Patent Description:
At present, a cooling system in a vehicle generally adopts such a form that a radiator is used to perform liquid-gas separation on a coolant liquid circulated in the cooling system, an air outlet arranged at the highest position of a water chamber in the radiator is connected with an expansion tank, and a water refill pipe of the expansion tank forms a parallel circuit with a main cooling water circuit, such that air separated by the radiator is brought into the expansion tank and stored in the expansion tank.

However, for a new energy vehicle such as a battery electric vehicle, a battery cooling system is not provided with a radiator, and orientation of the pipeline is complicated, resulting in easy accumulation of air. Therefore, rapid degassing is particularly important for a battery cooling circuit. At present, in some vehicles, a special liquid-gas separator is connected in series to a main circuit of the cooling system for degassing, the degassing effect depends on the design of the liquid-gas separator, and the addition of the liquid-gas separator leads to a sharp rise in the cost and weight of the whole cooling system.

Therefore, the degassing structure of the vehicle cooling system needs to be optimized.

<CIT> provides an expansion kettle of an electric automobile cooling system. The kettle comprises a kettle body, the interior of the kettle body is divided into six cavities through partition plates. A first groove is formed in the top of the partition plate between the first cavity and the second cavity; a second groove is formed in the top of the partition plate between the second cavity and the third cavity; a third groove is formed in the top of the partition plate between the third cavity and the fourth cavity; a fourth groove is formed in the top of the partition plate between the fourth cavity and the fifth cavity; a fifth groove is formed in the top of the partition plate between the fifth cavity and the sixth cavity; the depth of the fifth groove is greater than that of the fourth groove; the depth of the fourth groove is greater than that of the third groove; wherein the depth of the third groove is larger than that of the second groove, the depth of the second groove is larger than that of the first groove, the bottom of the kettle body is fixedly communicated with a water inlet and a water outlet, an exhaust port is formed in the water inlet, the exhaust port is formed in the first cavity, a water supplementing port is formed in the water outlet, and the water supplementing port is formed in the sixth cavity.

<CIT> provides an automotive water jug capable of discharging air automatically. The automotive water jug capable of discharging air automatically comprises a hollow water jug body, a water circulating pipeline and an air discharging mechanism, wherein the water circulating pipeline comprises a first bent tube, a cross tube and a second bent tube which are successively connected in the front-back direction to form a U-shaped pipeline; the cross tube is arranged at the lower end of the water jug body; a first through hole and a second through hole are formed in the lower end surface of the water jug body; the air discharging mechanism comprises an air discharging hollow column and a water replenishing hollow column; the air discharging hollow column and the water replenishing hollow column are arranged in the water jug body; the air discharging hollow column penetrates through the first through hole and then communicates with the cross tube; the water replenishing hollow column penetrates through the second through hole and then communicates with the cross tube; the water jug body contains cooling liquid; the air discharging hollow column is higher than the liquid level of the cooling liquid; the water replenishing hollow column is lower than the liquid level of the cooling liquid; and the radius of the air discharging hollow column is smaller than the height of the water replenishing hollow column. Air in the cooling liquid can be discharged automatically, waste and pollution of the cooling liquid can be reduced, the service life of the cooling liquid is prolonged, the reliability of the cooling liquid is improved, the changing frequency is reduced, the structure is simple, and the practicality is high.

<CIT> provides a compensating vessel for a motor vehicle's engine cooling circuit. Feed and drain pipes fit on a casing so that a coolant supplied by the feed pipe gets into the drain pipe almost completely, without getting mixed with the coolant in a compensating vessel, while gas bubbles from the coolant are given off into the compensating vessel. A cooling system with a compensating vessel has feed/drain pipes and a casing.

<CIT> provides a cooling system for a liquid-cooled internal combustion engine including a radiator with a water box on top of the radiator, an inlet for receiving coolant heated in the engine, an outlet for returning coolant cooled in the radiator to the engine, an expansion tank disposed in communication with the radiator and a vehicle heater with a hot coolant supply line extending from the engine to the vehicle heater, the hot coolant supply line is flow-connected to the expansion tank for venting gases from the supply line to the expansion tank.

An objective of the present invention is to provide an expansion tank for a vehicle cooling system and a vehicle cooling system, which can realize automatic degassing of the cooling system, and can reduce cost and weight of the vehicle cooling system compared with the existing degassing method.

The objective of the present invention can be realized by the following technical solution.

An expansion tank for a vehicle cooling system is provided as defined in claim <NUM>. The expansion tank is directly connected in series to a main cooling circuit of a motor, and the coolant liquid enters the expansion tank through the liquid inlet, flows through the diversion channel, and then is discharged from the expansion tank through the liquid outlet. Air in the coolant liquid leaves the diversion channel through the vent hole along with part of the coolant liquid and then enters the chamber inside the tank body, and part of the coolant liquid stored in the chamber enters the diversion channel through the liquid refill hole so as to automatically separate the air from the cooling system and maintain a steady flow of coolant liquid in the main cooling circuit. The vent hole and the liquid refill hole are provided on the side of the diversion channel, thereby avoiding NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) problems caused by liquid level fluctuations. The diversion channel is installed on the clamping plate through the clamping groove so as to realize clamping of the diversion channel, and the diversion channel just connects the liquid inlet with the liquid outlet after clamping, thereby realizing the assembly of the diversion channel inside the tank body.

