Latent heat storage system for use in a vehicle

[0002] This is the US national phase of PCT application PCT/EP97/04646 filed Jul. 31, 1997.

[0003] It is known to put in the coolant-circulation system of a motor-vehicle internal-combustion engine a cooler, a heater/air-conditioner, and a latent-heat storage device. The coolant is 5 circulated by a pump and the motor, cooler, heater, and latent-heat storage device form in the engine compartment of the motor vehicle along with the pump for the coolant system separate units that must be mounted one after the other in the engine compartment.

[0004] It is an object of the invention to simplify the manufacture, installation, and repair, in particular also the exchange of the parts, of a coolant system and to make them less expensive while also saving space.

[0005] This object is achieved according to the invention in that a motor-driven centrifugal pump is mounted in or on the Latent-heat storage unit.

[0006] Thus the latent-heat storage unit and the pump form a single module which substantially simplifies its manufacture and installation. In addition repairs are made easier and less space is needed in the engine compartment.

[0007] It is particularly advantageous when the pump is mounted on an end of the latent-heat storage unit. It is also from the point of view of manufacture and saving of space advantageous when a side of the pump housing turned away from the motor has a planar connecting face with input and output ports and serves for mounting the pump on the latent-heat storage unit or an intermediate device. A disk forming an intermediate device can be mounted between the connecting face and the pump and/or the latent-heat storage unit and has a hydraulic distributor and/or a valve (in particular a three-way valve).

[0008] A particularly advantage use of the pump is achieved when the pump is a tubular pump whose rotor is axially traversed by coolant. The electric motor of the pump can have a magnetic rotor so that the pump takes up very little space and can be mounted on the adjacent devices like a disk.

[0009] Further integration and reduction of space is achieved when an end of the pump and/or of the latent-heat storage unit carries a housing of the intermediate device that holds electronic control parts.

[0010] An embodiment of the invention is shown in exploded perspective view in the drawing and is described more closely in the following.

[0011] An in particular cylindrical latent-heat storage unit 1 is connected in a coolant-water circuit of a motor-vehicle internal-combustion engine directly on the end or via an intermediate assembly to a motor pump, in particular a canned-motor pump 2. The intermediate assembly can be an electronic DEVICE 4 or hydraulic device 3. Here the latent-heat storage unit 1, motor pump 2, and possible intermediate assemblies 3 and 4 form a single module that can be mounted inside another module through which the coolant is circulated.

[0012] The motor pump 2 is either a tubular pump or a canned-motor pump whose housing has turned away from the electric motor a planar connecting face with input and output ports. This connecting face is used to secure the pump to the latent-heat storage unit 1.

[0013] It is possible to connect between the motor pump 2 and the latent-heat storage unit 1 a disk-shaped hydraulic manifold and/or a valve 3, in particular a three-way valve, that is operated by an electronic controller 4. The controller 4 is inside a housing that has the electronic elements for controlling the pump 2 and/or the heat-storage unit 1 and is mounted on the end of the motor pump 2 and/or of the latent-heat storage unit 1.

[0014] In accordance with further alternatives, the motor of the motor pump 5 can have a magnetic rotor so that the motor pump is particularly short axially. In addition the devices 3 and 4 can be mounted on the end of the latent-heat storage unit 1 which is opposite to the pump 2. The pump 2 can also be a tubular pump.