JP7118842B2 - In-vehicle power generation system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an on-vehicle power generation system, and more particularly to an on-vehicle power generation system mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.

Conventionally, in various energy utilization devices such as internal combustion engines such as automobile engines, heat exchangers such as boilers and air conditioners, electric engines such as generators and motors, and light emitting devices such as lighting, for example, exhaust heat, light, etc. , a lot of heat energy is being released and lost.

In recent years, from the viewpoint of energy saving, it is required to recover the emitted thermal energy and reuse it as an energy source.

As such a system, for example, there has been proposed a power generating device that periodically changes the temperature of a plurality of pyroelectric elements and continuously extracts electric power from the pyroelectric elements. a heating source for increasing the temperature of each of the pyroelectric elements, a cooling source for decreasing the temperature of each of the pyroelectric elements, and a moving means for moving the pyroelectric elements to periodically increase and decrease the temperature of the pyroelectric elements A generator has been proposed. In such a power generator, for example, the pyroelectric element attached to the rotating body is moved between the heating tank and the cooling tank, thereby periodically raising and lowering the temperature of the pyroelectric element (for example, patent Reference 1).

JP-A-11-332266

On the other hand, power generators are required to have improved power generation efficiency, as well as energy saving and space saving.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is an in-vehicle power generation system that is excellent in power generation efficiency, energy saving, and space saving.

The present invention [1] comprises an engine, an exhaust pipe for discharging exhaust gas from the engine, a first device that is electrically polarized as the temperature rises and falls over time, and electric power is extracted from the first device. and cooling means comprising a cooling pipe for supplying a cooling medium to the first device, wherein the exhaust pipe and the cooling pipe are aligned in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas and the direction of flow of the cooling medium. are arranged adjacent to each other in opposite directions, the adjacent region is provided with an opening that communicates the exhaust pipe and the cooling pipe, and the opening is provided with exhaust gas and a cooling medium A rotating body having rotating vanes that can contact both the and the cooling pipe is connected to the exhaust pipe, and the rotating vanes include the first device. contains.

In the in-vehicle power generation system of the present invention, the exhaust pipe and the cooling pipe are arranged adjacent to each other such that the flow direction of the exhaust gas and the flow direction of the cooling medium are opposite to each other, and the exhaust pipe and the cooling pipe is communicated with the cooling pipe through the opening. The opening is provided with a rotating body having rotating blades that can come into contact with the exhaust gas and the cooling medium, and the rotating blades are provided with a first device.

According to such an on-vehicle power generation system, the flow direction of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe and the flow direction of the cooling medium in the cooling pipe are opposite to each other, so that the exhaust gas and the cooling medium rotate the rotating blades. . As a result, the rotating blades are brought into contact with the exhaust gas and the cooling medium alternately, and the first device provided on the rotating blades is efficiently heated and cooled.

Further, in this vehicle-mounted power generation system, since the downstream end of the cooling pipe is connected to the exhaust pipe, the exhaust pipe draws in the cooling medium due to the pressure difference, promoting the rotation of the rotary vanes.

Therefore, the rotating vane can be efficiently rotated, and the first device can be heated and cooled efficiently (that is, with energy saving).

As a result, according to this vehicle-mounted power generation system, power can be generated with excellent efficiency.

Furthermore, in this on-vehicle power generation system, since the rotating bodies are provided in adjacent portions within the exhaust pipe and the cooling pipe, space can be saved.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of an in-vehicle power generation system of the present invention (a form in which a rotary vane is composed of a first device and a second device, and the surface direction of the rotary vane faces the flow direction of exhaust gas); FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main portion of another embodiment of the vehicle-mounted power generation system of the present invention (a form in which the first device is held by a holding plate); FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main portion of another embodiment of the vehicle-mounted power generation system of the present invention (a form in which the first device is held by a holding member); FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part of another embodiment of the vehicle-mounted power generation system of the present invention (a form in which the rotating vanes are composed of the first device and the second device, and the thickness direction of the rotating vanes faces the flow direction of the exhaust gas); FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main portion of another embodiment of the vehicle-mounted power generation system of the present invention (a form in which the rotating body is a rotating member that rotates on two axes);

1. 1. Configuration of Automobile In FIG.

