JP5915844B2 - Vehicle cooling device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for improving heat dissipation performance in a heat exchange means mounted on a vehicle.

  The automobile is equipped with a heat exchange means such as a radiator. For example, a radiator has a function of reducing the temperature of cooling water by introducing cooling water for cooling the engine and exchanging heat with traveling wind. Further, the radiator is equipped with a radiator fan for supplying wind to the radiator core so that cooling can be performed even when traveling wind cannot be obtained sufficiently, such as when traveling is stopped. In recent years, a radiator fan is often used in an electric drive type in order to save space and prevent a decrease in engine output.

Moreover, in order to improve the heat dissipation performance of a radiator under a high temperature environment such as summer, a technique for injecting water into the radiator to cool it has been proposed (Patent Document 1).
In patent document 1, the water stored in the water storage tank mounted in the vehicle is injected toward a radiator core according to the driving | running state of an engine.
Furthermore, in order to reduce the frequency of water replenishment to the water storage tank, a technique has also been proposed in which waste water from an air conditioner (condensed water generated from an evaporator) is introduced into the water storage tank (Patent Document 2).

JP 2004-125297 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127652

In the electric radiator fan as described above, it is required to reduce the power consumption in order to reduce the size of the in-vehicle battery as a driving power source. In addition, when the vehicle is stopped or when traveling at a low speed, the operating noise of the radiator fan is noticeable, and it is desired to suppress the operation of the radiator fan as much as possible.
On the other hand, the cited document 1 is controlled so as to inject water to the radiator during high output operation of the engine, and the water in the cooling water in the radiator is expected to become high temperature. In addition, Cited Document 2 does not clearly indicate the timing of water injection to the radiator. That is, in both cited documents 1 and 2, although it is possible to cool the radiator by jetting water, it is possible to effectively suppress the operation of the radiator fan and reduce the power consumption and noise of the radiator fan. Not what you want.

For example, even if control is performed so that water is jetted to the radiator based on the temperature of the cooling water, the radiator fan is repeatedly activated and stopped, or the speed change is repeated depending on the set temperature at which water is jetted. There is a possibility that the operation sound of the above becomes uncomfortable.
The present invention was made to solve such a problem, and the object is to inject water into heat exchange means such as a radiator at an appropriate timing to suppress the operation of the electric fan, An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cooling device capable of reducing power consumption and noise of an electric fan.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle cooling apparatus according to claim 1 includes heat exchange means for exchanging heat with the heat medium by traveling wind, and supplies wind to the heat exchange means to provide heat exchange means. A cooling device for a vehicle including an electric fan for cooling, a temperature for detecting the temperature of a heat medium introduced into the heat exchanging means and a cooling means for injecting water into the heat exchanging means to cool the heat exchanging means Detecting means and control means for performing switching control of the operating speed of the electric fan based on the temperature of the heat medium detected by the temperature detecting means, wherein the control means has a temperature of the heat medium of the operating speed of the electric fan. When the cooling means is operated and controlled to inject water to the heat exchanging means at a temperature lower than the threshold value of the temperature of the heat medium to be switched, and water is injected to the heat exchanging means by the cooling means. It raises the threshold And wherein the door.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle cooling device according to the first aspect, when the control means performs the water injection to the heat exchange means, the next time until the predetermined time elapses from the end of the water injection. Water is not jetted by the cooling means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle cooling apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the vehicle is provided with an air conditioner, and the cooling means is used as water for injecting condensed water generated from the evaporator of the air conditioner to the heat exchange means. It is characterized by doing.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle cooling apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the heat exchanging means is a radiator and the heat medium is engine cooling water.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the heat exchanging means is cooled by injecting water to the heat exchanging means by the cooling means, it is possible to suppress the temperature increase of the heat medium. And since water is injected to the heat exchange means at a temperature lower than the threshold value for switching the operation of the electric fan by the temperature of the heat medium, it becomes difficult for the temperature of the heat medium to reach the threshold value. Thereby, the operation switching of the electric fan can be suppressed and power consumption and noise can be reduced.
Further, when water is injected to the heat exchange means by the cooling means, the threshold value is raised, so that the operation change of the electric fan can be further suppressed, and power consumption and noise can be further reduced.

