JPH11227451A - Heat generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enlarge the maximum heat generating quantity per the fixed number of rotation of a driving shaft and maintain the heat generating quantity in the intermediate condition by independently controlling heating ability in the liquidtight gaps in a plurality of heat generating chambers rotationally moving a plurality of rotors therein. SOLUTION: A viscous heater VH as a heat generater is driven by an engine, and first - third rotors 22-24 are rotationally moved in first - third heat generating chambers 12-14. Silicone oil as viscous fluid is fed to all the liquidtight gaps between the walls of the first - third heat generating chambers 12-14 and the outer faces of the first - third rotors 22-24. Thus, the silicone oil generates heat by shearing in the liquidtight gaps in all the first third heat generating chambers 12-14, heat is exchanged for cooling water in first - sixth water jackets WJ1-WJ6, and provided for heating of a vehicle room. Further, because the silicone oil can be independently fed to the respective heat generating chambers, the heat generating quantity can be maintained in the intermediate condition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat generator for generating heat by shearing a viscous fluid and exchanging heat with a circulating fluid circulating in a radiating chamber for use as a heating heat source for a vehicle compartment or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, German Offenlegungsschrift 3832966.
Discloses a heat generator used in a vehicle heating device. In this heat generator, a heat generating chamber and a water jacket as a heat radiating chamber for circulating a circulating fluid are formed adjacent to the heat generating chamber in the housing. A drive shaft is rotatably supported on the housing via a bearing device and a shaft sealing device.A pulley driven by an engine is fixed to a front end of the drive shaft, and a rear end of the drive shaft is fixed to a rear end of the drive shaft. The rotor is integrally formed so as to be rotatable in the heating chamber. A viscous fluid such as silicone oil which generates heat by rotation of the rotor is interposed in a liquid-tight gap between the wall surface of the heat generating chamber and the outer surface of the rotor. In addition, a storage chamber is formed in the housing and communicates with the heat generation chamber through the recovery passage and the supply passage, and can store a viscous fluid. The recovery passage is configured to positively recover the viscous fluid in the heat generating chamber into the storage chamber by the rotation of the rotor, and the supply passage is opened and closed by a valve using bimetal.

[0003] In this heat generator incorporated in a vehicle heating device, when the drive shaft is driven by the engine, the rotor rotates in the heat generating chamber, so that viscous fluid flows between the wall surface of the heat generating chamber and the outer surface of the rotor. Heat is generated by shearing in the liquid-tight gap.
The generated heat is exchanged with the cooling water in the water jacket, and the heated cooling water is supplied to the heating of the passenger compartment and the like in the heating circuit.

Further, while the rotor is rotating, the viscous fluid is always collected from the heat generating chamber to the storage chamber by the recovery passage. On the other hand, if the valve means opens the supply passage, the viscous fluid in the storage chamber is supplied to the heat generation chamber. For this reason, in this case, the viscous fluid circulates between the heat generating chamber and the storage chamber, thereby preventing the viscous fluid from deteriorating at high temperatures. On the other hand, if the valve means closes the supply passage, the viscous fluid in the storage chamber is not supplied to the heat generation chamber. Therefore, in this case, only the viscous fluid is collected from the heat generating chamber to the storage chamber, and heat generation in the heat generating chamber is suppressed. Therefore, in this heat generator, it is possible to stop the heat generation without disconnecting the drive of the drive shaft by an electromagnetic clutch or the like, and to prevent the viscous fluid from deteriorating at high temperature.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional heat generator, there is only one rotor, and only one heat generating chamber for internally rotating the rotor is formed in the housing. For this reason, in this type of heat generator, in order to increase the maximum heat generation per fixed number of rotations of the drive shaft without changing the shaft length, a large-diameter rotor must be adopted in order to increase the peripheral speed. Not get. This leads to an increase in the overall diameter, which impairs the mountability on a vehicle or the like.