The in-vehicle power generation system 1 includes an engine 11, an exhaust pipe 15 for discharging exhaust gas from the engine 11, a first device 3 that is electrically polarized as the temperature rises and falls over time, and electric power from the first device 3. and a cooling device 5 as cooling means for supplying a cooling medium such as air to the first device 3 .

The engine 11 is a device that outputs power to the automobile 10. For example, a single-cylinder type or a multi-cylinder type (e.g., two-cylinder type, four-cylinder type, six-cylinder type) is adopted, and each cylinder has , a multi-cycle method (eg, a 2-cycle method, a 4-cycle method, a 6-cycle method, etc.) is adopted. FIG. 1 shows a four-cylinder engine 11 . Also, a case where each cylinder adopts the 4-cycle system will be described below.

The exhaust pipe 15 has an exhaust manifold 17 , a catalyst mounting portion 12 and an exhaust pipe 13 .

The exhaust manifold 17 is an exhaust manifold provided for converging the exhaust gas discharged from the cylinders of the engine 11, and includes a plurality of (four) upstream branch pipes 18 ( When it is necessary to distinguish between them, they are referred to as an upstream branch pipe 18a, an upstream branch pipe 18b, an upstream branch pipe 18c, and an upstream branch pipe 18d in order from the top of FIG. On the downstream side of the branch pipes 18, there is provided an air collecting pipe 19 that integrates the respective upstream branch pipes 18 into one.

In such an exhaust manifold 17 , the upstream end of the upstream branch pipe 18 is connected to each cylinder of the engine 11 , and the downstream end of the upstream branch pipe 18 and the upstream end of the air collecting pipe 19 are connected to the respective cylinders of the engine 11 . end is connected. A downstream end of the air collecting pipe 19 is connected to an upstream end of the catalyst mounting portion 12 .

The catalyst mounting portion 12 includes, for example, a catalyst carrier and a catalyst coated on the carrier. It is connected to the downstream end of the engine 11 (exhaust manifold 17) to purify harmful components such as carbon (CO).

The exhaust pipe 13 is provided for discharging exhaust gas purified in the catalyst mounting portion 12, and has an upstream end connected to the catalyst mounting portion 12 and a downstream end open to the outside air. . As a result, the exhaust gas discharged from the engine 11 can pass through the exhaust pipe 15 and be released to the outside air.

The first device 3 is a device that is electrically polarized by being supplied with exhaust gas discharged from the engine 11 and having a temperature that fluctuates with the lapse of time.

The electrical polarization referred to here is a phenomenon in which the displacement of positive and negative ions due to crystal distortion causes dielectric polarization and a potential difference, such as the piezoelectric effect, and/or a phenomenon in which the dielectric constant changes due to temperature changes and a potential difference occurs, such as pyroelectricity. It is defined as a phenomenon in which an electromotive force is generated in a material, such as an effect.

More specifically, such a first device 3 includes, for example, a device that is electrically polarized by the piezoelectric effect, a device that is electrically polarized by the pyroelectric effect, and the like.

The piezo effect is an effect (phenomenon) that, when stress or strain is applied, causes electric polarization depending on the magnitude of the stress or strain.

The first device 3 that is electrically polarized by such a piezo effect is not particularly limited, and a known piezo element (piezoelectric element) can be used.

When a piezo element is used as the first device 3, the piezo element is, for example, fixed at its periphery by a fixing member and arranged in an adjacent region 30 (described later) so as to be in contact with (exposed to) the exhaust gas. .

The fixing member is not particularly limited, and for example, a second device 4 (eg, electrodes, etc.), which will be described later, can be used.

