JP6707900B2 - Vehicle cooling system - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle cooling device that can cool a cooling target mounted on a vehicle using cooling water that circulates.

As a cooling device for cooling a cooling target mounted on a vehicle, there is known a cooling device that circulates cooling water using an electric pump. In this type of cooling device, when replacing the cooling water during vehicle maintenance, after discharging all the cooling water once, a new water is introduced from the water inlet of the steam separation tank (condensation tank) located above the electric pump. Water injection work is performed by injecting cooling water.

At this time, the cooling water filled in the air/water separation tank is in a state of being filled from the water injection port of the air/water separation tank to the inlet of the electric pump, but air is not a little contained in the electric pump and the circulation path. It remains. Such residual air is discharged to the steam separation tank by circulating cooling water with an electric pump, for example. As the residual air in the circulation system is discharged, the amount of cooling water stored in the steam separation tank decreases, so it is necessary to prevent air from being caught in the impeller of the electric pump (air trapping). , It is necessary to add new water to the air/water separation tank. In this way, during the water injection work, it is necessary to alternately repeat the operation/stop of the electric pump in order to discharge the residual air while securing a sufficient amount of cooling water in the steam separation tank. ..

For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to smoothly advance the operation of the electric pump during such water injection work, the electric pump of the worker is controlled to be intermittently operated under predetermined conditions, so that the electric pump of the worker can be operated. It is disclosed that the operation load of (1) is reduced and the water injection work is made efficient.

Patent No. 4656053

In the intermittent operation of the electric pump implemented in Patent Document 1, the control is performed so that a constant operating time and a non-operating time are alternately repeated. On the other hand, when water injection work is performed while performing intermittent operation of the electric pump, the residual air in the circulation system decreases as the number of repetitions increases, so the operating time and non-operating time required for the work are reduced. The length also becomes shorter, and as a result, a wasteful waiting time is generated for the worker as the work progresses. As described above, the above technology leaves room for improvement in the efficiency of water injection work.

At least one embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cooling device capable of completing a water injection work in a short period of time while making the work load efficient.

(1) A vehicle cooling device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention is provided in a vehicle in order to solve the above problem, and is provided below a water injection port for injecting cooling water and below the water injection port, A steam-water separation tank for storing the cooling water injected from the water inlet, and a circulation path including an electric pump for circulating the cooling water provided on the downstream side of the steam-water separation tank, Depending on the number of times of water injection work from the water injection port to the steam separation tank, a control device for controlling the electric pump so as to alternately repeat the operating time and the non-operating time of the electric pump, The operating time is set to be gradually shortened as the number of water injection operations is increased, and the non-operation time is set to be gradually reduced as the number of water injection operations is increased. The operating time is set so as to converge to a predetermined value larger than zero as the number of water injection operations increases, and the non-operation time is set to converge to zero as the number of water injection operations increase. Has been done.

As the number of times water is injected into the air/water separation tank increases, the residual air in the circulation path also decreases due to the operation of the electric pump, so the electric pump required to effectively discharge the residual air The operating time of is also reduced. According to the configuration of the above (1), in order to cope with such a tendency, the operation time in the intermittent operation of the electric pump is set to be gradually shortened according to the number of times of the water injection work, so that the water injection work is performed. The required work time can be shortened and efficiency can be improved.
As the number of water injection operations into the steam separation tank increases, the amount of cooling water that can be supplied to the steam separation tank also decreases as the residual air in the circulation path decreases. According to the configuration of the above (1), the non-operation time in the intermittent operation of the electric pump is set so as to be shortened stepwise according to the number of times of water injection work so as to cope with such a tendency. Since it is possible to secure the necessary and sufficient water injection work time for the amount of water to be injected into the separation tank and prevent the wasteful waiting time of the worker from occurring, it is possible to perform the efficient water injection work.
According to the configuration of ( 1 ) above, as the number of water injection operations increases, the non-operation time converges to zero and only the operation time remains, resulting in the continuous operation of the electric pump. . Therefore, it is possible to smoothly shift from the water injection work stage in which the intermittent operation is performed to the test operation stage after the water injection work in which the continuous operation is performed.

( 2 ) In some embodiments, in the configuration of ( 1 ), the reduction amount of the operating time per water injection work is set to be larger than the reduction amount of the non-operation time per water injection work.

( 3 ) In some embodiments, in the above configuration ( 1 ) or ( 2 ), the control device stops the electric pump at a timing when a predetermined period elapses after the non-operation time converges to zero. Let

According to the above configuration ( 3 ), after the water injection work is completed, the electric pump is continuously operated for a predetermined period to perform a test operation, and then the electric pump is stopped to efficiently perform a series of operations. Can be automated.

