JP7342811B2 - Cooler - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooler.

A cooler for cooling a heating element is described in Patent Document 1, for example. The cooler described in Patent Document 1 includes a cooling part in which a refrigerant flows, a supply part that supplies the refrigerant to the inside of the cooling part, a discharge part that discharges the refrigerant from the inside of the cooling part, and a part inside the cooling part. fins provided. Inside the cooling section, a cooling area in which fins are provided and a supply area are provided. The supply region is a region to which refrigerant is supplied from the supply section. The refrigerant supplied from the supply section to the supply region flows from the supply region to the cooling region.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-90905

By the way, as the temperature of the heating element rises, the temperature of the refrigerant may rise. In order to prevent the heating element from being overheated and destroyed due to an increase in the temperature of the refrigerant, the cooler may be provided with a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant. When the temperature of the refrigerant changes, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor changes to follow this temperature change. It is known that by providing a temperature sensor at a position with a large flow rate of refrigerant, the time from when the temperature of the refrigerant changes until the temperature of the refrigerant after the temperature change is detected can be shortened. However, in the cooler described in Patent Document 1, the refrigerant supplied to the supply region is dispersed in the cooling region. For this reason, when a temperature sensor is provided at a position where the flow rate of the refrigerant is large, it is necessary to arrange the temperature sensor upstream of the supply area in the direction in which the refrigerant flows, which imposes restrictions on the arrangement position of the temperature sensor.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooler that can improve the degree of freedom in arranging temperature sensors.

A cooler that solves the above problems includes a first bottom wall, a second bottom wall provided facing the first bottom wall, and a space between the first bottom wall and the second bottom wall. a cooling section through which a refrigerant flows into an interior partitioned by a side wall, a supply section that supplies the refrigerant to the inside of the cooling section, a discharge section that discharges the refrigerant from the inside of the cooling section; a partition wall provided inside the cooling section and extending in a direction away from the supply section; and an area inside the cooling section where the fins are provided. a cooling area, an area inside the cooling section, which is partitioned by the partition wall and the side wall spaced apart from the partition wall in the thickness direction of the partition wall, and is connected to the cooling area and the supply section; a supply region provided between the refrigerant and a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant; the supply region and the cooling region are provided by an end of the partition wall opposite to the supply section and the side wall. A connecting channel is defined, and the temperature sensor is arranged to detect the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the supply area or the connecting channel.

By providing a partition wall inside the cooling section, a supply area is divided inside the cooling section. The refrigerant supplied from the supply section flows through the supply region. The refrigerant flowing through the supply area is prevented from flowing into the cooling area by the partition wall. The flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the supply area is suppressed from decreasing due to the refrigerant flowing into the cooling area. Since the temperature sensor may be placed so as to detect the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the supply area or the connection flow path, the degree of freedom in placement of the temperature sensor can be improved.

In the cooler, an end of the partition wall on the supply section side may be joined to the side wall.
Regarding the cooler, the cross-sectional area of the area defined by the side wall and the end of the partition wall opposite to the supply part in the supply area is The cross-sectional area may be smaller than the area defined by the end portion and the side wall.

In the cooler, the cross-sectional area of the supply region may monotonically decrease from an end of the partition wall on the supply section side to an end on the opposite side to the supply section.

According to the present invention, the degree of freedom in arranging temperature sensors can be improved.

A cross-sectional view of the cooler. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1 showing the cooler. FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1 showing the cooler.

An embodiment of the cooler will be described below. The cooler of this embodiment is used, for example, in an inverter device installed in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. An inverter device converts direct current input from a battery into alternating current and outputs the alternating current.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the inverter device 10 includes an inverter circuit 11, a cooler 20 that cools the inverter circuit 11, and a supply pipe 12 that supplies refrigerant from a radiator (not shown) to the cooler 20. , and a discharge pipe 13 for discharging refrigerant from the cooler 20 to the radiator. The refrigerant of this embodiment is a liquid refrigerant.