In such a case, the piezo element is heated or cooled by the change in temperature of the exhaust gas over time, thereby expanding or contracting.

At this time, since the volume expansion of the piezo element is suppressed by the fixing member, the piezo element is pressed by the fixing member and is electrically polarized by the piezo effect (piezoelectric effect) or phase transformation near the Curie point. . As a result, power is extracted from the piezo element via the second device 4, which will be described later in detail.

In addition, such a piezoelectric element is usually maintained in a heated state or cooled state, and when the temperature becomes constant (that is, the volume is constant), the electric polarization is neutralized, and then cooled or heated, Electropolarize again.

Therefore, as described above, when the temperature of the exhaust gas periodically changes and the high temperature state and the low temperature state are cyclically repeated, the piezoelectric element is repeatedly heated and cooled periodically. Polarization and its neutralization are repeated periodically.

As a result, the second device 4, which will be described later, extracts the power as a periodically fluctuating waveform (for example, alternating current, pulsating current, etc.).

The pyroelectric effect is, for example, an effect (phenomenon) in which an insulator (dielectric) is electrically polarized according to temperature changes when the insulator (dielectric) is heated and cooled, and includes the first effect and the second effect. I'm in.

The first effect is the spontaneous polarization due to the temperature change during heating and cooling of the insulator, and the effect of generating charges on the surface of the insulator.

The second effect is that when the insulator is heated and cooled, pressure deformation occurs in the crystal structure due to temperature changes, and the stress or strain applied to the crystal structure causes piezoelectric polarization (piezo effect, piezoelectric effect). ).

A device that is electrically polarized by such a pyroelectric effect is not particularly limited, and a known pyroelectric element can be used.

When a pyroelectric element is used as the first device 3, the pyroelectric element is arranged in the adjacent region 30 (described later) so as to be in contact (exposed) to the exhaust gas.

In such a case, the pyroelectric element is heated or cooled by the temperature change of the exhaust gas over time, and is electrically polarized by the pyroelectric effect (including the first effect and the second effect). As a result, power is extracted from the pyroelectric element via the second device 4, although details will be described later.

In addition, such a pyroelectric element is usually maintained in a heated state or a cooled state, and when the temperature becomes constant, the electric polarization is neutralized, and then it is cooled or heated to become electric polarized again. .

Therefore, as described above, when the temperature of the heat source 2 periodically changes and the high temperature state and the low temperature state are periodically repeated, the pyroelectric element is repeatedly heated and cooled periodically. The electrical polarization of the element and its neutralization are repeated periodically.

As a result, the second device 4, which will be described later, extracts the power as a periodically fluctuating waveform (for example, alternating current, pulsating current, etc.).

As such a first device 3, specifically, as described above, a known pyroelectric element (for example, BaTiO ₃ , CaTiO ₃ , (CaBi)TiO ₃ , BaNd ₂ Ti ₅ O ₁₄ , BaSm ₂ Ti ₄ O ₁₂ , lead zirconate titanate (PZT: Pb(Zr, Ti)O ₃ ), etc.), known piezo elements (e.g., crystal (SiO ₂ ), zinc oxide (ZnO), Rochelle salt (potassium-sodium tartrate) _{( KNaC4H4O6} ), lead zirconate titanate (PZT:Pb(Zr,Ti)O3), lithium niobate (LiNbO3) _, lithium tantalate ( _LiTaO3 ) _, lithium tetraborate _{( Li2B 4} O ₇ ), langasite (La ₃ Ga ₅ SiO ₁₄ ), aluminum nitride (AlN), tourmaline, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), etc.), Ca ₃ (VO ₄ ) ₂ , Ca ₃ (VO ₄ ) ₂ /Ni, LiNbO ₃ , LiNbO ₃ /Ni, LiTaO ₃ , LiTaO ₃ /Ni, Li(Nb _0.4 Ta _0.6 )O ₃ , Li(Nb _0.4 Ta _0.6 )O ₃ /Ni , Ca ₃ {(Nb, Ta) O ₄ } ₂ , Ca ₃ {(Nb, Ta) O ₄ } ₂ /Ni, and the like can be used.

