CN113732190A

CN113732190A - Heat exchange tube arranging device

Info

Publication number: CN113732190A
Application number: CN202110393319.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 森下圭一
Original assignee: Hidaka Seiki KK
Current assignee: Hidaka Seiki KK
Priority date: 2020-05-28
Filing date: 2021-04-13
Publication date: 2021-12-03
Also published as: JP7037207B2; KR20210147870A; JP2021186829A

Abstract

The invention provides a heat exchange tube aligning device which can horizontally transfer heat exchange tubes stacked in a state that the top end parts of leg parts are positioned from a storage device in a horizontal state. The heat exchange tube arrangement device (100) comprises: a 1 st alignment device (10) for horizontally stacking two legs (24) of a hairpin-shaped heat exchange tube (20) on a base plate (16) by means of a guide body (14) vertically provided on the base plate; a lifting device (52) for lifting the bottom plate; and a 2 nd alignment device (30) having: an introduction mechanism (32) for introducing the uppermost heat exchange tube of the bottom plate into the mounting table (31); an introduction guide (33) which is arranged on the mounting table, guides the outer peripheral surfaces of the leg portions of the heat exchange tube, and makes the intervals of the leg portions consistent; a positioning unit (34) which is disposed on the mounting table and positions the heat exchanger tube during or after the introduction; and a loading table moving part (35) which moves the loading table to a preset position.

Description

Heat exchange tube arranging device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger tube aligning apparatus for transferring a heat exchanger tube, which is a heat exchanger tube storage apparatus formed in a hairpin shape by a pipe bender, from a 1 st aligning apparatus, which is a storage apparatus for heat exchanger tubes, to a 2 nd aligning apparatus in a state in which tip portions of two leg portions are aligned, when inserting the heat exchanger tube into a stacked body of fins for a heat exchanger.

Background

A heat exchanger such as an air conditioner is formed by inserting heat exchange tubes through which a heat medium flows in a stacked body of fins for a heat exchanger. In the stacked body of heat exchanger fins, a plurality of heat exchanger fins formed by a press die device are stacked on a stacking device in which stacking pins are erected, and then the stacked body of heat exchanger fins is taken out from the stacking device, and heat exchange tubes are inserted into the stacked body of heat exchanger fins in place of the stacking pins. The heat exchange tubes are formed into a so-called hairpin shape having a flat U-shape in plan view by a tube bender, and the heat exchange tubes taken out of the tube bender are transported to a position of the heat exchange tube inserting device in a state of being set in the heat exchange tube storage device by an operator, and then the heat exchange tubes are taken out of the heat exchange tube storage device individually. As a heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus having such a heat exchanger tube housing apparatus and a heat exchanger tube inserting apparatus, for example, a structure as disclosed in patent document 1 (japanese patent application laid-open No. 6-15393) is known.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 6-15393 (paragraphs 0014-

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The heat exchange tube formed by the tube bender varies in position at the tip end of the leg due to tolerance or the like. When the heat exchange tube is long, the degree of positional deviation of the tip portion is also large. Further, the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 500 disclosed in patent document 1 has a structure in which heat exchange tubes 520 are inserted into a stacked body 510 of heat exchanger fins in the height direction as shown in fig. 22. Therefore, if the heat exchanger tube 520 is long, the height of the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 500 is increased, which causes problems such as poor operability and maintenance.

Means for solving the problems

In view of the above, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a heat exchange tube arraying device capable of suppressing a height dimension by inserting a hairpin-shaped heat exchange tube taken out from a tube bending machine into a stacked body of heat exchanger fins while horizontally storing the hairpin-shaped heat exchange tube and aligning the positions of distal end portions of leg portions while maintaining the horizontal state of the uppermost heat exchange tube.

In order to solve the above problems, the inventors have made intensive studies and as a result have conceived the following configurations. That is, the present technical solution is a heat exchange tube arranging device, which includes: a 1 st alignment device, the 1 st alignment device having: a base plate on which a plurality of heat exchange tubes formed in a hairpin shape are stacked in the vertical direction so that two legs of the heat exchange tubes are horizontal, the heat exchange tubes being inserted into heat exchanger fins; and a guide body that is provided upright on the bottom plate and guides a stacking direction of the heat exchange tubes; a lifting device that lifts and lowers the bottom plate so that the uppermost heat exchange tube among the plurality of heat exchange tubes stacked is always located at a predetermined height position; and a 2 nd alignment device, the 2 nd alignment device having: an introducing mechanism that introduces the heat exchange tube positioned at the uppermost portion among the heat exchange tubes stacked in plurality in the 1 st alignment device; an introduction guide that guides an outer peripheral surface of each leg portion of the heat exchange tube introduced by the introduction mechanism and matches an interval between the leg portions of the heat exchange tube with a pitch of through holes of the heat exchanger fin to be inserted; a positioning portion that enters between the leg portions of the heat exchange tube during or after the introduction by the introduction mechanism to position the heat exchange tube; a mounting table having at least the introduction guide and the positioning portion; and a stage moving unit that moves the stage to a predetermined position.

