Cooling system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10570805-B2
Application number	US-201715825103-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2017
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A cooling system for a vehicle, includes a first cooling circuit including a first coolant passage and a first pump. The first pump is provided in the first coolant passage to circulate coolant in the first cooling circuit so as to cool a first device to a first temperature. A second cooling circuit includes a second coolant passage and a second pump. The second pump is provided in the second coolant passage to circulate coolant in the second cooling circuit so as to cool a second device to a second temperature. The second temperature is lower than the first temperature. The coolant introduction passage connects the first cooling circuit and a connected portion of the second cooling circuit between the second device and a second radiator and upstream of the second device to supply the coolant in the first cooling circuit to the second cooling circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system for a vehicle designed to cool a plurality of devices that need cooling so as to control said devices at respective predetermined temperatures, said system comprising:
a high-temperature cooling circuit having
a high-temperature device being a device whose temperature at which said device should be controlled is the highest among said plurality of devices,
a high-temperature radiator,
a high-temperature coolant passage being connected to said high-temperature device and said high-temperature radiator for circulating coolant therebetween, and
a high-temperature pump being designed to pump out coolant to said high-temperature coolant passage and circulate said coolant therethrough;

a low-temperature cooling circuit having
a plurality of low-temperature devices being said plurality of devices other than said high-temperature device,
a low-temperature radiator,
a low-temperature coolant passage being connected to each of said plurality of low-temperature devices and said low-temperature radiator for circulating coolant therebetween, and
a plurality of low-temperature pumps being provided for said respective plurality of low-temperature devices and designed to pump out coolant to said low-temperature coolant passage and circulate said coolant therethrough;

a coolant introduction passage being connected to said high-temperature cooling circuit and said low-temperature cooling circuit for introducing coolant in said high-temperature cooling circuit to a position between each of said plurality of low-temperature devices and said low-temperature radiator in said low-temperature cooling circuit and upstream of said corresponding one of said plurality of low-temperature devices; and
a high-temperature radiator bypass passage being installed in said high-temperature coolant passage for introducing coolant having exchanged heat with said high-temperature device to a position upstream of said high-temperature device while bypassing said high-temperature radiator,
wherein said low-temperature coolant passage is connected to said high-temperature coolant passage at a position downstream of said high-temperature radiator and closer to said high-temperature radiator than a point of connection with a downstream end of said high-temperature radiator bypass passage, and is designed so that coolant having released heat to said high-temperature radiator passes through said low-temperature device.

2. The cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein an end part of said coolant introduction passage on the side of said high-temperature cooling circuit is connected to a position in said high-temperature coolant passage downstream of said high-temperature device and upstream of said high-temperature radiator.

3. The cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of regulating valves being provided to correspond respectively to said plurality of low-temperature devices in said coolant introduction passage and designed to adjust a flow rate of coolant in said high-temperature cooling circuit to be introduced to said low-temperature cooling circuit.

4. The cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
each of said plurality of regulating valves is designed so that an opening thereof is regulatable, and
said system further comprises:
a target temperature setting unit being configured to set target temperatures of said respective plurality of low-temperature devices;
a high-temperature coolant temperature detecting unit being configured to detect, as a high-temperature coolant temperature, a temperature of coolant having exchanged heat with said high-temperature device;
a first low-temperature coolant temperature detecting unit being configured to detect, as a first low-temperature coolant temperature, a temperature of coolant having released heat to said low-temperature radiator;
a second low-temperature coolant temperature detecting unit being configured to detect, as a second low-temperature coolant temperature, a temperature of coolant to exchange heat with each of said plurality of low-temperature devices;
a low-temperature coolant pump-out amount setting unit being configured to set, as a low-temperature coolant pump-out amount, an amount of coolant to be pumped by each of said plurality of low-temperature pumps according to a corresponding one of said plurality of low-temperature devices;
a high-temperature coolant introduction amount calculating unit being configured to calculate, for each of said plurality of low-temperature devices, an amount of coolant in said high-temperature cooling circuit to be introduced to said low-temperature cooling circuit, based on said high-temperature coolant temperature and first low-temperature coolant temperature thus detected and said low-temperature coolant pump-out amounts thus set, so that said second low-temperature coolant temperature for said corresponding one of said plurality of low-temperature devices becomes said target temperature set for said corresponding one of said plurality of low-temperature devices; and
a regulating valve controlling unit being configured to control the opening of each of said plurality of regulating valves according to said corresponding coolant introduction amount thus calculated.

5. The cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
said low-temperature coolant pump-out amount setting unit is configured to set said low-temperature coolant pump-out amount for each of said plurality of low-temperature devices according to an amount of heat discharged from said corresponding one of said plurality of low-temperature devices, and
said system further comprises a pump controlling unit being configured to control each of said plurality of low-temperature pumps so that said pump pumps out said corresponding low-temperature coolant pump-out amount thus set.

6. A cooling system for a vehicle designed to cool a plurality of devices that need cooling so as to control said devices at respective predetermined temperatures, said system comprising:
a high-temperature cooling circuit having
a high-temperature device being a device whose temperature at which said device should be controlled is the highest among said plurality of devices,
a high-temperature radiator,
a high-temperature coolant passage being connected to said high-temperature device and said high-temperature radiator for circulating coolant therebetween, and
a high-temperature pump being designed to pump out coolant to said high-temperature coolant passage and circulate said coolant therethrough;

at least one low-temperature device being said plurality of devices other than said high-temperature device;
a low-temperature coolant passage being connected to said low-temperature device and said high-temperature coolant passage for circulating coolant between said low-temperature device and said high-temperature radiator;
a low-temperature pump being installed in said low-temperature coolant passage and designed to circulate coolant between said low-temperature device and said high-temperature radiator; and
a high-temperature radiator bypass passage being installed in said high-temperature coolant passage for introducing coolant having exchanged heat with said high-temperature device to a position upstream of said high-temperature device while bypassing said high-temperature radiator,
wherein said low-temperature coolant passage is connected to said high-temperature coolant passage at a position downstream of said high-temperature radiator and closer to said high-temperature radiator than a point of connection with a downstream end of said high-temperature radiator bypass passage, and is designed so that coolant having released heat to said high-temperatu

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Uto Hajime
• Kimura Noritaka
• Katori Yuto

Classifications

• F01P7/165

  characterised by systems with two or more loops · CPC title

• B60K11/04 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds · CPC title

• B60H1/00278

  for the battery · CPC title

• F01P7/164

  by varying pump speed · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title