JP2014088799A - Vehicle cooling system and cooling method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle cooling system which downsizes a main cooling fan thereby reducing drive loss caused when the main cooling fan is dragged to be turned and improving the fuel consumption of a vehicle, and to provide a cooling method of the vehicle cooling system.SOLUTION: A vehicle cooling system includes a duct 14 which connects a grille 11 for taking in outer air into an engine room 3 with an outlet opening part 13 for exhausting the outer air taken in from the engine room 3 and covers an intercooler 6, a radiator 7, a main cooling fan 8, and an engine 4. The main cooling fan 8 is disposed at the grille 11 side and a sub cooling fan 15 is disposed at the outlet opening part 13 side.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle cooling system that combines a radiator, another heat exchanger, and a cooling fan, and cools the radiator and the heat exchanger with outside air, and a cooling method therefor.

  Conventionally, in a vehicle cooling system, a radiator for engine cooling and a heat exchanger such as an intercooler for turbo intake cooling are superimposed on the front side of an engine (internal combustion engine), and a cooling module ( Cooling unit). On the other hand, a grill (inlet opening) is provided in the front body portion of the vehicle for taking outside air (running wind) into the cooling module.

  Outside air taken in from the grill is introduced into the cooling module to exchange heat with the outside air. The outside air after performing this heat exchange passes through the engine room (storage chamber) in which the engine is stored via the main cooling fan and is discharged to the outside of the vehicle.

  In this way, the main cooling fan is used to prevent engine overheating, which causes knocking and poor lubrication, but only when the main cooling fan is driven at high vehicle speeds where a sufficient air flow can be expected. Loss of engine output occurred, and this caused deterioration of fuel consumption.

  Thus, an apparatus has been proposed in which an electronically controlled fan clutch is interposed between the engine crankshaft and the cooling fan, and the fan clutch is disconnected each time the fan cooling is not required based on the driving condition of the vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1).

  Here, the cooling system for the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 7 showing a sectional view of the front side of the vehicle. Here, the traveling direction A of the vehicle 1X is indicated by a white arrow. The cooling system 2X is provided on the front side of the engine 4 and transmission (transmission) 5 housed in the engine room (storage chamber) 3, and the intercooler 6 and the radiator 7 are serially connected in the traveling direction A in order from the front side of the vehicle 1X. And a cooling module 10 formed by surrounding a main cooling fan 8X driven by the engine 4 with a fan shroud 9 and arranging them on the downstream side thereof.

  The main cooling fan 8X is a fan having a diameter L1, and includes an electronically controlled fan clutch (fan rotation control device) 8a.

  Further, the cooling system 2X is provided with a grill 11 at the front body portion of the vehicle 1X in order to apply outside air to the cooling module 10. The grill 11 includes a plurality of lattice portions 11a and a plurality of openings 11b, and is configured such that outside air is taken in when the vehicle 1X travels from the openings 11b.

  When the vehicle 1X travels, outside air is taken in from the grill 11. The intercooler 6 and the radiator 7 to which the outside air is applied are cooled by the main cooling fan 8X. At this time, the ECU (control device) 12 controls the fan clutch 8a so that the main cooling fan 8X increases or decreases the rotational speed mainly according to the engine water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor S1 in order to prioritize protection of the engine 4. The operation is controlled.

However, because the specifications of the main cooling fan 8 are determined with priority given to protection of the engine 4 during high load operation (for example, the diameter L1 of the main cooling fan 8X), overspecs in a relatively light load region. The drive loss due to the main cooling fan 8X is also increased.

  To solve the problem, when the cooling by the main cooling fan 8X using the fan clutch 8a is unnecessary, the fan clutch 8a is turned off and the driving force transmitted to the main cooling fan 8X is turned off. When passing through the cooling fan 8X, the main cooling fan 8X is swung (a state where the rotation is completely stopped or a state where the rotation is not completely turned off). As a result, there is a limit to the reduction of drive loss by the main cooling fan 8X because the rotation occurs.

JP 2005-3131 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to increase the cooling efficiency of the storage chamber in which the internal combustion engine is stored, reduce the drive loss due to the main cooling fan, and improve the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. The present invention provides a vehicle cooling system and a control method thereof.

