Integrated type reservoir for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11319865-B2
Application number	US-202017009355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2019
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A reservoir for a vehicle is provided. The reservoir is accommodated in a body formed by joining an upper case and a lower case to each other. A high-pressure reservoir space introduces and discharges coolant flowing from a high pressure cooling line and a low-pressure reservoir space introduces and discharges coolant flowing from a low pressure cooling line. A valve is also installed to maintain internal pressure of the high-pressure reservoir space and the low-pressure reservoir space constant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated type reservoir, comprising:
an upper case and a lower case joined to each other to form a body in which the integrated type reservoir is accommodated;
a high-pressure reservoir space configured to introduce and discharge coolant flowing from a high pressure cooling line, and a low-pressure reservoir space configured to introduce and discharge coolant flowing from a low pressure cooling line; and
a valve installed to maintain internal pressure of the high-pressure reservoir space and the low-pressure reservoir space constant,
wherein the high pressure cooling line is a cooling line that introduces coolant flowing from a high-temperature radiator and discharges the coolant through the high-pressure reservoir space to a cooling line of an engine, and
wherein the low pressure cooling line is a cooling line that introduces coolant flowing from a low-temperature radiator and discharges the coolant through the low-pressure reservoir space to a cooling line of a power electronic (PE) component.

2. The integrated type reservoir of claim 1 ,
wherein the upper case includes an upper plate, and an upper partition wall extending downwards from a central portion of an inner surface of the upper plate to be perpendicular thereto, forming an end face, and
wherein the lower case includes a lower plate, and a lower partition wall extending upwards from a central portion of a surface of the lower plate to be perpendicular thereto, forming an end face, and
wherein the upper case and the lower case are attached to each other, and an internal space of the reservoir is divided into two spaces by the upper partition wall and the lower partition wall which are attached to each other.

3. The integrated type reservoir of claim 2 ,
wherein a valve insert groove is formed on the end face of the upper partition wall of the upper case and an upper portion of the valve is seated thereon, and
wherein a valve insert groove is formed on the end face of the lower partition wall of the lower case and a lower portion of the valve is seated thereon, and
wherein flow apertures passing through sidewalls are formed, respectively, in the sidewall of a portion in which the valve insert groove of the upper partition wall is formed, and the sidewall of a portion in which the valve insert groove of the lower partition wall is formed.

4. The integrated type reservoir of claim 2 ,
wherein the cap is coupled to a cap coupler provided on the upper plate of the upper case, and
wherein the cap includes:
a holder that has a shape of a flat plate with an edge extending downwards,
a sidewall that extends downwards from the holder, with a thread formed thereon, and
a cap valve part that is installed in a space defined inside the sidewall to be opened or closed according to the internal pressure of the low-pressure reservoir space and the high-pressure reservoir space in the reservoir to discharge air of the low-pressure reservoir space to an outside of the cap or introduce external air into the low-pressure reservoir space.

5. The integrated type reservoir of claim 4 , wherein the cap valve part includes:
a base having a flow aperture that is formed to communicate with a flow path formed in the upper partition wall to be opened towards the low-pressure reservoir space, with a first locking surface being formed on an upper surface of the base;
an intermediate body installed on a top of the base, and having a lower surface that comes into contact with the first locking surface, and a second locking surface that extends into the lower surface to come into contact with a head piece of the cam;
an upper member having an inner wall coupled to the sidewall and a ceiling surface integrated with the inner wall; and
a main spring interposed between a top of the lower surface of the intermediate body and the ceiling surface of the upper member to rotate the intermediate body upwards and downwards.

6. The integrated type reservoir of claim 5 , wherein the cap valve part includes:
a cam having a plate-shaped head piece that is inserted into the intermediate body to be locked by the second locking surface of the intermediate body, and a piston that extends upwards from the head piece; and
a sub spring interposed between a ring body through which an upper end of the piston of the cam passes and the head piece of the cam to rotate the cam upwards and downwards.

7. The integrated type reservoir of claim 5 , further comprising an O-ring that shields a coolant refill aperture of the high-pressure reservoir space of the cap coupler.

8. The integrated type reservoir of claim 4 , wherein the cap coupler includes:
a coupling wall that has an internal thread formed to be coupled with the cap and extends upwards from the upper plate of the upper case; and
an orifice that is formed through the coupling wall to allow air to flow into the low-pressure reservoir space.

9. The integrated type reservoir of claim 8 , wherein the coolant refill aperture is formed through the upper plate of the upper case to refill the coolant into the high-pressure reservoir space.

10. The integrated type reservoir of claim 1 ,
wherein a first inlet pipe is formed on a first side of the upper case to introduce the coolant from the high-temperature cooling line into the high-pressure reservoir space, and a second inlet pipe is formed on a second side of the upper case to introduce the coolant from the low-temperature cooling line into the low-pressure reservoir space, and
wherein a first outlet pipe is formed on a first side of the lower case to discharge the coolant to the high-pressure cooling line, and a second outlet pipe is formed on a second side of the lower case to discharge the coolant to the low-pressure cooling line.

11. The integrated type reservoir of claim 1 ,
wherein the valve includes a release valve, and
wherein the release valve has a body with a bottom surface and a top surface, an insert aperture passing from the bottom surface to the top surface is formed in a central portion of the body, and a plurality of vent apertures are formed around the insert aperture, and
wherein an outer spring is provided, a first side of the outer spring facing the bottom surface and a second side facing the sidewalls of the insert grooves.

12. The integrated type reservoir of claim 11 ,
wherein a push valve is coupled to the insert aperture of the release valve, and
wherein the push valve includes a flat plate-shaped upper piece that opens or closes the vent aperture on the top surface of the release valve, and an arm that extends downwards from a bottom surface of the upper piece and has a pinhole formed inwards from the end face.

13. The integrated type reservoir of claim 12 ,
wherein a pin body is coupled to the arm of the push valve, and the pin body includes a head piece that comes into contact with the end face of the arm, and a pin that extends downwards from a bottom surface of the head piece and is inserted into the pinhole of the arm, and
wherein the inner spring is fitted into the outer spring on the bottom surface of the release valve, a first side of the inner spring facing the bottom surface and a second side facing the head piece of the pin body.

14. The integrated type reservoir of claim 11 , wherein, assuming that an area of the bottom surface of the release valve is referred to as an ‘area B’ (unit: m 2 ), an area of the top surface is referred to as an ‘area A’ (unit: m 2 ), internal pressure of the high-pressure reservoir space is referred to as an ‘X’ Pa (unit: N/m 2 ), and internal pressure of the low-pressure reservoir space is referred

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Jeong Seong-Bin

Classifications

• F01P11/029 Primary

  Expansion reservoirs · CPC title

• F01P7/165

  characterised by systems with two or more loops · CPC title

• F01P11/0238 Primary

  with overpressure valves or vent valves · CPC title

• F01P7/14

  the coolant being liquid · CPC title

• F01P11/0285

  Venting devices · CPC title