[0001] The present invention generally relates to a cooling system, and in particularly,
to a shroud assembly to accommodate and support a fan of a cooling system.
[0002] Generally, cooling systems are provided in a vehicle to maintain the temperature
of an engine and a passenger cabin of the vehicle at an optimum level. The cooling
systems may be a part of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Ideally,
the cooling systems may include a radiator to exchange heat generated in the engine
with the ambient air or the cooling system may include a condenser to reject heat
extracted from the vehicle cabin to the ambient air. For example, the radiator is
connected with the engine through conduits, the conduits supply heat exchange fluid
to the engine to carry away the heat from the engine, the heat exchange fluid getting
heated in the process. Further, a fan (e.g., a blower) is provided upstream of the
radiator to enable flow of ambient air on the radiator to enable heat exchange between
the heat exchange fluid and the ambient air to cool the heat exchange fluid that is
heated after extracting heat from the engine. The fan may be provided in a shroud
assembly and tightly packed with the radiator core as shown in Fig. 1, due to space
constraints in the vehicle and to provide optimum ambient air to the radiator. Fig.
1 is a cross-sectional view of a radiator 10 provided with a conventional shroud assembly
12 having a fan 14. The shroud assembly 12 is mounted on the radiator 10 in a posterior
position with respect to the radiator 10, and the fan 14 is provided in the shroud
assembly 12. The shroud assembly 12 having arms coupled to a fan socket to provide
rigid support to the fan 14. As the fan 14 is tightly mounted on the radiator 10,
blades of the fan 14 may collide with the radiator 10 during vibration test of vehicle
or when the vehicle is moving on an uneven terrain. Further, collision between the
blades of the fan 14 and the radiator 10 may cause considerable damages to the blades
of the fan 14 as well as the radiator 10. As the arms of the shroud assembly 12 do
not distribute the pressure generated by a load applied on the fan 14, collision between
the blades of the fan 14 and the radiator 10 is unavoidable.
[0003] Conventionally, the shroud assembly 12 is made of lighter and cheaper materials to
meet market and customer requirements. In order to be cost effective and lighter cooling
system, the shroud assembly 12 is made of not so robust materials which may get damaged
in high temperature and reduction young's modulus of the shroud assembly 12. However,
such shroud assembly 12 tends to bend while during vibration test or any force applied
thereon due to use of non-robust material, which leads to damage of the fan and the
radiator.
[0004] Accordingly, there is a need for a cooling system that provides optimum efficiency
and enhanced life span. Further, there is a need for a shroud assembly that withstands
high pressure and force applied thereon. Further, there is need for a shroud assembly
that is capable of avoiding collision between blades of a fan and radiator.
[0005] In the present description, some elements or parameters may be indexed, such as a
first element and a second element. In this case, unless stated otherwise, this indexation
is only meant to differentiate and name elements which are similar but not identical.
No idea of priority should be inferred from such indexation, as these terms may be
switched without betraying the invention. Additionally, this indexation does not imply
any order in mounting or use of the elements of the invention.
[0006] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment of the invention herein provides a cooling
system for a vehicle. The cooling system includes a heat exchanger and a shroud. The
shroud is mounted to the heat exchanger at a posterior position with respect to the
heat exchanger. The shroud further includes a frame, a fan socket, and a plurality
of arms. The frame is provided at a first plane of the shroud to mount the shroud
to the heat exchanger. The fan socket is provided at a second plane of the shroud
to receive a motor of a fan, where the first plane and the second plane are parallelly
spaced apart from each other. The plurality of arms is adapted to be coupled in between
the frame and the fan socket to provide rigid support to the fan and minimize displacement
of the fan.
[0007] In one embodiment, the plurality of arms coupled between the frame and the fan socket
forms a dome shape to accommodate blades of the fan. In another embodiment, at least
one arm of the plurality of arms is bent to form an arc shape. In yet another embodiment,
the at least one arm of the plurality of arms is inclined at an angle to form a connection
between the fan socket and the frame.
