heat generating chamber and the heat radiating chamber into a housing.
And a second partition plate, and the bearing is supported on the inner peripheral surface of the first partition plate.

In the present invention, since the heat radiating chambers are arranged on both sides of the heat generating chamber, most of the heat of the heat generating chamber is transmitted to the heat radiating chamber, and is effectively used for heating the circulating fluid. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the partition plate is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

In the present invention, since the partition plate is formed of a material having good thermal conductivity, the heat generated in the heat generating chamber is efficiently transmitted to the circulating fluid in the heat radiating chamber. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a rolling bearing with a seal plate is used as the bearing.

According to the present invention, since the bearing is a rolling bearing, the drive shaft supported by the member that generates heat through shearing via the bearing rotates more smoothly than in the case of using a sliding bearing. Since the bearing is provided with the seal plate, leakage of the viscous fluid from gaps between the outer ring and the inner ring of the bearing is prevented.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the rotor is fixed to a first end of the drive shaft, and the heat generating chamber is a first support for supporting the drive shaft via a bearing. A housing and a partition plate disposed on the opposite side of the rotor from the second end of the drive shaft; the heat radiation chamber is provided on the opposite side of the partition plate to the first housing; A rolling bearing with a seal plate is used for the bearing.

In the present invention, since the heat radiating chamber is provided only on one side of the heat generating chamber, the structure is simplified as compared with the case where the heat radiating chamber is provided on both sides. The invention of claim 6 is claim 1
In the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a seal member is provided between the outer periphery of the bearing and the member that generates heat by shearing, and between the inner periphery of the bearing and the drive shaft.

According to the present invention, since the seal member is also provided between the inner periphery of the bearing and the drive shaft, the viscous fluid in the heat generating chamber can be heated by the viscous heater without firmly fitting the bearing to the drive shaft. During operation of the motor, leakage from the gap between the bearing and the drive shaft is prevented.

In the invention of claim 7, the sealing member is O
It is a ring. In the present invention, since the sealing member is an O-ring, the handling of the sealing member is facilitated, and the configuration of the sealing portion is also simplified.

[0017]

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 vehicle heating apparatus will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front housing body 1
And the rear housing body 2 includes the housing bodies 1, 2.
Are fastened by a plurality of bolts 3 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) in a state where they face each other. A gasket 4 for sealing is interposed between the housing bodies 1 and 2. A front partition plate 5 as a first partition plate and a rear partition plate 6 as a second partition plate are accommodated in the recesses of both housing bodies 1 and 2. The outer peripheral edges of the two partition plates 5 and 6 are in contact with each other, and an O-ring 7 is provided on the contact surface. Both partition plates 5 and 6 are formed of a material having excellent thermal conductivity (for example, aluminum or an aluminum-based alloy). A front housing 8 is constituted by the front housing body 1 and the front partition plate 5, and a rear housing 9 is constituted by the rear housing body 2 and the rear partition plate 6. Further, both partition plates 5 and 6 are members that generate heat by shearing.

The front partition plate 5 is provided with a support tubular portion 5a formed at the center thereof fitted to the front housing main body 1, and an O-ring 10 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the support tubular portion 5a.
Are arranged. The rear partition plate 6 is configured such that the inner surface of a cylindrical portion 6 a protruding from the rear end side is formed by the rear housing body 2.
Is disposed in a state of being fitted to the support tubular portion 2a protruding from
An O-ring 11 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the support cylinder 2a. The O-rings 10 and 11 serve to ensure the sealing of the gap between the contact surfaces even when the partition plates 5 and 6 are loosely fitted to the housing bodies 1 and 2 so as to be relatively movable in the front-rear direction. Fulfill.

The heat generating chamber 12 is formed by a concave portion provided on the rear end side of the front partition plate 5 and the front end surface of the rear partition plate 6. An annular front water jacket 13 is defined between the inner wall of the front housing body 1 and the front end surface of the front partition plate 5 and is adjacent to the front side of the heat generating chamber 12. An annular rear water jacket 14 is defined between the end surface and the inner wall of the rear housing body 2 and is adjacent to the rear side of the heat generating chamber 12. The front water jacket 13 and the rear water jacket 14 constitute a heat radiating chamber adjacent to the heat generating chamber 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear partition plate 6 has a partition wall 6b formed to partition the rear water jacket 14 so as to extend in the radial direction and a circumferential direction along the outside of the cylindrical portion 6a. Arc-shaped two fins 6c
And protruding. Tube section 6a, partition wall 6b and fin 6
Each tip of c is in contact with the inner wall surface of the rear housing body 2 as shown in FIG. Similarly, the partition wall 5b formed in the front partition plate 5 so as to extend in the radial direction by partitioning the front water jacket 13 and the arc-shaped partition extending in the circumferential direction along the outside of the support cylinder 5a. Two fins 5c protrude. Partition wall 5b and fin 5c
The front ends of the front housing body 1 are as shown in FIG.
Is in contact with the inner wall surface.