According to the invention of claim 2, when water is injected to the heat exchanging means, the next water injection is not performed until a predetermined time has elapsed from the end of the water injection. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of control hunting that causes the water injection to be repeated when the temperature is likely to rise.
According to the invention of claim 3 , since the condensed water generated from the evaporator of the air conditioner is used as the water to be injected to the heat exchange means, it is possible to reduce the replenishment frequency of the water to be injected to the heat exchange means. Become.
According to invention of Claim 4 , water is injected to a radiator by a cooling means, and the temperature rise of engine cooling water can be suppressed. And the switching operation of the electric fan which cools a radiator can be suppressed, power consumption can be reduced, and noise can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram of the cooling device of the radiator which concerns on this embodiment. It is a map for the operation switching of the radiator fan and water injection in ECU which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the water injection in ECU which concerns on this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cooling device for a radiator 2 (heat exchange means) according to the present invention.
The vehicle 1 of this embodiment provided with the cooling device of the present invention includes an engine (not shown) as a travel drive source. As shown in FIG. 1, a radiator 2 is provided at the front portion of the vehicle 1 as an engine cooling device.

The radiator 2 has a function of reducing the temperature of the engine cooling water by introducing the engine cooling water and exchanging heat with the traveling wind.
Further, the radiator 2 is an electrically driven radiator for supplying wind to the radiator core 2a so that the engine cooling water can be cooled even when running wind is not sufficiently obtained when the running is stopped. A fan 3 (electric fan) is mounted.

Further, the vehicle according to the present embodiment is provided with a water injection device 10 (cooling means) for cooling the radiator 2. The water injection device 10 includes a nozzle 11 provided in front of the radiator 2 and a water storage tank 12.
The water storage tank 12 has a structure in which drainage (condensate water generated from an evaporator) of an air conditioner 14 (air conditioner) of a vehicle is introduced via a drain hose 13.

The nozzle 11 is provided with an electric pump 15, and the water stored in the water storage tank 12 is sprayed to the front surface of the radiator core 2 a by the operation of the pump 15.
Further, the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment includes a vehicle speed sensor 20 that detects the vehicle speed V, a water temperature sensor 21 (temperature detection means) that detects the temperature (water temperature H) of engine cooling water introduced into the radiator 2, and the inside of the water storage tank 12. And an electronic control unit (control means, hereinafter referred to as ECU 30) for controlling the operation of the water injection device 10 and the radiator fan 3. The water amount switch 22 outputs a signal when, for example, the amount of water in the water storage tank 12 is sufficient for cooling the radiator 2.

The ECU 30 includes an input / output device, a storage device (ROM, RAM, nonvolatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), and the like.
The vehicle speed sensor 20, the water temperature sensor 21, and the water amount switch 22 are electrically connected to the input side of the ECU 30. Detection information from these various sensors is input, and an on / off signal of the air conditioner 14 is input. Is done.

The radiator fan 3 and the pump 15 of the water injection device 10 are connected to the output side of the ECU 30 so that the operation thereof can be controlled.
FIG. 2 is a map for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 and the water injection device 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 30 switches the operation of the radiator fan 3 according to the air conditioner on / off, the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 20, and the water temperature H detected by the water temperature sensor 21. Specifically, with the water temperature having a relationship of 0 <H1 <H2 <H3 <H4 <H5 as a threshold, it is switched to stop (off), low speed operation (LOW), high speed operation (HIGH), air conditioner on, off, and vehicle speed The water temperature threshold is set differently according to V.

