FR3059359A1 - DEVICE FOR COOLING A PROPULSION MEANS OF A VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement of a cooling device (1) in a compartment of a vehicle for receiving a means (2) of propulsion, the cooling device comprising means for generating an air flow and an air guiding means (3) disposed around said propulsion means (2) for forming therewith at least one air flow channel of predetermined thickness, the cooling device (1) comprising a convergent (4) disposed between an air outlet opening of said air flow generating means and an inlet opening (5) of said air guiding means. The invention also relates to a vehicle, in particular of the type of an automobile, comprising such an arrangement.

Description

(54) DEVICE FOR COOLING A VEHICLE PROPELLING MEANS.

FR 3 059 359 - A1 (57) The invention relates to an arrangement of a cooling device (T) in a compartment of a vehicle intended to receive a propulsion means (2), the cooling device comprising a means of generation of an air flow and an air guiding means (3) disposed around said propelling means (2) in order to form with the latter at least one air flow channel of predetermined thickness , the cooling device (1) comprising a convergent (4) disposed between an air outlet opening of said means for generating an air flow and an inlet opening (5) of said air guide means .

The invention also relates to a vehicle, in particular of the type of an automobile, comprising such an arrangement.

Device for cooling a propulsion means of a vehicle

The present invention is in the field of cooling a propulsion means for a motor vehicle.

More particularly, the invention relates to an optimized cooling device for a propulsion means which can be a powertrain comprising an internal combustion engine or an electric motor controlled in voltage by an appropriate regulating means.

Solutions allowing thermal management of a propulsion means often have recourse to a motor-fan group which in the working state is capable of creating a forced air flow in a compartment of the vehicle, the latter dedicated to the integration of said propulsion means being commonly referred to as an engine compartment. Such a fan motor unit is usually located at an air inlet opening in the engine compartment, in particular at a bumper, so that the movement of the vehicle can generate a natural flow of air through the motor-fan unit before crossing the engine compartment.

For a particular range of vehicles, it is common to integrate one of several types of powertrains so that the occupancy rate of the engine compartment varies. From this situation, it was noted that part of the cooling air can circulate in the engine compartment without having contributed to the thermal regulation of said powertrain. It has also been noted that in order to achieve cooling of certain parts of said powertrain, the inlet opening of the engine compartment is calibrated in order to create a predetermined air flow, which can also cause excessive cooling of others. parts of the power plant.

It was in this environment that the object of the invention appeared.

The object of the invention thus consists of an arrangement of a cooling device in a compartment of a vehicle intended to receive a propulsion means, the cooling device comprising a means for generating an air flow as well an air guide means arranged around said propelling means in order to form with the latter at least one air flow channel of predetermined thickness, the cooling device comprising a convergent disposed between an air outlet of said means for generating an air flow and the inlet of said air guiding means.

Advantageously, such an arrangement allows a calibrated distribution of the air flow according to the typology of said propulsion means, said air guide means being specifically shaped according to the propulsion means. The air leaving the motor-fan unit thus bypasses as closely as possible each of the different parts of the powertrain according to the cooling requirement. The air flow can thus be predefined with regard to a cooling requirement which can be more or less important depending on the member of said propulsion means to be cooled.

According to other particularities of the arrangement of the invention, it comprises the following characteristics taken separately or in combination with one another:

- the convergent is made of a flexible material, in particular from a plastic material;

- The air guide means is an envelope made of a rigid material, in particular from a plastic material, and connected to the propulsion means by dedicated fixing interfaces;

- The envelope comprises at least one flange covering all or part of said propulsion means;

- Said means for generating an air flow is a motor-fan unit immobilely assembled to the body structure of the vehicle via a support frame on which the convergent is fixed;

the propulsion means extending transversely to the structure of the vehicle, the converging element comprising an air outlet opening, which may have an approximately elliptical profile, delimited by a collar intended to overlap a bordering fixing flange the air inlet opening of said air guide means;

