Internal-combustion engines – Cooling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-11
2001-02-27
McMahon, Marguerite (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Cooling
C123S041110, C123S041490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192838
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application relates to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application Nos. Hei. 10-63178, filed on Mar. 13, 1998, Hei. 10-63179, filed on Mar. 13, 1998, Hei. 10-329799, filed on Nov. 19, 1998, and Hei. 11-11055, filed on Jan. 18, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus for a water-cooled engine (hereinafter referred to “engine”), and particularly to a cooling apparatus suitable for use in a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In an engine cooling apparatus for a vehicle, for example as described in JP-A-4-257735, with respect to a flow of air entering a vehicle engine compartment from the front side of the engine compartment, a radiator is disposed on the upstream side of the engine.
According to the prior art cooling apparatus described in the publication mentioned above, however, air passing through the radiator directly strikes the engine. Therefore, the engine is cooled by the cold air passing through the radiator in winter season or at times of cold starting, such as immediately after the engine start. Accordingly, there is a problem that it takes a long time to warm up the engine.
Also, because the air passing through the radiator strikes the engine to cool the engine, the temperature of the air having struck the engine is higher than that of the air immediately after the radiator, and some of the air having struck the engine passes around and returns to the upstream side of the radiator through gaps between the inner periphery of the engine compartment and the radiator.
Consequently, the problem arises that because this heated air having struck the engine and passed around to the upstream side of the radiator then passes through the radiator again, the heat-radiation capacity (cooling capacity) of the radiator may be compromised.
Furthermore, according to JP-A-4-257735, a heat exchanger, such as a condenser of a refrigerating cycle, and a radiator are disposed in series with respect to the air flow, and a bypass passage for allowing air to bypass the heat exchanger is formed on the lower side of the heat exchanger.
However, because the bypass passage is provided alongside the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger must inevitably be made small. Accordingly, the heat-radiation capacity of the heat exchanger is compromised, and the pressure inside the heat exchanger rises. Consequently, there is the problem that the compression work of the refrigeration cycle increases.
In addition, because the water-cooled engine is disposed on the downstream side of the radiator, there is also the problem that air having been heated by the radiator is taken in by the engine and consequently the output of the engine is compromised.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in light of the foregoing problem, and it is an object of the present invention to shorten the engine warm-up time while avoiding the compromise in the heat-radiation capacity of the radiator.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent an increase in the compression work of the refrigerating cycle thereby improve engine output.
According to the present invention, a cooling apparatus has a dividing wall for dividing the inside of an engine compartment into a radiator side space and an engine side space between a radiator and a water-cooled engine in the engine compartment.
Accordingly, the air having passed through the radiator is prevented from directly striking the water-cooled engine. Thus, for example in winter and at times of cold starting, because the water-cooled engine is not cooled by air having passed through the radiator, warming up the engine is expedited.
Also, because air passing through the radiator can be prevented from directly striking the engine, the phenomenon of air having struck the engine passing around to the upstream side of the radiator through the gaps between inner periphery of the engine compartment and the radiator is prevented, and the heat-radiation capacity of the radiator is improved.
Therefore, the engine warm-up time is shortened while avoiding a compromise in the heat-radiation capacity of the radiator.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an engine cooling apparatus includes a bypass passage for guiding air to the water-cooled engine so that it bypasses the radiator, and includes a bypass passage opening and closing door for, when the load on the water-cooled engine is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, increasing the flow of air passing through the radiator by closing the bypass passage.
Accordingly, the heat-radiation area of the heat exchanger becomes larger than the prior art in which the bypass passage is formed below the heat exchanger, and the heat-radiation capacity of the heat exchanger is prevented from compromising. As a result, a compression work increase of the refrigerating cycle is prevented.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4181172 (1980-01-01), Longhouse
patent: 4202296 (1980-05-01), Nonnenmann et al.
patent: 4213426 (1980-07-01), Longhouse
patent: 5024267 (1991-06-01), Yamaguchi et al.
patent: 5839397 (1998-11-01), Funabashi et al.
patent: 62-66818 (1987-04-01), None
patent: 62-128112 (1987-08-01), None
patent: 4-257735 (1992-09-01), None
patent: 9-60520 (1997-03-01), None
patent: 10-54239 (1998-02-01), None
Ito Koji
Kurata Shun
Makizono Kazuya
Matsuo Hiroki
Miyata Manabu
Benton Jason
Denso Corporation
Harness Dickey & Pierce PLC
McMahon Marguerite
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