Inverter circuit 11 includes one or more switching elements. The switching element is, for example, a MOSFET or an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). The inverter circuit 11 becomes a heating element that generates heat when the switching element performs a switching operation.

The cooler 20 includes a cooling section 21 , a supply section 31 , a discharge section 33 , fins 41 , a partition wall 51 , and a temperature sensor 61 .
The cooling unit 21 is made of metal. The cooling unit 21 is made of aluminum, for example. The cooling unit 21 is a square box-shaped member. The cooling section 21 includes six walls 22 to 27. The six wall parts 22 to 27 include a first bottom wall 22, a second bottom wall 23 facing the first bottom wall 22 in the thickness direction of the first bottom wall 22, and a first bottom wall 22. and four side walls 24 to 27 extending between the second bottom wall 23 and the second bottom wall 23. The second bottom wall 23 is a wall portion on which the inverter circuit 11 is mounted. The inverter circuit 11 is mounted on the outer surface of the second bottom wall 23.

The six walls 22 to 27 are square plate-shaped. The four side walls 24 - 27 extend between the periphery of the first bottom wall 22 and the second bottom wall 23 . The four side walls 24 to 27 include a first side wall 24, a second side wall 25, a third side wall 26, and a fourth side wall 27. The first side wall 24 and the second side wall 25 face each other. The third side wall 26 and the fourth side wall 27 face each other. Note that the first bottom wall 22 and the second bottom wall 23 do not necessarily refer to the wall portions located vertically downward; and a second bottom wall 23.

The supply section 31 is provided on the first side wall 24 . The discharge portion 33 is provided on the first side wall 24 . In this embodiment, it can be said that the supply section 31 and the discharge section 33 are provided on the same wall. In the direction in which the third side wall 26 and the fourth side wall 27 face each other, the distance from the third side wall 26 to the supply section 31 is shorter than the distance from the third side wall 26 to the discharge section 33.

The supply section 31 is a cylindrical member. The supply section 31 is provided on the first side wall 24 in such a manner that the axial direction of the supply section 31 and the thickness direction of the first side wall 24 coincide. A first end of the supply section 31 in the axial direction is provided with a supply port 32 . The supply port 32 communicates with the inside of the cooling section 21 . A second end of the supply section 31 in the axial direction is connected to the supply pipe 12 .

The discharge part 33 is a cylindrical member. The discharge part 33 is provided on the first side wall 24 in such a manner that the axial direction of the discharge part 33 and the thickness direction of the first side wall 24 coincide. The first end of the discharge portion 33 in the axial direction is provided with a discharge port 34 . The discharge port 34 communicates with the inside of the cooling section 21 . A second end of the discharge section 33 in the axial direction is connected to the discharge pipe 13.

The refrigerant supplied from the supply section 31 to the inside of the cooling section 21 is discharged from the discharge section 33 after passing through the inside of the cooling section 21 .
Fin 41 is a pin fin. The fins 41 extend vertically between the first bottom wall 22 and the second bottom wall 23 . A first end of the fin 41 is fixed to the first bottom wall 22. A second end of the fin 41 is fixed to the second bottom wall 23. A plurality of fins 41 are arranged spaced apart from each other. The fins 41 may be integrated with the cooling section 21 or may be separate from the cooling section 21 and joined to the cooling section 21.

The partition wall 51 of this embodiment has a rectangular plate shape. The partition wall 51 is provided between the first side wall 24 and the second side wall 25 and is provided so as to extend in the thickness direction of the second side wall 25. A first end 52 of the partition wall 51 in the lateral direction is joined to the first bottom wall 22 . A second end 53 of the partition wall 51 in the lateral direction is joined to the second bottom wall 23 . A first longitudinal end 54 of the partition wall 51 faces the second side wall 25 . A first longitudinal end 54 of the partition wall 51 is spaced apart from the second side wall 25 . A second longitudinal end 55 of the partition wall 51 is joined to the first side wall 24 . Since the first side wall 24 is provided with the supply section 31, the second end 55 in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 51 can be said to be the end of the partition wall 51 on the supply section 31 side. Further, it can be said that the first end 54 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction is the end of the partition wall 51 on the opposite side from the supply section 31. Furthermore, it can be said that the partition wall 51 extends in a direction away from the supply section 31 provided on the first side wall 24 toward the second side wall 25.