- Said propulsion means is a unitary assembly comprises an electric motor, a reduction gear and a control module containing in particular a power electronics, the reduction gear being arranged between the electric motor and the control module so that the reduction gear is extends with respect to an approximately central part of the air inlet opening of said air guide means;

- A main flange comprises front and lower faces arranged facing said propulsion means and a side face arranged facing a free end of the electric motor;

- A secondary flange is fixed to the main flange, the secondary flange comprising a rear face extending towards the electric motor and a side face arranged facing the free end of the electric motor, the secondary flange having at least one outlet d 'exhaust air;

The invention also relates to a vehicle, of the type of an automobile, comprising an arrangement comprising any one of the preceding characteristics.

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention, given by way of indication but not limitation, with reference to the appended figures in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded view, a perspective representation of a cooling device intended to be arranged inside a compartment of a vehicle, according to the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective representation , according to a rear view of a part of the cooling device covering the propulsion means, according to the invention, Figure 3 shows, in a front perspective view, the part of the cooling device of Figure 2, according to Figure 4 is an enlargement of an end portion of said propulsion means of Figure 2 showing an embodiment of the cooling device cooperating with an engine, according to the invention.

The following description is made with reference to a trihedron X, Y and Z conventionally associated with a motor vehicle, in which X is the front-rear longitudinal direction of the vehicle directed towards the rear, Y is the right-left transverse direction at vehicle, which is horizontal and perpendicular to X, pointing to the right, and Z is the vertical direction pointing to the top. Furthermore, the terms "front", "rear", "right", "left", "horizontal", "vertical", upper "and" lower "relate to the vehicle or to a part of it and are defined by relative to the direction of movement of the vehicle.

Referring to Figure 1, a device 1 for cooling a propulsion means, preferably comprises a convergent 4 and an air guiding means 3 which surrounds all or part of said propelling means in order to guide the air of cooling as close as possible to areas of the propulsion means requiring cooling by heat exchange.

The cooling device 1 comprises a means for generating a pulsed air flow which is composed of a motor-fan unit (not shown). The latter is fixedly mounted on the vehicle structure. More specifically, the motor-fan unit includes a support frame in which the different blades of a fan move in rotation. The latter is rotatably mounted around a shaft of an electric motor, which extends for example parallel to the longitudinal axis X. The electric motor can be controlled by frequency modulation so that its speed of rotation can be variable and defined according to different control parameters.

The fan motor unit is arranged at an air intake opening defining an air passage between the exterior of the vehicle and the interior of a vehicle compartment. The compartment is for example an engine compartment which can be arranged at the front or at the rear of the vehicle, for example under the floor of the vehicle.

In the absence of control of the operation of the fan unit, the movement of the vehicle allows the creation of a natural flow of air inside the engine compartment. The rotation of the motor-ventilation unit via a frequency modulation control allows the creation of a forced air flow inside the engine compartment.

The cooling device 1 comprises a means 3 for guiding the air which generally extends in whole or in part around said means 2 for propulsion, as will be detailed below.

Such an air guiding means 3 comprises an air inlet opening 5 which has a surface which is substantially identical to that of the air outlet of the motor-fan unit so that the air flow at level of the inlet opening 5 is approximately identical to the air flow rate leaving the motor-fan unit. Such a design aims to reduce any pressure drop between the outlet and the inlet of the air guide means 3.

Given the architecture of said propulsion means 2, which extends substantially along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle, the air inlet opening 5 of the air guide means 3 has a profile substantially elliptical and horizontal in orientation in that the opening 5 has a height of axis Z less than its width of axis Y.

A convergent 4 is arranged between the motor-fan unit and the air guide means 3 secured to the powertrain. The convergent 4 is a duct for conveying the air flowing between the air outlet opening of the motor-fan unit and the air inlet opening 5 of said means 3 for guiding air around the group. powertrain.

The convergent 4 is of complex shape, comprising a main membrane 44 of any conical profile in order to produce a channel for conveying air between the air outlet of the motor-fan unit the inlet opening 5 of the means 3 air guide.

