COOLANT EQUALIZING RESERVOIR WITH INTEGRATED DUCT-LIKE DEGASSING CHAMBER

Abstract

A coolant equalizing reservoir for arrangement in a coolant circuit, having: a reservoir housing, a degassing chamber in the reservoir housing, inside the former of which coolant flow along a curved degassing flow path, a feed line for introducing coolant into the reservoir housing, and an outflow opening for discharging coolant from the reservoir housing,
where both the feed line and the outflow opening open into the degassing chamber, and where it is provided that the degassing chamber is configured as a flow duct proceeding along a curved duct path, where the duct path defines the degassing flow path.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A coolant equalizing reservoir for arrangement in a coolant circuit, comprising: a reservoir housing, a degassing chamber in the reservoir housing, inside the former of which coolant flows along a curved degassing flow path, a feed line for introducing coolant into the reservoir housing, and an outflow opening for discharging coolant from the reservoir housing, where both the feed line and the outflow opening open into the degassing chamber, and where the degassing chamber is configured as a flow duct which proceeds along a curved duct path, where the curved duct path defines the degassing flow path.

16. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 15, wherein the degassing chamber is bounded at least along a section of the course of the curved duct path by a first wall and by a second wall lying opposite the first wall, where an inner surface of a wall out of the first and the second wall, facing towards the interior space of the degassing chamber, is curved concavely along the section and where an inner surface of the respective other wall out of the first and the second wall lying opposite the concave inner surface is curved convexly along the section.

17. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 16, wherein the concave inner surface and the convex inner surface proceed in parallel to one another.

18. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 17, wherein the first and the second wall protrude from a base-wall section of the reservoir housing along a degassing chamber axis and are arranged orthogonally to the degassing chamber axis at a distance from one another.

19. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 16, wherein the first and the second wall protrude from a base-wall section of the reservoir housing along a degassing chamber axis and are arranged orthogonally to the degassing chamber axis at a distance from one another.

20. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 18, wherein each of the two walls out of the first and the second wall is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the degassing chamber axis at least along a section of the curved duct path at a distance from the reservoir housing.

21. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 16, wherein each of the two walls out of the first and the second wall is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the degassing chamber axis at least along a section of the curved duct path at a distance from the reservoir housing.

22. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the two walls comes out from a side-wall of the reservoir housing and preferably also ends in a side-wall of the reservoir housing.

23. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the two walls comes out from a side-wall of the reservoir housing and preferably also ends in a side-wall of the reservoir housing.

24. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 22, wherein the wall with the convex inner surface comes out from a side-wall of the reservoir housing and ends in a side-wall of the reservoir housing and thereby together with the reservoir housing encloses a spatial volume.

25. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 24, wherein at least one wall out of the first and the second wall exhibits at least one passage aperture which completely penetrates through the wall in the thickness direction.

26. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 16, wherein at least one wall, out of the first and the second wall exhibits at least one passage aperture which completely penetrates through the wall in the thickness direction.

27. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 25, wherein at least one wall out of the first and the second wall exhibits a plurality of passage apertures which completely penetrate through the at least one wall in the thickness direction, where at least two of the passage apertures are arranged at different circumferential positions in the circumferential direction about the degassing chamber axis and/or are arranged at different positions in a direction along the degassing chamber axis and/or exhibit different shapes and/or different aperture cross-sectional areas.

28. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 18, wherein the degassing chamber extends from the base-wall section of the reservoir housing along the degassing chamber axis up to an end-wall section of the reservoir housing lying opposite the base-wall section.

29. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 15, wherein a region inside the reservoir housing but outside the degassing chamber is subdivided into a plurality of chambers which communicate with one another.

30. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 29, wherein partitions which separate two neighboring chambers from one another exhibit a communicating aperture through which coolant can flow from one of the chambers into the respective other one.

31. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 30, wherein the communicating apertures of at least two partitions are arranged at different distances from the degassing chamber and/or are arranged at different positions in a direction along the degassing chamber axis and/or exhibit different shapes and/or different aperture cross-sectional areas.

32. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 31, wherein partitions which separate two neighboring chambers from one another extend from a reservoir bottom up to a reservoir top lying opposite the reservoir bottom.

33. The coolant equalizing reservoir according to claim 30, wherein partitions which separate two neighboring chambers from one another extend from a reservoir bottom up to a reservoir top lying opposite the reservoir bottom.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which forms a part hereof and wherein:

[0045] FIG. 1A partially cut elevation view of an equalizing reservoir according to the invention, cut along the section axis I-I of FIG. 3 which is parallel to the degassing chamber's axis,

[0046] FIG. 2A perspective view of the partially cut equalizing reservoir of FIG. 1, and

[0047] FIG. 3A top view of the inner region of the lower reservoir shell of the equalizing reservoir of FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0048] Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same, in FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment form according to the invention of a coolant equalizing reservoir is denoted generally by 10. The equalizing reservoir 10 exhibits a reservoir housing 12 and is formed from an upper reservoir shell 14 and a lower reservoir shell 16.