On the other hand, as in a heat generator disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,321,322, a plurality of disk-shaped rotors are employed in parallel with a drive shaft, and a plurality of rotors are internally rotated in a housing. It is also conceivable to form the heating chambers in a disk shape in parallel with the drive shaft. In this type of heat generator,
The liquid-tight gap between each of the plurality of heat generating chambers and the rotor has a large shear area, so that the maximum heat generation per fixed number of rotations of the drive shaft can be increased. In addition, this heat generator has a storage chamber for storing the viscous fluid, and each of the heat generation chambers is connected to the storage chamber by the supply passage, so that the viscous fluid can always be supplied to the heat generation chamber. .

However, in this type of conventional heat generator, the viscous fluid is supplied collectively to all the liquid-tight gaps between the heat generating chambers and the rotor, and the filling amount of the viscous fluid is controlled for the individual heat generating chambers. I didn't do that. For this reason, in this heat generator, while the rotation speed of the drive shaft is low, the heat generation amount can be increased according to the increase in the rotation speed of the drive shaft, but the heat generation amount increases as the rotation speed of the drive shaft increases. Increases uniformly. For this reason, in this case, even if heating or the like is required, transmission of the driving force to the drive shaft is refused in order to avoid excessive heating or the like and to prevent high-temperature deterioration of the viscous fluid. Therefore, the heat generation must be stopped or the supply of the viscous fluid must be stopped for all the liquid-tight gaps. That is, in this heat generator, the heat value cannot be maintained in the intermediate state.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-11716,
Like the heat generator disclosed in the above U.S. Patent Publication, a heat generator employing a plurality of heat generating chambers and a rotor is disclosed.
This heat generator does not have a storage chamber capable of circulating a viscous fluid between each heat generation chamber, and can simply increase the maximum heat generation per fixed number of rotations of the drive shaft. Adjustment is not possible and the viscous fluid may degrade at high temperatures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and is capable of increasing the maximum heat generation per fixed number of rotations of a drive shaft and maintaining the heat generation in an intermediate state. Providing a generator is an issue to be solved.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A heat generator according to the present invention includes a housing in which a heat generating chamber and a heat radiating chamber adjacent to the heat generating chamber for circulating a circulating fluid are formed. A drive shaft rotatably supported, a rotor rotatably provided by the drive shaft in the heating chamber, and a rotor interposed in a liquid-tight gap between a wall surface of the heating chamber and an outer surface of the rotor; In a heat generator having a viscous fluid that generates heat by being sheared by rotation of a rotor, the rotor includes a plurality of rotors, and the housing includes a plurality of the heat generation chambers each of which internally rotates the rotor. The heat generating capacity of each heat generating chamber in the liquid-tight gap is independently controllable.

In the heat generator of the present invention, the heat generation capacity in the liquid-tight gap in each of the heat generating chambers can be controlled independently. The amount of heat generated can be increased in accordance with an increase in the number of rotations of the drive shaft while maintaining the heat generated in the target gap. Heat generation can be stopped to reduce the amount of heat generated, or heat generation in the liquid-tight gap can be stopped in all the heat generating chambers. Thus, required heating or the like can be realized while avoiding excessive heating or the like or preventing high-temperature deterioration of the viscous fluid. In other words, in this heat generator,
The calorific value can be maintained in an intermediate state.

Further, in this heat generator, the liquid-tight gap between each of the plurality of heat generating chambers and the rotor has a large shearing area, so that the maximum heat generation per fixed number of rotations of the drive shaft can be increased. it can. In the heat generator of the present invention, rotors having different diameters or the like may be employed, but from the viewpoint of parts management and manufacturing of plural types of heat generators, a common rotor may be employed. preferable. On the other hand, if rotors or the like having different diameters or the like are employed, the heat generation amount can be made different by making the shear area different for each liquid-tight gap in each heat generating chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing is provided with storage chambers capable of storing a viscous fluid exceeding the volume of the liquid-tight gap in at least one heat generation chamber, and the heat generation chambers and the storage chambers are collected. The viscous fluid is circulated by communicating with the passage and the supply passage, and at least one of the recovery passage and the supply passage can be independently opened and closed for each heat generating chamber. In this case, the viscous fluid can be circulated between the heating chamber and the storage chamber, and the viscous fluid can be prevented from deteriorating at high temperatures. At this time, since at least one of the recovery passage and the supply passage can be independently opened and closed for each heat generating chamber, the filling amount of the viscous fluid in each liquid-tight gap can be controlled. For this reason, in this heat generator, while the number of rotations of the drive shaft is low, in many heat generating chambers, the viscous fluid is supplied to the liquid-tight gap to maintain the heat generation in the liquid-tight gap. As a result, the amount of heat generated can be increased in accordance with an increase in the rotation speed of the drive shaft. On the other hand, when the rotation speed of the drive shaft increases, the viscous fluid is supplied to the liquid-tight gap only in the specific heat generating chamber, or the viscous fluid is recovered from the liquid-tight gap in at least one heat generating chamber to the storage chamber. By doing so, the calorific value can be reduced or stopped.

