JP6990082B2 - Oil pan heating device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an oil pan heating device in which a heat storage unit is arranged between an oil pan and an undercover, and the oil pan is heated by the heat storage unit.

The engine oil stored in the oil pan has a high viscosity when it is cold because the temperature is low. Therefore, when the engine oil is started in the cold state, the high viscosity of the engine oil increases the friction of the sliding parts and causes deterioration of fuel efficiency. Become. Therefore, it is desirable to promote the temperature rise of the engine oil at the time of cold start.

For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-355421), the outer periphery of the oil pan is covered with an oil cover, and a flow path for passing running air through a gap formed between the oil pan and the oil cover is provided. A technology to open and close the open / close valve in the cold state by providing an open / close valve to open / close the flow path on the front of the oil pan cover and opening / closing this open / close valve with a heat-sensitive rod containing thermowax is disclosed. Has been done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-355421

However, in the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned document, the inside of the passage formed on the outer periphery of the oil pan at the time of cold start is almost the same as the outside air temperature, so that the viscosity of the engine oil is high and the warm-up operation is performed. It is difficult to complete the above at an early stage, and there is a limit to improving fuel efficiency.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has a simple structure, prevents deterioration of the viscosity of engine oil at the time of cold start, can obtain good startability, and completes warm-up operation at an early stage. It is an object of the present invention to provide an oil pan heating device capable of significantly improving fuel efficiency.

The present invention includes an oil pan, an undercover disposed below the oil pan, and a heating means for heating the oil pan interposed between the oil pan and the undercover. In the heating device, the heating means is provided on a heat storage material that stores heat by heat generated by the behavior of the vehicle, a heat insulating material that surrounds the heat storage material, and at least a surface of the heat insulating material that faces the oil pan. A formed heat radiation port and an upper shutter for opening and closing the heat radiation port are provided, and a control means for opening the upper shutter before starting the engine is further provided.

According to the present invention, a heat storage unit having a heat storage material that stores heat by heat generated by the behavior of the vehicle is interposed between the oil pan and the undercover, and the upper shutter is opened before starting the engine. Since the oil pan is heated and pierced by heat radiation from the heat storage material provided in the heat storage unit to raise the temperature of the engine oil, deterioration of the viscosity of the engine oil at the time of cold start is prevented and good startability is obtained. be able to. As a result, the warm-up operation can be completed at an early stage, and the fuel efficiency can be significantly improved. Further, since the heat storage material is stored by the heat generated from the heat source generated by the behavior of the vehicle, the structure can be simplified by 10.

Cross-sectional side view of the oil pan and its surroundings according to the first embodiment The same, enlarged sectional view of the heat storage unit The same, schematic configuration diagram of the oil pan heating / cooling control unit The same flow chart showing the heat storage routine Same as above, a flowchart showing the preheat treatment routine The same flow chart showing the heat storage material temperature control processing routine. Cross-sectional side view of the oil pan and its surroundings according to the second embodiment

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
1 to 6 show the first embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is the front portion of the vehicle, and the engine room 1a is formed inside.

The engine 2 is mounted in the engine room 1a, an oil pan 3 made of a material having high heat dissipation is fixedly attached to the bottom surface of the engine 2, and a transmission 4 is continuously provided at the rear end. ing. Further, the bottom surface of the engine room 1a below the oil pan 3 is covered with the undercover 5. Engine oil is stored in the oil pan 3, and is circulated while the engine is in operation to lubricate each lubrication-required portion and also has a cooling function.

Further, a heat storage unit 6 which is a heating means is interposed between the undercover 5 and the oil pan 3. The heat storage unit 6 is formed on a flat plate that opposes the entire bottom surface of the oil pan 3, and as shown in FIG. 2, has a heat storage container 6a, and the heat storage container 6a is filled with the heat storage material 6b. The heat storage container 6a is made of a metal having heat transfer properties, and the heat storage material 6b is, for example, a latent heat storage material whose main raw material is paraffin.

