US7000685B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cooling system for vehicle
Assignee: Denso Corp
•
Filing: 2004-05-24
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Granted: 2006-02-21
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Expires: 2024-05-24
Abstract
Abstract In a cooling system for cooling a heating element mounted in a vehicle, a radiator is located at a position higher than a heat sink, which absorbs heat from the heating element. When the amount of heat generated from the heating element, which is detected by a sensor, is greater than a predetermined first value, a blower is operated. Further, when the detected amount of heat is greater than a predetermined second value that is higher than the predetermined first value, a pump is operated. When the detected amount of heat is equal to or less than the predetermined first value, the pump is stopped and the cooling water is circulated by a principle of heat siphon. Accordingly, power consumption of the pump is reduced. Further, power consumption of the cooling system is reduced or an increase in power consumption of the cooling system is restricted.
Inventors
- 👤 Yusuke Morishita
- 👤 Yoshimitsu Inoue
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 21:16
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60L; B60L1/00; B60L1/02; B60K; B60K11/00; B60K11/02; B60K1/00; B60K2001/003; B60K6/00; B60K6/20; B60K6/22; B60K6/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
211 words
A cooling system for cooling a heating element, the cooling system comprising: a heat sink through which a cooling fluid passes to absorb heat from the heating element; a radiator communicating with the heat sink through a cooling fluid circuit through which the cooling fluid flows, wherein the radiator radiates the heat of the cooling fluid and is located at a position higher than the heat sink; a pump portion that is arranged between the heat sink and the radiator in the cooling fluid circuit and pumps the cooling fluid to circulate the cooling fluid through the cooling fluid circuit; a bypass passage that is arranged in the cooling fluid circuit to bypass the pump portion, wherein when operation of the pump portion is stopped, the cooling fluid flows in the radiator through the bypass passage while bypassing the pump portion; and means for controlling the pump portion, wherein the pump portion is stopped by the means for controlling the pump portion when an amount of heat generated from the heating element is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the pump portion is operated by the means for controlling the pump portion when the amount of heat generated from the heating element is greater than the predetermined value.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
211 words
A cooling system for cooling a heating element, the cooling system comprising: a heat sink through which a cooling fluid passes to absorb heat from the heating element; a radiator communicating with the heat sink through a cooling fluid circuit through which the cooling fluid flows, wherein the radiator radiates the heat of the cooling fluid and is located at a position higher than the heat sink; a pump portion that is arranged between the heat sink and the radiator in the cooling fluid circuit and pumps the cooling fluid to circulate the cooling fluid through the cooling fluid circuit; a bypass passage that is arranged in the cooling fluid circuit to bypass the pump portion, wherein when operation of the pump portion is stopped, the cooling fluid flows in the radiator through the bypass passage while bypassing the pump portion; and means for controlling the pump portion, wherein the pump portion is stopped by the means for controlling the pump portion when an amount of heat generated from the heating element is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the pump portion is operated by the means for controlling the pump portion when the amount of heat generated from the heating element is greater than the predetermined value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
81 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a blower for creating a flow of air toward the radiator; and means for controlling the blower, wherein the blower is stopped by the means for controlling the blower when an amount of heat generated from the heating element is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the blower is operated by the means for controlling the blower when the amount of heat is greater than the predetermined value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
146 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a blower for creating a flow of air toward the radiator; and means for controlling the blower, wherein the blower is stopped by the means for controlling the blower when an amount of heat generated from the heating element is equal to or less than a predetermined first value, and the blower is operated by the means for controlling the blower when the amount of heat is greater than the predetermined first value, and the pump portion is stopped by the means for controlling the pump portion when the amount of heat is equal to or less than a predetermined second value that is greater than the predetermined first value, and the pump portion is operated by the means for controlling the pump portion when the amount of heat is greater than the predetermined second value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
78 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a blower for creating a flow of air toward the radiator; air-blowing amount controlling means for controlling an amount of air blown by the blower based on an amount of heat generated from the heating element; and the means for controlling the pump portion controls a circulation rate of the cooling fluid circulated by the pump portion based on the amount of heat generated from the heating element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The cooling system according to claim 4 , wherein the means for controlling the pump portion stops an operation of the pump portion when the air-blowing amount of the blower is less than a maximum level.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
The cooling system according to claim 5 , wherein the means for controlling the pump portion increases the circulation rate of the cooling fluid circulated by the pump portion with an increase in the amount of heat of the heating element when the air-blowing amount of the blower is on a maximum level.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the heating element is an electrical device mounted in a vehicle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the heating element includes a driving electric circuit for driving a driving motor of a vehicle.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 mounted in a hybrid vehicle that is driven by an electric motor and an engine.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a check valve that is arranged in the cooling fluid circuit to prevent the cooling fluid from flowing backward through the bypass passage from a discharge side of the pump portion to a suction side of the pump portion.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
71 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising flow regulating means for limiting a flow of the cooling liquid in the bypass passage from a radiator side end of the bypass passage to a heat sink side end of the bypass passage while enabling a flow of the cooling liquid from the heat sink side end of the bypass passage to the radiator side end of the bypass passage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
The cooling system according to claim 11 , wherein the pump portion is arranged between an outlet of the heat sink and an inlet of the radiator.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
68 words
The cooling system according to claim 12 , wherein: the radiator side end of the bypass passage is located between an outlet of the pump portion and the inlet of the radiator in the cooling fluid circuit; and the heat sink side end of the bypass passage is located between an inlet of the pump portion and the outlet of the heat sink in the cooling fluid circuit.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The cooling system according to claim 11 , wherein the cooling fluid circuit provides an unobstructed passage that directly connects between an outlet of the radiator and an inlet of the heat sink.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
112 words
The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a blower for creating a flow of air toward the radiator; wherein the means for controlling the pump portion also controls the blower; when an amount of heat generated from the heating element is equal to or less than a first predetermined value, the control means stops the blower and the pump portion; and when the amount of heat generated from the heating element increases beyond the first predetermined value, the control means first operates the blower without operating the pump and then operates the blower and the pump upon further increase of the amount of heat generated from the heating element.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
128 words
The cooling system according to claim 15 , further comprising temperature sensing means for sensing a temperature of the cooling fluid, wherein: the control means stops the blower and the pump portion when the sensed temperature of the cooling fluid, which is sensed by the temperature sensing means, is equal to or lower than a predetermined first level; the control means operates the blower and stops the pump portion when the sensed temperature of the cooling fluid is higher than the predetermined first level and is equal to or lower than a predetermined second level that is higher than the predetermined first level; and the control means operates blower and the pump portion when the sensed temperature of the cooling fluid is higher than the predetermined second level.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The cooling system according to claim 16 , wherein the temperature sensing means is a temperature sensor arranged in the cooling fluid circuit.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2009-02-20 | 2009-08-22 | 2010-02-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-02-20 | 2013-08-22 | 2014-02-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-02-20 | 2017-08-22 | 2018-02-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |