EP0693665B1 - Arrangement for connecting two or several heat exchangers - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an arrangement for connecting two or more heat exchangers with each other, each with collection boxes, especially made of plastic and with between them running flow paths with heat exchange surfaces for a heat exchange medium are provided.

It is often in practice, especially in vehicle construction necessary to assemble several heat exchangers, for example with an intercooler in a commercial vehicle to connect the radiator for the engine coolant. The assembly such heat exchangers can then prove to be very complex, if, for example, in confined spaces in the engine compartments of motor vehicles the one cooler on the radiator that is already in the vehicle should.

Since the connections of the two coolers should be designed that they have the different thermal expansion of the two Compensate cooler and also take manufacturing tolerances So far, you have special brackets and screw connections provided so that by acceleration of the masses occurring during vehicle operation properly can be included. The assembly process with such screw connections is expensive.

The invention has for its object an arrangement of to create the type mentioned above, with the two, or also several heat exchangers firmly together in a simple manner can be connected without problems by different Thermal expansion of the two heat exchangers or due to tolerance Dimensional deviations can occur.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that one for connecting the heat exchanger the header boxes of a heat exchanger at a distance from each other and projecting approximately perpendicularly from its longitudinal direction Pins are assigned, which in corresponding openings in bracket-like counter bearings on the assigned collecting box of the other Heat exchanger insertable and by pivoting one Counter bearing surface can be positioned in a certain end position are, and further in that the other two collection boxes Locking devices, in particular snap hooks, for Securing the end position of the pins and the two heat exchangers assigned. This configuration makes it complex Connecting elements such as screws, brackets or the like. superfluous. One heat exchanger can be inserted on the other pre-positioned its cones and then by collapsing brought into its end position against the other heat exchanger and be locked there.

From EP 0 346 602 B1 it is true for the attachment of Side parts of a radiator for vehicle engines already known, to let pins engage in recesses in the side parts, which are attached to the collection boxes and in the manner of Hinges act to fold up the side panels for assembly to enable the collection boxes. When arranging the side alignment plays the mutual alignment of two Heat exchangers that are also subject to different thermal expansions can, no matter. The pivoted position of the Side parts are also secured there by wedges, which are separate are to be inserted. With the connection of two or the facility shown there has nothing more heat exchangers together.

In a further development of the inventive concept can be used as a locking device two elastically pivotable about one axis each Snap tabs may be provided, each about End area of a collection box are assigned and with their Swivel axes are aligned perpendicular to each other. In further training the cross sections at least one of the pins and the associated opening of the counter bearing adapted to each other in the longitudinal direction of the collecting boxes be so that after inserting the pin into the associated Openings and when swiveling also an exact Alignment of the two water boxes in the direction of the longitudinal axis their collection boxes can be done. This can still be done be promoted that one of the two pegs has a rectangular, the other, on the other hand, a cross section of a square with two side walls aligned parallel to each other, with at least one other side wall at an angle to yours opposite side wall runs and in their inclination the inclination of using it when positioning the heat exchanger cooperating wall of the counter bearing corresponds. Through this One of the pins receives at least one design Page a wedge-like formation that leads to a Alignment in one direction during the swiveling process occurs without special measures for such an orientation are to be met. Since the bevel is only in one Direction and on a side wall, it remains for the Spigot still possible to be perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the Move collection boxes when thermal expansion occurs should.

In a development of the invention, one of the snap tabs horizontally and the other vertically, where then each snap tab has a contact surface for a stop of a heat exchanger and a counter surface as a locking edge and a resilient rib is assigned, so that the snap edge is assigned that its free end in the trajectory the end of the snap tab provided with the locking hooks lies and with the snap-in latch locked against the by Locking hook facing away from the end of the snap tabs presses. This configuration ensures, on the one hand, because of the vertical arrangement of the snap tabs to each other that also a production-related parallelogram shape, i.e. a shape of the heat exchanger deviating from an exact rectangle, that actually occur in practice due to manufacturing can, can be compensated. The vertical snap tab is placed near a fixed storage location and it can their function even with angular deviations of the floor fully meet.

Because in the area of the horizontally arranged snap flap too it must be reckoned with an inclined position of the floor advantageous if the contact surface of the horizontally aligned Snap tab is somewhat elastic.