Further, as the first device 3, LaNbO ₃ , LiNbO ₃ , KNbO ₃ , MgNbO ₃ , CaNbO ₃ , (K _1/2 Na _1/2 )NbO ₃ , (K _1/2 Na _1/2 )NbO ₃ /Ni, ( _Bi1 /2K1/4Na1 _{/ 4} )NbO3, (Sr1/ ₁₀₀ (K1 _/ 2Na1 _/2 ) _99/100 ) _{NbO3 ,} (Ba1/ ₁₀₀ (K ₁ /2Na1/ ₂ ) _99/100 ) _NbO3 , (Li1/ ₁₀ (K1 _{/ 2Na1 /2} ) _9/10 ) _NbO3 , _Sr2NaNb5O15 , _{Sr19 / 10Ca1 / 10NaNb5O15} , _{Sr19 / 10Ca1 / 10NaNb5O15} / _Ni , _Ba2NaNbO15 , _Ba2Nb2O6 , _{Ba2NaNbO15 / Ni} , _{Ba2Nb2O6 / Ni} , _etc. can also be used.

These first devices 3 can be used singly or in combination of two or more.

The Curie point (Tc) of the first device 3 is, for example, −77° C. or higher, preferably −10° C. or higher, and for example, 1300° C. or lower, preferably 900° C. or lower.

In addition, the dielectric constant of the first device 3 (insulator (dielectric)) is, for example, 1 or more, preferably 100 or more, more preferably 2000 or more.

In such a power generation system 1, the higher the relative dielectric constant of the first device 3 (insulator (dielectric)), the higher the energy conversion efficiency and the higher the power can be extracted. If the dielectric constant is less than the above lower limit, the energy conversion efficiency may be low, and the voltage of the power obtained may be low.

The first device 3 (insulator (dielectric)) is electrically polarized by the temperature change of the exhaust gas, and the electrical polarization may be any of electronic polarization, ionic polarization and orientational polarization.

For example, it is expected that power generation efficiency can be improved by changing the molecular structure of a material that exhibits polarization due to orientational polarization (for example, liquid crystal material).

Further, although details will be described later, the first device 3 is fixed to a rotating blade 7 (described later) of a rotor 6 (described later) in an adjacent region 30 (described later), Through 2 devices 4, contact (exposure) to exhaust gas is enabled.

A second device 4 is provided to extract power from the first device 3 .

More specifically, such a second device 4 is not particularly limited. , conductive wires and the like connected to these electrodes, and are electrically connected to the first device 3 .

In addition, the second device 4 is electrically connected to the battery 9 via a booster (not shown), an AC/DC converter (not shown), etc., if necessary. there is

The cooling device 5 comprises cooling pipes 21 for supplying a cooling medium (air) to the first device 3 .

The cooling pipe 21 has an upstream end open to the atmosphere, a middle portion adjacent to the exhaust pipe 15 , and a downstream end connected to the exhaust pipe 15 .

More specifically, the cooling pipe 21 is arranged so as to extend along the exhaust pipe 15 and be adjacent to the exhaust pipe 15 at least partly in the length direction.

At the portion where the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 are adjacent to each other, the flow direction of the exhaust gas (see the thick arrow in FIG. 1) and the flow direction of the cooling medium (see the thin arrow in FIG. 1) are opposite to each other. A tube 15 and a cooling tube 21 are arranged.

For example, in FIG. 1, the exhaust pipe 15 is arranged so that the exhaust gas flows from the front to the rear of the automobile 10, and the cooling medium (air) flows from the rear to the front of the automobile 10. A cooling pipe 21 is arranged.