Opening and closing at least one of the recovery passage and the supply passage can be realized by exciting or demagnetizing the electromagnetic coil. In this case, it is possible to finely adjust the calorific value by electronic control. The opening and closing of at least one of the recovery passage and the supply passage can also be embodied by deformation of the bimetal. In this case, the amount of heat generated can be adjusted inside the heat generator, a simple structure can be realized as an auxiliary heat source, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Preferably, each rotor has a disk shape provided in parallel with the drive shaft, and each heat generating chamber is preferably formed in a cylindrical shape provided in parallel with the drive shaft. In such a case, although the overall axial length is increased, excellent mounting properties on a vehicle or the like can be exhibited due to the reduced diameter. Further, the storage chamber can be provided for each of the heat generating chambers, but it is preferable that the storage chamber is single from the viewpoint of preventing the viscous fluid from deteriorating at high temperature. In other words, if the storage chamber is single, even if the shearing conditions of the viscous fluid differ depending on the operation time etc. for each liquid-tight gap, those viscous fluids are mixed in a single storage chamber and severe shear conditions Does not act only on a specific viscous fluid, and the life of the viscous fluid can be extended as a whole. Also,
The arrangement of a single storage chamber has a simpler structure than the arrangement of a storage chamber for each heating chamber, and realizes a reduction in manufacturing cost. On the other hand, in the case where the storage chambers are arranged for each of the heat generating chambers, even if filled with viscous fluids having different nominal viscosities for each of the heat generating chambers, they will not mix with each other. In addition, even if they have the same shearing area, the heat generation amount of each heat generation chamber can be different.

Further, it is preferable that the storage chamber is located in parallel with the heat generating chamber in the axial direction on the outer peripheral side of each rotor. In this case, the individual recovery passages and the supply passages are easily located on the outer peripheral side of the heat generating chamber, and the individual recovery passages and the supply passages easily communicate the storage chamber and the heat generating chamber individually from the outer peripheral side. When the viscous fluid is supplied from the storage chamber to the heat generating chamber via the supply passage, the viscous fluid is transferred from the beginning to the outer peripheral region of the rotor having the highest peripheral speed. Further, when the viscous fluid is recovered from the heat generating chamber to the storage chamber via the recovery passage, the viscous fluid in the state of being degraded at the highest temperature and easily degraded is quickly recovered in the storage chamber with the help of centrifugal force.
For this reason, in this heat generator, the viscous fluid easily circulates between the heat generation chamber and the storage chamber. Further, in this heat generator, since the storage chamber is located on the outer peripheral side of the rotor, the axial length is smaller and the structure is simpler than when the storage chamber is located on the front and rear sides of the rotor. For this reason, excellent mountability on a vehicle or the like can be exhibited, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments 1 and 2 embodying the present invention will be described below along with comparative embodiments 1 and 2 with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) A viscous heater V as this heat generator
In H, as shown in FIG. 1, the front housing main body 1, the first plate 2, the second plate 3, the third plate 4,
Plate 5, fifth plate 6, sixth plate 7, seventh plate 8, eighth plate 9, and rear housing body 10
Are laminated, and these are fastened by a plurality of bolts 11 via O-rings therebetween. Circular recesses are formed in the rear surfaces of the first plate 4, the fourth plate 5 and the seventh plate 8, and these recesses are formed on the front surfaces of the second plate 3, the fifth plate 6 and the eighth plate 9, respectively. Thus, first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, grooves 2a for enhancing a shearing effect of a silicone oil SO as a viscous fluid to be described later and for improving a heat transfer area are radially formed in the bottom surface of the concave portion of the first plate 2, as shown in FIG. Have been. 4th plate 5
Although not shown, the same applies to the seventh plate 8. The front surfaces of the second plate 3, the fifth plate 6, and the eighth plate 9, which form the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14 together with the first plate 4, the fourth plate 5, and the seventh plate 8, are also not shown. The same is true.