Thus, the hairpin-shaped heat exchange tubes taken out of the tube bending machine can be stored in a horizontal position, and the heat exchange tubes can be inserted into the stacked body of the heat exchanger fins while the distal end portions of the leg portions are aligned while maintaining the horizontal state of the uppermost heat exchange tube.

Preferably, the lifting device is a part of the 1 st alignment device or a part of the 2 nd alignment device.

This makes it possible to make the structure of the lifting device compact. In particular, when the heat exchanger tube stacking apparatus is a part of the 1 st alignment apparatus, the stacking operation of the heat exchanger tubes manufactured by the tube bender can be easily performed by an operator.

Further, it is preferable that the introduction guide is a roller, and an abutting surface of the roller with the heat exchange tube is formed in an arc shape.

Thus, the heat exchanger tube can be smoothly introduced into the predetermined position of the mounting table without damaging the heat exchanger tube.

In addition, it is preferable that only 1 leg of the heat exchange tube is in contact with the roller.

This enables the roller to rotate only in one direction, and the heat exchange tube can be guided smoothly when being led out or when being sent out without damaging the leg portions of the heat exchange tube when the heat exchange tube is conveyed.

In addition, it is preferable that the introduction guide and the positioning portion are disposed in a pair at a plurality of positions in the introduction direction of the heat exchange tube on the mounting table.

Thus, even when the heat exchange tube taken out from the 1 st alignment device is long, the heat exchange tube can be reliably fixed and held at the predetermined position of the mounting table with the distal end portions of the leg portions aligned.

Preferably, the 1 st array device is mounted on a carriage.

Thus, even if the pipe bender and the heat exchange tube insertion device are positioned apart, the heat exchange tubes stacked in the 1 st array device can be easily transported.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

With the structure of the heat exchange tube arraying device according to the present aspect, the hairpin-shaped heat exchange tubes taken out of the tube bending machine can be stored in the horizontal position, and the heat exchange tubes can be inserted into the stacked body of the heat exchanger fins while the distal end portions of the leg portions are aligned while maintaining the horizontal state of the uppermost heat exchange tube, so that the work of inserting the heat exchange tubes into the stacked body of the heat exchanger fins can be performed easily and reliably while suppressing the height dimension. Moreover, even with a long heat exchange tube, the operator can easily perform the transfer operation from the tube bending machine to the 1 st alignment device, and the height dimension of the 1 st alignment device, which is the storage device for the heat exchange tube, can be kept low.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchange tube arraying device in the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion III in fig. 1.

Fig. 4A is a sectional view taken along line IV-a of fig. 3, and fig. 4B is a sectional view taken along line IV-B of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger manufactured by the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a schematic process in the heat exchanger manufacturing method of the present embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a schematic process following fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a front view showing a state in which a heat exchange tube stacking carriage as the 1 st alignment device is disposed at a predetermined position of the heat exchange tube alignment device.

Fig. 9 is a front view showing a state in which the bottom plate on which the heat exchange tubes are laminated is raised to a predetermined height position with respect to the mounting table.

Fig. 10 is a front view showing a state in which the introduction portion is brought close to the uppermost heat exchange tube of the stacked heat exchange tubes.

Fig. 11 is a front view showing a state where the heat exchange tube is led out from the bottom plate to the mounting table by the 1 st locking piece.

Fig. 12A to 12C are enlarged explanatory views showing the operation of the introduction portion from the derivation process of the heat exchange tube by the 1 st locking piece to the sliding movement of the heat exchange tube by the 2 nd locking piece.

Fig. 13 is a front view showing a state in which the heat exchange tube is slid on the mounting table by the 2 nd locking piece.

Fig. 14 is a front view showing a state where a positioning portion embedded in the table is projected from the upper surface of the table.

Fig. 15 is a front view showing a state where the introduction portion is apart from the heat exchange tube in the height direction.

Fig. 16 is a plan view showing a state in which the mounting table on which the heat exchange tube is mounted is slid in the horizontal direction.

Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram of the arrow direction from the position of the XVII-XVII line in fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the positioning portion of the mounting table is embedded in the mounting table in the insertion process of the heat exchange tube into the heat exchanger fin by the heat exchange tube insertion device.

Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a state after the insertion process of the heat exchange tube into the stacked body of fins for the heat exchanger is completed by the heat exchange tube inserting apparatus.

Fig. 20 is a plan view showing a state in which the mounting table is returned to a position before insertion of the heat exchange tube.