Further, the outer periphery of the heat storage container 6a is surrounded by a hard heat insulating material 6c having high heat resistance such as alumina fiber. The heat radiating ports 6d are opened at predetermined intervals on the upper and lower surfaces of the hard heat insulating material 6c, and the radiating ports 6d on the upper surface side can be opened and closed by the upper shutter 10a. Further, the heat radiation port 6d on the lower surface side is opened and closed by the under shutter 10b. The shutters 10a, 10b, hard resin, and the like are made of a member having heat insulating properties, and are driven to open and close by the upper shutter actuator 33a and the under shutter actuator 33b connected to the controller 21a of the oil pan heating device 21 described later. To.
Further, openings 5a for introducing running wind are opened in the engine room 1a at a predetermined interval at a portion of the undercover 5 that opposes the heat storage unit 6, and each opening 5a can be opened and closed by the cover shutter 11. Has been made. Further, each of the cover shutters 11 is opened and closed by a cover shutter actuator 34 connected to the controller 21a of the oil pan heating device 21 described later.

The oil pan heating device 21 shown in FIG. 3 is mounted on a vehicle, and the controller 21a as a control means provided in the oil pan heating device 21 has a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a non-volatile memory, and the like. It is mainly composed of the above-mentioned microcomputer, and various programs executed by the CPU, various fixed data, and the like are stored in the ROM. The controller 21a executes a heat storage heat storage process for storing heat for preheating the oil pan 3, a preheat storage process when the occupant gets on board, and a heat storage material cooling process for preventing the heat storage material 6b from overheating during traveling.

A heat recovery unit 22 as a heat energy recovery means is connected to the input side of the controller 21a. The heat recovery unit 22 converts the heat energy generated in the heat generation source 23 into electrical energy and recovers it. The heat generation source 23 includes a heat source generated by the behavior of the vehicle and a natural heat source. The heat generation source 23 due to the behavior of the vehicle includes tire friction heat generated in the vehicle during traveling, vibration heat of the frame, mount, suspension, etc., frictional heat due to air resistance, and the like, and further generated by combustion of the engine 2. Various heats are also included. Further, as the heat generating source 23 by the natural heat source, there are solar heat, wind power and the like. Then, the electric energy recovered by the heat recovery unit 22 is transmitted to the controller 21a.

Further, the receiver 24 is connected to the input side of the controller 21a. The receiver 24 receives a signal from the transmitter 25 carried by the driver or the like, and the operator such as the driver turns on the preheating switch (not shown) provided in the transmitter 25. By doing so, the preheating signal is wirelessly transmitted to the receiver 24 from a remote location. When the receiver 24 receives the preheating signal, the controller 21a executes preheating control for preheating the oil pan according to a control program stored in advance, using the signal as a trigger.

Further, an electric heater 31 such as a PTC heater that generates heat by resistance heating is connected to the output side of the controller 21a, and the electric heater 31 is arranged in the above-mentioned heat storage container 2a to heat the heat storage material 6b. I have to.

Further, a temperature sensor 16 as a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heat storage material 6b is disposed in the heat storage container 2a, and the temperature sensor 16 is connected to the input side of the controller 21a. Further, the above-mentioned upper shutter actuator 33a, under shutter actuator 33b, and cover shutter actuator 34 are connected to the output side of the controller 21a.

While the vehicle is running, the controller 21a heats the electric heater 31 with electric energy from the heat generation source 23 recovered by the heat recovery unit 22 to heat the heat storage material 6b and store heat. Further, in the engine stopped state before the driver (occupant) gets on board, the oil pan 3 is preheated by the heat of the heat storage material 6b. Further, the temperature of the heat storage material 6b is monitored during running, and if the temperature of the heat storage material 6b is below the set threshold value, it is heated by radiant heat from the oil pan 3, and if it exceeds the set threshold value, it is cooled to prevent overheating. do.

Specifically, the heat storage heat treatment, the preheat treatment, and the heat storage material temperature control treatment performed by the controller 21a are executed according to the treatment routines shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. The shutters 10a, 10b, and 11 are normally closed.

First, the heat storage heat storage routine shown in FIG. 4 will be described. As described above, when the vehicle travels, the heat recovery unit 22 converts the heat energy from the heat generation source 23 into electrical energy. The controller 21a heats the electric heater 31 with this electric energy to heat the heat storage material 6b.

In the heat storage heat storage routine, first, the temperature (heat storage temperature) of the heat storage material 6b detected by the temperature sensor 16 is read in step S1, and whether or not the heat storage material 6b can store heat in step S2, in other words, the heat storage capacity is sufficient. Whether or not there is is determined based on a preset threshold. The threshold value may be any time as long as it is equal to or lower than the saturation temperature (boiling point) of the heat storage material 6b, and can be arbitrarily set. Then, when the heat storage temperature is equal to or lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the heat storage is possible, and the process proceeds to step S3. If the heat storage temperature exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the heat storage is impossible, and the process branches to step S5.

