Cooling system for hybrid vehicles

• US 8,187,736 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanon Systems (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corporation (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Min Woo, Lee, Dae Woong, Kim, Hyung Joo, Son, Il Guk, Lee, Sung Je
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilliam, Barbara
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROE, CLAIRE LOUISE
• Application Number:
  US11/670,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20070175623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• Field of Search: 429/439, 429/440, 429/58, 429 61- 62, 429 90- 93, 429/96, 429 99-100, 429/112, 429120-122, 429/129, 429/142, 429/149, 429/156, 429163-164, 429176-177, 429/186, 903/952, 903/903, 903/907, 180/68.1, 180/68.3, 180/229, 180/68.2, 165/202
• US Class Current: 429/62
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/633 characterised by algorithms, flow charts, software details or the like
• 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: H01M 10/667 the system being an electronic component, e.g. a CPU, an inverter or a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/952 Housing details

Abstract

A cooling system for hybrid vehicles is provided with a battery case with a battery storage room for receiving a battery, a motor control unit for controlling an electric motor and a DC-DC converter for converting a voltage of the battery. The cooling system includes a blower for drawing an air existing in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, an introduction duct through which the air is introduced into the battery storage room to cool the battery, a first supply duct through which the air is supplied from the battery storage room to the DC-DC converter to cool the latter, a second supply duct through which the air is supplied from the battery storage room to the motor control unit to cool the latter, and an air distributor means for distributing the air flowing out of the battery storage room to the first supply duct and the second supply duct.

Claims

1. A cooling system arranged in a rear part of a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle being equipped with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine in combination, the cooling system comprising:

a battery case with a battery storage room for receiving a battery, the battery supplying power to the electric motor of the hybrid vehicle;

a motor control unit for controlling the electric motor and a converter for converting a voltage of the battery;

a blower for drawing an air existing in a passenger compartment of the hybrid vehicle;

an introduction duct through which the air drawn by the blower is introduced into the battery storage room to cool the battery;

a first supply duct having an internal passageway through which the air flowing out of the battery storage room is supplied to the converter to cool the converter;

a second supply duct having an internal passageway through which the air flowing out of the battery storage room is supplied to the motor control unit to cool the motor control unit; and

an air distributor means for distributing the air flowing out of the battery storage room to the first supply duct and the second supply duct

wherein the air distributor means comprises a guide baffle extending from the internal passageway of the first supply duct toward the internal passageway of the second supply duct for guiding a part of the air introduced into the first supply duct to the second supply duct, and further comprises dispersion baffles extending from the guide baffle toward opposite side walls of the first supply duct in such a manner as to disperse the air flowing through the first supply duct in a transverse direction; and

wherein the converter is provided with a plurality of cooling fins protruding into the internal passageway of the first supply duct and arranged just behind the guide baffle.

2. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the dispersion baffles are formed in a smaller height than the guide baffle.

3. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the guide baffle extends into the internal passageway of the second supply duct.

4. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the guide baffle is provided with an air passage cutout through which the air in the first supply duct is allowed to flow toward the converter in the first supply duct and the plurality of cooling fins arranged in the first supply duct just behind the guide baffle.

5. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the guide baffle and the dispersion baffles are integrally formed with the first supply duct.

6. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the guide baffle and the dispersion baffles are separately manufactured and attached to the first supply duct.

7. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first supply duct is adapted to supply the air in the battery storage room to a top surface of the converter.

8. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second supply duct is adapted to supply the air in the battery storage room to a bottom surface of the motor control unit.

9. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first supply duct is directly connected to the battery storage room and the second supply duct is branched off from the first supply duct.

10. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second supply duct is directly connected to the battery storage room and the first supply duct is branched off from the second supply duct.