Structural cooling pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11772481-B2
Application number	US-202117321635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2021
Priority date	Jul 29, 2019
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

A structural cooling assembly for a vehicle includes a housing defining a first pocket between a front face and a back face. The housing comprising a single integrated part including a fluid reservoir portion, a vane portion, a fan shroud portion, a bolster portion, and at least one mounting portion mountable to a frame of a vehicle. A condenser is mounted within the first pocket, a charge air cooler is mounted in a second lower packet, a fan assembly is mounted within the fan shroud portion and a radiator is mounted to the back face.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A structural cooling assembly for a vehicle comprising:
a housing including a front face, a back face and a top portion, the housing comprising a single integrated part including a fluid reservoir portion, a fan shroud portion, a bolster portion, an air intake passage defining a portion of an airflow path through the top portion of the housing to an air intake system of the vehicle and at least one mounting portion mountable to a frame of a vehicle; and
a fan assembly mounted within the fan shroud portion.

2. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the housing includes the fluid reservoir is part of the top portion.

3. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 2 , including a radiator mounted to the back face.

4. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 3 , including a hatch latch assembly attached within a latch pocket formed as part of the top portion.

5. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 3 , wherein the housing includes a washer fluid reservoir portion separate from the fluid reservoir portion, the washer fluid portion disposed partially within the top portion and a side portion of one of the front face and the rear face.

6. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 5 , including a conduit disposed within the washer fluid reservoir for placing a hot flow in thermal communication with fluid within the washer fluid reservoir.

7. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a first pocket and a second pocket, a condenser mounted within the first pocket and a secondary cooler is mounted within the second pocket.

8. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 7 , wherein the secondary cooler includes a bottom closure panel that attaches to a bottom portion of the housing to provide structural stiffness and close of a bottom opening of the second pocket.

9. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 8 , wherein the condenser includes a side closure panel that attaches to a side portion of the housing to provide structural stiffness and close off a side opening of the front pocket.

10. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 9 , wherein the housing further includes a first vane portion disposed on the front face for directing airflow into the first pocket and a second vane portion disposed on the front face for directing airflow into the second pocket.

11. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first vane portion and the second vane portion comprises an active grille shutter assembly.

12. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an integral horn trumpet portion.

13. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the fan shroud portion comprises a plurality of ribs extending radially outward from a fan mount portion.

14. The structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed as a single integral part from a plastic material containing fiber reinforcement material.

15. A method of assembling a structural cooling assembly comprising:
forming a housing as single integral plastic reinforced part to include a front a back face, a fan shroud portion, a bolster portion, an air intake passage forming a portion of an air intake path through a top portion of the housing to an air intake system and at least one mounting portion mountable to a frame of a vehicle; and
mounting a fan assembly within the fan shroud portion.

16. The method of assembling a structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 15 , further comprising mounting a radiator to the back face and a fan assembly such that the radiator is disposed axially between the radiator and a condenser.

17. The method of assembling a structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 15 , further comprising forming the housing to include a first pocket and mounting a condenser within the first pocket and attaching a side closure panel of the condenser to a side portion of the housing to provide structural stiffness and close a side opening of the first pocket.

18. The method of assembling a structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 17 , including assembling a secondary cooler into a second pocket formed below the first pocket and attaching a bottom closure panel of the secondary cooler to the housing to provide structural stiffness and close a bottom opening of the second pocket.

19. The method of assembling a structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 18 , including forming a washer fluid reservoir portion as an integral part of the housing separate from a degas chamber portion and assembling a conduit within the washer fluid reservoir portion for placing a hot flow in thermal communication with fluid within the washer fluid reservoir portion.

20. The method of assembling a structural cooling assembly as recited in claim 19 , including forming the housing to include a top portion with a latch pocket and mounting a hatch latch assembly within the latch pocket of the housing such that the housing structure transfers latch loads to a frame of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Glickman David Brian
• Coghlan Sean Terence
• Acre James Alan
• Nayak Darshan Arun

Classifications

• B60K11/04 Primary

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

• B29C64/106

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B62D65/10

  the sub-units or components being engines, clutches or transmissions · CPC title

• B29K2077/00

  Use of {PA, i.e.} polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material · CPC title