(4) In any one configuration in some embodiments the above (1) (3), the circulation route as cooling target, the running motor of the vehicle, the power supply circuit to the traction motor And at least one of an in-vehicle charger for charging an in-vehicle battery using an external power source connected to the vehicle.

According to the above configuration ( 4 ), for example, a so-called plug-in that connects an external power source to the vehicle to charge the in-vehicle battery and drives the traveling motor by using the electric power charged in the in-vehicle battery to travel It is suitable for a cooling device for cooling a traveling motor, an inverter, and a vehicle-mounted charger, which are main heat sources in a system electric vehicle (including a hybrid electric vehicle).

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling device for a vehicle that can complete the water injection work in a short period of time while making the work load efficient.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle cooling device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a time chart showing an example of an operation pattern of the electric pump of FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart showing the control contents of the cooling device by the control device of FIG. 1 for each process. 3 is a graph showing an example of an update pattern of operating time and non-operating time for the control content of the cooling device by the control device of FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described as the embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto, but are merely illustrative examples. Absent.
For example, the expressions representing relative or absolute arrangements such as "in a certain direction", "along a certain direction", "parallel", "orthogonal", "center", "concentric", or "coaxial" are strict. In addition to representing such an arrangement, it also represents a state in which the components are relatively displaced by a tolerance or an angle or a distance at which the same function can be obtained.
Further, for example, an expression representing a shape such as a quadrangle or a cylindrical shape does not only represent a shape such as a quadrangle or a cylindrical shape in a geometrically strict sense, but also an uneven portion or A shape including a chamfered portion and the like is also shown.
On the other hand, the expressions “comprising”, “comprising”, “comprising”, “including”, or “having” one element are not exclusive expressions excluding the existence of other elements.

First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a specific configuration of a vehicle cooling device 1 according to at least one embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle cooling device 1 according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a time chart showing an example of an operation pattern of the electric pump of FIG.

In this embodiment, a cooling device 1 for an electric vehicle equipped with a motor as a driving power source will be described as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device 1 has a steam separation tank 4 provided with a water injection port 2 for injecting cooling water on the upper side, and the cooling water injected from the water injection port 2 is provided. Is stored in the air/water separation tank 4 and is separated into air and water. The cooling water stored in the water/water separation tank 4 is supplied to an object 8 to be cooled by an electric water pump (hereinafter appropriately referred to as “electric pump”) 6 arranged on the downstream side of the water/water separation tank 4. Are circulated and supplied.

In the present embodiment, an on-vehicle charger 8a capable of charging an on-vehicle battery (not shown) by connecting an external charger in order from the upstream side as the cooling target 8 and the DC power stored in the on-vehicle battery can be converted to AC. The inverter 8b and the traveling motor 8c that can be driven by the AC power supplied from the inverter 8b are arranged.
The object 8 to be cooled may be any heat source installed in the vehicle, and the order of arrangement in the circulation path of the cooling water may be appropriately changed.

The temperature of the cooling water flowing through the circulation path rises by receiving the amount of heat when cooling these cooling targets 8. The cooling water whose temperature has risen is sent to the radiator 10 arranged further downstream. The radiator 10 includes a radiator fan (not shown) that forcibly blows air, and the cooling water is cooled by radiating heat to the outside air. Then, the cooled cooling water is returned to the steam separation tank 4, and the above process is repeated.

A control device 12 is mounted on the vehicle as a control unit for controlling each component including the cooling device 1. The control device 12 is, for example, an electronic control unit such as an ECU, and particularly in the present embodiment, the electric pump 6 is operated according to the operation state of the key switch 9 provided on the vehicle at the time of cooling water injection work after maintenance. By driving, the cooling device 1 is configured to be controlled.

Here, with reference to FIG. 2, a basic control example of the cooling device 1 associated with the operation of the key switch 9 will be described. FIG. 2A shows an example of the change over time of the ON/OFF state of the key switch 9, and FIG. 2B shows an example of the operating state of the electric pump 6 corresponding to FIG. 2A. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2( a ), when the cooling water is injected from the water injection port 2 into the circulation path that has been drained during the vehicle maintenance, first, the operation position of the key switch 9 is changed from the initial state OFF to It is assumed that the state is switched to the ON state at time t1. When detecting such a change in the operation position of the key switch 9, the control device 12 waits for a predetermined period and then controls the electric pump 6 to perform an intermittent operation from time t2. While the intermittent operation is being performed, the operation of the electric pump 6 is controlled so that the operation time Ton and the non-operation time Toff are alternately repeated. Such an intermittent operation ends at time t3 after continuing for a predetermined period.