[0049] The upper reservoir shell 14 comprises a reservoir top 18 and an upper side-wall 20 projecting integrally from the reservoir top 18, encircling in a closed manner, as sections of the reservoir housing 12.

[0050] The lower reservoir shell 16 comprises a reservoir bottom 22 which in the operational state of the equalizing reservoir 10 is opposite to the reservoir top 18 and a lower side-wall 24 projecting integrally from the reservoir bottom 22, encircling in a closed manner, as sections of the reservoir housing 12. The upper and the lower reservoir shell 14 and/or 16 respectively are bonded with one another, in particular welded, for example by mirror welding or by another suitable welding method, along a joint plane 26.

[0051] On the outside of the reservoir shells 14 and 16 there are molded functional formations, such as for example mountings 28, 30 (s. FIGS. 3), and 32 for attaching the equalizing reservoir 10 to a structure surrounding it, in particular the structure of a vehicle V. A further functional formation is the sensor mounting 34 which in the depicted example penetrates through the upper reservoir shell 14 and which holds a sensor arrangement 36 for detecting operational states of the equalizing reservoir 10 and/or properties of a coolant flowing through the equalizing reservoir 10.

[0052] In the region of the reservoir bottom 22, a tube 38 configured integrally with the lower reservoir shell 14 conducts at the lower reservoir shell 14 coolant into the equalizing reservoir 10 as part of a feed line 40. In the depicted example, the tube 38 and the feed line 40 proceed advantageously along a straight feed axis Z, conceived as penetrating centrally through the tube 38 and the feed line 40. The feed line 40 is part of a coolant circuit and/or cooling circuit respectively 41 in the motor vehicle V. This cooling circuit 41 comprises a pump 39, which during operation of the cooling circuit 41 produces volume flows of coolant of between 30 and 50 l/min.

[0053] Both reservoir shells 14 and 16 are produced in an injection molding process from a thermoplastic synthetic, preferably from polyethylene or polypropylene.

[0054] The equalizing reservoir 10 is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 in its operational spatial orientation. The arrow g indicates the gravitational direction. This proceeds parallel to the drawing plane of FIG. 1 and orthogonally to the drawing plane of FIG. 3.

[0055] Inside the equalizing reservoir 10 there is configured a duct-like degassing chamber 42 which extends continuously from the reservoir bottom 22 to the reservoir top 18. As an aid for easier description of the inner region of the equalizing reservoir 10, there is depicted a virtual degassing chamber axis W (s. FIG. 3) which proceeds outside the duct-like degassing chamber 42 orthogonally to the drawing plane of FIG. 3 and in the depicted embodiment example in parallel to the gravitational direction g. The degassing chamber 42 proceeds along a duct path K which defines a curved degassing flow path E, along which coolant flows through the degassing chamber 42 from an introducing inlet opening 46 to the outflow opening 58. The straight feed axis Z merges into the curved duct path K.

[0056] In the present case, the degassing chamber 42 is configured in two parts with approximately equal parts in the upper reservoir shell 14 and in the lower reservoir shell 16 each. The degassing chamber 42 is bounded by a first wall 44 and by a second wall 45 lying opposite to it across the degassing flow path E. The first and the second wall 44 and/or 45 respectively are also formed in two parts each by an upper wall 44a and/or 45a respectively and a lower wall 44b and/or 45b respectively. The upper first wall 44a configured integrally with the upper reservoir shell 14 and a lower first wall 44b configured integrally with the lower reservoir shell 16 meet in the joint plane 26 and are welded there with one another producing the wall 44 of the degassing chamber 42. The same applies mutatis mutandis to the second wall 45.

[0057] The first wall 44 is configured part-cylindrically and exhibits a convexly curved inner surface 44.1 when viewed from the interior space 43 of the degassing chamber 42. Opposite to it there is located the inner surface 45.1 of the second wall which in the depicted embodiment example is parallel to it and therefore concavely curved. The first wall 44 and the second wall 45 thus define between them a duct gap 49, which in the depicted embodiment example exhibits an essentially constant gap dimension from the inlet opening 46 of the feed line 40 to the outflow opening 58. In the depicted embodiment example, the aforementioned degassing chamber axis W is the common axis of curvature of the inner surfaces 44.1 and 45.1.