Fig. 21 is a front view showing a state where the introduction portion is returned to the initial position.

Fig. 22 is a front view showing a conventional heat exchange tube storage apparatus.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 of the present invention and the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200 having the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 of the present invention will be described below. As shown in fig. 1, the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is a part of a heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200, and the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200 has the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 and a heat exchange tube inserting apparatus 300. As shown in fig. 2, the heat exchange tube arraying device 100 includes the 1 st arraying device 10, the 2 nd arraying device 30 as a transfer destination of the heat exchange tubes 20 of the 1 st arraying device 10, and an operation control unit MC. In the present embodiment, the operation control unit MC of the heat exchanger tube arraying device 100 also controls the operation of the heat exchanger tube inserting device 300, and as a result, the operation control unit MC controls the operation of all the components of the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200.

The 1 st alignment device 10 has a base 12 and a plurality of bottom plates 16 each having a guide 14 erected on an upper surface thereof, and the 1 st alignment device 10 horizontally stacks and holds hairpin-shaped heat exchange tubes 20 formed by a pipe bender (not shown). The 1 st array device 10 of the present embodiment is formed as a cart in which casters 13 are disposed on the bottom surface of the base 12 and a handle 15 is attached to the side surface of the base 12, and the operator can move the 1 st array device 10 in the horizontal direction by pushing the handle 15. Here, a plurality of bottom plates 16 on which the guide bodies 14 are erected are arranged on the upper surface of the base 12 at a desired interval, but the bottom plates 16 may be formed of one sheet.

The heat exchange tubes 20 of the present embodiment are formed in a so-called hairpin shape having a flat U-shape in plan view, which is bent in the opposite direction (180 degrees) at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of heat exchange tubes 20 are stacked and held in a state of being laid in the first array device 10. A guide body 14 is provided upright at a predetermined height on a bottom plate 16 on which the heat exchange tubes 20 are mounted, and the guide body 14 guides the heat exchange tubes 20 toward the stacking direction in which the bottom plates 16 are stacked. The guide body 14 of the present embodiment is appropriately disposed at the outer and inner positions of the folded portion 22 and the leg portion 24 of the heat exchange tube 20 on the outer peripheral edge of the design shape of the heat exchange tube 20.

The heat exchange tubes 20 formed by the tube bending machine have a shape slightly different from the designed shape, and the operator places and laminates the heat exchange tubes 20 on the bottom plate 16 while elastically deforming the heat exchange tubes 20 appropriately according to the vertical positions of the guide bodies 14. The plurality of heat exchange tubes 20 are straightened into the designed shape in the planar direction, and are held on the bottom plate 16 of the arrangement device 1 of the present embodiment in a state in which the positions of the tip end portions of the leg portions 24 are aligned at predetermined positions. In this way, the heat exchange tubes 20 are stacked in a state in which the layers are corrected into the designed shape along the guide body 14, and the positions of the distal end portions of the leg portions 24 are positioned and held at the pitch of the through holes of the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fin to be inserted.

Further, the bottom plates 16 protrude from both left and right ends of the base 12 of the 1 st alignment device 10. When the 1 st array device 10 is installed in the 1 st array device fixing section 50 described later, the 1 st array device 10 is placed on the elevation plate 54, and the elevation plate 54 is elevated by the elevation device 52 disposed in the 1 st array device fixing section 50. That is, the base plate 16 can be lifted and lowered by the lifting device 52 so as to move closer to and away from the base 12. The lifting device 52 can have a known configuration represented by a fluid cylinder, a rack and pinion mechanism, and the like, and is controlled in operation by the operation control unit MC.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the 2 nd array apparatus 30, which is a transfer destination of the heat exchange tubes 20 stacked and held by the 1 st array apparatus 10, includes a mounting table 31, an introduction mechanism 32, an introduction guide 33, a positioning portion 34, and a mounting table moving portion 35. The stage moving unit 35 slides the stage 31 between the heat exchanger tube arraying apparatus 100 and the heat exchanger tube inserting apparatus 300, and the operation control unit MC controls the operation. The stage moving unit 35 of the present embodiment has a rack-and-pinion mechanism 35A, a pinion drive motor 35B, and a rail 35C, but may have another known structure represented by a fluid cylinder.

An introduction guide 33 attached to the 1 st mounting plate PL1 is provided upright on the mounting table 31, and a positioning portion 34 attached to the 2 nd mounting plate PL2 is embedded so as to be capable of protruding from the upper surface of the mounting table 31. The introduction guide 33 is directly attached to the mounting table 31 via the 1 st attaching plate PL1, and the positioning portion 34 is disposed (embedded) in a state of being housed in the housing hole 31A provided in the mounting table 31 together with the 2 nd attaching plate PL 2. As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the introduction guide 33 and the positioning portion 34 are paired, and the heat exchange tube 20 on the mounting table 31 is arranged at a plurality of positions with a desired interval in the longitudinal direction thereof, but the positioning portion 34 may be arranged only in a specific housing hole 31A. The introduction guide 33 and the positioning unit 34 may not be provided in pairs.