When the process proceeds to step S3, the heat recovery process is executed and the process proceeds to step S4. This heat recovery process includes a process of adjusting the electric energy recovered by the heat recovery unit 22 to a voltage at which the electric heater 31 can generate heat via a circuit such as a DC / DC converter.

Then, the process proceeds to step S4, the electric heater 31 is heated by the adjusted voltage, and the routine is exited. On the other hand, when branching to step S5, the electric heater 31 is turned off and the routine is exited. The periphery of the heat storage material 6b is covered with the heat insulating material 6c, and the heat radiating port 6d opened in the heat insulating material 6c is blocked by the shutters 10a and 10b, so that it is difficult to dissipate heat and the heat storage state is maintained for a long time. Will be done.

On the other hand, the preheating treatment routine shown in FIG. 5 waits until a preheating signal is received. This preheating signal is transmitted when the driver (occupant) turns on the preheating switch (not shown) of the transmitter 25. Therefore, the engine oil can be preheated by the driver (occupant) turning on the preheating switch (not shown) before boarding.

Then, when the preheating signal is received in step S11, the process proceeds to step S12. In this case, a process of detecting the temperature of the oil pan 3 and determining whether or not heating by the heat storage unit 6 is necessary may be added.

Then, when the process proceeds to step S12, the upper shutter actuator 33a is driven to open the upper shutter 10a blocking the heat radiation port 6d opened on the upper surface of the heat storage unit 6 to exit the routine. In this state, the under shutter 10b and the cover shutter 11 in FIGS. 1 and 2 are closed, and only the upper shutter 10a is open.

Then, the heat stored in the heat storage material 6b of the heat storage unit 6 is radiated from the heat dissipation port 6d toward the bottom of the oil pan 3 to heat the oil pan 3. As a result, the engine oil stored in the oil pan 3 is warmed and the viscosity is lowered. As a result, it is possible to complete the warm-up operation at an early stage even at the same time in the cold state, and it is possible to improve fuel efficiency. The open state of the upper shutter 10a may be continued until the warm-up operation is completed, but it may be continued for a preset time. When this preheat treatment routine is completed, the upper shutter 10a is closed and the heat radiation port 6d is shielded.

Then, when the above-mentioned preheating treatment is completed and the warm-up operation after the engine 2 is started is completed, the heat storage material temperature control processing routine shown in FIG. 6 is started.

In this routine, first, in step S21, the temperature of the heat storage material 6b detected by the temperature sensor 16 is compared with the preset threshold value. This threshold value is set to a temperature lower than the saturation temperature (boiling point) of the heat storage material 6b. Then, when the temperature of the heat storage material 6b is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S22, and when the temperature exceeds the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S25.

Proceeding to step S22, the upper shutter actuator 33a is driven to open the upper shutter 10a. Then, the process proceeds to step S23 to maintain the closed state of the under shutter 10b, and the process proceeds to step S24 to drive the cover shutter actuator 34 to open the cover shutter 11 that closes the opening 5a opened in the under cover 5. Let me exit the routine. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 1, only the under shutter 10b provided on the bottom surface of the heat storage unit 6 is closed.

Since the engine oil after the warm-up operation is completed is sufficiently warmed, if the radiant heat from the oil pan 3 is higher than the temperature of the heat storage material 6b due to the relative temperature between the radiant heat from the oil pan 3 and the heat storage material 6b. The heat storage material 6b is heated and stored by the radiant heat. Further, during traveling, the oil pan 3 is cooled by the traveling wind flowing into the engine room from the opening 5a of the undercover 5, and the temperature rise of the engine oil is suppressed.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S21 that the temperature of the heat storage material 6b exceeds the threshold value and branches to step S25, the upper shutter 10a is closed and the heat dissipation port 6d of the heat storage unit 6 facing the bottom surface of the oil pan 3 is closed. To block. Next, the process proceeds to step S26, the under shutter actuator 33b is driven to release the under shutter 10b, the process proceeds to step S24, the cover shutter 11 is released, and the routine is exited.

Therefore, in the state of FIG. 1, only the upper shutter 10a provided on the upper surface of the heat storage unit 6 is closed. As a result, the heat storage material 6b of the heat storage unit 6 is blocked from radiant heat from the oil pan 3.