The outer peripheral portion of the rear housing body 2 (FIGS. 1 and 2)
Above), a heating circuit (not shown) provided in the vehicle
A water inlet port 15 for taking in circulating water is formed in the rear water jacket 14 from the rear, and a hole 6 d communicating with the water inlet port 15 is formed in the rear partition plate 6. A water outlet port 16 for sending out circulating water from the front water jacket 13 to the heating circuit is formed in an outer peripheral portion (the upper part in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the front housing body 1, and the water outlet port 16 is formed in the front partition plate 5. A communicating hole 5d is formed.
In addition, both housing bodies 1, 2 and both partition plates 5,
A communication passage 17 is formed in 6 to communicate the front water jacket 13 and the rear water jacket 14. The communication passage 17 passes through the gasket 4. Therefore, the circulating water as the circulating fluid introduced into the rear water jacket 14 from the water inlet port 15 is guided by the fins 6c and reaches the communication passage 17. Then, the fins 5 c are introduced into the front water jacket 13 through the communication passage 17.
And guided to the water outflow port 16.

The front housing 8 has two bearings 18,
A drive shaft 20 is rotatably supported via 19.
The first bearing 18 is a support cylinder 1 a of the front housing body 1.
And loosely fitted to the drive shaft 20. The second bearing 19 is provided adjacent to the heat generating chamber 12 so as to be loosely fitted to the inner surface of the front partition plate 5 and the outer peripheral surface of the drive shaft 20. The second bearing 19 is axially positioned with respect to the front partition plate 5 by a retaining ring 21, and axially positioned with respect to the drive shaft 20 by a retaining ring 22.

As the second bearing 19, a rolling bearing with a seal plate is used. As shown in FIG. 3, a seal plate 19c is mounted between the outer ring 19a and the inner ring 19b of the bearing 19. As a result, the drive shaft 20 is
The heat generating chamber 12 is an airtight internal space while accommodating the rear end (first end). A disk-shaped rotor 23 housed in the heat generating chamber 12 is press-fitted and fixed to the rear end of the drive shaft 20 so as to be integrally rotatable. A plurality of holes 23 a are formed in a peripheral portion of the rotor 23. The hole 23a is provided in the rotor 2
3 serves to increase the shearing action during rotation and to promote the movement of the viscous fluid on both the front and rear sides of the rotor 23.

A sub oil chamber 24 is provided on the rear side of the heat generating chamber 12 and inside the rear water jacket 14.
The second oil chamber 24 communicates with the sub oil chamber 24 via a hole 6e formed in the rear partition plate 6 and a groove 6f formed in the front surface of the rear partition plate 6 so as to extend in the radial direction.
The heating chamber 12 and the sub oil chamber 24 are filled with a required amount of silicone oil as a viscous fluid. And
As the drive shaft 20 and the rotor 23 rotate integrally, the heating chamber 1
Silicone oil is evenly interposed in the gap between the inner wall surface of the rotor 2 and the outer surface of the rotor 23 based on the surface tension and the Weissenberg effect. Further, due to the presence of the seal plate 19c, the grease contained in the bearing 19 leaks to the outside, and the viscous fluid contained in the heat generating chamber 12 leaks to the outside from between the outer ring 19a and the inner ring 19b of the bearing 19. Is prevented.

Seal members 25 and 26 are provided between the outer periphery of the bearing 19 and the front partition plate 5 and between the inner periphery of the bearing 19 and the drive shaft 20, respectively. Seal member 2
O-rings 5 and 26 are used.

A pulley 28 is fixed to a front end (second end) of the drive shaft 20 by a bolt 27. Pulley 2
Numeral 8 is drivingly connected to an engine of the vehicle as an external driving source via a belt (not shown) wound around the outer peripheral portion.