As shown in fig. 3, 4A, and 4B, the introduction guides 33 according to the present embodiment are arranged in 2 rows with a desired interval. The introduction guides 33 of the 1 st row at the positions on the line a-a and the introduction guides 33 of the 2 nd row at the positions on the line B-B are arranged in the same number and at the same intervals. The introduction guide 33 in row 1 and the introduction guide 33 in row 2 are disposed at different positions at the left and right end portions on the side orthogonal to the sliding direction of the heat exchange tube 20 shown by the arrow X in fig. 3 in the horizontal plane. The rotation axis AX1 of each of the introduction guides 33 in the 1 st row and the rotation axis AX2 of each of the introduction guides 33 in the 2 nd row are disposed at positions different from each other in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the heat exchange tube 20 in the horizontal plane.

By adopting the arrangement of the introduction guides 33 as described above, only the leg portion 24R on the right side with respect to the sliding direction among the leg portions 24 of the heat exchange tube 20 can be brought into contact with the introduction guide 33 of the 1 st row. Further, only the leg portion 24L on the left side with respect to the sliding direction among the leg portions 24 of the heat exchange tube 20 can be brought into contact with the introduction guide 33 in the 2 nd row. In other words, the leg portion 24R of each heat exchange tube 20 on the right side with respect to the sliding direction abuts against the introduction guide 33 in the 1 st row, and the leg portion 24L of each heat exchange tube 20 on the left side with respect to the sliding direction abuts against the introduction guide 33 in the 2 nd row. Each of the introduction guides 33 abuts only one of the leg portions 24 of the heat exchange tube 20, and the introduction guides 33 in the 1 st row rotate in the clockwise direction and the introduction guides 33 in the 2 nd row rotate in the counterclockwise direction.

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the introduction guide 33 of the present embodiment is constituted by a roller rotatably attached at a height position spaced apart from the upper surface of the 1 st attaching plate PL1 attached to the upper surface of the mounting table 31 by a predetermined distance. The roller serving as the introduction guide 33 is arranged in the same manner as the guide body 14 arranged at the outer position of the heat exchange tube 20 in the 1 st alignment device 10, and the abutment surface 33A abutting against the outer side surface of the heat exchange tube 20 is formed in an arc shape. When the heat exchange tube 20 is led out from the 1 st alignment device 10 toward the mounting table 31 by the introduction portion 39 of the introduction mechanism 32, it is guided to a predetermined planar position of the mounting table 31 by the introduction guide 33. The positioning portion 34 of the present embodiment may be constituted by a fluid cylinder, but is not limited to a fluid cylinder. The operation controller MC controls the protrusion and retraction operation of the positioning unit 34 with respect to the upper surface of the table 31.

The introduction portion 39 is coupled to the horizontal direction drive portion 36 and is movable along a guide rail 37 extending in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchange tube 20 at a position above the mounting table 31. The introduction portion 39 is also coupled to the vertical driving portion 38 and is movable vertically on the lower surface side with respect to the guide rail 37. That is, the introduction portion 39 can move in the height direction toward and away from the heat exchange tubes 20 stacked in the 1 st array device 10, and can slide the heat exchange tubes 20 stacked and held in the 1 st array device 10 toward the 2 nd array device 30 without changing the postures of the heat exchange tubes 20.

The introduction portion 39 of the present embodiment has the 1 st locking piece 39A and the 2 nd locking piece 39B having different height positions of the lower end portions. The 1 st engaging piece 39A having a cylindrical shape with a required length at the distal end is used when the folded portion 22 of the heat exchanger tube 20 is taken out from the 1 st array device 10 to the side of the mounting table 31. The 2 nd engaging piece 39B having a tip end portion with a required length in a turtle shape is used when the heat exchange tube 20 taken out by the 1 st engaging piece 39A is slid and moved so as to be led out to the side where the mounting table 31 is located. The height position of the reduced diameter portion 39Ba of the 2 nd locking piece 39B is formed at the same height position as the center height position of the introduction guide 33, and the lower end portion of the glans-shaped portion is formed in an arc shape and at the same height position as the height position of the upper surface of the mounting table 31.