The convergent 4 is shaped so that it comprises at each of its free ends a flange 42, 43 for fixing respectively to the motor-fan unit and to said means 3 for guiding air.

The front flange 43 is shaped according to a fixing flange bordering the air outlet opening of the motor-fan unit. The rear flange 42 is shaped according to a fixing flange 33 bordering the air inlet opening 5.

The convergent 4 is preferably made of flexible material, in particular from a plastic material. The convergent 4 can be made of rubber. The front flanges 43 and rear 42 of the convergent 4 can be produced by overmolding a rigid plastic.

The flexible convergent 4 makes it possible to compensate for the different variations in deviation between the motor-ventilator group rendered stationary on the body structure and the mobile powertrain relative to the body structure during its operation. In addition, the vibration regime of the fan unit can be different to that of the powertrain, the flexible convergent 4 can absorb these differences in vibration.

The front flange 43 can be directly fixed by screwing to the motor-fan unit. The flange 43 may also include fixing tongues for assembly on the motor-fan unit. The rear flange 42 can overlap the fixing flange 33 so that the assembly can be carried out by a clamping collar 7 trapping the convergent 4 on the air guide means 3.

The arrangement of the cooling device 1 advantageously allows optimized thermal management of the various organs constituting the propulsion means 2. To do this, the air guiding means 3 is an envelope made of a rigid material, in particular from a plastic material.

The envelope comprises at least one flange arranged on the propulsion means 2 in such a way that it extends in whole or in part around the latter in order to form a cooling air flow channel.

According to a particular embodiment, said propulsion means 2 is a unitary assembly which comprises an electric motor 21, a reduction gear 22 and a control module 23 containing in particular power electronics. The architecture of said propulsion means 2 consists of an assembly of the reduction gear 22 between the electric motor 21 and the control module 23.

In an alternative embodiment not shown, the propulsion means 2 can be a heat engine.

With respect to the air inlet opening 5, the reduction gear 22 extends with respect to an approximately central part, the electric motor 21 as well as the control module 23 also being arranged in part directly facing the opening 5.

Preferably, for reasons of mounting said air guide means 3 on said propulsion means 2, the envelope forming said air guide means 3 comprises a main flange 31.

The main flange 31 includes a front face 310 in which the opening 5 is formed.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the opening 5 may comprise a closure wall 8 connecting two portions of the elliptical fixing flange 33. The wall 8 here extends vertically so as to leave only a lower part of the reducer 22 under the influence of a flow of air for cooling.

The main flange 31 comprises a substantially planar front face 310 in its part having the opening 5 and in its lateral part overlapping the control module 23. Its lateral part overlapping the electric motor is of substantially cylindrical shape in order to closely match the motor casing 21. The main flange 31 is shaped according to the electric motor 21 so that it overlaps at least minus half of its outer periphery. The main flange 31 may also include a lateral face 312 arranged partially overlapping with a free end of the electric motor 21.

The main flange 31 may comprise a lower face 311 shaped substantially planar in its parts intended to extend under the reduction gear 22 and the control module 23. The free edges of the front 310 and lower 311 faces may include a stiffness rib 313 extending in a plane parallel to the axis X. Such a stiffness rib is in particular intended to avoid any vibratory effect of the envelope.

The air guide means 3 can also include a secondary flange 32 which, once assembled, overlaps the part of the electric motor 21 not covered by the main flange 31. The arrangement of the flange 32 makes it possible to almost completely encircle the casing of the electric motor 21 by its peripheral edge.

Advantageously, the casing of the electric motor 21 comprises radial fins projecting from the casing, so that this increases the heat exchange surface between the casing and the flow of cooling air circulating in the channel formed by the assembly. of the casing on the powertrain.

The secondary flange 32 defines a rear wall in which is formed at least one air exhaust opening 324. As shown in Figure 4, the secondary flange 32 includes two openings 324 adjacent to the Y axis, which improves the evacuation of calories.