As shown in FIG. 1, arc-shaped fins 2b, 5b, 8b are provided on the front surfaces of the first plate 4, the fourth plate 5, and the seventh plate 8 to project forward in a plurality of axial directions. A plurality of arc-shaped fins 3b, 6b, 9b are also provided on the rear surfaces of the second plate 3, the fifth plate 6, and the eighth plate 9 so as to project rearward in the axial direction. A first water jacket WJ1 is formed by the front housing body 1 and the fins 2b of the first plate 2, and a second water jacket WJ2 is formed by the fins 3b of the second plate 3 and the third plate 4. The third water jacket WJ is formed by the third plate 4 and the fins 5b of the fourth plate 5.
3, the fourth water jacket WJ4 is formed by the fins 6b of the fifth plate 6 and the sixth plate 7, and the fifth water jacket WJ5 is formed by the fins 8b of the sixth plate 7 and the seventh plate 8. The fin 9b of the eighth plate 9 and the rear housing body 10 form a sixth water jacket WJ6. The first to sixth water jackets WJ1 to WJ6 are heat radiation chambers, and the first to sixth water jackets WJ1 to WJ6 are provided.
The cooling water as the circulating fluid inside the fins 2b, 3b
b, 5b, 6b, 8b, 9b, and the fins 2b, 3b, 5b, 6b, 8b, 9b improve the heat receiving area at that time.

The shaft holes of the first plate 2 and the second plate 3, the shaft holes of the fourth plate 5 and the fifth plate 6, and the shaft holes of the seventh plate 8 and the eighth plate 9 have a bearing device with a built-in shaft sealing device. 15 to 20 are provided.
The drive shaft 21 is rotatably supported by 5 to 20. In addition, the drive shaft 21 is provided between the bearing devices 15 and 16,
First to third rotors 22 to 24, which are located between the bearing devices 17 and 18 and between the bearing devices 19 and 20 and are rotatable in the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14, respectively, are press-fitted. Each of the first to third rotors 22 to 24 has a disk shape, and enhances the shearing effect of the silicone oil SO and transfers the silicone oil SO in the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14 to the outer peripheral region. Multiple slits 2
2a, 23a and 24a. These slits 22a, 23a and 24a are inclined rearward in the rotation direction R indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Also, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of communication holes 22b, 23b, 24b penetrating back and forth are formed in the central region of the first to third rotors 22 to 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first plate 2, the fourth plate 5 and the seventh plate 8 extend from the lateral portions to the lower portions of the first to third rotors 22 to 24 (the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 24). The side wall 14 is swelled (from the lateral portion to the lower portion), and a single arc-shaped storage chamber SR is formed from the lateral portion to the lower portion. Thereby, the diameter of the entire viscous heater VH is minimized while securing the volume of the storage chamber SR. Walls of first to third heating chambers 12 to 14 and first
The liquid-tight gap with the outer surface of each of the rotors 22 to 24 and a part of the storage chamber SR include silicone oil SO as a viscous fluid.
Is enclosed at a filling rate of 40 to 70 vol%.