The operation of the horizontal direction driving unit 36 and the vertical direction driving unit 38 described above is controlled by the operation control unit MC. The operation control unit MC can grasp the horizontal position of the introduction unit 39 in real time by the operation control content of the horizontal direction driving unit 36. In the present embodiment, the horizontal direction driving unit 36 and the vertical direction driving unit 38 use fluid cylinders, but the horizontal direction driving unit 36 and the vertical direction driving unit 38 are not limited to this configuration. Further, an anti-slip friction sheet (not shown) may be attached to a portion of the introduction portion 39 (at least one of the 1 st locking piece 39A and the 2 nd locking piece 39B) that abuts the heat exchange tube 20.

The heat exchanger tube inserting apparatus 300 of the present embodiment slides the heat exchanger tube 20 transferred to the mounting table 31 toward the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins. Specifically, the heat exchanger includes a guide portion 302 arranged parallel to the guide rail 37, an abutting body holding portion 304 extending in a direction orthogonal to the guide portion 302 in a horizontal plane, an abutting body 305 held by the abutting body holding portion 304, and an insertion driving portion 306 (see fig. 16) for reciprocating the abutting body holding portion 304 in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger tube 20. The planar shape of the abutting body 305 is preferably formed into a shape following the shape of the folded back portion 22 of the heat exchange tube 20. The operation of the heat exchanger tube inserting apparatus 300 is controlled by the operation control unit MC.

After the mounting table 31 is moved from the heat exchanger tube arraying device 100 to the heat exchanger tube inserting device 300 by the mounting table moving portion 35, the operation control portion MC operates the heat exchanger tube inserting device 300 to insert the heat exchanger tubes 20 into the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins held by the heat exchanger fin stacked body holding portion FH. Here, the tip end portions of the leg portions 24 of the heat exchange tubes 20 are inserted into the leader pins GP inserted in advance into the through holes of the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fin, and then the heat exchange tubes 20 are inserted into the through holes of the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fin so that the leader pins GP are pushed out of the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fin by the heat exchange tubes 20. Thus, the heat exchanger HEX as shown in fig. 5 is manufactured. The method of inserting the heat exchange tube 20 into the through hole of the laminated body FS of the heat exchanger fin using the guide pin GP is well known, and therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

At this time, the operation controller MC detects the position of the folded portion 22 of the heat exchange tube 20 by the heat exchange tube inserting device 300, and buries the positioning portion 34 in the mounting base 31 immediately before the folded portion 22 of the heat exchange tube 20 reaches a predetermined position of the mounting base 31 (the position where the positioning portion 34 is disposed). When the heat exchange tube 20 is inserted into the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins in this manner, the heat exchange tube 20 is corrected to the designed shape to the maximum extent by the guide 33 and the positioning portion 34, and is inserted into the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins while the positions of the distal ends of the leg portions 24 are kept aligned. Thus, even if the heat exchanger tube 20 is long, the heat exchanger tube 20 can be easily and reliably inserted into the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins.

Next, a method for manufacturing the heat exchanger HEX using the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200 of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a schematic process in the heat exchanger manufacturing method of the present embodiment. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a schematic process following fig. 6.

The operator sets the 1 st array device 10, in which a predetermined number of hairpin-shaped heat exchange tubes 20 formed in a flat U-letter shape in plan view are stacked, at a predetermined position of the heat exchange tube array device 100 as shown in fig. 8 (S-1). A1 st array device fixing part 50 for positioning and fixing the 1 st array device 10 is disposed on a side surface of the heat exchange tube array device 100. An abutting switch (not shown) that is turned on when the 1 st array device 10 is set in the normal position is disposed in the 1 st array device fixing section 50. A not-shown notification lamp linked with the contact switch is turned on. That is, when the 1 st array device 10 is appropriately installed in the 1 st array device fixing portion 50, the notification lamp is turned on, and when it is not appropriately installed, the notification lamp is turned off.

When the 1 st alignment device 10 is set, the operator confirms whether the notification lamp is turned on (J-1). When the notification lamp is turned off (J1 — no), when the operator performs the alignment (a-1) of the 1 st array device 10 in the 1 st array device fixing unit 50 to turn on the contact switch (J1-yes), the notification lamp linked with the contact switch is turned on, and the operation control unit MC linked with the contact switch similarly sets the value of the counter to 0, and then the heat exchanger manufacturing process (S-2) is started. The value of the counter is stored in advance in a storage device (not shown) together with the number of stacked heat exchange tubes 20 in the 1 st array device 10. The timing of resetting the counter value may be set to a timing when the up-and-down device 52 is returned to the initial position (S-24) when the 1 st arraying device 10 is removed (S-23) to be described later.

The operation controller MC operates the lift device 52 to raise the base plate 16 of the 1 st alignment device 10 to a predetermined height position with respect to the upper surface of the mounting table 31 as shown in fig. 9 (S-3). Here, the height position of the uppermost heat exchange tube 20 among the heat exchange tubes 20 stacked in the 1 st arrangement device 10 is set to the same height position as the height position of the introduction guide 33 disposed on the mounting table 31.