The secondary flange 32 may also include a lateral face 322 disposed partially overlapping the free end of the electric motor 21. The lateral faces 312 and 322 belonging respectively to the main flanges 31 and secondary 32 are joined together one to the other by means 34, 35 of fixing. The fixing of said air guide means 3 on the propulsion means 2 preferably takes place by fixing interfaces 6 which can be obtained from molding the casing of the electric motor 21 or from attached tabs and provided for this purpose.

The means 34 for mutual attachment of the flanges 31 and 32 to each other may comprise tabs projecting out of one of the main flanges 31 and secondary 32, and engaging in corresponding loops made in the another of the main flanges 31 and secondary 32. Such assemblies consisting of a tongue and a corresponding loop can be arranged at the side faces 312 and 322. They can also be arranged at the free edges of the flanges main 31 and secondary 32 which are capable of ensuring a connection of the flanges between them.

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The fixing means 35 can be of the quick-fixing type and thus consists of a retaining claw fitted on two peripheral edges of the main flanges 31 and secondary 32 which are arranged to bear against one another. As a variant, the retaining claw comprises an opening making it possible to tighten the aforementioned edges by a dedicated screw.

Such fixing means 34 and 35 allow reversible mounting of said air guide means 3 on the propulsion means 2. Due to its two-part structure, the air guide means 3 surrounds the electric motor îo 21, which tends to increase the cooling air flow. The envelope thus formed by said air guide means 3 significantly improves the cooling of the propulsion means while forming a thermal barrier reducing the effect of thermal radiation towards the surrounding elements.

The use of such an arrangement of a cooling device advantageously and inexpensively makes it possible to more precisely regulate the heat exchange between functional members of a propulsion means 2 which must be cooled to guarantee their operating reliability. This also makes it possible to reduce the effect of thermal conduction due to the operation of said means of propulsion towards the structure of the vehicle.

Claims (10)

1. Arrangement of a device (1) for cooling in a compartment 5 of a vehicle intended to receive a means (2) of propulsion, the cooling device comprising means for generating an air flow as well as an air guide means (3) disposed around said propulsion means (2) in order to form with the latter at least one air flow channel of predetermined thickness, the cooling device (1) comprising a convergent ïo (4) disposed between an air outlet opening of said means for generating an air flow and an inlet opening (5) of said air guide means. 2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the convergent (4) is made of a flexible material, in particular from a plastic material. 15 3. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air guide means (3) is an envelope made of a rigid material, in particular from a plastic material, and connected to the means (2) of propulsion by dedicated fixing interfaces (6). 4. Arrangement according to the preceding claim, characterized in that 20 the envelope comprises at least one flange (31) covering all or part of said propulsion means (2). 5. Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means for generating an air flow is a motor-fan unit immobilely assembled to the body structure of the 25 vehicle via a support frame on which the convergent (4) is fixed. 6. Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the propulsion means (2) extending transversely to the structure of the vehicle, the convergent (4) comprising an air outlet opening (41), which may have an approximately elliptical profile, delimited by a flange (42) intended to overlap with a fixing flange (33) bordering the air inlet opening (5) of said guide means (3) 'air. 7. Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, 5 characterized in that said propulsion means (2) is a unitary assembly comprises an electric motor (21), a reduction gear (22) and a control module (23) containing in particular power electronics, the reduction gear (22) being disposed between the electric motor (21) and the control module (23) so that the reduction gear (22) extends opposite an approximately central part of the air inlet opening (5) said air guiding means (3). 8. Arrangement according to the preceding claim taken in combination with claim 4, characterized in that a main flange (31) comprises front (310) and lower (311) faces arranged facing said 15 propulsion means (2) and a side face (312) disposed facing a free end of the electric motor (21). 9. Arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that a secondary flange (32) is fixed to the main flange (31) by fixing means (34, 35), the secondary flange (32) comprising a rear face (323 ) 20 extending facing the electric motor (21) and a side face (322) disposed facing the free end of the electric motor (21), the secondary flange (32) comprising at least one discharge outlet (324 ) of air. 10. Vehicle, in particular of the automobile type, comprising an arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims. 1/2