Patent Description:
Eco-friendly vehicles such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle supply power using a motor and are required to use a power module, in which elements such as an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and a diode are integrated, in order to more efficiently control the motor.

The IGBT and the diode of a power module each generate heat close to <NUM> when a vehicle is driven or stopped, so when the heat of the power module is accumulated, the motor is not driven, which may cause a severe accident during driving. Accordingly, a heat management system for a power module is necessary for eco-friendly vehicles.

Since a power module outputs maximum efficiency at an appropriate temperature and all of the elements are organically operated, if the efficiency of one element is deteriorated, the entire efficiency is deteriorated, so the elements should be uniformly cooled.

Since a heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements should simultaneously cool the upper portion and the lower portion of a power module, a heat exchange extrusion tube or a channel of a press article should be positioned at the upper and lower portions of the power module. In detail, a power module applied with thermal grease may be inserted between an upper cooler and a lower cooler. In this case, it is preferable that the power module is inserted such that the cooling water of the upper and lower coolers does not leak.

Heat exchangers for cooling electrical elements of an eco-friendly vehicle that have been recently developed to satisfy this condition may be classified in a bending type and a gasket type in a broad meaning.

The bending type is formed in an integral type by bending an extrusion tube in a 'U' shape or an 'Ω' shape using softness of the tube and the gasket type is a type in which a gasket ring is fitted on the joint between an upper channel and a lower channel to tighten the joint.

According to the bending type, when the heights of the extrusion tube and the channel are high, the extrusion tube should be bent much, so there is a defect that a large space is required, the shape of the channel cannot be varied, and the length that the extrusion tube occupies increases, so a pressure loss increases.

According to the gasket type, although the height of the channel is not limited, since one more gasket ring is fitted on the joint between the upper channel and the lower channel, there is a possibility of cooling water leaking due to twist of the gasket ring, etc. in assembly.

A heat exchanger according to the state of the art is disclosed in document <CIT>.

The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the general problems in the related art described above and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle in which the possibility of leakage of cooling water can be reduced and the gap between the top and the bottom can be adjusted within a larger width.

In order the achieve the objects of the present invention, a heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention includes: a pair of coolers disposed over and under an electrical element module, respectively, and each having a plurality of channels longitudinally formed to pass cooling fluid; pipe couplers respectively coupled to first ends of the pair of coolers to pass cooling fluid, having protrusions on first surfaces facing each other, respectively, and connected with pipes on second surfaces; bellows couplers respectively coupled to second ends of the pair of coolers to pass cooling fluid and having protrusions on first surfaces facing each other; and a bellows having top and bottom openings fitted on the protrusions, and being able to contract.

The bellows couplers have grooves formed around the protrusions in a shape corresponding to the bellows, and the widths of the grooves are larger than the width of the bellows.

The bellows is configured such that the upper and lower parts are separable.

The pipe couplers each have a first stopping step that is formed on the inner surface thereof and limits an insertion position of the first end of each of the pair of coolers.

The bellows couplers each have a second stopping step that is formed on the inner surface thereof and limits an insertion position of the second end of each of the pair of coolers.

According to the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle, the possibility of leakage of cooling water may be reduced and the gap between the top and the bottom may be adjusted within a larger width.

According to the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle, there is an effect that even though force is transmitted to the second coupler through the pipe when a connector, a hose, etc. are fastened to the pipe, the second coupler is not easily deformed because the second coupler is supported by the protrusion of the first coupler.

According to the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle, since the bellows may be divided, there is the advantage that it is possible to more easily manufacture a bellows of which a side is a brazing part that is a clad material in comparison to the integral type heat exchangers of the related art.

According to the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle, since the first and second stopping steps are formed at the pipe coupler and the bellows coupler, respectively, both ends of a plurality of coolers are disposed at predetermined positions, so combination is easy.

It should be noted that when components are given reference numerals in drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals even if they are shown in different drawings. Further, when a component may make the spirit of the present disclosure unclear, the component is not described in detail. Further, it should be noted that although embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below, the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto and may be achieved by those skilled in the art.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention, <FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention, <FIG> is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a pipe coupler in the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention, <FIG> is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a bellows coupler and a bellows in the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention, <FIG> is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing states before and after contraction of the bellows coupler and the bellows in the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention, <FIG> is a front cross-sectional view showing the state before contraction of the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention, and <FIG> is a front cross-sectional view showing the state after contraction of the heat exchanger for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention.