The partition wall 51 is provided with a space between the third side wall 26 and the third side wall 26 . The partition wall 51 is provided so that the distance from the third side wall 26 becomes shorter as the partition wall 51 moves away from the supply section 31.
The cooler 20 includes a cooling area S1, a supply area S2, a connecting channel A1, and a discharge area S3. The cooling area S1, the supply area S2, the connection channel A1, and the discharge area S3 are areas inside the cooling section 21.

The cooling area S1 is an area where the fins 41 are provided. The fins 41 are provided to promote heat exchange between the inverter circuit 11 and the refrigerant. Therefore, the fin 41 is provided in a region facing the inverter circuit 11 with the second bottom wall 23 in between. The cooling region S1 can also be said to be a region through which a refrigerant that exchanges heat with the inverter circuit 11 passes.

The supply area S2 is an area where the fins 41 are not provided. The discharge area S3 is an area where the fins 41 are not provided. The cooling area S1 is located between the supply area S2 and the discharge area S3.

The supply area S2 is defined by a partition wall 51 and a third side wall 26 spaced apart from the partition wall 51 in the thickness direction of the partition wall 51. The supply port 32 opens into the supply region S2 inside the cooling section 21. That is, it can be said that the supply area S2 is provided between the cooling area S1 and the supply section 31.

The connection channel A1 is a channel that connects the supply region S2 and the cooling region S1. The connection channel A1 is defined between the first end 54 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction and the second side wall 25.
The discharge region S3 is a region downstream of the cooling region S1 in the direction in which the refrigerant flows inside the cooling section 21. The discharge port 34 opens into the discharge region S3 inside the cooling section 21.

The refrigerant supplied from the supply port 32 flows into the supply region S2. The refrigerant that has flowed into the supply region S2 flows toward the connection channel A1.
The area defined by the second end 55 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction and the third side wall 26 in the supply area S2 is defined as a first end area E1. The area defined by the first end 54 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction and the third side wall 26 in the supply area S2 is referred to as a second end area E2. By providing the partition wall 51 so that the distance from the third side wall 26 becomes shorter as it moves away from the supply section 31, the cross-sectional area of the first end region E1 becomes smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second end region E2. There is. Further, the cross-sectional area of the supply region S2 monotonically decreases from the second end 55 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction to the first end 54 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction. Note that the cross-sectional area means the cross-sectional area of a plane perpendicular to the flow direction of the refrigerant.

The refrigerant that has passed through the supply area S2 is discharged from the supply area S2 via the connection flow path A1. The refrigerant discharged from the connection flow path A1 is diffused into the cooling region S1.
The temperature sensor 61 is arranged to detect the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the supply region S2 or the connection channel A1. For example, the temperature sensor 61 is provided on the wall of the cooling unit 21 that partitions the supply region S2 or the connection channel A1, or on the partition wall 51. The wall of the cooling unit 21 that partitions the supply region S2 or the connection channel A1 can also be said to be the wall with which the refrigerant flowing through the supply region S2 or the connection channel A1 comes into contact. The temperature sensor 61 may be provided on the inner surface of the wall of the cooling section 21 or may be provided on the outer surface of the wall of the cooling section 21. Since the refrigerant that has passed through the supply region S2 is diffused from the connection channel A1 to the cooling region S1, as long as the region is within a predetermined distance from the connection channel A1, even if the refrigerant in this region is detected, It can be considered that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the supply area S2 or the connection channel A1 is detected. The predetermined distance is, for example, a distance that can be derived through experiment or simulation, and changes depending on the temperature followability required of the temperature sensor 61 and the like.