Next, the operation control unit MC operates the vertical direction driving unit 38 of the introduction portion 39 to lower the 1 st locking piece 39A of the introduction portion 39 toward the heat exchange tube 20 (S-4), and as shown in fig. 10, brings the side surface of the 1 st locking piece 39A into contact with the inside of the folded-back portion 22. The operation control portion MC waits in a state where the horizontal direction driving portion 36 has previously aligned the planar position of the 1 st locking piece 39A with respect to the planar position of the folded portion 22 of the heat exchanger tube 20, and therefore the 1 st locking piece 39A and the heat exchanger tube 20 do not interfere with each other. Next, the operation control unit MC operates the horizontal direction driving unit 36 to move the introduction unit 39a desired distance toward the mounting table 31 (S-5). This enables the heat exchange tubes 20 stacked on the uppermost portion of the first alignment device 10 to be taken out to the side of the mounting table 31 as shown in fig. 11.

Next, the operation control portion MC operates the vertical direction driving portion 38 as shown in fig. 12A to separate the 1 st locking piece 39A from the heat exchange tube 20 (S-6), then operates the horizontal direction driving portion 36 as shown in fig. 12B to move the planar position of the 2 nd locking piece 39B to the planar position of the folded-back portion 22 of the heat exchange tube 20 (S-7), and then operates the vertical direction driving portion 38 as shown in fig. 12C to lower the 2 nd locking piece 39B so as to approach the heat exchange tube 20 (S-8). At this time, the height position of the reduced diameter portion 39Ba of the 2 nd clamping member 39B coincides with the height position of the heat exchange tube 20. Since the reduced diameter portion 39Ba is formed in an arc shape, the reduced diameter portion 39Ba can be brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heat exchange tube 20.

Next, the operation controller MC operates the horizontal direction driver 36 to further slide the heat exchange tube 20 led out to the mounting table 31 as shown in fig. 13, and transfers the heat exchange tube 20 from the 1 st alignment device 10 to the mounting table 31 (S-9). The heat exchange tube 20 transferred to the mounting table 31 is guided to a predetermined position of the mounting table 31 by coming into contact with the side peripheral surface of the introduction guide 33 erected on the mounting table 31, and the positions of the distal ends of the leg portions 24 are aligned at the predetermined position.

The operation control unit MC always detects the horizontal position of the 2 nd locking piece 39B while the heat exchange tube 20 is being slid on the mounting table 31. Thus, immediately after the 2 nd locking piece 39B disposed in the inner region of the heat exchange tube 20 passes the position of the positioning portion 34 of the mounting table 31, the operation control portion MC causes the positioning portions 34 to sequentially operate, and as shown in fig. 14, protrudes from the upper surface of the mounting table 31 in sequence from the positioning portion 34 on the side of the 1 st aligning device 10 (S-10). The heat exchange tube 20 thus slid and moved on the mounting table 31 holds the outer side surface of the leg portion 24 by the guide 33 and the inner side surface of the folded portion 22 by the positioning portion 34. That is, the heat exchange tube 20 led out to the mounting table 31 is positioned and fixed at the planar position on the mounting table 31 in a state where the heat exchange tube is corrected to the design shape and the position of the distal end portion of the leg portion 24 coincides with the predetermined position.

When the heat exchanger tube 20 is completely transferred to the mounting table 31, the operation controller MC operates the vertical driving unit 38 as shown in fig. 15, and raises the introduction portion 39 so as to separate from the heat exchanger tube 20 (S-11). Next, the operation controller MC operates the mounting table moving unit 35 to move the mounting table 31 on which the heat exchange tube 20 is transferred toward the arrangement position of the heat exchange tube inserting apparatus 300 as shown in fig. 16 (S-12). Next, the operation controller MC fixes the position of the mounting table 31 and operates the insertion drive unit 306 to slide the heat exchanger tube 20 toward the stacked body FS of heat exchanger fins FS waiting on the extension line of the tip end portion of the heat exchanger tube 20 mounted on the mounting table 31 as shown in fig. 17 (S-13).

At this time, the operation control unit MC also detects the horizontal position of the contact body 305 or the contact body holding unit 304 at all times based on the amount of power supplied to the insertion drive unit 306, the output content of the encoder, and the like. Before the position of the folded portion 22 of the heat exchange tube 20 reaches the position of the positioning portion 34, the positioning portion 34 is sequentially retracted from the upper surface of the mounting table 31 in the reverse order (from the folded portion 22 toward the distal end portion) to the order when the heat exchange tube is transferred from the 1 st alignment device 10 to the mounting table 31 (S-14). In this way, interference between the folded portion 22 and the positioning portion 34 when the heat exchange tube 20 is slid toward the stacked body FS of heat exchanger fins by the heat exchange tube inserting apparatus 300 can be prevented (fig. 18).