  The vehicle cooling system of the present invention for solving the above-described object includes an inlet opening for taking outside air into a storage chamber in which an internal combustion engine is housed, and an outlet opening for discharging the taken outside air from the housing chamber. In a vehicle cooling system in which a heat exchanger and a main cooling fan are disposed therebetween, a duct that connects the inlet opening and the outlet opening and covers the heat exchanger, the main cooling fan, and the internal combustion engine is provided. And the main cooling fan is arranged on the inlet opening side and the sub cooling fan is arranged on the outlet opening side.

  According to this configuration, the heat exchanger and the internal combustion engine can be efficiently cooled by including the duct that guides the outside air from the inlet opening to the outlet opening and the sub cooling fan that discharges the outside air from the storage chamber to the outside. Therefore, the main cooling fan can be reduced in size. Thereby, the drive loss at the time of the rotation by the main cooling fan can be reduced, and the fuel consumption of the vehicle can be improved.

  Moreover, since the warming-up promotion effect by a duct structure improves by making a storage chamber into a duct, the fuel consumption of a vehicle can be improved. In addition, by determining the outside air introduction path to the storage room and the outside air discharge path from the storage room, the influence on the flow outside the vehicle can be minimized and the air resistance applied to the vehicle is reduced. To do. Thereby, the fuel consumption of the vehicle can be improved.

  Here, the heat exchanger refers to a radiator for cooling the internal combustion engine, an intercooler for cooling the intake air of the internal combustion engine, a condenser of a cooling device (air conditioner) in the vehicle, and an oil cooler for cooling the lubricating oil of the internal combustion engine. The present invention can also be applied to those provided with a plurality of them.

The vehicle cooling system further includes a control device that controls rotations of the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan, and the control device is configured to control the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan at a high load of the internal combustion engine. A high cooling means for driving both of the cooling fans, a low cooling means for driving at least one of the main cooling fan and the sub-cooling fan when the internal combustion engine is under a low load, and the main engine when the internal combustion engine is warmed up And a warming means for stopping both the cooling fan and the sub-cooling fan, even if the main cooling fan is downsized compared to the conventional one, the main cooling fan and the sub-cooling fan can be operated at a high load of the internal combustion engine. By driving both, the main cooling fan can be miniaturized to compensate for the reduced cooling performance. Further, driving loss can be reduced by driving either one at low load, and warming up can be promoted by stopping both fans during warm-up. As a result, the fuel consumption of the vehicle can be improved.

  As a means for controlling the rotation of the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan, for example, when the main cooling fan is driven by an internal combustion engine, fan rotation control such as a fan clutch is provided between the main cooling fan and the internal combustion engine. Means for controlling the connection and disconnection of the fan clutch through a device, and means for controlling the driving and stopping of the motor are used when the sub cooling fan is a fan driven by an electric motor.

  In addition, the vehicle cooling system control method according to the present invention for solving the above-described object includes an inlet opening for taking outside air into a storage chamber in which an internal combustion engine is stored, and discharging the taken outside air from the storage chamber. A duct connecting the outlet opening and covering the heat exchanger, the main cooling fan, and the internal combustion engine is provided. The main cooling fan is disposed on the inlet opening side, and the sub-cooling is provided on the outlet opening side. A method for controlling a cooling system for a vehicle in which a fan is disposed, wherein both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan are driven when the internal combustion engine is at a high load, and the main cooling fan is driven at a low load of the internal combustion engine. And driving at least one of the sub cooling fans, and stopping both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan when the internal combustion engine is warmed up. That.

  According to the present invention, the main cooling fan is reduced in size by increasing the cooling efficiency in the storage chamber in which the internal combustion engine is stored, thereby reducing the drive loss when the main cooling fan is swung and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Can be improved.

  Further, the fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be further improved by the warming-up promoting effect by stopping the duct structure itself, the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan and the effect of reducing the air resistance of the vehicle.