[0008] Generally, the plurality of arms of the shroud is of plastic composites.
[0009] In one embodiment, the plurality of arms is adapted to distribute force, applied
on the fan socket in a lateral axis, along a longitudinal axis of the plurality of
arms.
[0010] In another embodiment, the fan is provided in between the shroud and the heat exchanger,
and heat exchanger is a radiator of the vehicle.
[0011] In yet another embodiment, the frame further includes at least one locking element
adapted to engage with at least one complementary groove provided on side walls of
the heat exchanger.
[0012] According to another aspect, a shroud assembly for a heat exchanger is provided.
The shroud assembly includes a frame, a fan, and a fan socket. The frame is provided
at a first plane of the shroud assembly and facilities mounting of the shroud assembly
to the heat exchanger, where the frame is at a posterior position with respect to
the heat exchanger. The fan having a motor is provided in between the frame and the
heat exchanger. The fan socket is provided at a second plane of the shroud assembly
to receive the motor of the fan, where the first plane and the second plane are parallelly
spaced apart from each other. The plurality of arms is adapted to couple the frame
and the fan socket to provide rigid support to the fan and minimize displacement of
the fan.
[0013] In one embodiment, the plurality of arms coupled between the frame and the fan socket
forms a dome shape to accommodate blades of the fan.
[0014] In another embodiment, the at least one arm of the plurality of arms is bent to form
an arc shape.
[0015] In yet another embodiment, the at least one arm of the plurality of arms is inclined
at an angle to form an connection between the fan socket and the frame. Further, the
shroud assembly is coupled to an upstream side of the heat exchanger
[0016] Other characteristics, details and advantages of the invention can be inferred from
the description of the invention hereunder. A more complete appreciation of the invention
and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same
becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when
considered in connection with the accompanying figures, wherein:
Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a conventional shroud assembly, showing an
embodiment of a prior art;
Fig. 2A illustrates a schematic view of a cooling system, in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention;
Fig. 2B illustrates an exploded view of the cooling system of Fig. 2A;
Fig. 3 illustrates a side view of a shroud of the cooling system of Fig. 2A;
Fig. 4A illustrates a schematic view of the shroud having a plurality of arms, in
accordance to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4B illustrates another schematic view of the shroud having the plurality of arms,
in accordance to another embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5A illustrates a perspective view of the shroud of the cooling system of Fig.
2A;
Fig. 5B illustrates a thermal image of displacement of a fan provided in the conventional
shroud assembly of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 5C a thermal image of displacement of a fan provided in the shroud assembly of
the present invention.
[0017] It must be noted that the figures disclose the invention in a detailed enough way
to be implemented, the figures helping to better define the invention if needs be.
The invention should however not be limited to the embodiment disclosed in the description.
[0018] The present invention relates to a cooling system for maintaining optimum temperature
in a vehicle or for engine cooling. For example, the cooling system can be integrated
to a Heating Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) system to condition air inside
a passenger cabin of the vehicle. In another example, the cooling system is adapted
to extract heat generated in an engine and reject the same to the environment. The
cooling system may include a heat exchanger, preferably a radiator, and a shroud assembly.
The cooling system may further include other elements known to the persons skilled
in the art. The shroud assembly is mounted on the heat exchanger at a posterior position
with respect to the heat exchanger. The shroud assembly may include a frame mounted
on the radiator and a fan socket provided in parallel planes spaced apart from each
other. Further, the fan socket and the frame are connected by a plurality of arms,
which forms a dome shape. As the plurality of arms forms a dome shape, displacement
of a fan received in the fan socket towards the radiator is reduced even when the
shroud assembly is subjected to any vibration or load. The plurality arms distribute
the load or pressure to the frame of the shroud assembly, thereby preventing substantial
movement of the fan. Therefore, collision between blades of the fan and the heat exchanger
is avoided.
[0019] While aspects relating to a shroud assembly having a plurality of arms to avoid collision
between a fan and a heating exchanger as described above and henceforth the plurality
of arms can be implemented in any angled shape, the embodiments are described in the
context of the following system(s).