This forms an adjacent region 30 in which the cooling pipe 21 and the exhaust pipe 15 are arranged adjacently such that the flow direction of the exhaust gas and the flow direction of the cooling medium (air) are opposite to each other.

Further, the cooling pipe 21 is bent in the opposite direction on the downstream side of the adjacent region 30 in the flow direction of the cooling medium (upstream side of the exhaust pipe 15 in the flow direction of the exhaust gas).

The downstream end of the cooling pipe 21 is connected to the side wall of the exhaust pipe 15 downstream of the adjacent region 30 (first device 3 ) of the exhaust pipe 15 in the exhaust gas flow direction.

As a result, the cooling medium in the cooling pipe 21 can be mixed with the exhaust gas and discharged from the exhaust pipe 15 .

An opening 25 that communicates the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 is formed in an adjacent region 30 between the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 .

More specifically, in adjacent region 30 , a portion of the side wall of cooling pipe 21 contacts a portion of the side wall of exhaust pipe 15 or a portion of the side wall of cooling pipe 21 contacts a portion of the side wall of exhaust pipe 15 . shared with part of the side wall of

In this adjacent region 30 , an opening 25 is formed so as to penetrate the contact portion or shared portion between the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 . The size and shape of the opening 25 are appropriately set according to the size of the rotor 6, which will be described later.

Further, the rotating body 6 is provided in the opening 25 .

The rotating body 6 is a rotating member that is uniaxially rotated by wind pressure, and is provided to alternately expose the first device 3 to the exhaust gas and the cooling medium (air).

More specifically, the rotating body 6 comprises a rotating vane 7 with the first device 3 and a shaft portion 8 .

The rotating blades 7 are provided so as to extend from the shaft portion 8 in a direction (radial direction) perpendicular to the direction of the rotating shaft.

The rotating blade 7 has a rectangular plate shape, and includes, for example, a first device 3 and a pair of second devices 4 that sandwich the first device 3 from both sides in the thickness direction. In FIG. 1 the rotating vane 7 is formed from a first device 3 and a pair of second devices 4 .

Such rotary blades 7 are supported by the shaft portion 8 so that a flat surface is formed along the direction of the rotation axis of the shaft portion 8 .

The number of rotating blades 7 is not particularly limited, and is one or more, preferably two or more, and is, for example, twenty or less, preferably ten or less. In FIG. 1, the rotating blades 7 represent the four rotating bodies 6 .

The shaft portion 8 is a rotating shaft that supports the rotating blades 7 and is arranged at the boundary portion between the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 .

More specifically, the shaft portion 8 is rotatably provided along a direction (vehicle width direction) orthogonal to the flow direction of the exhaust gas and the flow direction of the cooling medium on the plane where the opening portion 25 is formed. there is A rotating vane 7 having the first device 3 is supported on the shaft portion 8 as described above.

Therefore, when the rotating vane 7 is located forward from the shaft portion 8 along the opening 25 as a 0° phase, the rotating blade 7 is exposed in the exhaust pipe 15 between 0° and 180°, and is exposed within the exhaust pipe 15 between 180° and It is rotated so that it is exposed within the cooling tube 21 for 360°.

As a result, the first device 3 of the rotary vane 7 is rotatable around the shaft portion 8 between the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 (see the dashed arrow in FIG. 1). ) alternately.

A cooling pump 22 is interposed in the middle of the cooling pipe 21 in the flow direction, more specifically, upstream of the adjacent region 30 .

The cooling pump 22 is, for example, a known air supply pump, more specifically, a known air supply pump such as an air compressor. Although not shown, the cooling pump 22 is connected to a control unit (for example, ECU: Electronic Control Unit) that executes electrical control in the automobile 10, and the cooling pump 22 is controlled to be driven and stopped. . Further, if necessary, a valve for controlling the opening and closing of the cooling pipe 21 and the degree of opening may be provided in the middle of the cooling pipe 21 in the flow direction.

2. Power Generation Method A power generation method using the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1 described above will be described in detail below.

