US-12626973-B2 - Integrated cooling module having reservoir tank

US12626973B2US 12626973 B2US12626973 B2US 12626973B2US-12626973-B2

Abstract

Provided is a cooling module in which a reservoir tank, a cooling fluid pump, and a direction change valve for pumping and circulating a cooling fluid are integrally modularized in a vehicle's cooling system, and more particularly, relates to a reservoir tank for a cooling module that stabilizes an unstable fluid introduced into a reservoir tank and transmits the fluid to a pump, thereby minimizing damage to the pump, and a cooling module including the same.

Inventors

Hyuntae LEE
Wookeun Lee

Assignees

COAVIS

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20231004
Priority Date: 20221005

Claims (9)

1 . A cooling module including a reservoir tank in which cooling fluid is stored and a pump coupled to the reservoir tank, wherein the pump has a pump inlet in communication with the reservoir tank to pump the cooling fluid, wherein the cooling module includes a tank inlet in communication with the reservoir tank such that the cooling fluid flows into the reservoir tank, and a guide dome formed on a side opposite to a side into which the cooling fluid flows in so that the cooling fluid flowing into the reservoir tank is transferred to a region spaced apart from the pump inlet, wherein the reservoir tank includes: a first space in which the guide dome is disposed; a second space in which the pump inlet is disposed; and a first partition dividing the first space and the second space, and wherein a first porous member is provided on the first partition to filter bubbles and foreign substances of the cooling fluid stored in the first space and supply the filtered bubbles and foreign substances to the second space.
2 . The cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the guide dome is provided to be adjacent to the tank inlet so that the cooling fluid flowing in along the tank inlet is guided along an inner surface and transferred to the region spaced apart from the pump inlet.
3 . The cooling module of claim 2 , wherein the tank inlet allows the cooling fluid to flow out upwardly, and the guide dome is formed in the form of a guide dome that is concave upwardly, receives the cooling fluid flowing upwardly, transports the cooling fluid along the inner surface, and then discharges the cooling fluid downwardly in a circumferential direction.
4 . The cooling module of claim 2 , wherein the guide dome is formed on a dome screen coupled to an upper interior of the reservoir tank.
5 . The cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the first porous member is formed in a certain region of the first partition, and is formed close to a circumference of the first partition spaced apart from the pump inlet at a maximum distance.
6 . The cooling module of claim 5 , wherein the second space includes: a third space communicating with the first space through the first porous member; a fourth space in which the pump inlet is disposed; and a second partition dividing the third space and the fourth space, wherein a second porous member is provided on the second partition to filter bubbles and foreign substances of the cooling fluid stored in the third space and supply the cooling fluid to the fourth space.
7 . The cooling module of claim 6 , wherein the first partition is formed in a horizontal direction, so that the first space is formed on an upper side and a second space is formed on a lower side, and the second partition is formed in a vertical direction, so that the third space is formed on one side and the fourth space is formed on the other side.
8 . A cooling module including a reservoir tank in which cooling fluid is stored and a pump coupled to the reservoir tank, wherein the pump has a pump inlet in communication with the reservoir tank to pump the cooling fluid, wherein the cooling module includes a tank inlet in communication with the reservoir tank such that the cooling fluid flows into the reservoir tank, and a guide dome formed on a side opposite to a side into which the cooling fluid flows in so that the cooling fluid flowing into the reservoir tank is transferred to a region spaced apart from the pump inlet, wherein the reservoir tank includes a first region in which a first cooling fluid is stored and a second region in which a second cooling fluid different from the first cooling fluid is stored, and the guide dome is provided in each of the first region and the second region.
9 . The cooling module of claim 8 , wherein the first cooling fluid is stored in the reservoir tank via a battery for cooling the battery, and the second cooling fluid is stored in the reservoir tank via an electrical component for cooling the electrical component.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0127206, filed on Oct. 5, 2022, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The following disclosure relates to a cooling module in which a reservoir tank, a cooling fluid pump, and a direction change valve for pumping and circulating a cooling fluid are integrally modularized in a vehicle's cooling system, and more particularly, relates to a reservoir tank for a cooling module that stabilizes an unstable fluid introduced into a reservoir tank and transmits the fluid to a pump, thereby minimizing damage to the pump, and a cooling module including the same. BACKGROUND Electric vehicles drive using motors powered by batteries or fuel cells, so they emit less carbon and produce less noise. In addition, electric vehicles are environmentally friendly because they use motors that are more energy efficient than conventional engines. These electric vehicles are equipped with a thermal management system for cooling and heating for indoor air conditioning and cooling electrical components, such as drive motors, batteries, and inverters. However, the thermal management system includes a cooling fluid system for heating the vehicle's interior and cooling and heating electrical components. The cooling fluid system has a large number of components for circulation of a cooling fluid and a large number of pipes connecting them, so the process to assemble the cooling fluid system is complex and difficult. In addition, as the length of the pipes connecting the components may increase, the loss of system efficiency due to the pressure drop of the flowing cooling fluid may increase. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional cooling fluid module for a vehicle. As shown, the conventional cooling fluid module for a vehicle is provided with a first circulation pump 31 and a second circulation pump 32, which are a plurality of cooling fluid pumps, a cooling fluid is circulated in a cooling line by way of a battery using the first circulation pump 31, and the cooling fluid is circulated in a cooling line by way of electrical components using the second circulation pump. In addition to the first circulation pump 31 and the second circulation pump 32, a reservoir tank 10 for removing bubbles in the cooling fluid and supplementing the cooling fluid and a valve 20 for controlling cooling fluid connection of a plurality of flow paths between the components are configured as an integral module, thereby simplifying the cooling fluid system. Centrifugal pumps are generally used as cooling fluid pumps for pumping cooling fluid, such as the first circulation pump 31 and the second circulation pump 32. Conventionally, in order to satisfy the performance, efficiency of the cooling fluid pump and the size and noise of the cooling fluid pump, multiple cooling fluid pumps are used. Since these centrifugal pumps react sensitively depending on a state of the fluid flowing in, that is, if unstable fluid flows in, damage to the pump may occur, and thus, it is necessary to stabilize the fluid flowing into the pump. Meanwhile, the cooling module has a cycle in which cooling fluid that has passed through the battery or electrical components is collected in a reservoir tank through a pump, and the cooling fluid stored in the reservoir tank flows back into the pump and is supplied to the battery or electrical components. At this time, the fluid flowing into the reservoir tank may be an unstable fluid including many bubbles and having a low pressure. If the fluid in the above unstable state is supplied directly to the pump, flow defects in the pump may occur, and if it continues, the pump may be damaged due to the fluid in the unstable state. Therefore, there is a need to develop technology to prevent damage to the pump due to unstable fluid flowing into the pump. SUMMARY An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is directed to providing a reservoir tank for a cooling module that removes bubbles in unstable fluid flowing into the reservoir tank and minimizes negative pressure to supply stable fluid through a pump, and a cooling module including the same. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is directed to providing a reservoir tank for a cooling module that guides cooling fluid flowing into the reservoir tank to a region farthest from an inlet of the pump through a dome screen and stabilizes the cooling fluid while moving to the pump inlet, and a cooling module including the same. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is directed to providing a reservoir tank for a cooling module capable of stabilizing fluid flowing into the pump by allowing the cooling fluid flowing into the reservoir tank to pass through at least one porous member to remove bubbles or foreign substances, and a cooling module i