A heat exchanger <NUM> for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described hereafter with reference to <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the heat exchanger <NUM> for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle according to the present invention includes a pair of coolers <NUM>, pipe couplers <NUM>, bellows couplers <NUM>, and a bellows <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the pair of coolers <NUM> are disposed over and under an electrical element module guide <NUM>, respectively, and each have a plurality of channels longitudinally formed to pass cooling fluid. Cooling fluid flowing inside through a pipe <NUM> to be described below may flow through the plurality of channels formed in the pair of coolers <NUM>. The electrical element module guide <NUM>, which is provided to fix electrical element modules, may be an injected plastic part.

The pair of coolers <NUM> each may have a metal plate <NUM>, which is made of metal such as aluminum having high thermal conductivity, on a surface facing the electrical element module guide <NUM> to increase heat exchange efficiency.

The pipe couplers <NUM> are coupled to first ends of the pair of coolers <NUM>, respectively, to pass cooling fluid, and may be composed of a pair of first couplers <NUM> and a pair of second couplers <NUM>.

In detail, the pair of first couplers <NUM> respectively have protrusions <NUM> on surfaces facing each other with the electrical element module guide <NUM> therebetween. When the pair of first couplers <NUM> are moved toward each other, the protrusions <NUM> may move close to each other.

The pair of second couplers <NUM> are coupled to the pair of first couplers <NUM>, respectively, and each are connected with a pipe <NUM>. The pipe <NUM> may have a stopping protrusion <NUM> on the outer surface and the pair of second couplers <NUM> each may have an open protrusion <NUM> protruding to be in contact with the stopping protrusion <NUM> at an opening in which the pipe <NUM> is inserted. That is, the pipe <NUM> may be inserted in the second coupler <NUM> until the stopping protrusion <NUM> is stopped by the open protrusion <NUM>.

A connector, a hose, etc. are fastened to the pipe <NUM> such that cooling fluid can flow inside or outside, but in this process, force is transmitted to the pipe <NUM>, so the second coupler <NUM> connected to the pipe <NUM> may be bent or damaged.

In order to solve this problem, the pair of first couplers <NUM> having protrusions on surfaces facing each other are provided in the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, when the pair of first couplers <NUM> in the state shown in <FIG> are moved toward each other by contraction of the bellows <NUM> to be described below and the pair of protrusions <NUM> are moved close to each other, as shown in <FIG>, the pair of second couplers <NUM> coupled to the pair of first couplers <NUM> are supported by the protrusions <NUM>.

Accordingly, there is an effect that even though force is transmitted to the second coupler <NUM> through the pipe <NUM> when a connector, a hose, etc. are fastened to the pipe <NUM>, the second coupler <NUM> is not easily deformed because the second coupler <NUM> is supported by the protrusion <NUM> of the first coupler <NUM>. The protrusion <NUM> may also serve to distribute pressure when cooling fluid flows into the pipe <NUM>.

Referring back to <FIG>, it is preferable that the pipe coupler <NUM> has a first stopping step <NUM> on the inner surface thereof that limits the insertion position of the first end of the cooler <NUM>. The first stopping step <NUM> is formed on the inner surfaces facing each other of the pipe couplers <NUM>, thereby being able to decrease the width of the passage in which the first ends of the coolers <NUM> are inserted. That is, since the cooler <NUM> is inserted only to the portion stopped by the first stopping step <NUM> when the pipe coupler <NUM> is coupled to the first end of the cooler <NUM>, it is easy to couple the first end of the cooler <NUM> at a predetermined position.

The bellows couplers <NUM> are connected to second ends of the pair of coolers <NUM>, respectively, to pass cooling fluid, and may be composed of a pair of first couplers <NUM> respectively having protrusions <NUM> on surfaces facing each other with the electrical element module guide <NUM> therebetween and a pair of second couplers <NUM> coupled to the pair of first couplers <NUM>, respectively.

It is preferable that the bellows coupler <NUM> has a second stopping step <NUM> formed on the inner surface and limiting the insertion position of the second end of the cooler <NUM>. The second stopping step <NUM> is formed on the inner surfaces facing each other of the bellows couplers <NUM>, thereby being able to decrease the width of the passage in which the second ends of the coolers <NUM> are inserted. That is, since the cooler <NUM> is inserted only to the portion stopped by the second stopping step <NUM> when the bellows coupler <NUM> is coupled to the second end of the cooler <NUM>, it is easy to couple the second end of the cooler <NUM> at a predetermined position.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the bellows <NUM> has top and bottom openings <NUM>, so it may be fitted on the protrusions <NUM> formed on the bellows couplers <NUM> and is configured to be able to contract. The bellows <NUM> functions as a passage connecting the pair of coolers <NUM>, and a side thereof is made of clad and may be brazed to the bellows coupler <NUM>.

It is preferable that the bellows <NUM> is configured such that the upper and lower parts are separable. A coupling groove <NUM> and a coupling protrusion <NUM> are formed around the edges of the contact surfaces of the upper part and the lower part of the bellows <NUM>, respectively, to correspond to each other so that the upper and lower parts may be combined.