  When the air conditioner is off and the vehicle speed V is lower than the threshold value V1, the radiator fan 3 is turned off when the water temperature H is lower than the threshold value H2, and the radiator fan 3 is operated at a lower speed when the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H2 and lower than the threshold value H4. In operation, when the water temperature is higher than the threshold value H4, the radiator fan 3 is operated at high speed. Note that the threshold value V1 of the vehicle speed V may be set to a vehicle speed at which the heat dissipation performance of the radiator 2 is secured by the traveling wind.

When the air conditioner is off and the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1, the radiator fan 3 is turned off when the water temperature H is lower than the threshold value H3, and when the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H3 and lower than the threshold value H5, the radiator fan 3 is operated at a lower speed. In operation, when the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H5, the radiator fan 3 is operated at high speed.
When the air conditioner is on and the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold value V1, the radiator fan 3 is turned off when the water temperature H is lower than the threshold value H1, and the radiator fan 3 is operated at a lower speed when the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H1 and lower than the threshold value H3. In operation, when the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H3, the radiator fan 3 is operated at high speed.

When the air conditioner is on and the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1, the radiator fan 3 is turned off when the water temperature H is lower than the threshold value H2, and when the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H2 and lower than the threshold value H4, the radiator fan 3 is operated at a lower speed. In operation, when the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H4, the radiator fan 3 is operated at high speed.
Further, when the air conditioner is on, when the radiator fan 3 is set to off or low speed operation, the temperature is 1 ° lower than the threshold value for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 (H1-1 ° if the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold value V1). And H3-1 ° and water injection by the water injection device 10 at H2-1 ° and H4-1 ° when the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1.

In addition, when the radiator fan 3 is set to high speed operation when the air conditioner is turned on, water is injected for a predetermined time T1 every predetermined time T2.
The control when the air conditioner is on and the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold value V1 shown in FIG. 2 is shown in Map 1, and the control when the air conditioner is on and the vehicle speed V is greater than or equal to the threshold value V1 is Map 2.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of water injection in the ECU 30 according to the present embodiment, and shows a control procedure of water injection when the air conditioner is turned on shown in FIG.

This routine is repeated when the vehicle power is turned on.
First, in step S10 shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the air conditioner is on depending on whether or not an operation signal is input from the air conditioner 14. If the air conditioner is on, the process proceeds to step S20.
In step S <b> 20, it is determined whether or not the amount of water is secured in the water storage tank 12 based on the presence or absence of a detection signal from the water amount switch 22. When the amount of water is secured in the water storage tank 12, the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S <b> 30, the vehicle speed V is input from the vehicle speed sensor 20, and the water temperature H is input from the water temperature sensor 21. Then, the process proceeds to step S40.
In step S40, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed V input in step S30 is less than a threshold value V1. If the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold value V1, the process proceeds to step S50. If the vehicle speed V is greater than or equal to the threshold value V1, the process proceeds to step S100.

In step S50, the map 1 shown in FIG. 2 is read. Specifically, the water temperature threshold values H1 and H3 for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 in the control when the air conditioner is on and the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold value V1 shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S60.
In step S60, it is determined whether or not the water temperature H input in step S30 is higher than a threshold value H3. If the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H3, the process proceeds to step S80. If the water temperature H is equal to or lower than the threshold value H3, the process proceeds to step S70.

  In step S70, it is determined whether or not the water temperature H input in step S30 is a value (H1-1 °) that is one degree lower than the threshold value H1, or a value (H3-1 °) that is one degree lower than the threshold value H3. Determine. Here, not only does the water temperature H completely coincide with H1-1 ° or H3-1 °, it is preferable to provide a slight range on the lower side from a value that is 1 degree lower than the threshold values H1, H3. That is, it may be set so that it can be detected immediately before reaching the threshold value H1 or the threshold value H3 when the water temperature rises. If the water temperature H is the threshold value H1-1 ° or the threshold value H3-1 °, the process proceeds to step S80.