In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 61 is attached to the second side wall 25. Specifically, the temperature sensor 61 is attached to the outer surface of a portion of the second side wall 25 facing the first end region E1 of the supply region S2.

If the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature sensor 61 is excessively high, a limit is imposed on the output of the inverter circuit 11 or the inverter circuit 11 is stopped. This suppresses the temperature of the inverter circuit 11 from rising excessively.

The operation of this embodiment will be explained.
By providing the partition wall 51, the inside of the cooling unit 21 is partitioned into a supply region S2. The refrigerant supplied from the supply section 31 into the cooling section 21 flows through the supply region S2. The refrigerant flowing through the supply area S2 is prevented from flowing into the cooling area S1 by the partition wall 51. The flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the supply area S2 is suppressed from decreasing due to the refrigerant flowing into the cooling area S1.

The effects of this embodiment will be explained.
(1) By providing the partition wall 51, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the supply area S2 is suppressed from decreasing. By providing the temperature sensor 61 at a position where the flow rate of the refrigerant is large, the amount of refrigerant that exchanges heat with the temperature sensor 61 per unit time is suppressed from decreasing. Thereby, the time from when the temperature of the refrigerant changes until the temperature of the refrigerant after the temperature change is detected can be shortened. When the partition wall 51 is not provided, the refrigerant is dispersed in the cooling area S1, so there are few areas where the flow rate of the refrigerant is large, and there are few areas where the temperature sensor 61 can be placed. By providing the partition wall 51, the temperature sensor 61 can be placed so as to detect the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the supply area S2 or the connection channel A1. The degree of freedom in arranging the sensor 61 can be improved.

(2) The second end 55 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction is joined to the first side wall 24. Therefore, all the refrigerant supplied from the supply port 32 flows into the supply region S2. Compared to the case where the second end 55 in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 51 is not joined to the first side wall 24, the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the supply region S2 can be suppressed from decreasing.

(3) The cross-sectional area of the first end region E1 of the supply region S2 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second end region E2 of the supply region S2. The flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing through the first end region E1 of the supply region S2 can be made faster than the flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing through the second end region E2 of the supply region S2. By increasing the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the supply region S2, the heat transfer coefficient of the refrigerant to the temperature sensor 61 improves. This can further shorten the time from when the temperature of the refrigerant changes until the temperature of the refrigerant after the temperature change is detected.

(4) The cross-sectional area of the supply region S2 monotonically decreases from the second end region E2 to the first end region E1. Thereby, the pressure loss of the refrigerant within the supply region S2 is suppressed, and the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the supply region S2 can be further increased.

The embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. The embodiments and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
The cross-sectional area of the supply region S2 may be constant from the second end region E2 to the first end region E1 in the direction in which the refrigerant flows through the supply region S2.

- The cross-sectional area of the first end region E1 of the supply region S2 may be larger than the cross-sectional area of the second end region E2 of the supply region S2.
The cross-sectional area of the supply region S2 may increase from the second end region E2 to the first end region E1.

- If the cross-sectional area of the first end region E1 of the supply region S2 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second end region E2 of the supply region S2, the cross-sectional area between the second end region E2 and the first end region E1 is It can be any size. For example, the cross-sectional area may be constant from the second end region E2 to a position midway toward the first end region E1, and the cross-sectional area may become smaller from the midway position toward the first end region E1. Furthermore, there may be a portion between the second end region E2 and the first end region E1 that has a larger cross-sectional area than the second end region E2.

The second end 55 of the partition wall 51 in the longitudinal direction may be spaced apart from the first side wall 24. In this case, an opening is defined between the second end 55 in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 51 and the first side wall 24 to communicate the supply region S2 and the cooling region S1. Although this may reduce the amount of refrigerant flowing into the supply area S2 from the supply port 32, even in this case, the refrigerant is less likely to be dispersed in the cooling area S1 than when the partition wall 51 is not provided. Therefore, the degree of freedom in arranging the temperature sensor 61 can be improved compared to the case where the partition wall 51 is not provided. Note that it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the opening is smaller than that of the connecting channel A1.