When the heat exchange tube 20 is inserted into the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins, the heat exchange tube 20 is also positioned with the distal ends of the leg portions 24 in a state where the outer peripheral surface is in contact with the introduction guide 33. This makes it possible to easily and reliably insert the distal end portions (S-15) of the leg portions 24 of the heat exchange tube 20 into the through holes (not shown) of the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fin (fig. 19). Then, when the heat exchanger HEX as shown in fig. 5 is manufactured by inserting the heat exchanger tubes 20 through the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins, the operation controller MC causes a robot arm (not shown) to take out the heat exchanger HEX (S-16).

Next, the operation controller MC operates the insertion drive unit 306 to return the contact body holding unit 304 and the contact body 305 to the positions before the insertion step of the heat exchanger tube 20 as shown in fig. 20 (S-17). Next, the operation controller MC operates the stage moving unit 35 to return the stage 31 to the heat exchange tube alignment apparatus 100 (S-18). Then, the operation controller MC operates the horizontal direction driver 36 to return the introduction unit 39 from the 1 st alignment device 10 to the position (initial position) at which the next heat exchanger tube 20 is led out as shown in fig. 21 (S-19). Then, the operation controller MC operates the elevator 52 to raise the bottom plate 16 of the 1 st array device 10 by a height corresponding to the height of the heat exchange tubes 20 (S-20).

The operation control unit MC performs a process of adding 1 to the value of the counter (S-21) each time the elevating device 52 is operated. Then, the operation control unit MC determines whether or not the value of the counter after the addition is equal to or greater than the number of laminations (J-2), and returns to (S-4) and repeats the process to (S-21) (J2 — no) when the value of the counter after the addition is smaller than the number of laminations. When the value of the counter after the addition is equal to or greater than the number of layers (J2 — yes), the operation control unit MC notifies the operator by a notification means (not shown) represented by a rotary lamp, a speaker, or the like, and also notifies the operator of the fact that the heat exchange tubes 20 stored in the 1 st array apparatus 10 are already used up (S-22).

When the operator removes the 1 st array device 10 with all the stacked heat exchange tubes 20 taken out from the 1 st array device fixing section 50 (S-23), the abutting switch is turned from on to off. When the contact switch is turned off, the operation control unit MC lowers the lifting device 52 to return to the initial position (S-24), and then the heat exchanger manufacturing process is terminated (end). If the operator sets a new 1 st array device 10 to the 1 st array device fixing unit 50 as necessary (S-1), the manufacturing process of the heat exchanger HEX described above can be repeatedly performed.

The heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 of the present invention and the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200 having the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 of the present invention have been described in detail above according to the embodiments, but the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 of the present invention and the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200 having the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, in the present embodiment, the operation control unit MC, which is a part of the configuration of the heat exchanger tube arraying device 100, also performs the operation control of the heat exchanger tube inserting device 300, and as a result, also performs the operation control of the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition to the operation control unit MC of the heat exchanger tube arraying device 100, a 2 nd operation control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the heat exchanger tube inserting device 300 and a collective operation control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200 may be provided, and the operation control unit MC and the 2 nd operation control unit may be collectively controlled by the collective operation control unit.

In the present embodiment, in the first aligning device 10, the heat exchange tubes 20 are stacked and held with the tip end portions of the leg portions 24 of the heat exchange tubes 20 positioned at the pitch of the through holes of the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fin to be inserted, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The heat exchange tubes 20 stacked in the 1 st alignment device 10 may be aligned to such an extent that the uppermost heat exchange tube 20 can be smoothly introduced into the 2 nd alignment device 30.

In the present embodiment, the 1 st aligning device 10 is formed in a carriage shape or mounted on a carriage, but may be of a fixed type. The lifting device 52 may be mounted as a part of the 1 st alignment device 10 or a part of the 2 nd alignment device 30. In particular, when the lifting device 52 is mounted on the 1 st alignment device 10, the stacking operation of the heat exchange tubes 20 manufactured by the tube bender can be easily performed by the operator. Further, when the first array device 10 is formed in a carriage shape as in the present embodiment, it is preferable to use a fluid cylinder of a foot pump type, and it is preferable in terms of reduction in size and weight and reduction in cost of the elevating device 52.

In the present embodiment, the embodiment is adopted in which the introduction portion 39 of the introduction mechanism 32 is constituted by the 1 st locking piece 39A and the 2 nd locking piece 39B having different lengths, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment. The configuration may be such that the amount of expansion and contraction (lower end height position) of the introduction portion 39 with respect to the heat exchange tube 20 can be changed, and the number of introduction portions 39 can be 1.