The first plate 2, the fourth plate 5 and the seventh plate 8 have the bottom of the storage chamber SR and the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14 in the tangential direction of the first to third rotors 22 to 24. Supply holes 2c, 5c, and 8c are formed in the front and rear wall surfaces of the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 so as to extend in the rotation direction R of the first to third rotors 22 to 24. The grooves 2d, 5d, 8d are recessed. Supply holes 2c, 5
c, 8c and supply grooves 2d, 5d, 8d are supply passages. Further, a valve body 25 is provided on the opposite surface of the supply holes 2c, 5c, 8c so as to be slidable in a tangential direction. Each valve element 25 is urged by each pressing spring 26 having an urging force in a direction to close the supply holes 2c, 5c, and 8c, and is fixed to the first plate 4, the fourth plate 5, and the seventh plate 8. The supply holes 2c, 5c, and 8c can be moved in a direction in which the supply holes 2c, 5c, and 8c are opened by the electromagnetic coils 28 in the respective cases 27. Each electromagnetic coil 28 is connected to an air conditioner E (not shown).
Connected to CU.

On the other hand, the first plate 2, the fourth plate 5 and the seventh plate 8 extend from the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14 in the radial direction of the first to third rotors 22 to 24, and Above this, recovery holes 2e, 5e, 8e communicating with the gas phase of the storage chamber SR are formed. The first plate 4, the fourth plate 5 and the seventh plate 8 have first to first
In the radial direction of the third rotors 22 to 24, the first to third rotors 2
It is inclined forward in the rotation direction R of 2 to 24, and the collecting holes 2e, 5
Recovery grooves 2f, 5f, 8f extending toward e, 8e are recessed. Collection holes 2e, 5e, 8e and collection groove 2
f, 5f, and 8f are recovery passages. And the collecting groove 2
Protrusions 2g, 5g, and 8g are provided between f, 5f, and 8f and the collection holes 2e, 5e, and 8e, respectively, to protrude into the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14. The same supply holes, supply grooves, and recovery grooves are formed in the second plate 3, the fifth plate 6, and the eighth plate 9.

The first to eighth plates 2 to 9 have water inlets 29 communicating with the engine cooling circuit and the vehicle heating circuit.
And a water outlet 30 are formed, and the water inlet 29 and the water outlet 30 communicate with the first to sixth water jackets WJ1 to WJ6. Thus, the viscous heater VH as a heat generator is configured. As shown in FIG. 1, an electromagnetic clutch M is mounted on the front housing body 1 and the drive shaft 21.
C is attached. Here, in the electromagnetic clutch MC,
A pulley 32 is rotatably supported on the front housing body 1 of the viscous heater VH via a bearing device 31, and an electromagnetic coil 33 is provided to be located in the pulley 32. This electromagnetic coil 33 is also connected to an air conditioner ECU (not shown). And the viscous heater V
The drive shaft 21 of H is connected to the hub 3 by bolts 34 and keys 35.
6 is fixed, and the hub 36 is fixed to the armature 38 via an elastic rubber 37 or the like. The pulley 32 is rotated by a belt by an engine of a vehicle (not shown).

The viscous heater V configured as described above
In H, the drive shaft 21 is driven by the engine via the electromagnetic clutch MC, and the first
-3 rotors 22-24 rotate. At this time, when the rotation speed of the drive shaft 21 is low because the vehicle is idling or running at a low speed, the air conditioner E
The CU excites all the electromagnetic coils 28. Thereby, all the valve bodies 25 open the supply holes 2c, 5c, 8c against the urging force of the pressing spring 26. Therefore, the storage room S
The silicone oil SO in R is supplied by its own weight to the supply hole 2c,
5c, 8c and the supply grooves 2d, 5d, 8d supply all liquid-tight gaps between the wall surfaces of the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 and the outer surfaces of the first to third rotors 22 to 24. Thereby, the silicone oil SO is removed from all of the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14.
Heat is generated by shearing in the liquid-tight gap at. This heat is exchanged with the cooling water in the first to sixth water jackets WJ1 to WJ6, and the heated cooling water is used for warming-up the engine, and is also used for heating the vehicle compartment by a heater core or the like. Will be done. Thus, in the viscous heater, the maximum heat generation per fixed rotation number of the drive shaft 21 is increased with a large shear area.