In step S80, the operation of the pump 15 is controlled so that water is jetted from the nozzle 11 toward the radiator core 2a. The water is ejected from the nozzle 11 for a predetermined time T1 which is set in advance so that water does not spill from the surface of the radiator core 2a and is not wasted cooling. Then, the process proceeds to step S90.
In step S90, the system waits for a predetermined time T2. This predetermined time T2 sets the interval of water injection, and is set so that the next water injection cannot be performed unless the predetermined time T2 elapses from the previous water injection. This prevents control hunting that causes water injection to be repeated when the water temperature is likely to rise. Then, this routine ends.

In step S100, the map 2 shown in FIG. 2 is read. Specifically, the water temperature threshold values H2 and H4 for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 in the control when the air conditioner is on and the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S110.
In step S110, it is determined whether or not the water temperature H input in step S30 is higher than a threshold value H4. If the water temperature H is higher than the threshold value H4, the process proceeds to step S80. If the water temperature H is equal to or lower than the threshold value H4, the process proceeds to step S120.

  In step S120, it is determined whether or not the water temperature H input in step S30 is a value that is 1 degree lower than the threshold value H2 (H2-1 °) or a value that is 1 degree lower than the threshold value H4 (H4-1 °). To do. Here, not only does it completely coincide with the threshold value H2-1 ° or the threshold value H4-1 °, but a slight range may be provided on the lower side from a value one degree lower than the threshold values H2, H4. That is, it may be set so that it can be detected immediately before reaching the threshold value H2 or threshold value H4 when the water temperature rises. If the water temperature H is the threshold value H2-1 ° or the threshold value H4-1 °, the process proceeds to step S80. When the water temperature H is not the threshold value H2-1 ° and not the threshold value H4-1 °, this routine is terminated.

If it is determined in step S10 that the air conditioner is not on, or if it is determined in step S20 that the amount of water is not secured in the water storage tank 12, the water temperature H is not the threshold value H1-1 ° in step 70, and the threshold value This routine is also terminated when it is determined that the angle is not H3-1 °.
With the configuration as described above, in the present embodiment, water is injected from the nozzle 11 by the water injection device 10 to cool the radiator 2 and suppress the temperature rise of the engine coolant in the radiator 2. it can. The water sprayed from the nozzle 11 is supplied from the water storage tank 12, but the water discharged from the air conditioner 14 via the drain hose 13 is introduced into the water storage tank 12. The frequency of water replenishment can be reduced. Cooling of the radiator 2 is often required in a high temperature environment such as in the summer. However, in such a high temperature environment, since the air conditioner 14 is frequently used, water can be sufficiently supplied from the air conditioner 14.

Further, in the present embodiment, the operation of the radiator fan 3 of the radiator 2 is switched to three stages of OFF, low speed operation (LOW), and high speed operation (HIGH) according to the coolant cooling water temperature H. In particular, when the water temperature H is high, the rotation speed of the radiator fan 3 can be switched to high speed operation (HIGH), and the water temperature H can be quickly reduced.
Further, the threshold value for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 is set differently depending on the vehicle speed V. When the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1, the threshold value of the water temperature H is set higher than when the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold value V1. For example, when the air conditioner is on, the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1, so that the threshold value for switching the radiator fan 3 off and LOW is set high from H1 to H2, and the threshold value for switching LOW and HIGH is set high from H3 to H4. To do. Thus, in consideration of the fact that the radiator 2 is cooled by the traveling wind when the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1, the operation of the radiator fan 3 is suppressed to suppress power consumption.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, water injection by the water injection device 10 is controlled in association with switching of the operation of the radiator fan 3. For example, when the air conditioner is on and the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold value V1, when the radiator fan 3 is set to OFF or LOW, the water temperature H reaches 1 ° lower than the threshold values H1 and H3. Is to be injected. Accordingly, the water temperature H is temporarily lowered immediately before the thresholds H1 and H3, thereby suppressing the increase in the water temperature H and efficiently switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 to the high speed side.