Fig. 1

die schematische Darstellung einer Frontansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Anordnung zur Verbindung eines Ladeluftkühlers und eines Kühlmittelkühlers,

Fig. 2

die Seitenansicht der Anordnung der Figur 1 in Richtung des Pfeiles II der Figur 1,

Fig. 3

die Draufsicht auf die Anordnung der Figur 1 in Richtung des Pfeiles III der Figur 1 gesehen,

Fig. 4

die Seitenansicht der Anordnung der Figur 1 in Richtung des Pfeiles IV gesehen,

Fig. 5

die Darstellung des Teilschnittes durch die linken Sammelkästen der Figur 1 in Richtung der Schnittlinie V-V,

Fig. 6

die vergrößerte Detaildarstellung des Schnittes nach der Linie VI-VI in Figur 1,

Fig. 7

die vergrößerte Detaildarstellung der Einzelheit VII in Figur 3,

Fig. 8

die schematische Darstellung des Schnittes VIII-VIII durch die Zapfenverbindung der Figur 6,

Fig. 9

die schematische Darstellung des Schnittes nach der Linie IX-IX in Figur 7,

Fig. 10 und 10a

die vergrößerte Darstellung der in der Figur 1 links oben gezeigten Schnapplaschenverbindung im nicht montierten, Figur 10a die Schnapplaschenverbindung der Figur 10 während des Verbindungsvorganges,

Fig. 11

die vergrößerte Darstellung des Detail XI in Fig. 2 mit der unteren Schnapplaschenverbindung der Anordnung der Fig. 1 im Verriegelungszustand,

Fig. 11a

die Schnapplaschenverbindung der Figur 11 während eines ersten Schrittes zur Aufhebung der Schnapparretierung,

Fig. 11b

eine Darstellung ähnlich Fig. 11a, jedoch in einer weiteren Lösephase,

Fig. 11c

die auf die Phase der Fig. 11b folgende Demontagephase, in der der Haken der Schnapplasche von seiner Gegenfläche frei wird, und

Fig. 11d

die Schnapplaschenanordnung der Fig. 11, jedoch im gelösten Zustand.

In the drawing, an embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is shown, which is explained below. Show it:

Fig. 1

the schematic representation of a front view of an arrangement according to the invention for connecting a charge air cooler and a coolant cooler,

Fig. 2

2 shows the side view of the arrangement in FIG. 1 in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1,

Fig. 3

the top view of the arrangement of Figure 1 seen in the direction of arrow III of Figure 1,

Fig. 4

the side view of the arrangement of Figure 1 seen in the direction of arrow IV,

Fig. 5

the representation of the partial section through the left header box of Figure 1 in the direction of section line VV,

Fig. 6

the enlarged detailed representation of the section along the line VI-VI in Figure 1,

Fig. 7

the enlarged detail of detail VII in Figure 3,

Fig. 8

the schematic representation of section VIII-VIII through the pin connection of Figure 6,

Fig. 9

the schematic representation of the section along the line IX-IX in Figure 7,

10 and 10a

1 shows the enlarged representation of the snap-tab connection shown at the top left in FIG. 1, FIG. 10a shows the snap-tab connection of FIG. 10 during the connecting process,

Fig. 11

2 shows the enlarged representation of detail XI in FIG. 2 with the lower snap-tab connection of the arrangement of FIG. 1 in the locked state,

Fig. 11a

11 during a first step to release the snap lock,

Fig. 11b

11a, but in a further release phase,

Fig. 11c

the dismantling phase following the phase of FIG. 11b, in which the hook of the snap tab is released from its counter surface, and

Fig. 11d

11, but in the released state.

In Figures 1 to 3 is an arrangement consisting of a Intercooler (1) and a coolant cooler (2) shown which are both firmly connected. Both the intercooler (1) as well as the coolant cooler that is used for cooling of the engine coolant of an internal combustion engine, not shown for one vehicle are each with collection boxes (3, 4) or (5, 6) provided, between which in no closer shown because so-called finned tube blocks (7 and 8) run as heat exchange surfaces for the one between the collection boxes (3, 4) on the one hand and (5, 6) serve on the other hand flowing heat exchange medium. The coolant cooler (2) is thereby in the example shown attached to the charge air cooler (1) that two about perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the collecting tank (5) of the Coolant cooler (2) protruding from the header tank (5) Pins (9 and 10) in corresponding openings in a bow-like manner trained counter bearings (11 and 12) engage, each on the side of the collection boxes pointing towards the coolant cooler (2) (3) are attached. The pins (9 and 10) lie both on the counter bearing (11 or 12) and on stop surfaces (13 and 14), which are also on the collection box (3) are attached.

As from the enlarged representations of FIGS. 6 and 7 the pin (9) of the collecting box (5) with its side facing away from the collecting box (3) on the inner surface of the bow-like counter bearing (11) and with one Collection box (3) side facing the stop surface (13) when he, as shown in Figures 6, 7 or 3 is in its fastening position.

From Figures 6 and 7 it is also clear that the stop surfaces (13 or 14) each offset to the counter bearing surfaces (11a or 12a) of the bow-like counter bearing (11 or 12) are arranged. This staggered arrangement enables assembly the pins (9 and 10) compared to the illustration of Figures 6 and 7 each counterclockwise by one certain angles pivoted into their dimensions larger than the cross section of the pin (9 and 10) Openings between the stop surfaces (13, 14) and the insert the left edge of the counter bearing surfaces (11a and 12a), before swiveling for the purpose of assembly in the Clockwise. The coolant cooler (2) is therefore thereby with the one already firmly in the engine compartment Vehicle arranged intercooler (1) connected that he is placed at a slight angle to the charge air cooler (1), that the longitudinal axes indicated in Figures 6 and 7, respectively (15, 16) each take the position (15 'or 16'). The coolant cooler (2) is then swiveled clockwise, until that shown in Figures 6 and 7 and 3 respectively Assembly position is reached. The pins (9 and 10) are then held firmly and securely by their bilateral system.