In the viscous heater configured as described above, when the engine is driven, the drive shaft 20 is rotated via the belt and the pulley 28, and the rotor 23 is integrally rotated. Along with this, the silicone oil is sheared in the gap between the inner wall surface of the heat generating chamber 12 and the outer surface of the rotor 23 to generate heat. This heat is exchanged with the circulating water as the circulating fluid in the water jackets 13 and 14, and the heated circulating water is supplied to the heating of the vehicle interior via a heating circuit (not shown).

This embodiment has the following effects. (A) Since the heat generating chamber 12 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the front water jacket 13 and the rear water jacket 14, most of the heat generated in the heat generating chamber 12 is supplied to both the water through the partition plates 5 and 6. Jacket 1
It is transmitted to the circulating water (circulating fluid) of 3, 14 and is effectively used for heating the circulating fluid.

(B) Since both partition plates 5 and 6 are formed of a material having good thermal conductivity (aluminum or aluminum alloy), the heat generated in the heat generating chamber 12 efficiently circulates through the water jackets 13 and 14. Is transmitted to

(C) Connect the drive shaft 20 to the front partition plate 5
The bearing 19, which is rotatably supported on the front partition plate 5, is loosely fitted to the front partition plate 5, so that it is easy to assemble the bearing 19 at a predetermined position, and the front partition plate 5
When the bearing 19 has a low strength, the front partition plate 5 does not deform when the bearing 19 is fitted. Further, when a force for moving the drive shaft 20 in the axial direction acts on the drive shaft 20 when the viscous heater is operated, the front partition plate 5 can be loosely fitted to the bearing 19, so that the front partition plate 5 is not deformed. The heating chamber 12 moves relatively to the drive shaft 20 and does not deform.

(D) When the front partition plate 5 and the like thermally expand due to heat generation, a gap is formed between the front partition plate 5 having a large difference in coefficient of thermal expansion and the bearing 19, and a seal member is provided between the two. 25 prevents leakage of the viscous fluid.

(E) Since a rolling bearing with a seal plate is used for the bearing 19, the drive shaft 20 is formed on the front partition plate 5 in comparison with the case where a sliding bearing is used as the bearing.
Rotate smoothly against. Since the bearing 19 includes the seal plate 19c, the outer ring 19a and the inner ring 19b of the bearing 19 are provided.
Leakage of the viscous fluid from the gap between the viscous fluid is prevented.

(F) Since the bearing 19 is loosely fitted to the drive shaft 20, the bearing 19 can be easily assembled to a predetermined position of the drive shaft 20. Also, the bearing 19
The seal member 26 is also provided between the shaft 19 and the drive shaft 20, so that even if the gap between the bearing 19 and the drive shaft 20 increases due to thermal expansion, leakage of the viscous fluid is prevented.

(G) Circulating water is supplied to both water jackets 1
Since the inside of the water jackets 13 and 14 is circulated along the predetermined path guided by the fins 5c and 6c, there is no short circuit or stagnation of the flow path of the circulating water in the water jackets 13 and 14. Therefore, the heating chamber 12 is sandwiched between the front and rear partition plates 5 and 6.
From the viscous fluid to the circulating water in the water jackets 13 and 14 can be efficiently performed. Further, due to the presence of the fins 5c and 6c, the water jackets 13 and 1 are provided.
The contact area between the circulating water in the plate 4 and the partition plates 5 and 6 is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency is improved.

(H) Since the sealing members 25 and 26 are O-rings, the handling of the sealing members 25 and 26 becomes easy, and the configuration of the sealing portion is also simplified. (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is significantly different from the above-described embodiment in that a heat radiation chamber (water jacket) is provided only on the rear side of the heat generating chamber 12, and the front partition plate 5 does not exist. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A front housing 29, a partition plate 30, and a rear housing body 31 as a first housing
Are fastened by a plurality of bolts 3 (only one is shown) in a stacked state between the partition plate 30 and the rear housing main body 31 via a gasket 32a. The rear housing 33 includes the partition plate 30 and the rear housing main body 31. An O-ring 3 is provided between the front housing 29 and the partition plate 30.
2b is interposed. The front housing 29 and the partition plate 30 are members that generate heat by shearing.