Further, when the radiator fan 3 is set to HIGH when the air conditioner is turned on, water is injected at a predetermined time T2 to reduce the water temperature H of the engine cooling water, and the rotational speed of the radiator fan 3 is set to Low or lower. I try to keep it down.
Thus, in this embodiment, by controlling the injection of water to the radiator 2 in association with the switching of the operation of the radiator fan 3, the radiator 2 is cooled by injecting water at an appropriate timing. Driving on the high speed side can be efficiently suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress power consumption by driving the radiator fan 3 and to suppress noise. In particular, by suppressing the switching of the operating state of the radiator fan 3 by injecting water immediately before the thresholds H1 to H4, it is possible to suppress a change in the operating sound of the radiator fan 3 and greatly contribute to noise reduction. Moreover, since the radiator 2 can be cooled by jetting water, the capacity of the radiator 2 can be reduced and the radiator fan 3 can be reduced in size.

Further, when water is injected into the radiator 2, the thresholds H1 to H4 for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 are set higher than when water is not injected . Since the radiator 2 can be cooled by jetting water, the radiator 2 can be sufficiently cooled even if the threshold values H1 to H4 for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3 are raised and set. And by raising the threshold values H1 to H4 for switching the operation of the radiator fan 3, the operation of the radiator fan 3 can be stopped or suppressed to the low speed side, and the power consumption and noise of the radiator fan 3 can be further suppressed. be able to.

In this embodiment, water injection is limited when the air conditioner is on. This is because the water injection is limited when the drainage from the air conditioner 14 is replenished to the water storage tank 12 by the air conditioner operation, or in a high temperature environment where the air conditioner 14 is operated. Water depletion can be suppressed.
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, water injection may be performed even when the air conditioner is off, similarly to when the air conditioner is on. Thus, even when the air conditioner is off, the operation of the electric fan 2 can be further suppressed by injecting water.

Alternatively, the drainage of the air conditioner 14 may not be introduced into the water storage tank 12, but the driver or the like may replenish the water storage tank 12 with the entire amount of water.
In the present embodiment, the engine cooling water is cooled by injecting water toward the radiator core 2a. However, the coolant is injected by injecting water into a condenser (radiator) (not shown) of the air conditioner 14. May be cooled. In this way, the liquefaction of the refrigerant in the condenser is promoted, so that the condenser can be miniaturized and the radiator fan 3 that supplies cooling air to the condenser can be miniaturized.

  Further, the present invention can be widely applied to vehicles capable of cooling heat exchange means such as the radiator 2 by an electric fan. It can be widely applied to vehicles that are not mounted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Radiator 3 Radiator fan 10 Water injection apparatus 14 Air conditioner 21 Water temperature sensor 30 ECU

Claims (4)

A vehicle cooling device including a heat exchanging unit that exchanges heat with a heat medium by traveling wind, and an electric fan that supplies air to the heat exchanging unit to cool the heat exchanging unit,
Cooling means for injecting water to the heat exchange means to cool the heat exchange means;
Temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the heat medium introduced into the heat exchange means;
Control means for performing switching control of the operating speed of the electric fan based on the temperature of the heat medium detected by the temperature detection means,
The control means controls the cooling means to inject water to the heat exchange means at a temperature lower than a threshold value of the temperature of the heat medium for switching the operating speed of the electric fan. The vehicle cooling device characterized in that when the operation is controlled and water is injected to the heat exchange means by the cooling means, the threshold value is increased . When the control unit performs the water injection to the heat exchange unit, the control unit does not perform the next water injection by the cooling unit until a predetermined time has elapsed from the end of the water injection. The vehicle cooling device according to claim 1. The vehicle includes an air conditioner,
The said cooling means uses the condensed water which generate | occur | produces from the evaporator of the said air conditioning machine for the water which injects to the said heat exchange means, The cooling device of the vehicle of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The heat exchange means is a radiator, the heat medium is a cooling device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 3, characterized in that the engine cooling water.

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