When this state is viewed from the relationship between the rotational speed and the heat value Q / minimum heat value Qlow, for example, as indicated by a black circle in FIG. 3, the rotational speed changes from the idling state to 1300 rpm.
If it is up to, the heat generation amount Q / minimum heat generation amount Qlow rises with a large slope curve. In other words, the amount of heat generated greatly increases as the rotation speed of the drive shaft 21 increases. In FIG. 3, the minimum heating value Qlow is set so that required heating can be obtained even at the minimum rotation speed (for example, 1000 rpm).
2.5 kW).

On the other hand, when the vehicle runs at a high speed and the rotation speed of the drive shaft 21 increases, one electromagnetic coil 34 is first demagnetized by the air conditioner ECU. Thereby, one valve element 2
5 bends to the urging force of the pressing spring 26 to close, for example, the supply hole 2c. For this reason, the silicone oil SO in the storage chamber SR is supplied to the liquid-tight gap between the wall surfaces of the second and third heat generating chambers 13 and 14 and the outer surfaces of the second and third rotors 23 and 24, but the first oil is supplied. It is not supplied to the liquid-tight gap between the wall surface of the heat generating chamber 12 and the outer surface of the first rotor 22. During this time, the first heating chamber 1
In 2, the silicone oil SO is collected in the storage chamber SR by the collecting groove 2f, the protrusion 2g, and the collecting hole 2e. As a result, the silicone oil SO is removed from the second and third heating chambers 13 and 1.
In the two liquid-tight gaps between the wall surface of the first heat generating chamber 4 and the outer surfaces of the second and third rotors 23 and 24, heat is generated by shearing.
No heat is generated in one liquid-tight gap between the second wall surface and the outer surface of the first rotor 22 without shearing.

For this reason, for example, as shown by the black circles in FIG. 3, when the rotation speed is 1300 to 1700 rpm, the heat generation Q / minimum heat generation Qlow rises with a slightly smaller slope curve. In this way, required heating and the like can be realized while avoiding excessive heating and the like and preventing high-temperature deterioration of the silicone oil SO. That is, in the viscous heater VH, the heat generation amount can be maintained in the first intermediate state.

When the vehicle travels at a higher speed and the rotation speed of the drive shaft 21 further increases, a total of two electromagnetic coils 34 are demagnetized by the air conditioner ECU. Thereby, the two valve bodies 25 are bent by the urging force of the pressing spring 26 to close, for example, the supply holes 2c and 5c. Therefore, the silicone oil SO in the storage chamber SR is supplied to the liquid-tight gap between the wall surface of the third heat generation chamber 14 and the outer surface of the third rotor 24, but is supplied to the first and second heat generation chambers 12 and 13. Wall and first and second rotors 22,
It is not supplied to the liquid-tight gap with the outer surface of 23. During this time,
In the first and second heat generating chambers 12 and 13, the silicone oil SO is collected in the storage chamber SR by the collecting grooves 2f and 5f, the protrusions 2g and 5g, and the collecting holes 2e and 5e. As a result, the silicone oil SO generates heat due to shearing in one liquid-tight gap between the wall surface of the third heat generating chamber 14 and the outer surface of the third rotor 24, but the wall surface of the first and second heat generating chambers 12 and 13 and the first , 2
The two liquid-tight gaps with the outer surfaces of the rotors 22, 23 do not generate heat without being sheared.

For this reason, as shown by, for example, a black circle in FIG. 3, when the rotation speed exceeds 1700 rpm, the heat generation amount Q / minimum heat generation amount Qlow increases with a smaller slope curve. In this way, required heating or the like can be realized while avoiding excessive heating or the like and preventing high-temperature deterioration of the silicone oil SO. That is, in the viscous heater VH, the heat generation amount can be maintained in the second intermediate state. The maximum heat value Qhigh is set so that the silicone oil SO does not deteriorate at high temperatures.