The recess provided at the rear end of the front housing 29 forms the heat generating chamber 12 together with the front end face of the partition plate 30. On the other hand, a water jacket 34 as a heat radiating chamber adjacent to the heat generating chamber 12 is formed by the rear end face of the partition plate 30 and the inner wall surface of the rear housing main body 31. On the rear outside of the rear housing body 31,
A water inlet port 35a for taking in circulating water from the heating circuit to the water jacket 34 and a water outlet port 35b for sending out circulating water from the water jacket 34 to the heating circuit are arranged in parallel.

A columnar projection 30a protrudes from the rear end of the center of the partition plate 30, and the rear end face of the partition plate 30 extends from the projection 30a between the water inlet port 35a and the water outlet port 35b. 4, a partition wall 30b extending in the upper radial direction protrudes. Further, the rear end face of the partition plate 30 is provided with a water outlet port 35a near the water inlet port 35a.
A plurality of fins 30c projecting in an arc shape around the protrusion 30a are provided in the vicinity of b. These protrusions 30
a, the ends of the partition walls 30b and the fins 30c abut against the inner wall surface of the rear housing body 31, and the water jacket 3
4 forms a circulation path of circulating water as a circulating fluid.

The drive shaft 20 is rotatably supported by a front housing 29 by two bearings 18 and 19 as in the above embodiment. That is, a bearing 19 formed of a rolling bearing with a seal plate is disposed at a location adjacent to the heat generating chamber 12 of the front housing 29 as a member that generates heat by shearing while surrounding a part of the heat generating chamber 12, and is separated from the heat generating section. The bearing 18 is fitted to the support cylindrical portion 29a. Seal members 25 and 2 are provided between the outer periphery of the bearing 19 and the front housing 29 and between the inner periphery of the bearing 19 and the drive shaft 20.
6 are provided.

Also in this embodiment, since the bearing 19 is loosely fitted into the front housing 29 and is positioned in the axial direction by the retaining ring, the drive shaft 20 and the front housing 29 can be connected to each other. Positioning in the axial direction becomes easy. Further, even if an axial force acts on the drive shaft 20 during operation of the viscous heater, the front housing 29 is not affected.
No excessive force is applied to the bearings 18 and 19. Further, in this embodiment, since the water jacket 34 (heat radiating chamber) is provided only on one side of the heat generating chamber 12, the structure is simplified as compared with the case where heat radiating chambers are provided on both sides.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be embodied as follows, for example. (1) The seal member 25 is provided only between the outer periphery of the bearing 19 and the member that generates heat by shearing, and the bearing 19 is tightly fitted to the drive shaft 20 to omit the seal member. The bearing 19 and the drive shaft 20 may be deformed even if the bearing 19 and the drive shaft 20 are tightly fitted so that there is no gap between the bearing 19 and the drive shaft 20 due to heat expansion due to heat generated during operation of the viscous heater. There is no. Accordingly, it takes time to fit the bearing 19 and the drive shaft 20, but the sealing member can be omitted.

(2) The fins 5c, 6c, 30c formed on the partition plates 5, 6, 30 may be formed so as not to contact the housing, or may be omitted completely. (3) The material of the partition plates 5, 6, and 30 may be other than aluminum or an aluminum-based alloy.

(4) As the bearing 19, a sliding bearing formed of a sintered metal may be used instead of the rolling bearing with a seal plate. (5) An electromagnetic clutch mechanism is employed between the pulley 28 and the drive shaft 20 so that the driving force of the engine can be selectively transmitted to the drive shaft 20 as needed.

(6) Instead of the structure in which the rotor 23 is press-fitted and fixed to the rear end of the drive shaft 20 so as to be integrally rotatable, the rotor 2
3 and the drive shaft 20 cannot rotate relative to each other via a spline,
Also, they may be fitted so as to be displaceable in the axial direction.

(7) In the first embodiment, the water inlet port 15 and the water outlet port 16 are formed in a shape that can be shared by the water jackets 13 and 14 without connecting the water jackets 13 and 14 with the communication holes 17. Is also good. Circulating water is introduced into the water jackets 13 and 14 from the water inlet port 15 at the same time.
The circulating water passing through the insides 3 and 14 is sent out from the water outlet port 16 to the external heating circuit.