In the present embodiment, although the embodiment has been described in which the roller is used as the introduction guide 33, the embodiment is not limited to this. As another form of the introduction guide, a cylindrical body or the like made of a material having a small friction coefficient can be used. In this embodiment, the leg portions 24 of the heat exchange tubes 20 are less smooth when passing through as compared with the above embodiment, but the leg portions 24 of the two heat exchange tubes 20 can be guided in a state of being in contact with one of the guide guides 33. That is, the number of the lead-in guides 33 can be reduced, the structure can be simplified, and these can be provided at low cost.

In the present embodiment, the positioning portion 34 protrudes and sinks upward from below the mounting table 31, but the positioning portion 34 is not limited to this form. The heat exchanger tube 20 may be configured to be advanced and retracted from above the mounting table 31 with respect to an inner region (inner position) of the leg portion 24 of the heat exchanger tube led out to the mounting table 31.

The stage moving unit 35 of the present embodiment slides the stage 31 between the heat exchange tube arranging apparatus 100 and the heat exchange tube inserting apparatus 300, but is not limited to this embodiment. The mounting table moving unit 35 is used to move the mounting table 31 on which the heat exchange tube 20 is transferred to a predetermined position, and the moving destination is not limited to the heat exchange tube insertion device 300, and the moving direction may be not only a horizontal direction but also a height direction or a three-dimensional movement.

In addition, the heat exchanger tube inserting apparatus 300 of the present embodiment has been described in a mode in which the tip end portions of the leg portions 24 of the heat exchanger tube 20 are inserted into the guide pins GP previously inserted through the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins, and then the heat exchanger tube 20 is inserted into the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins, but the heat exchanger tube inserting apparatus 300 may be a mode in which the heat exchanger tube 20 is directly inserted into the stacked body FS of the heat exchanger fins.

In the above embodiment, the embodiment of the heat exchanger manufacturing apparatus 200 in which the heat exchanger tube inserting device 300 is disposed adjacent to the heat exchanger tube arraying device 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Specifically, the heat exchange tube arraying apparatus 100 may be used to transfer the heat exchange tubes 20 from the 1 st arraying apparatus 10 while positioning the heat exchange tubes 20 on the holding table 31 in a horizontal state, and in the 1 st arraying apparatus 10, the heat exchange tubes 20 formed in a hairpin shape may be stacked with the two leg portions 24 horizontal, that is, in a so-called horizontal state.

Further, the embodiment and various modifications described above may be combined with each other as appropriate.

Claims

1. A heat exchange tube arrangement device, wherein,

the heat exchanging tube arranging device includes:

a 1 st alignment device, the 1 st alignment device having: a base plate on which a plurality of heat exchange tubes formed in a hairpin shape are stacked in the vertical direction so that two legs of the heat exchange tubes are horizontal, the heat exchange tubes being inserted into heat exchanger fins; and a guide body that is provided upright on the bottom plate and guides a stacking direction of the heat exchange tubes;

a lifting device that lifts and lowers the bottom plate so that the uppermost heat exchange tube among the plurality of heat exchange tubes stacked is always located at a predetermined height position; and

a 2 nd alignment device, the 2 nd alignment device having: an introducing mechanism that introduces the heat exchange tube positioned at the uppermost portion among the heat exchange tubes stacked in plurality in the 1 st alignment device; an introduction guide that guides an outer peripheral surface of each leg portion of the heat exchange tube introduced by the introduction mechanism and matches an interval between the leg portions of the heat exchange tube with a pitch of through holes of the heat exchanger fin to be inserted; a positioning portion that enters between the leg portions of the heat exchange tube during or after the introduction by the introduction mechanism to position the heat exchange tube; a mounting table having at least the introduction guide and the positioning portion; and a stage moving unit that moves the stage to a predetermined position.

2. The heat exchanging tube arranging device as recited in claim 1,

the lifting device is a part of the 1 st arrangement device or a part of the 2 nd arrangement device.

3. The heat exchanging tube arranging device as recited in claim 1 or 2,

the introduction guide is a roller.

4. Heat exchange tube arrangement according to claim 3,

the contact surface of the roller with the heat exchange tube is formed into a circular arc shape.

5. Heat exchange tube arrangement according to claim 3,

only 1 leg of the heat exchange tube is in contact with the roll.

6. Heat exchange tube arrangement according to claim 4,

only 1 leg of the heat exchange tube is in contact with the roll.

7. The heat exchanging tube arranging device as recited in claim 1 or 2,

the introduction guide and the positioning portion are disposed in a pair at a plurality of positions in the mounting table in the direction of introduction of the heat exchange tube.

8. The heat exchanging tube arranging device as recited in claim 1 or 2,

the 1 st array device is mounted on a carriage.