Thus, in this viscous heater VH,
The change in the calorific value can be made smooth and small even if there is a change in the rotational speed, while ensuring the minimum heat generation amount Qlow in the normal rotation speed range. Therefore, the driving shock is also reduced. If the speed of the drive shaft 21 further increases as the vehicle travels at a higher speed, the air conditioner EC
U demagnetizes a total of three electromagnetic coils 34. This stops heat generation in the three liquid tight gaps. In this case, it is possible to stop the heat generation without disconnecting the drive of the drive shaft 21 by an electromagnetic clutch or the like.

In this viscous heater VH, the first
Since the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14 are formed in a cylindrical shape provided in parallel with the drive shaft 21, the first to third rotors 22 to 24 are provided in parallel with the drive shaft 21. Although the overall shaft length is large, its small diameter has demonstrated excellent mountability on vehicles. Furthermore, in this viscous heater VH, since the storage chamber SR is single, the first to
3 Heat generating chambers 12 to 14 wall surfaces and first to third rotors 22 to 24
Even if the shearing conditions of the silicone oil SO differ depending on the operation time or the like for each liquid-tight gap with the outer surface of the liquid, the silicone oils SO are mixed in a single storage room SR, and the severe shearing conditions It does not act only on the oil SO, and it is possible to extend the life of the silicone oil as a whole. Also, arranging a single storage room SR has a simpler structure than arranging a storage room for each of the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14, and realizes a reduction in manufacturing cost. .

In the viscous heater VH, the storage chamber SR is located in parallel with the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 on the outer peripheral side of the first to third rotors 22 to 24 in the axial direction. Thus, the individual recovery holes 2e, 5e, 8e and the supply holes 2c, 5c, 8c are easily located on the outer peripheral side of the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14, and the individual recovery holes 2e, 5e, 8e and the supply holes 2c , 5c and 8c easily communicate the storage chamber SR and the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 individually from the outer peripheral side. When the silicone oil SO is supplied from the storage chamber SR to the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 through the supply holes 2c, 5c, 8c and the supply grooves 2d, 5d, 8d, the silicone oil SO is most likely to be used from the beginning. First to third rotors 2 with high peripheral speed
It will be transferred to 2 to 24 outer peripheral areas. Also, the first
When recovering the silicone oil SO from the heating chambers 12 to 14 to the storage chamber SR through the recovery holes 2e, 5e, and 8e,
The silicone oil SO that is easily degraded at the highest temperature is promptly recovered in the storage room SR with the help of the centrifugal force. For this reason, in this viscous heater VH, the silicone oil SO contains the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14 and the storage chamber S.
It is easy to circulate with R. Also, this viscous heater V
In H, since the storage chamber SR is located on the outer peripheral side of the first to third rotors 22 to 24, the shaft is larger than that of the storage chamber SR is located on the front and rear sides of the first to third rotors 22 to 24. The length is small and the structure is simple. For this reason, in this sense as well, excellent mountability to the vehicle is exhibited, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

In this viscous heater VH, the first
The plate 2, the fourth plate 5, and the seventh plate 8 are made common parts, the second plate 3, the fifth plate 6, and the eighth plate 9 are made common parts, the third plate 4 and the sixth plate 7 are made common parts, The first to third rotors 22 to 24 are common components. O-rings and bearing devices 15-2
0, each case 27 and the electromagnetic coil 28 are also common components. Therefore, it is easy to manage the parts, and in this sense, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Also,
In the viscous heater VH of the first embodiment, three rotors 22 to 24 and heat generating chambers 12 to 14 are employed. However, even if two or four or more rotors and heat generating chambers 12 to 14 are employed, the shaft The requirement can be met only by employing the drive shaft 21 and the bolt 11 having different lengths. (Comparative Embodiment 1) In this viscous heater, the storage chamber SR,
No recovery passage and supply passage are provided. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

In this viscous heater, for example, □ in FIG.
As indicated by the mark, the heat generation increases uniformly as the rotation speed of the drive shaft 21 increases. In this case, excessive heating or the like cannot be avoided, and high-temperature deterioration of the silicone oil SO is also concerned. To avoid these, the transmission of the driving force to the drive shaft 21 must be stopped by the electromagnetic clutch MC to stop the heat generation. That is, this viscous heater cannot maintain the heat value in an intermediate state. (Comparative Embodiment 2) In this viscous heater, the storage chamber SR,
Although the recovery passage and the supply passage are provided, the supply hole 2c,
5c and 8c are not independently openable and closable for each of the first to third heating chambers 12 to 14, but are collectively openable and closable.
Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