2 shows an example in which the operation time Ton and the non-operation time Toff are set to be constant in order to explain the operation example of the electric pump 6 in an easy-to-understand manner. It is variably set according to the number of times (that is, the number of times the operation time Ton and the non-operation time Toff are repeated).

In the present embodiment, the non-operation time Toff is shifted at the timing when the predetermined operation time Ton passes during the intermittent operation, but the circulation amount of the cooling water in the circulation path is detected during the operation time Ton. However, by permitting the transition to the non-operation time Toff on the condition that the detected value has reached the specified value, it is possible to proceed with the process while confirming whether the residual air is appropriately discharged. You can Further, in the present embodiment, the operation time Ton shifts at the timing when the predetermined non-operation time Toff elapses during the intermittent operation. However, during the non-operation time Toff, sufficient cooling water is supplied to the steam separation tank 4. By permitting the transition to the operation time Ton on the condition that the water has been stored, the processing may proceed while confirming whether the water injection work into the steam separation tank 4 is appropriately performed.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the control content of the cooling device 1 by the control device 12 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control contents of the cooling device 1 by the control device 12 of FIG. 1 for each process, and FIG. 4 shows the control contents of the cooling device 1 by the control device 12 of FIG. 1 for the operating time Ton and the non-operating time Toff. 5 is a graph showing an example of the update pattern of FIG.

First, the control device 12 sets initial values Ton1 and Toff1 for the operation time Ton and the non-operation time Toff that are alternately repeated when the electric pump 6 is intermittently operated (step S1). Here, the initial values Ton1 and Toff1 are set in accordance with the water injection speed from the water injection port 2 to the water/water separation tank 4, the capacity of the water/water separation tank 4, and the pumping capacity of the electric pump 6 (for example, operation The time Ton1 is set to a necessary and sufficient length for discharging the residual air from the circulation path, and the non-operation time Toff1 is for the worker to inject a predetermined amount of cooling water from the water injection port 2 into the steam separation tank 4. Is set to the necessary and sufficient length).

Subsequently, the control device 12 determines whether or not the water injection work by the worker has started (step S2). The start determination of the water injection work is performed, for example, by detecting that the operation position of the key switch 9 is changed from OFF to ON, as described above.

In the present embodiment, the case where the operation of the key switch 9 of the vehicle is used for the control progress is shown. However, for example, a dedicated operation switch is separately provided, and the control progress is performed by operating the operation switch. You may be allowed to.

When the start of the water injection work is detected (step S2: YES), the control device 12 counts the number of times X of the water injection work as "1" as a control parameter (step S3), and the worker determines a predetermined amount necessary for the preparation of the water injection work. After the period (corresponding to the period from time t1 to time t2 in FIG. 2) has elapsed, operation control of the electric pump 6 is started (step S4). Then, the control device 12 controls the electric pump 6 to be driven for the operation time Ton and then stopped for the non-operation time Toff (step S5). Here, the operation control of the electric pump 6 is performed based on the initial values Ton1 and Toff1 set in step S1.

After that, the control device 12 counts up the number of times of water injection work X (step S6), and determines whether or not the number of times of water injection work X after counting up exceeds a predetermined number of times X1 set in advance (step S7). .. Here, the predetermined number of times X1 is defined as the number of times required to sufficiently discharge the air remaining in the circulation path of the cooling device 1 by sufficiently repeating the water injection work into the steam separation tank 4. .. When the number of times of water injection work X is equal to or less than the predetermined number of times X1 (step S7: NO), the control device 12 updates the operating time Ton and the non-operation time Toff according to a predetermined pattern, and repeats the above-described water injection work to perform intermittent operation. Is carried out (step S8).

Here, the update pattern of the operation time Ton and the non-operation time Toff in step S8 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
First, in the initial state, the operating time Ton and the non-operating time Toff are set to the initial values Ton1 and Toff1 set in step S1, respectively. Here, Ton1 is set to be smaller than Toff1, but this is because the amount of cooling water in the circulation path of the cooling device 1 is small at the beginning of the water injection work, and therefore more cooling water is injected into the steam separation tank 4. This is because the non-operation time Toff needs to be relatively long in order to secure a sufficient water injection work time for the worker.