It is a figure showing composition of a cooling system of vehicles of a 1st embodiment concerning the present invention. The engine loss is represented by the engine loss of the entire engine, the drive loss due to the rotation of the main cooling fan of the conventional engine, and the drive loss due to the rotation of the main cooling fan of the vehicle cooling system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the graph shown by the number and the horsepower loss at that time. It is a figure which shows the flow of the external air of the cooling system of FIG. 1, (a) shows the state which driven both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan, and (b) drives one of the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan. (C) shows a state where both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan are stopped. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cooling system of the vehicle of 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of warming-up of the engine of the cooling system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cooling system of the vehicle of 3rd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cooling system of the conventional vehicle. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the rotation when the main cooling fan of the cooling system of FIG. 7 is stopped in terms of the number of engine revolutions and the number of revolutions of the main cooling fan at that time.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle cooling system and a cooling method thereof according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, an example in which a cooling module is disposed on the front side of a vehicle and a grille is provided on the body front portion of the vehicle will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The present invention can also be applied to a vehicle provided with a cooling module on the rear side. Note that the dimensions of the drawings are changed so that the configuration can be easily understood, and the ratios of the thicknesses, widths, lengths, and the like of the respective members and parts do not necessarily match the ratios of actually manufactured parts.

  First, a vehicle cooling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition to the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 7, the cooling system 2 for the vehicle 1 includes a grill (inlet opening) 11 and an engine room (internal combustion engine) 4 in which outside air taken in from the grill 11 is stored ( The storage chamber 3 is connected to an outlet opening 13 that discharges from the outlet 3, and includes an intercooler 6 (heat exchanger), a radiator (heat exchanger) 7, a main cooling fan 8, and a duct 14 that covers the engine 4. The part 13 is configured to include a sub cooling fan 15.

  Further, instead of the main cooling fan 8X having the diameter L1 shown in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 1, a main cooling fan 8 having a diameter L2 smaller than the diameter L1 is provided. In addition, the ECU (control device) 12 that controls the rotation speed of the main cooling fan 8 by switching the disconnection and connection of the fan clutch (fan rotation control device) 8a according to the engine water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor S1 is Means for controlling the rotational speed of the cooling fan 15 are provided.

  The engine room 3 has a hole, a gap or the like through which the outside air taken into the engine room 3 is exhausted due to its configuration, but the present invention is provided with an outlet opening 13 for discharging the outside air taken into the engine room 3. By connecting the outlet opening 13 and the grill 11 serving as an outside air intake port with a duct 14, the efficiency of cooling by the outside air is improved.

  The main cooling fan 8 has a diameter L 2 smaller than the diameter L 1 and is driven by the engine 4, and an electronically controlled fan clutch 8 a is interposed between the main cooling fan 8 and the engine 4. Connection and disconnection of the fan clutch 8a are controlled by the ECU 12 in accordance with the engine water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor S1. The main cooling fan 8 is formed to have a diameter L2 smaller than the diameter L1 of the conventional main cooling fan 8X and is reduced in size so that the fan clutch 8a is disconnected and the driving of the main cooling fan 8 is stopped. The drive loss at the time of traveling can be reduced, and the fuel consumption of the vehicle 1 can be improved.

  As can be seen from the graph shown in FIG. 8, even when the driving of the main cooling fan 8 is stopped by the fan clutch 8 a, the rotation of the main cooling fan 8 does not become zero. Therefore, the horsepower lost due to the rotation of the main cooling fan 8 does not become zero. However, as can be seen from the graph showing the relationship between the engine speed and the lost horsepower in FIG. 2, the lost horsepower caused by the rotation of the main cooling fan 8 is the loss caused by the rotation of the conventional main cooling fan 8X shown in FIG. Less than horsepower. This is because the diameter L2 of the main cooling fan 8 shown in FIG. 1 is smaller than the diameter L1.

  The outlet opening 13 is an outlet for the outside air that is disposed behind the engine 4 and is taken into the engine room 3. Preferably, after the taken outside air passes through the cooling module 10 and the engine 4, More preferably, it is configured to discharge the taken-out outside air to the outside of the vehicle 1.

  The duct 14 connects the grill 11 and the outlet opening 13 and covers the intercooler 6, the radiator 7, the main cooling fan 8, and the engine 4, and all the outside air taken in from the grill 11 is transferred to the intercooler 6, the radiator 7, the main Since it can be made to pass through the cooling fan 8 and the engine 4, cooling efficiency can be improved.

  Further, the duct 14 is formed so as to cover at least the cooling module 10 and the engine 4, and it is only necessary that the outside air can be taken into the engine room 3 and the taken outside air can be discharged from the engine room 3. do not do. For example, the engine room 3 itself may be formed in a duct shape.