[0020] Figs. 2A and 2B illustrate schematic views of a cooling system 200 for a vehicle,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one example, Fig. 2A
illustrates a schematic view of the cooling system 200, and Fig. 2B illustrates an
exploded view of the cooling system 200. The cooling system 200 may include a heat
exchanger 102, and a shroud assembly 104, hereinafter referred to as shroud 104. Further,
the cooling system 200 may include other elements (not shown in Figs) required to
perform cooling operation, as known to the persons skilled in the art. The heat exchanger
102 may be a radiator provided at an anterior portion of the vehicle. The heat exchanger
102 may be connected to an engine or evaporator of a HVAC system through conduits
to receive heat exchange fluid. In one example, the heat exchange fluid received from
the engine or the evaporator extracts heat generated in the engine or passenger cabin
of the vehicle. The heat exchanger 102 enables heat exchange between the heat exchange
fluid and the ambient air flowing thereon. The shroud 104 can be mounted on the heat
exchanger 102 at a posterior position with the respect to the heat exchanger 102.
In one embodiment, the shroud 104 can be positioned at an anterior position or the
posterior position with respect to the heat exchanger 102 based on the type of fan
used in the cooling system 200. For example, if the cooling system 200 is blowing
air type, the shroud 104 can be positioned at the anterior position with respect to
the heat exchanger 102. The shroud 104 further includes a frame 202, a fan socket
204, and a plurality of arms 210. The frame 202 is provided at a first plane of the
shroud 104, and the fan socket 204 is provided at a second plane of the shroud 104.
The first plane of the frame 202 and second plane of the fan socket 204 will be explained
in the forthcoming figures. The first plane and the second plane are parallelly spaced
apart from each other.
[0021] The cooling system 200 further includes a fan 206, preferably a blower, provided
in the fan socket 204 to enable airflow on the heat exchanger 102. In one embodiment,
the fan 206 may receive ambient air from the environment and facilitate passing of
the air through the heat exchanger 102, in case the shroud 104 is provided in the
posterior position with respect to the heat exchanger 102. In another embodiment,
the fan 206 may blow the ambient air on the heat exchanger 102, in case the shroud
104 is provided in the anterior position with respect to the heat exchanger 102. The
fan 206 includes a motor 208 provided with blades 212 to enable ambient airflow on
the heat exchanger 102. The fan socket 204 is adapted to receive the motor 208 and
the blades 212 of the fan 206 are accommodated adjacent to the plurality of arms 210.
The fan 206 is provided in the fan socket 204 in such a way that the fan 206 is posterior
to the heat exchanger 102 and anterior to the shroud 104. In other words, the fan
206 is provided in between the shroud 104 and the heat exchanger 102.
[0022] The plurality of arms 210 forms a connection between the frame 202 and the fan socket
204 to provide rigid support to the fan 206 and minimize displacement of the fan 206
when any force or load is applied on the shroud 104. As the frame 202 is in the first
plane and the fan socket 204 is in the second plane, the plurality of arms 210 forms
an angled connection when connecting the plurality of arms 210 between the frame 202
and the fan socket 204. As the plurality of arms 210 is connected between the frame
202 and the fan socket 204 at an angle, the plurality of arms 210 distributes the
force/pressure acting on the fan socket 204 to the edges of the frame 202, thereby
minimizing displacement of the fan 206 towards the heat exchanger 102. By minimizing
displacement of the fan 206, collision between the blades 212 of the fan 206 and a
core of the heat exchanger 102 is avoided, thereby eliminating damages of the blades
212 of the fan 206 and the heat exchanger 102. The frame 202 further includes one
or more locking elements 214 to mount the shroud 104 on the heat exchanger 102. The
heat exchanger 102 may include one or more complementary grooves provided in side
walls 216 of the heat exchanger 102. The one or more complementary grooves receive
the one or more locking elements 214 to enable a connection between the shroud 104
and the heat exchanger 102.