The operating time Ton and the non-operating time Toff are set to decrease stepwise as the number of water injection operations X increases. In the example of FIG. 4, the operation time Ton changes stepwise so as to decrease by a constant value ΔTon according to the number of water injection operations X, and the non-operation time Toff gradually changes so as to decrease by a constant value ΔToff according to the number of water injection operations X. It is changing. Here, ΔTon is set to be larger than ΔToff. Further, the operation time Ton is set to become a constant value Ton0 after the predetermined number of times X2. As a result, the non-operation time Toff is longer than the operation time Ton when the number of water injection operations X is small, but the operation time Ton becomes larger than the non-operation time Toff when the number of water injection operations X is increased. As a result, when the number of times of water injection work X increases and becomes equal to or more than the predetermined number of times X1 (step S7: YES), the non-operation time Toff becomes zero, and only the constant operation time Ton remains, and the electric pump 6 operates. It will be in continuous operation.
The predetermined number of times X1 used in step S7 may be defined as the number of times the electric pump 6 is in the continuous operation state, as shown in FIG.

As the number of times of water injection work into the water/water separation tank 4 increases, the residual air in the circulation path also decreases due to the operation of the electric pump 6, so that the electric power required to effectively discharge the residual air is required. The operating time of the pump 6 is also shortened. In the present embodiment, in order to cope with such a tendency, the operation time Ton in the intermittent operation of the electric pump 6 is set so as to be gradually shortened according to the number of times of the water injection work X, and thus the work required for the water injection work. Time can be shortened efficiently.

Further, as the number of times of water injection work into the water/water separation tank 4 increases, the amount of cooling water that can be newly supplied to the water/water separation tank 4 also decreases as the residual air in the circulation path decreases. In the present embodiment, in order to cope with such a tendency, the non-operation time Toff in the intermittent operation of the electric pump 6 is set to be gradually shortened in accordance with the number of water injection work times X, so that the steam separation tank is set. Since it is possible to prevent a wasteful waiting time of the worker while securing a necessary and sufficient water injection work time for the amount of water injected into 4, it is possible to perform an efficient water injection work.

The update patterns of the operating time Ton and the non-operating time Toff are stored in advance in a storage unit such as a memory accessible by the control device 12 and can be read out appropriately.

Subsequently, when the electric pump 6 is in the continuous operation state in this way, the control device 12 determines that the water injection work is completed, and shifts to the trial operation mode (step S9). In the trial operation mode, the trial operation is performed by continuously operating the electric pump 6, and a series of control is completed under a predetermined condition. As described above, in the present embodiment, the operating time Ton and the non-operating time Toff are updated based on the number of times of water injection work X as shown in FIG. 4, so that the electric pump 6 controlled for water injection work is continuously operated. It is possible to smoothly shift to the trial operation mode in which the vehicle is driven. As a result, the work load on the maintenance staff can be effectively reduced, and the work can be carried out easily and smoothly by a small number of people.

In addition, in the above example, the intermittent operation of the electric pump 6 is continued until the water injection work is completed unless the position of the key switch 9 is changed. At some point, the intermittent operation may be controlled to be stopped.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is provided the vehicle cooling device 1 capable of completing the water injection work in a short period of time with a small work load.

At least one embodiment of the present invention can be used for a vehicle cooling device that circulates cooling water to cool a cooling target mounted on the vehicle.

1 Cooling Device 2 Water Port 4 Water-Water Separation Tank 6 Electric Pump 8 Cooling Target 8a In-vehicle Charger 8b Inverter 8c Running Motor 9 Key Switch 10 Radiator 12 Control Device

Claims (4)

A water inlet provided in the vehicle for injecting cooling water,
An air/water separation tank provided below the water injection port for storing the cooling water injected from the water injection port, and an electric motor for circulating the cooling water provided on the downstream side of the water/water separation tank. Circulation path including a pump
Depending on the number of water injection operations from the water injection port to the steam separation tank, a control device for controlling the electric pump so as to alternately repeat the operating time and the non-operating time of the electric pump,
Equipped with
The operating time is set to be gradually shortened as the number of water injection operations increases,
The non-operation time is set to be gradually shortened as the number of water injection operations increases,
Furthermore,
The operating time is set so as to converge to a predetermined value larger than zero as the number of water injection work increases,
The non-operating time, vehicles of the cooling device shall be the feature that it is set to converge to zero in accordance with the water injection work count increases. The decrease amount per injection work number of the operating time, the cooling apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that it is larger than the decrease amount per injection work number of the non-operating time. The vehicle cooling device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the control device stops the electric pump at a timing when a predetermined period elapses after the non-operation time converges to zero. The circulation path charges a vehicle-mounted battery by using a traveling motor of the vehicle, an inverter included in a power supply circuit for the traveling motor, and an external power source connected to the vehicle as cooling targets. cooling device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one of the vehicle charger.

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