  In addition, by providing this duct 14, the outside air taken in from the grill 11 exchanges heat with the intercooler 6 and the radiator 7, and then is sent to the engine 4 via the main cooling fan 8. The introduction route of the outside air to the inner engine 4 can be determined.

  Further, after the engine 4 is cooled, the outside air taken into the engine room 3 is discharged to the outside of the engine room 3 through the sub cooling fan 15 provided in the outlet opening 13 disposed behind the engine 4. It is also possible to determine the outside air discharge route from the engine room 3.

  Accordingly, since the outside air introduction path and the outside air discharge path are determined, the influence of the flow to the outside of the vehicle 1 can be minimized, and the air resistance applied to the vehicle 1 can be reduced. Can improve fuel efficiency.

  In addition, since the duct 14 covers the engine 4, warm-up of the engine 4 can be promoted when the engine 4 is warmed up.

  The sub cooling fan 15 is a fan that discharges the outside air taken into the duct 14 from the outlet opening 13 to the outside of the engine room 3 or the outside of the vehicle 1, and is driven by an electric motor (not shown). The sub-cooling fan 15 is provided so as to compensate for the cooling efficiency that is reduced by reducing the size of the main cooling fan 8 in order to reduce the drive loss during rotation.

  As described above, the duct 14 is provided to form a duct shape from the grill 11 on the front surface of the vehicle 1 to the outlet opening 13 of the engine room 3, and the sub cooling fan 15 is installed in the outlet opening 13. Since the cooling efficiency in the room 3 is increased, the main cooling fan 8 can be reduced in size, the drive loss at the time of rotation by the main cooling fan 8 can be reduced, and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 1 can be improved.

  Next, the operation of the cooling system 2 will be described with reference to FIG. When the engine water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor S1 is high, that is, when the engine 4 is at a high load, the ECU 12 drives both the main cooling fan 8 and the sub cooling fan 15 as shown in FIG. To do. Specifically, the fan clutch 8a is connected to drive the main cooling fan 8, and an electric motor (not shown) is driven to drive the sub cooling fan 15. Thus, by driving both fans 8 and 15, it is possible to meet the heat dissipation requirement of the engine 4.

When the engine water temperature is low, that is, when the engine 4 is at a low load, or when the vehicle 1 has a sufficiently high vehicle speed and enough outside air can be taken in from the grill 11, as shown in FIG. Either the fan 8 or the sub cooling fan 15 is driven. Thereby, it is possible to suppress overcooling, reduce drive loss due to the main cooling fan 8, or reduce power consumption due to the sub cooling fan 15.

  When the engine 4 needs to be warmed up, both the main cooling fan 8 and the sub cooling fan 15 are stopped as shown in FIG. The engine 4 can be warmed up by being covered with the duct 14 and reducing the flow of outside air in the duct 14.

  According to the above operation, even if the main cooling fan 8 is reduced in size, the duct 14 is covered and both the main cooling fan 8 and the sub cooling fan 15 are driven in order to reduce drive loss due to dragging. Thus, the cooling efficiency in the engine room 3 can be improved. Further, when the engine 4 is warmed up, the engine 4 can be warmed up by covering the duct 14 and stopping both the main cooling fan 8 and the sub cooling fan 15.

  In this embodiment, the main cooling fan 8 driven by the engine 4 is used. However, a fan driven by an electric motor provided separately may be used, and even in this case, the air resistance of the main cooling fan 8 itself is reduced. In addition, since the influence of the flow to the outside of the vehicle 1 can be minimized and the air resistance applied to the vehicle 1 can be reduced, the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 1 can be improved.

  Although the sub cooling fan 15 is driven by an electric motor different from the engine 4, the sub cooling fan 15 may be driven by the engine 4 and a fan clutch may be interposed between the sub cooling fan 15 and the engine 4. .

  Next, a vehicle cooling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The cooling system 20 includes a grill 22 having a movable shutter (opening / closing device) 21 instead of the grill 11 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The opening and closing of the main movable shutter 21 is controlled by the ECU 12. When it is necessary to take outside air into the engine room 3 and cool it, the main movable shutter 21 is opened to open the grill 22, and the outside air enters the engine room 3. When not taken in, it is configured to close and block the grill 22.

