Cooling System for Electric Vehicle

Abstract

A cooling system for an electric vehicle, includes: a cooling-medium circulation passage through which a cooling medium circulates to travel to heat exchange target objects mounted in a vehicle that is electrically driven; an electric compressor disposed in the cooling-medium circulation passage to compress the cooling medium; and a heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and outside air, wherein: the electric compressor is disposed at a position outside a primary outflow path through which the outside air, having undergone heat exchange at the heat exchange unit, flows from the heat exchange unit to outside the vehicle.

1 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle, comprising:
 a cooling-medium circulation passage through which a cooling medium circulates to travel to heat exchange target objects mounted in a vehicle that is electrically driven;   an electric compressor disposed in the cooling-medium circulation passage to compress the cooling medium; and   a heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and outside air, wherein:   the electric compressor is disposed at a position outside a primary outflow path through which the outside air, having undergone heat exchange at the heat exchange unit, flows from the heat exchange unit to outside the vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle, comprising:
 a cooling-medium circulation passage through which a cooling medium circulates to travel to heat exchange target objects mounted in a vehicle that is electrically driven;   an electric compressor disposed in the cooling-medium circulation passage to compress the cooling medium;   a heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and outside air; and   another cooling-medium circulation passage different from the cooling-medium circulation passage, through which another cooling medium, different from the cooling medium, circulates to travel to electric drive devices including a motor and an inverter power source, wherein:   the heat exchange target objects include a middle heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and the other cooling medium; and   the middle heat exchange unit is disposed at a position outside a primary outflow path through which the outside air, having undergone heat exchange at the heat exchange unit, flows from the heat exchange unit to outside the vehicle.   
     
     
         3 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 another cooling-medium circulation passage, different from the cooling-medium circulation passage, through which another cooling medium, different from the cooling medium, circulates to travel to electric drive devices including a motor and an inverter power source, wherein:   the heat exchange target objects include a middle heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and the other cooling medium; and   the middle heat exchange unit is disposed at a position outside the primary outflow path.   
     
     
         4 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the cooling-medium circulation passage in a first assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least the heat exchange unit, and the cooling-medium circulation passage in a second assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least some of the heat exchange target objects, are connected via a coupling so as to allow the cooling-medium circulation passage in the first assembly and the cooling-medium circulation passage in the second assembly, extending frontward and rearward relative to the coupling, to be connected with each other or disconnected from each other via the coupling.   
     
     
         5 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle, comprising:
 a cooling-medium circulation passage through which a cooling medium circulates to travel to heat exchange target objects mounted in a vehicle that is electrically driven;   an electric compressor disposed in the cooling-medium circulation passage to compress the cooling medium; and   a heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and outside air, wherein:   the cooling-medium circulation passage in a first assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least the heat exchange unit, and the cooling-medium circulation passage in a second assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least some of the heat exchange target objects, are connected via a coupling so as to allow the cooling-medium circulation passage in the first assembly and the cooling-medium circulation passage in the second assembly to be connected with each other or disconnected from each other at a frontward position and a rearward position of the coupling.   
     
     
         6 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 the coupling includes a first coupling via which the cooling medium flows from the first assembly toward the second assembly and a second coupling via which the cooling medium flows from the second assembly toward the first assembly, and the first coupling and the second coupling are both disposed either on an upper side or a lower side of the vehicle.   
     
     
         7 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 the second assembly includes a plurality of the heat exchange target objects, with a heat exchange target object having a low temperature upper limit, among the plurality of heat exchange target objects, is disposed further upstream of cooling medium flow relative to a heat exchange target object having a high temperature upper limit.   
     
     
         8 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle installed in a vehicle electrically driven by electric drive devices and used to cool the electric drive devices, comprising:
 a heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between a cooling medium and outside air;   a cooling-medium circulation passage through which cooling medium circulates;   an electric compressor disposed in the cooling-medium circulation passage to compress the cooling medium;   another cooling-medium circulation passage, different from the cooling-medium circulation passage, through which another cooling medium, different from the cooling medium, circulates to travel to the electric drive devices including a motor and an inverter power source;   a middle heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and the other cooling medium, wherein:   there is provided a first assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least the heat exchange unit;   there is provided a second assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least the electric compressor and the middle heat exchange unit; and   there is provided a third assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least the electric drive devices;   the cooling-medium circulation passage in the first assembly and the cooling-medium circulation passage in the second assembly are connected via a coupling so as to allow the cooling-medium circulation passage in the first assembly and the cooling-medium circulation passage in the second assembly to be connected with each other or disconnected from each other at a frontward position and a rearward position of the coupling; and   the other cooling-medium circulation passage in the second assembly and the other cooling-medium circulation passage in the third assembly are connected via a coupling so as to allow the other circulation passage in the second assembly and the other circulation passage in the third assembly to be connected with each other or disconnected from each other at a frontward position and a rearward position of this coupling.   
     
     
         9 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle installed in a vehicle electrically driven by electric drive devices and used to cool the electric drive devices, comprising:
 a heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between a cooling medium and outside air;   a cooling-medium circulation passage through which the cooling medium circulates;   an electric compressor disposed in the cooling-medium circulation passage to compress the cooling medium;   another cooling-medium circulation passage, different from the cooling-medium circulation passage, through which another cooling medium, different from the cooling medium, circulates to travel to electric drive devices including a motor and an inverter power source; and   a middle heat exchange unit that achieves heat exchange between the cooling medium and the other cooling medium, wherein:   there is provided a first assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least the heat exchange unit, the electric compressor and the middle heat exchange unit;   there is provided a second assembly preassembled prior to installation in the electric vehicle, which includes at least the electric drive devices;   the other cooling-medium circulation passage in the first assembly and the other cooling-medium circulation passage in the second assembly are connected via a coupling so as to allow the other cooling-medium circulation passage in the first assembly and the other cooling-medium circulation passage in the second assembly to be connected with each other or disconnected from each other at a frontward position and a rearward position of the coupling.