(8) The rotor 23 is not limited to a flat plate having a constant shear plane thickness, but may be formed in a shape (tapered shape) in which the thickness decreases toward the outside. When the outer diameter of the rotor 23 is increased to increase the sectional area of the rotor 23, it is necessary to secure the thickness of the rotor 23 in order to secure the strength. As compared with the case where the thickness is made constant, the tapered shape can reduce the total amount of material used and the power consumption for rotating the rotor is reduced.

(9) The labyrinth-shaped disk is used in place of the rotor 23 to form labyrinths corresponding to the partition plates 5, 6, 30, and the front housing 29. In this case, the efficiency of heat generation by shearing is improved.

The term “viscous fluid” as used herein means
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 according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a seal member is provided only between the outer periphery of the bearing and the member that generates heat by shearing. In this case, the number of sealing members is small.

[0051]

As described above in detail, according to the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, the bearing which surrounds a part of the heat generating chamber and is interposed between the member generating shear heat and the drive shaft. And no leakage of viscous fluid from the gap between the bearing and the member to which the bearing fits can be prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the heat radiating chambers are arranged on both sides of the heat generating chamber, most of the heat of the heat generating chamber is transmitted to the heat radiating chamber, and is effectively used for heating the circulating fluid. Is done.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the partition plate is formed of a material having good thermal conductivity, the heat generated in the heat generating chamber is efficiently transmitted to the circulating fluid in the heat radiating chamber. According to the invention of claim 4, since the rolling bearing with the seal plate is used for the bearing, the drive shaft supported by the member that generates heat by shearing through the bearing is smoother than in the case where the sliding bearing is used. And the seal plate prevents the viscous fluid from leaking from the gap between the outer ring and the inner ring of the bearing.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the heat radiating chamber is provided only on one side of the heat generating chamber, the structure is simplified as compared with the case where the heat radiating chamber is provided on both sides. According to the invention of claim 6, since the sealing member is also provided between the inner periphery of the bearing that supports the drive shaft and the drive shaft on the member that generates heat by shearing, the bearing does not need to be firmly fitted to the drive shaft. Also, the viscous fluid in the heat generating chamber is prevented from leaking from the gap between the bearing and the drive shaft when the viscous heater operates.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the seal member is made of O
The use of the ring facilitates handling of the seal member and simplifies the configuration of the seal portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a viscous heater according to a first embodiment, taken along line II of FIG. 2;

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

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing with a seal plate.

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view of the second embodiment.

[Description of References] 1. Front housing main body, 2. Rear housing main body, 5
... the front compartment plate as the first compartment plate, 6 ...
Rear partition plate as second partition plate, 8 front housing, 9, 33 rear housing, 12 heating chamber, 13 front water jacket as heat dissipation chamber, 1
4: Rear water jacket as heat dissipation chamber, 18, 1
9 ... bearing, 20 ... drive shaft, 23 ... rotor, 25, 26 ...
Seal member, 29: front housing as first housing, 30: partition plate, 34: water jacket as heat dissipation chamber.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A viscous heater in which a heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber are defined in a housing, and heat generated by shearing a viscous fluid contained in the heat generating chamber with a rotor is exchanged with a circulating fluid in the heat radiating chamber. A drive shaft that supports the rotor so as to be integrally rotatable is rotatably supported via a bearing that surrounds a part of the heat generation chamber and is fitted to a member that generates heat by shearing. A viscous heater provided with a seal member between a member that generates heat and shear. 2. The heat radiating chamber is provided before and after the heat generating chamber, the housing is provided with first and second partition plates for partitioning the heat generating chamber and the heat radiating chamber, and the bearing is provided in the first partition. The viscous heater according to claim 1, which is supported on an inner peripheral surface of the plate. 3. The viscous heater according to claim 2, wherein the partition plate is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. 4. The viscous heater according to claim 1, wherein a rolling bearing with a seal plate is used as the bearing. 5. The drive shaft is fixed to a first end of the drive shaft, the heat generating chamber includes a first housing supporting the drive shaft via a bearing, and a second housing of the drive shaft with respect to the rotor. It is formed by a partition plate arranged on the side opposite to the end, the heat radiation chamber is provided on the side opposite to the first housing with respect to the partition plate, and a rolling bearing with a seal plate is used for the bearing. The viscous heater according to claim 1. 6. The seal member according to claim 1, wherein a seal member is provided between an outer periphery of the bearing and the member that generates heat by shearing and between an inner periphery of the bearing and a drive shaft. Viscous heater. 7. The viscous heater according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is an O-ring.