Unlike an integral type bellows <NUM> of the related art of which the height or the width is limited, depending on the elongation of materials, the separable type bellows <NUM> of the present invention has the advantage that it is possible to adjust the available contraction height by changing the height of the circumferential portion <NUM> and it is also possible to adjust the force for contraction by changing the width of the circumferential portion <NUM>.

The bellows coupler <NUM> has a groove <NUM> formed around the protrusion <NUM> and having a shape corresponding to the bellows <NUM>.

In detail, the bellows <NUM> is disposed between the bellows couplers <NUM> and has the top and bottom openings <NUM>, and bellows <NUM> is fitted on the protrusions <NUM> formed at the bellows couplers <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the upper end and the lower end of the bellows <NUM> may be fitted to the surfaces 312a having the grooves <NUM> of the bellows coupler <NUM>.

That is, the deeper the grooves <NUM>, the larger the height between the upper end and the lower end of the bellows <NUM> inserted therebetween may be, so it is possible to increase the available contraction height by increasing the height of the circumferential portion <NUM>.

As a result, it is possible to adjust the height of the bellows <NUM> disposed between the grooves <NUM> facing each other by adjusting the depths of the grooves <NUM>, whereby the available contraction height of the bellows <NUM> may be adjusted. Accordingly, it is possible to easily secure a sufficient gap in which the electrical element module can be inserted in accordance with the height of the electrical element module.

It is preferable that the gap between the pair of coolers <NUM> is large in order to easily insert the electrical element module before contraction of the bellows <NUM>.

To this end, there is a method of increasing the lengths of the protrusions <NUM> of the bellows couplers <NUM> to which the bellows <NUM> is fastened, but there is a problem that when the lengths of the protrusions <NUM> are increased, the gap between the pair of coolers <NUM> and the electrical element module is large even after contraction of the bellows <NUM>, so the heat exchange efficiency decreases. That is, since the lengths of the protrusions <NUM> should be set to fit the height of the electrical element module, so the lengths cannot be infinitely increased.

On the other hand, the grooves <NUM> having a shape corresponding to the bellows <NUM> are formed around the protrusions <NUM> in the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, the upper end and the lower end of the bellows <NUM> may be inserted to the surfaces 312a having the grooves <NUM> of the bellows couplers <NUM> before contraction of the bellows <NUM> and the circumferential portion <NUM> of the bellows <NUM> may have a large height, so the available contraction height may be increased.

As shown in <FIG>, since the grooves <NUM> are formed around the protrusions <NUM> of the bellows couplers <NUM>, when the bellows <NUM> contracts, the bellows <NUM> may be maximally deformed until the protrusions <NUM> come in contact with each other.

The circumferential portion <NUM> of the contracted and deformed bellows <NUM> may come in contact with the grooves <NUM> formed on the bellows couplers <NUM>. In this case, the circumferential portion <NUM> may contract to be stably seated on the surfaces 312a having the grooves <NUM> because the widths of the grooves <NUM> are larger than the width of the circumferential portion <NUM> of the bellows <NUM>.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a large height difference before and after contraction of the bellows <NUM>. That is, as shown in <FIG>, since the bellows <NUM> before contracting has a height that may secure a sufficient gap between the pair of coolers <NUM>, it is possible to secure a sufficient space in which the electrical element module can be inserted. Further, as shown in <FIG>, since the bellows <NUM> may maximally contract due to the grooves <NUM> formed on the bellows couplers <NUM> when force contracting the bellows <NUM> is applied, it is possible to improve the efficiency of heat exchange with the electrical element module by maximally decreasing the gap between the pair of coolers <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A heat exchanger (<NUM>) for cooling electrical elements of a vehicle, the heat exchanger (<NUM>) comprising:
a pair of coolers (<NUM>) disposed over and under an electrical element module, respectively, and each having a plurality of channels longitudinally formed to pass cooling fluid;
pipe couplers (<NUM>) respectively coupled to first ends of the pair of coolers (<NUM>) to pass cooling fluid, having protrusions (<NUM>) on first surfaces facing each other, respectively, and connected with pipes (<NUM>) on second surfaces;
bellows couplers (<NUM>) respectively coupled to second ends of the pair of coolers (<NUM>) to pass cooling fluid and having protrusions (<NUM>) on first surfaces facing each other; and
a bellows (<NUM>) having top and bottom openings (<NUM>) fitted on the protrusions (<NUM>), and being able to contract, wherein the bellows couplers (<NUM>) have grooves (<NUM>) formed around the protrusions (<NUM>) in a shape corresponding to the bellows (<NUM>), and widths of the grooves (<NUM>) are larger than a width of the bellows (<NUM>).