In this on-vehicle power generation system 1, the engine 11 is driven to repeat the up-and-down movement of the piston in each cylinder. .

The exhaust gas discharged from each cylinder of the engine 11 in this manner is introduced into each upstream branch pipe 18 of the exhaust manifold 17 of the exhaust pipe 15 and collected in the air collecting pipe 19 . After that, the exhaust gas passes through the catalyst mounting portion 12, is purified by the catalyst, passes through the exhaust pipe 13 and the adjacent area 30, and is discharged to the outside air.

In such an on-vehicle power generation system 1, the temperature of exhaust gas is, for example, 100 to 1200.degree. C., preferably 200 to 900.degree.

On the other hand, in the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1, the cooling device 5 is operated while the engine 11 is being driven.

More specifically, a control unit (not shown) drives the cooling pump 22 to supply the cooling pipe 21 with air as a cooling medium.

The cooling medium (air) supplied to the cooling pipe 21 flows along the direction opposite to the flow direction of the exhaust gas and passes through the adjacent region 30 . Then, the cooling medium (air) is folded back on the downstream side of the adjacent region 30, flows along the same direction as the flow direction of the exhaust gas, and joins the exhaust pipe 15 downstream of the adjacent region 30 in the exhaust pipe 15. .

In the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1, as described above, the rotating body 6 having the rotating blades 7 is provided in the adjacent region 30 where the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 are adjacent to each other.

Specifically, the rotating vane 7 is provided with the first device 3 and is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 6 so that it can alternately come into contact with the exhaust gas and the cooling medium (air) according to its rotation. and

Also, in the adjacent portion 33, the flow direction of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe 15 and the flow direction of the cooling medium in the cooling pipe 21 are opposite to each other.

Therefore, when exhaust gas is supplied to the exhaust pipe 15 and a cooling medium (air) is supplied to the cooling pipe 21 , the rotating vanes 7 of the rotor 6 rotate in the adjacent region 30 .

In particular, in the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1 , the downstream end of the cooling pipe 21 is connected to the exhaust pipe 15 , so the exhaust pipe 15 sucks the cooling medium (air) due to the pressure difference, Promote rotation.

As a result, the rotating vane 7 rotates, and the first device 3 is exposed to the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe 15 through the second device 4 and heated, and then exposed to the cooling medium (air) in the cooling pipe 21 and cooled. be done.

In this way, by repeating the rotary motion of the rotating vanes 7, the first device 3 is alternately brought into contact with the exhaust gas and the cooling medium, and is alternately heated and cooled.

Then, as a result, the first device 3 can be periodically placed in a high temperature state or a low temperature state, and the first device 3 can have an effect (for example, , piezo effect, pyroelectric effect, etc.).

Therefore, in the on-vehicle power generation system 1 , power can be extracted from each of the first devices 3 via the second device 4 as a periodically fluctuating waveform (for example, alternating current, pulsating current, etc.).

After that, in this method, for example, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. After being converted into a DC voltage in a device (not shown), it is stored in the battery 9 .

The electric power stored in the battery 9 can be appropriately used as power for the vehicle 10 and various electrical components mounted on the vehicle 10 .

3. Functions and Effects In the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1 described above, the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 are arranged adjacent to each other such that the flow direction of the exhaust gas and the flow direction of the cooling medium are opposite to each other. At 33 , the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21 are communicated through an opening 25 . The opening 25 is provided with a rotating body 6 having a rotating vane 7 that can come into contact with the exhaust gas and the cooling medium.

According to the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1, the direction of flow of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe 15 and the direction of flow of the cooling medium in the cooling pipe 21 are opposite to each other. Rotate 7. As a result, the rotating vanes 7 are brought into contact with the exhaust gas and the cooling medium alternately, and the first device provided on the rotating vanes 7 is efficiently heated and cooled.