The air separated from the cooling system is stored in the expansion tank. A pressure cover is provided on the top of the expansion tank. When the coolant liquid inside the expansion tank is insufficient, the pressure cover on the top of the expansion tank needs to be opened for refill of the coolant liquid. A pressure valve is provided on the pressure cover. When the air in the expansion tank reaches a certain amount, the air pressure may rise and the pressure valve on the pressure cover may be opened.

Furthermore, the diversion channel is in an arc bent outward, the vent hole is provided on an outer side of the diversion channel, and the liquid refill hole is provided on an inner side of the diversion channel.

Furthermore, the vent hole is provided on a top of the outer side of the diversion channel, and the liquid refill hole is provided on a bottom of the inner side of the diversion channel. Since the air can automatically rise up and exist above a liquid level of the coolant liquid, the vent hole is provide on the top of the outer side of the diversion channel, such that the air can be easily discharged. After the air is discharged, the coolant liquid is refilled through the liquid refill hole until the whole cooling system is filled with liquid.

Preferably, the vent hole and the liquid refill hole can be square holes, round holes, notches, and the like.

Furthermore, the liquid inlet is provided on a side of the tank body, and the liquid outlet is provided on the bottom of the tank body.

In this structure, at the corner of the arc-shaped diversion channel, the vent hole is designed by using the outer rounded corner as a high pressure area, and the liquid refill hole is designed by using the inner rounded corner as a low pressure area. In other words, the pressure difference between the outer rounded corner and the inner rounded corner can be used to enable venting in the high pressure area and liquid refilling in the low pressure area, such that the venting and liquid refilling functions are realized.

Alternatively, the diversion channel is a linear diversion channel, and the vent hole and the liquid refill hole are arranged on the same side of the diversion channel. A turbulence structure is provided on the bottom of the tank body, so as to facilitate the venting and liquid refilling functions.

Furthermore, the turbulence structure includes a protrusion which is provided on the bottom of the tank body and protrudes upwards, where the protrusion is matched with a bottom of the diversion channel, and is located between the vent hole and the liquid refill hole. The protrusion on the bottom of the tank body, as the turbulence structure, mainly acts to increase the resistance at a certain position, thereby changing the flow field inside the diversion channel. In application, when the coolant liquid flows in the diversion channel, part of the coolant liquid containing air flows out of the diversion channel through the vent hole due to the resistance and necking effect of the protrusion, and the other part of the coolant liquid flowing through the protrusion is subject to the reduced resistance, while the inner diameter of the channel is increased, such that the coolant liquid in the chamber is sucked into the diversion channel through the liquid refill hole.

Furthermore, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are coaxially arranged.

Furthermore, a plurality of partitions are provided in the chamber to divide the chamber into a plurality of cavities which are communicated with each other, and the vent hole and the liquid refill hole are respectively connected with different cavities. The partitions can strengthen the tank body. Meanwhile, the partitions can divide the chamber into the plurality of cavities, and the partitions are provided with holes which can communicate two adjacent cavities. The cavities include a vent cavity and a liquid refill cavity, the vent hole is connected with the vent cavity and the liquid refill hole is connected with the liquid refill cavity, and the vent cavity is separated from the liquid refill cavity by the partition.

In this structure, the turbulence structure matched with the bottom of the diversion channel is provided on the bottom of the tank body, and the vent hole and the liquid refill hole are arranged on the same side of the diversion channel, such that the automatic liquid-gas separation is realized.

Furthermore, the tank body includes an upper tank body and a lower tank body, and the liquid inlet, the liquid outlet and the diversion channel are all provided on the lower tank body. During assembly, the diversion channel is assembled on the lower tank body, and then the lower tank body is welded to the upper tank body.

A vehicle cooling system is provided as defined in claim <NUM>.

Compared with the related art, the present invention has the following characteristics.

<NUM>-tank body, <NUM>-upper tank body, <NUM>-lower tank body, <NUM>-chamber, <NUM>-liquid inlet, <NUM>-liquid outlet, <NUM>-diversion channel, <NUM>-vent hole, <NUM>-liquid refill hole, <NUM>-protrusion, <NUM>-partition, <NUM>-clamping groove.