[0023] Fig. 3 illustrates a side view of the shroud 104 of the cooling system 200 of Fig.
2A. As shown in Fig. 3, the frame 202 of the shroud 104 is in the first plane 302,
and the fan socket 204 is in the second plane 304. The first plane 302 is parallelly
spaced from the second plane 304. In other words, the first plane 302 is laterally
spaced from the second plane 304 of the shroud 104. The plurality of arms 210 is adapted
to connect the fan socket 204 with the frame 202 to distribute the stress/load acting
on the fan socket 204 to the frame 202. In one embodiment, at least one arm of the
plurality of arms 210 is bent to form an arc shape. In another embodiment, the plurality
of arms 210 coupled in between the frame 202 and the fan socket 204 forms a dome shape
to accommodate the blades 212 of the fan 206.
[0024] Figs 4A and 4B illustrate different views of the shroud 104 of the cooling system
200 of Fig. 1. In one example, Fig. 4A illustrates a schematic view of the shroud
104 having the plurality of arms 210, in accordance to an embodiment of the present
invention. In this embodiment, the plurality of arms 210 is formed as dome shaped
to accommodate the blades 212 of the fan 206. When any force F acting on the fan socket
204 in a lateral axis 402 of the fan socket 204, the plurality of arms 210 dissipates
or distributes the force along longitudinal axis 404 of the plurality of arms 210,
the force is ultimately transmitted to the frame 202. According to this embodiment,
the plurality of arms 210 is formed as an arc shape and forms a connection between
the fan socket 204 and the frame 202. In another example, Fig. 4B illustrates another
schematic view of the shroud 104 having the plurality of arms 210, in accordance to
another embodiment of the present invention. According to the present embodiment,
the plurality of arms 210 is angled arms to form a connection between the frame 202
and the fan socket 204 at an angle "a" marked as 406. The plurality of arms 210 is
inclined at the angle 406 to form a connection between the fan socket 204 and the
frame 202. As the frame 202 and the fan socket 204 are in different planes, the plurality
of arms 210 connected between the frame 202 and the fan socket 204 forms an angle
with respect to the frame 202.
[0025] Fig. 5A illustrates a perspective view of the shroud 104 of the cooling system 200
of Fig. 2A. The frame 202 of the shroud 104 can be rectangular frame having an aperture
502 to provide space for receiving the fan socket 204 and rotating blades of the fan.
In one embodiment, the fan socket 204 is of circular shape centrally disposed in the
aperture 502 of the frame 202. The plurality of arms 210 is of plastic composites,
such as for example Polypropylene with 40% Glass Fiber Filler, PA6 composite. In one
embodiment, the plurality of arms 210 may include 2-20 arms, and at least one arm
amongst the plurality of arms 210 is bent. During vibration or strong shock or impact
acting on the fan socket 204 in the lateral direction 504 of the fan socket 204, tension
created in the plurality of arms 210 is transmitted along the longitudinal axis 506
of the plurality of arms 210 and distributed within the plurality of arms 210 to minimize
the displacement of the fan 206.
[0026] Figs. 5B and 5C are comparison of displacement of the conventional shroud assembly
12 and the shroud 104 according to the present invention. In one example, Fig. 5B
illustrates a thermal image of displacement of the fan provided in the conventional
shroud assembly 12, and Fig. 5C illustrates a thermal image of displacement of the
fan 206 provided in the shroud 104 of the present invention. When the load of 200N
(Newton) is applied on both the conventional shroud assembly 12 and the shroud 104
of the present invention, the fan socket of the conventional shroud assembly 12 displaces
5,34mm from its original position as depicted in 508 in Fig. 5B, whereas the fan socket
204 of the shroud 104 of the present invention displaces 3,69mm from its original
position as depicted in 510 in Fig. 5C. Therefore, the plurality of arms 210 in the
shroud 104 of the present invention reduces displacement of the fan socket 204, thereby
eliminating collision of the fan 206 with the heat exchanger 102. Further, stiffness
of the shroud 104 of the present invention is more than the stiffness of the conventional
shroud assembly 12, due to the present design of the plurality of arms 210. Furthermore,
the shroud 104 of the present invention having stiffness of 5420 N/mm when the load
200N applied on the shroud 104, whereas the conventional shroud assembly 12 has 3745
N/mm. Therefore, the cooling system 200 of the present invention efficiently performs
even when the vehicle moves in the uneven terrain and avoids damages of any elements
in the cooling system 200 during vibration tests of the vehicle.