In addition, in the on-vehicle power generation system 1 , the downstream end of the cooling pipe 21 is connected to the exhaust pipe 15 , so the exhaust pipe 15 draws in the cooling medium due to the pressure difference and promotes the rotation of the rotary vanes 7 .

Therefore, the rotating vane 7 can be efficiently rotated, and the first device 3 can be heated and cooled efficiently (that is, with energy saving).

As a result, the in-vehicle power generation system 1 can generate power with excellent efficiency.

Furthermore, in the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1, since the rotating body 6 is provided in the adjacent portion 33 in the exhaust pipe 15 and the cooling pipe 21, space can be saved.

4. Modifications In the above description, each rotary vane 7 is formed from one first device 3 and a pair of second devices 4, but the rotary vanes 7 are shown enlarged in FIG. 2, for example. , a plurality of first devices 3 and second devices 4 may be fixed on one side of a holding plate 23 such as a metal plate, and as shown in enlarged view in FIG. Device 3 and second device 4 may be gripped by a gripping material 24 such as a mesh plate.

Furthermore, the holding plate 23 and the gripping material 24 can also be shared as the second device 4 (electrode) as needed.

In the above description, the rotor blades 7 are arranged so that their surfaces face the flow directions of the exhaust gas and the cooling medium. For example, as shown in FIG. and may be arranged perpendicular to the flow direction of the cooling medium. Further, a plurality of rotating blades 7 may be arranged at predetermined intervals along the direction in which the shaft portion 6 extends. Note that the surface of the rotary vane 7 faces the flow direction of the exhaust gas and the cooling medium (FIGS. 1 to 3) rather than the configuration in which the surface of the rotary vane 7 is perpendicular to the flow direction of the exhaust gas and the cooling medium (FIG. 4). is preferable from the viewpoint of power generation efficiency.

In addition, in the above description, the rotating body 6 is formed as a rotating member that rotates uniaxially. It may be formed as a rotating member that rotates on two axes. Such a rotating body 6 is provided with two shaft portions 8 spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and the endless member 31 is wound around the two shaft portions 8 . A plurality of rotating blades 7 are provided on the endless member 31 . Thereby, the rotating body 6 can alternately expose the first device 3 to the exhaust gas and the cooling medium (air).

In addition, in the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1 described above, electric power is extracted only by heating and cooling the first device 3. However, for example, in order to improve power generation efficiency, voltage (electric field) can also be applied. In such a case, for example, a voltage (electric field) is applied to the first device 3 when heating the first device 3 , and then power is recovered from the first device 3 when cooling the first device 3 . As a result, it is possible to improve the power generation efficiency.

In addition, in the vehicle-mounted power generation system 1 described above, the cooling pump 22 is provided in the middle of the cooling pipe 21 in the flow direction. The cooling pump 22 may not be provided in the cooling pipe 21 if the suction force generated by being connected to the pipe 15 is sufficient to supply the cooling medium. According to such an in-vehicle power generation system 1, further energy saving can be achieved.

1 In-vehicle power generation system 3 First device 4 Second device 5 Cooling device 6 Rotating body 7 Rotating blade 11 Engine 15 Exhaust pipe 21 Cooling pipe 25 Opening 30 Adjacent region

Claims (1)

engine and
an exhaust pipe for discharging exhaust gas from the engine;
a first device that is electrically polarized by increasing and decreasing temperature over time;
a second device for extracting power from the first device;
cooling means comprising a cooling pipe for supplying a cooling medium to the first device;
The exhaust pipe and the cooling pipe have adjacent regions arranged adjacent to each other such that the flow direction of the exhaust gas and the flow direction of the cooling medium are opposite to each other,
The adjacent region is provided with an opening that communicates with the exhaust pipe and the cooling pipe,
The opening is provided with a rotating body having rotating blades capable of coming into contact with both the exhaust gas and the cooling medium,
a downstream end of the cooling pipe is connected to the exhaust pipe;
An in-vehicle power generation system, wherein the rotating vane comprises the first device.

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