Cooling Device for Electrical Apparatus Mounted on Vehicle

• US 20090095449A1
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Bandai, Hiroyuki, Tsuduki, Tatsuya, Taguchi, Tomonari
• Granted Patent: US 8,757,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.33
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/244 located in the rear area
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/003 Component temperature regulation using an air flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00614 Cooling of electronic units in air stream
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0416 Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6566 Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers H01M10/6565 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An ECU executes a program including a step of operating a battery cooling fan motor if a battery temperature is higher than a cooling required temperature, a step of sensing a cooling airflow temperature, a step of sensing solar radiation intensity onto a rear package tray, and a step of operating a motor serving as an actuator which closes a rear sunshade identified as a solar radiation blocking tool if the cooling airflow temperature is greater than a temperature threshold value and the solar radiation intensity is greater than a solar radiation intensity threshold value.

Claims

1. A cooling device for an electrical apparatus mounted on a vehicle, the electrical apparatus being mounted on a rear side of the vehicle, the cooling device comprising:

a cooling airflow intake port which is provided in a vehicle interior in proximity to a rear windshield;

a supply unit which supplies a cooling airflow through said cooling airflow intake port to said electrical apparatus;

a blocking unit which is capable of controlling a blocked amount of solar radiation coming onto said cooling airflow intake port through said rear windshield; and

a control unit which, if said supply unit supplies the cooling airflow to said electrical apparatus, controls said blocking unit based on at least one of severity of the solar radiation coming onto said cooling airflow intake port and a temperature of the cooling airflow.

4. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein

said blocking unit is implemented by a sunshade plate which is provided at said rear windshield on a side of the vehicle interior, an operation of the sunshade plate being controllable, and

said control unit controls said sunshade plate based on at least one of the severity of the solar radiation coming onto said cooling airflow intake port and the temperature of the cooling airflow.

5. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein

said blocking unit is implemented by said rear windshield made of light control glass, an amount of infrared light transmitting through the light control glass being controllable, and

said control unit controls the amount of the infrared light transmitting through said light control glass based on at least one of the severity of the solar radiation coming onto said cooling airflow intake port and the temperature of the cooling airflow.

6. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein said electrical apparatus is a power storage mechanism.

7. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein said electrical apparatus is a semiconductor element for power conversion.

8. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein said cooling airflow intake port is provided at a rear package tray.

9. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle is a vehicle mounted with two types of mechanical power sources.

10. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein said vehicle is a vehicle mounted with two types of mechanical power sources.

11. The cooling device according to claim 5, wherein said vehicle is a vehicle mounted with two types of mechanical power sources.

12. The cooling device according to claim 6, wherein said vehicle is a vehicle mounted with two types of mechanical power sources.

13. The cooling device according to claim 7, wherein said vehicle is a vehicle mounted with two types of mechanical power sources.

14. The cooling device according to claim 8, wherein said vehicle is a vehicle mounted with two types of mechanical power sources.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)