Further, since the running wind flowing from the opening 5a opened in the under cover 5 is blown to the bottom surface of the heat storage unit 6, heat is stored from the heat radiation port 6d on the bottom surface side opened by the opening operation of the under shutter 10b. The heat of the material 6b can be efficiently dissipated, and overheating of the heat storage material 6b can be effectively prevented. When the ignition switch is turned off and the system of the controller 21a is terminated, the actuators 33a, 33b, 34 return to the initial state, and therefore the shutters 10a, 10b, 11 are closed, and the heat storage material 6b of the heat storage unit 6 is closed. The heat storage state is maintained.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the heat storage unit 6 is interposed between the oil pan 3 and the undercover 5, and the heat stored in the heat storage material 6b of the heat storage unit 6 causes the oil pan before the engine is started. Since the engine oil stored in 3 is heated, the viscosity at the time of cold start becomes low, and good startability can be obtained. Further, the warm-up operation after the start can be completed at an early stage, and the fuel consumption can be significantly improved.

Further, since the heat storage material 6b can be heated by the radiant heat from the oil pan 3 during traveling, the heat is always stored after the engine is stopped. Therefore, in the preheating before starting the engine, the temperature of the engine oil can be satisfactorily raised by the stored heat. Further, when the temperature of the heat storage material 6b becomes high, the upper shutter 10a is closed and the under shutter 10b is opened to dissipate heat, so that overheating of the heat storage material 6b can be effectively prevented.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, the heat storage unit 6 is interposed between the oil pan 3 and the undercover 5, but in the present embodiment, the bottom surface of the heat storage unit 6 is fixed to the undercover 5. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, since the bottom surface of the heat storage unit 6 is fixed to the under cover 5, the under shutter 10b and the under shutter actuator 33b of the first embodiment can be omitted. Then, in the heat storage material temperature control processing routine shown in FIG. 6, the processing in steps S23 and S24 is performed by the cover shutter actuator 34 that operates the cover shutter 11, and the processing in steps S24 and S27 is omitted.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the configuration can be simplified by fixing the bottom surface of the heat storage unit 6 to the undercover 5. Further, since the volume of the gap portion between the heat storage unit 6 and the upper surface of the undercover 5 can be used as the heat storage unit 6, the capacity of the heat storage material 6b can be increased and the heat storage temperature can be maintained for a longer time. be able to.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the radiant heat from the oil pan 3 during engine operation is also a heat source generated by the behavior of the vehicle. Since the heat storage material 6b of the heat storage unit 6 is heated, the heat recovery unit 22 and the electric heater 31 that overheats the heat storage material 6b may be omitted.

1 ... Front of the vehicle,
1a ... Engine room,
2 ... engine,
2a ... Heat storage container,
3 ... Oil pan,
4 ... Transmission,
5 ... Undercover,
5a ... opening,
6 ... Heat storage unit,
6a ... Heat storage container,
6b ... Heat storage material,
6c ... Insulation material,
6d ... Heat dissipation port,
10a ... Upper shutter,
10b ... Under shutter,
11 ... Cover shutter,
16 ... Temperature sensor,
21 ... Oil pan heating device,
21a ... controller,
22 ... Heat recovery unit,
23 ... Heat source,
24 ... Receiver,
25 ... Transmitter,
31 ... Electric heater,
33a ... Upper shutter actuator,
33b ... Under shutter actuator,
34 ... Cover shutter actuator

Claims (4)

With an oil pan
An undercover arranged under the oil pan and
In an oil pan heating device provided with a heating means for heating the oil pan interposed between the oil pan and the undercover.
The heating means is
A heat storage material that stores heat from the heat source generated by the behavior of the vehicle,
The heat insulating material that surrounds the heat storage material and
A heat dissipation port formed at least on the surface of the heat insulating material facing the oil pan,
It is equipped with an upper shutter that opens and closes the heat dissipation port.
An oil pan heating device further comprising a control means for opening the upper shutter before starting the engine. An opening opened in the surface of the undercover facing the heating means, and
A cover shutter for opening and closing the opening is provided.
The oil pan heating device according to claim 1, wherein the control means closes the upper shutter and opens the cover shutter when the temperature of the heat storage material exceeds a preset threshold value. The heating means is
A heat dissipation port formed on the surface of the heat insulating material facing the undercover, and
Further provided with an under shutter that opens and closes the heat radiation port,
The oil pan heating device according to claim 2, wherein the control means opens the under shutter when the temperature of the heat storage material exceeds a preset threshold value. The oil pan heating device according to claim 2, wherein the heating means is fixed to the undercover.

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