In this viscous heater, all of the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 are provided similarly to the heat generator disclosed in the US Patent Publication.
The silicone oil SO is supplied collectively for the liquid-tight gaps between the wall surfaces of the first and second to third rotors 22 to 24, and the filling amount of the silicone oil SO cannot be controlled for the individual liquid-tight gaps. Therefore, for example, in FIG.
As shown by the mark, if the rotation speed is increased to about 2000 rpm, even if heating or the like is required, in order to avoid excessive heating or the like and to prevent high-temperature deterioration of the silicone oil SO, The supply of the silicone oil SO must be stopped at once for the liquid-tight gap between the wall surfaces of the first to third heat generating chambers 12 to 14 and the outer surfaces of the first to third rotors 22 to 24. That is, even with this viscous heater, the calorific value cannot be maintained in the intermediate state. (Embodiment 2) In this viscous heater VH, as shown in FIG. 4, a bimetal valve 39 is provided at the valve seats of the supply holes 2c, 5c and 8c so as to be openable and closable according to the temperature of the silicone oil SO. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the viscous heater VH, the amount of heat generated can be adjusted internally, a simple structure can be realized as a vehicle heating device, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a viscous heater equipped with an electromagnetic clutch according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of rotations and the amount of heat generated in the viscous heaters of Embodiment 1 and Comparative Embodiments 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

12-14: Heating chamber WJ1-WJ6: Heat radiating chamber (water jacket) 1-10: Housing 15-20: Bearing device 21: Drive shaft 22-24: Rotor SO: Viscous fluid (silicone oil) 2f, 5f, 8f 2e, 5e, 8e ... collection passage (2
f, 5f, 8f: recovery groove, 2e, 5e, 8e: recovery hole 2c, 5c, 8c, 2d, 5d, 8d: supply passage (2
c, 5c, 8c: supply hole, 2d, 5d, d: supply groove) SR: storage chamber 28: electromagnetic coil 39: bimetal valve (bimetal)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tatsuya Hirose 2-1-1, Toyota-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Industries Corporation

Claims (7)

[Claims] A housing for forming a heat-generating chamber and a heat-radiating chamber adjacent to the heat-generating chamber for circulating a circulating fluid; a drive shaft rotatably supported by the housing via a bearing device; A rotor rotatably provided by the drive shaft in the heating chamber, and a viscous fluid interposed in a liquid-tight gap between a wall surface of the heating chamber and an outer surface of the rotor and sheared by the rotation of the rotor to generate heat. A heat generator comprising: a plurality of the rotors; a plurality of the heat generating chambers, each of which rotates the rotor inside, formed in the housing; and the liquid-tight gap in each of the heat generating chambers. A heat generator characterized in that the heat generation capacity of the heat generator can be controlled independently. 2. The housing communicates with each of the heat generating chambers through a recovery passage and a supply passage, and accommodates a viscous fluid exceeding a volume of a liquid-tight gap in at least one of the heat generation chambers, and connects the recovery passage and the supply passage to each other. 2. A storage chamber for circulating the viscous fluid through the storage chamber, and at least one of the recovery passage and the supply passage can be independently opened and closed for each of the heat generating chambers. Heat generator. 3. The heat generator according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the recovery passage and the supply passage is opened or closed by exciting or demagnetizing an electromagnetic coil. 4. The heat generator according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the recovery passage and the supply passage is opened and closed by deformation of the bimetal. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each rotor has a disk shape provided in parallel with the drive shaft, and each heat generating chamber is formed in a cylindrical shape provided in parallel with the drive shaft. ,
The heat generator according to 2, 3, or 4. 6. The heat generator according to claim 2, wherein the number of storage chambers is one. 7. The heat generator according to claim 6, wherein the storage chamber is located in parallel with the heat generating chamber in the axial direction on the outer peripheral side of each rotor.