The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. This embodiment is implemented on the premise of the technical solution of the present invention, and detailed implementation and specific operation process are given, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

A vehicle cooling system includes an expansion tank for the vehicle cooling system as shown in <FIG>. The expansion tank includes a tank body <NUM> and a chamber <NUM> provided inside the tank body <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, a liquid inlet <NUM> and a liquid outlet <NUM> are provided on the tank body <NUM>. A diversion channel <NUM> matched with a bottom of the tank body <NUM> is provided inside the tank body <NUM>, and both ends of the diversion channel <NUM> are respectively connected with the liquid inlet <NUM> and the liquid outlet <NUM>. A vent hole <NUM> and a liquid refill hole <NUM> are sequentially provided on a side of the diversion channel <NUM> in a flow direction of a coolant liquid, and the vent hole <NUM> and the liquid refill hole <NUM> are both communicated with the chamber <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the diversion channel <NUM> is in an arc bent outward, the vent hole <NUM> is provided on an outer side of the diversion channel <NUM>, and the liquid refill hole <NUM> is provided on an inner side of the diversion channel <NUM>. The vent hole <NUM> is provided on a top of the outer side of the diversion channel <NUM>, and the liquid refill hole <NUM> is provided on a bottom of the inner side of the diversion channel <NUM>. The liquid inlet <NUM> is provided on a side of the tank body <NUM>, and the liquid outlet <NUM> is provided on the bottom of the tank body <NUM>.

A plurality of partitions <NUM> are provided in the chamber <NUM> to divide the chamber <NUM> into a plurality of cavities which are communicated with each other.

A clamping groove <NUM> is provided on the diversion channel <NUM>, and a clamping plate matched with the clamping groove <NUM> is provided inside the tank body <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the tank body <NUM> includes an upper tank body <NUM> and a lower tank body <NUM>, and the liquid inlet <NUM>, the liquid outlet <NUM> and the diversion channel <NUM> are all provided on the lower tank body <NUM>.

In this structure, at the corner of the arc-shaped diversion channel <NUM>, the vent hole <NUM> is designed by using the outer rounded corner as a high pressure area, and the liquid refill hole <NUM> is designed by using the inner rounded corner as a low pressure area. In other words, the pressure difference between the outer rounded corner and the inner rounded corner can be used to enable venting in the high pressure area and liquid refilling in the low pressure area, such that the venting and liquid refilling functions are realized.

As shown in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the diversion channel <NUM> is a linear diversion channel, and the vent hole <NUM> and the liquid refill hole <NUM> are arranged on the same side of the diversion channel <NUM>. A turbulence structure is provided on the bottom of the tank body <NUM>. The turbulence structure includes a protrusion <NUM> which is provided on the bottom of the tank body <NUM> and protrudes upwards, where the protrusion <NUM> is matched with a bottom of the diversion channel <NUM>, and is located between the vent hole <NUM> and the liquid refill hole <NUM>. The liquid inlet <NUM> and the liquid outlet <NUM> are coaxially arranged. A plurality of partitions <NUM> are provided in the chamber <NUM> to divide the chamber <NUM> into a plurality of cavities which are communicated with each other, and the vent hole <NUM> and the liquid refill hole <NUM> are respectively connected with different cavities.

In this structure, the turbulence structure matched with the bottom of the diversion channel <NUM> is provided on the bottom of the tank body <NUM>, and the vent hole <NUM> and the liquid refill hole <NUM> are arranged on the same side of the diversion channel <NUM>, such that the automatic liquid-gas separation is realized.

As can be seen from the above embodiments, the present invention can realize the automatic separation of the air from the coolant liquid and the automatic refill of the coolant liquid by providing the diversion channel <NUM> connecting the liquid inlet <NUM> and the liquid outlet <NUM> inside the tank body <NUM>, and sequentially providing the vent hole <NUM> and the liquid refill hole <NUM> on the side of the diversion channel <NUM> in the flow direction of the coolant liquid. Since the expansion tank is directly connected in series to the main cooling circuit of the motor, the cost input and arrangement space of pipelines, pipe clamps, and liquid-gas separators are reduced, and the weight of the cooling system is also reduced. The diversion channel <NUM> can be designed in an arc bent outward or in a linear form so as to be suitable for different expansion tanks, allowing for good flexibility.

Claim 1:
An expansion tank for a vehicle cooling system, the expansion tank comprising a tank body (<NUM>) and a chamber (<NUM>) provided inside the tank body (<NUM>), wherein
a liquid inlet (<NUM>) and a liquid outlet (<NUM>) are provided on the tank body (<NUM>),
a diversion channel (<NUM>) matched with a bottom of the tank body (<NUM>) is provided inside the tank body (<NUM>), and both ends of the diversion channel (<NUM>) are respectively connected with the liquid inlet (<NUM>) and the liquid outlet (<NUM>), and
a vent hole (<NUM>) and a liquid refill hole (<NUM>) are sequentially provided on a side of the diversion channel (<NUM>) in a flow direction of a coolant liquid, and the vent hole (<NUM>) and the liquid refill hole (<NUM>) are both communicated with the chamber (<NUM>),
characterized in that
a clamping groove (<NUM>) is provided on the diversion channel (<NUM>), and a clamping plate matched with the clamping groove (<NUM>) is provided inside the tank body (<NUM>).