  By providing the main movable shutter 21 on the grill 22, finer air current control is possible. When it is necessary to take outside air into the engine room 3, the outside air can be taken in by opening the main movable shutter 21 and opening the grill 22.

  On the other hand, when there is no need to take outside air into the engine room 3, the main movable shutter 21 is closed and the grill 22 is shut off as shown in FIG. The machine can be promoted.

  Further, for example, even when only the sub cooling fan 15 is driven without driving the main cooling fan 8, if the main movable shutter 21 is closed and the grill 22 is shut off, the outside air passing through the main cooling fan 8 is removed. Since it can be reduced, it is possible to reduce the drive loss due to the rotation of the main cooling fan 8. In addition, since the air resistance applied to the vehicle 1 can be reduced by closing the main movable shutter 21, the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 1 can be improved accordingly.

Next, a vehicle cooling system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This cooling system 30 includes a sub movable shutter 31 that opens or blocks the outlet opening 13 of the engine room 3 in addition to the configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  According to this configuration, finer airflow control is possible. In this embodiment, the sub movable shutter 31 is arranged in front (upstream side) of the sub cooling fan 15, but may be arranged behind (downstream side) of the sub cooling fan 15. However, it is preferable to dispose the sub cooling fan 15 forward because it can suppress the rotation of the sub cooling fan 15.

  Further, in this embodiment, the sub movable shutter 31 is provided in the configuration of the second embodiment, but the sub movable shutter 31 may be provided in the configuration of the first embodiment. The present invention includes at least one of a configuration in which the grill 11 according to the first embodiment includes a main movable shutter 21 that prevents outside air from entering or exiting, or a configuration in which the outlet opening 13 includes a sub movable shutter 31. It can also be applied to configurations.

  In the above-described embodiment, the intercooler 6 and the radiator 7 are used as heat exchangers. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other heat exchangers (oil coolers and air conditioners (air-conditioning / heating devices)) can be used. A capacitor) may be provided.

  The vehicle cooling system according to the present invention reduces the driving loss during rotation by the main cooling fan by reducing the size of the main cooling fan by increasing the cooling efficiency of the storage chamber in which the internal combustion engine is stored. Since the fuel consumption of the vehicle can be improved, it can be used particularly for vehicles such as trucks equipped with diesel engines.

1, 1X Vehicle 2, 20, 30, 2X Cooling system 3 Engine room (storage room)
4 engine (internal combustion engine)
5 Transmission 6 Intercooler (heat exchanger)
7 Radiator (heat exchanger)
8, 8X Main cooling fan 8a Fan clutch (fan rotation control device)
9 Fan shroud 10 Cooling module 11, 22 Grill (inlet opening)
12 ECU (control device)
13 Exit opening 14 Duct 15 Sub cooling fan 21 Main movable shutter (opening / closing device)
31 Movable shutter for sub (opening / closing device)

Claims (3)

A vehicle cooling system in which a heat exchanger and a main cooling fan are disposed between an inlet opening for taking outside air into a storage chamber in which an internal combustion engine is housed and an outlet opening for discharging the taken outside air from the housing chamber. In
A duct that connects the inlet opening and the outlet opening and covers the heat exchanger, the main cooling fan, and the internal combustion engine;
A vehicle cooling system, wherein the main cooling fan is disposed on the inlet opening side and a sub-cooling fan is disposed on the outlet opening side. A control device for controlling rotation of the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan;
The control device is
High cooling means for driving both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan at the time of high load of the internal combustion engine;
A low cooling means for driving at least one of the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan at a low load of the internal combustion engine;
The vehicle cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising: a warming unit that stops both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan when the internal combustion engine is warmed up. An inlet opening for taking outside air into the storage chamber in which the internal combustion engine is housed and an outlet opening for discharging the taken outside air from the housing room are connected, and a heat exchanger, a main cooling fan, and the internal combustion engine are connected. With a covering duct,
A vehicle cooling system control method in which the main cooling fan is arranged on the inlet opening side and a sub cooling fan is arranged on the outlet opening side,
During the high load of the internal combustion engine, both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan are driven,
Driving at least one of the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan at a low load of the internal combustion engine;
A control method for a cooling system for a vehicle, wherein both the main cooling fan and the sub cooling fan are stopped when the internal combustion engine is warmed up.

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