[0058] The feed line 40 penetrates through the lower side-wall 24 and opens into the degassing chamber 42 at the inlet opening 46. Coolant introduced into the degassing chamber 42 via the inlet opening 46 flows into the degassing chamber 42, and after striking the inner surface 45.1 of the second wall 45 is deflected into a degassing flow path oriented anticlockwise as viewed in FIG. 3.

[0059] The degassing chamber 42 extends with its lower first and second wall 44b and/or 45b respectively from a base-wall section 42a away along the degassing chamber axis W towards an end-wall section 42b. The base-wall section 42a is formed by a section of the reservoir bottom 22, the end-wall section 42b by a section of the reservoir top 18.

[0060] Coolant can flow via one or several passage apertures 50 in the first wall 44, in particular in the lower first wall 44b, and several passage apertures 50 in the second wall 45, in particular in the lower second wall 45b, from the degassing chamber 42 into the external environment of the degassing chamber 42 between the walls 44 and 45 of the degassing chamber 42 and the reservoir housing 12. Only one passage aperture 50 is discernible in FIG. 2.

[0061] On both sides outside the degassing chamber 42 there are formed expansion chambers 52, of which each two immediately adjacent expansion chambers 52 are separated from one another by one planar partition 54. The partitions 54 too, extend completely between the reservoir bottom 22 and the reservoir top 18. Like the walls 44 and 45 of the degassing chamber 42, every partition 54 in the depicted embodiment example is also formed by an upper partition 54a and a lower partition 54b, which contact one another in the joint plane 26 and are preferably bonded, especially preferably firmly bonded, with one another. Since the two reservoir shells 14 and 16 are preferably produced by injection molding, the upper and lower partitions 54a and/or 54b respectively in the depicted example are configured integrally with the reservoir housing 12, that is, with the reservoir top 18, reservoir bottom 22, and side-walls 20 and 24.

[0062] In every partition 54, in particular in every lower partition 54b, there is configured one communicating aperture 56 each through which coolant can flow from one side of the partition 54 to the other side of the partition 54.

[0063] The outflow opening 58 through which coolant can exit from the equalizing reservoir 10, can be discerned in FIG. 3. The outflow opening 58 opens directly into the degassing chamber 42, such that coolant has to travel only a short way in the duct-like degassing chamber 42 in order to leave it again. The degassing chamber 42 can also, however, unlike the depicted embodiment example, exhibit several consecutive curved sections, each with a different direction of curvature, such that the length of the degassing flow path E can be chosen arbitrarily within the specified dimensions of the equalizing reservoir 10. Thus the degassing chamber 42 can exhibit, instead of the U-shape depicted in FIGS. 1 to 3, an S-shaped form or generally proceed along a serpentine duct path. It is also not precluded that the degassing flow path E and thereby the degassing chamber 42 exhibit straight sections or are configured as straight overall.

[0064] The degassing chamber 42 exhibits one passage aperture 50 each in every expansion chamber 52 directly adjoining a wall 44 or 45.

[0065] All the partitions 54 exhibit one communicating aperture 56 each. Consequently, all the expansion chambers 52 located on the same side of the degassing chamber 42 communicate with one another. Whereas the majority, preferably all, of the communicating apertures 56 are configured at the lower partitions 54b, in particular bounded by the reservoir bottom 22, the upper partitions exhibit pressure equalization apertures 57 through which gas can flow at least between adjacent chambers 52 located on the same side of the degassing chamber 42, in order to ensure a uniform gas pressure in the equalizing reservoir 10 across all chambers 52 on the same side of the degassing chamber 42.

[0066] In the depicted embodiment example, the inlet opening 46 of the feed line 40 and the outflow opening 58 are located at approximately the same height when the equalizing reservoir 10 is installed operationally in a vehicle V standing on level ground. However, the tube 60 which joins the outflow opening 58 as an outlet line 62 and the tube 38 of the feed line 40 are differently oriented, in the depicted embodiment example inclined by approximately 90° relative to one another. Hereby there results a spatial flow inside the degassing chamber 42 with significant flow components along the degassing chamber axis W. Unlike the depicted embodiment form, both tubes 38 and 60 and/or the feed line 40 and the outlet line 62 respectively can also run with a component proceeding orthogonally to a spacing straight line which connects the inlet opening 46 with the outflow opening 58, in particular along the degassing chamber axis W, towards the inlet opening 46 and/or away from the outflow opening 58 respectively, in order to achieve, in addition to the forced flow from the inlet opening 46 to the outflow opening 58, also a flow along the degassing chamber axis W. The dwell time of the coolant in the degassing chamber 42 can thereby be increased.

[0067] While considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that other embodiments, and equivalences thereof, can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be combined to form yet other embodiments of the invention of this application. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.