[0027] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible
in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention
may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
[0028] In any case, the invention cannot and should not be limited to the embodiments specifically
described in this document, as other embodiments might exist. The invention shall
spread to any equivalent means and any technically operating combination of means.
1. A cooling system (200) for a vehicle, comprising:
a heat exchanger (102); and
a shroud (104) mounted to the heat exchanger (102), wherein the shroud (104) further
comprising:
a frame (202) provided at a first plane (302) of the shroud (104) to mount the shroud
(104) to the heat exchanger (102);
a fan socket (204) provided at a second plane (304) of the shroud (104) to receive
a motor (208) of a fan (206), wherein the first plane (302) and the second plane (304)
are parallelly spaced apart from each other; and
a plurality of arms (210) adapted to be coupled in between the frame (202) and the
fan socket (204) to provide rigid support to the fan (206) and minimize displacement
of the fan (206).
2. The cooling system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of arms (210)
coupled between the frame (202) and the fan socket (204) forms a dome shape to accommodate
blades (212) of the fan (206).
3. The cooling system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one arm of the plurality
of arms (210) is bent to form an arc shape.
4. The cooling system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one arm of the plurality
of arms (210) is inclined at an angle (406) to connect in between the fan socket (204)
and the frame (202).
5. The cooling system (200) as claimed in any of preceding claims, wherein the plurality
of arms (210) of the shroud (104) is of plastic composites.
6. The cooling system (200) as claimed in any of preceding claims, wherein the plurality
of arms (210) is adapted to distribute force, applied on the fan socket (204) in a
lateral axis (402), along a longitudinal axis (404) of the plurality of arms (210).
7. The cooling system (200) as claimed in any of preceding claims, wherein the fan (206)
is provided in between the shroud (104) and the heat exchanger (102).
8. The cooling system (200) as claimed in any of preceding claims, the heat exchanger
(102) is a radiator of the vehicle.
9. The cooling system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame (202) further includes
at least one locking element (214) adapted to engage with at least one complementary
groove provided in side walls (216) of the heat exchanger (102).
10. The cooling system (200) as claimed in any of preceding claims, wherein the shroud
(104) is mounted on the heat exchanger (102) at a posterior position with respect
to the heat exchanger (102).
11. A shroud assembly (104) for a heat exchanger (102), comprising:
a frame (202) provided at a first plane (302) of the shroud assembly (104) to mount
the shroud assembly (104) to the heat exchanger (102), wherein the frame (202) is
at a posterior position with respect to the heat exchanger (102);
a fan (206) having a motor (208) provided in between the frame (202) and the heat
exchanger (102);
a fan socket (204) provided at a second plane (304) of the shroud assembly (104) to
receive the motor (208) of the fan (206), wherein the first plane (302) and the second
plane (304) are parallelly spaced apart from each other; and
a plurality of arms (210) adapted to be coupled in between the frame (202) and the
fan socket (204) to provide rigid support to the fan (206) and minimize displacement
of the fan (206).
12. The shroud assembly (104) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of arms (210)
coupled between the frame (202) and the fan socket (204) forms a dome shape to accommodate
blades (212) of the fan (206).
13. The shroud assembly (104) as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one arm of the
plurality of arms (210) is bent to form an arc shape.
14. The shroud assembly (104) as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one arm of the
plurality of arms (210) is inclined at an angle (406) to connect in between the fan
socket (204) and the frame (202).
15. The shroud assembly (104) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the shroud assembly (104)
is coupled to an upstream side of the heat exchanger (102).