The first end 52 of the partition wall 51 of the cooling unit 21 in the lateral direction may be spaced apart from the first bottom wall 22. In this case, an opening is defined between the first end 52 of the partition wall 51 in the transverse direction and the first bottom wall 22, which allows the supply region S2 and the cooling region S1 to communicate with each other. Although this may reduce the amount of refrigerant flowing into the supply area S2 from the supply port 32, even in this case, the refrigerant is less likely to be dispersed in the cooling area S1 than when the partition wall 51 is not provided. Therefore, the degree of freedom in arranging the temperature sensor 61 can be improved compared to the case where the partition wall 51 is not provided. Similarly, the second end 53 of the partition wall 51 of the cooling unit 21 in the lateral direction may be spaced apart from the second bottom wall 23. The partition wall 51 may be joined to at least one of the walls 22 to 27 of the cooling section 21.

○A region different from the cooling region S1 may be interposed between the connection channel A1 and the cooling region S1. The connection flow path A1 may be a flow path that directly connects the supply area S2 and the cooling area S1, or may be a flow path that connects the supply area S2 and the cooling area S1 indirectly through an area different from the cooling area S1. It may also be a connecting channel.

The supply section 31 and the discharge section 33 may be provided on separate walls of the cooling section 21.
The fins 41 may be of any type, such as corrugated fins.
The fins 41 may be provided in the supply area S2 and the discharge area S3 in addition to the cooling area S1.

- The cooler 20 may be mounted on something other than the vehicle.
In addition to the second bottom wall 23, a heating element may be mounted on the first bottom wall 22 and the side walls 24 to 27.

○The heating element does not have to be the inverter circuit 11. The heating element may be any heating element as long as it can be mounted on the cooler 20.
In addition to the inverter circuit 11, the cooler 20 may be equipped with a heat generating element other than the inverter circuit 11.

○The refrigerant may be in a gaseous state.

A1... Connection flow path, E1... First end region, E2... Second end region, S1... Cooling region, S2... Supply region, 11... Inverter circuit as a heating element, 20... Cooler, 21... Cooling unit, 24 ...first side wall, 25...second side wall, 26...third side wall, 31...supply section, 33...discharge section, 41...fin, 51...dividing wall, 54...first end, 55...second End, 61...Temperature sensor.

Claims (4)

partitioned by a first bottom wall, a second bottom wall provided facing the first bottom wall, and a side wall extending between the first bottom wall and the second bottom wall. a cooling part through which a refrigerant flows;
a supply unit that supplies a refrigerant to the inside of the cooling unit;
a discharge section that discharges the refrigerant from inside the cooling section;
fins provided inside the cooling section;
a partition wall provided inside the cooling unit and extending in a direction away from the supply unit;
a cooling region that is an internal region of the cooling unit and in which the fins are provided;
A region inside the cooling section, partitioned by the partition wall and the side wall spaced apart from the partition wall in the thickness direction of the partition wall, and provided between the cooling region and the supply section. supply area and
A temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant,
A connection flow path connecting the supply region and the cooling region is defined by the end of the partition wall opposite to the supply section and the side wall,
The temperature sensor is arranged to detect the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the supply area or the connection flow path. The cooler according to claim 1, wherein an end of the partition wall on the supply unit side is joined to the side wall. The cross-sectional area of a region in the supply area defined by the end of the partition wall opposite to the supply part and the side wall is equal to The cooler according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooler has a cross-sectional area smaller than the area defined by the area. The cooler according to claim 3, wherein the cross-sectional area of the supply region monotonically decreases from an end of the partition wall on the supply section side to an end on the opposite side to the supply section.