It can also be seen from FIGS. 8 and 9 that the upper one Pin (9) with lateral play within its bow-like Counter bearing (11) is guided. The pin (9) therefore forms the counter bearing (11) a kind of floating bearing, which makes it possible that Changes in length of the heat exchangers in the direction of their collecting tanks can be included. Changes in length in the direction the tubes of the crib tube blocks, not shown, i.e. Length changes across the collection boxes (3 or 5) due to the longitudinal displaceability of the pins (9 or 10) in their position between the stop surfaces (13 and 14) and the counter bearing surfaces (11a and 12a) are added.

But for a clear assignment of the mounting position of the coolant cooler To get (2) to the charge air cooler (1) is the Pin (10), as shown in Figure 8, with a cross section in the Shape of a square with two parallel to each other Side walls (10a) and one perpendicular to it Side wall (10b) equipped. The fourth side wall (10c) is inclined obliquely to the side wall (10b) and it is a corresponding inclined inner wall (12b) of the bow-like Abutment (12) assigned. When pivoting the coolant cooler (2) clockwise for attachment, is therefore the pin (10) in the representation of the Figure 8 from bottom to top in the shape of its cross-sectional shape adapted recess within the counter bearing (12) pushed in. The pin (10) therefore forms with his Counter bearing (12) a fixed bearing, which ensures secure anchoring leads the two heat exchangers together. Of course it would be it is also possible to achieve the corresponding wedge effect, if both side walls (10c and 10b) are oblique to the parallel Side walls (10a) arranged and the associated Inner walls (12b) of the abutment (12) both incline this Side walls are adjusted.

Securing the by swiveling clockwise achieved assembly position is in the embodiment achieved by snap tabs (17 and 18), their design in detail from Figures 10 and 11, how will also be described. The collection boxes (4 and 6) but besides these snap tabs (17 and 18) is still one assigned another force absorption point, which is a positive Secure position. For this purpose Collection box (6) of the coolant cooler (2) after one Associated side projecting hollow pin (19), which fits in a hollow pin (20) is inserted from the collecting box (4) stands out.

Figures 10 and 10a first show that the collecting box (6) of the coolant cooler (2) on the left in Figure 1 Assigned a snap tab arrangement (17) shown above is that of an elastic on part of the collection box (4) of the intercooler (1) attached snap tab (21) with a hook (22) at its end and out of one associated with this snap tab (21) or its hook (22) Latching edge (23), which in the exemplary embodiment has a contact surface (24) for interaction with a counter surface (25) is assigned to the collecting box (4). At the collecting box (6) a resilient securing web (26) is also arranged, the Task when assembled is the snap tab (21) in the end position reached. This is possible better from Figure 10a, where the last phase of the assembly process is shown. When swiveling the coolant cooler (2) clockwise pushes the free end of the snap tab (21) with the locking hook (22) against the securing web (26) and first pushes it into position (26 ') until further pressing the coolant cooler (2) in the direction of Arrow (27) after a certain elastic deformation of the Contact surface (24) of the locking hooks (22) behind its locking edge (23) snaps into place. If this has happened, then the safety bar free and moves again due to its elasticity in position (26). He then pushes with his free end from the outside against the locking hook (22) and prevents accidental Release this hook from the assembly position.

On this occasion it may be mentioned that the collection boxes (3, 4 5 and 6) of intercooler and coolant cooler (2) are made of plastic and that also bis the parts now described, including the snap tab (21) or pins (9 and 10) made of plastic. The design the contact surface (24) as a leg on an im remaining U-shaped rib (28) therefore ensures that for Assembly required elasticity. It also brings that Advantage with itself that certain manufacturing tolerances are compensated can be because the two heat exchangers in each Case can be pressed together so far that the Snap tab (21) snaps into place.

The snap tab assembly (17) is vertical as described arranged. The snap-tab arrangement (18), on the other hand, is horizontal. This configuration also enables the two Assemble heat exchangers, even if their outer shape is due to the production process is not exactly rectangular, but what is usual has a certain parallelogram shape. This horizontal Snap arrangement also consists of a snap tab (29) with a hook (30) attached to the collecting box (6) of the coolant cooler (2) is attached and from a locking edge (31) and a contact surface (32), the collection box (4) of the charge air cooler (1) are assigned. With the contact surface (32) in turn acts a counter surface (33) of the collecting box (6) together on an angled projection (34) is attached, from which the snap tab (29) protrudes.

11, the snap tab (29) is a securing web (35) assigned to a contact edge to secure the locking position the snap tab (29), but also still an actuating web (36), the function of which based on the Figures 11a to 11c will be explained. This actuation bridge (36) is assigned a rib projecting from it (37) with a recess (38) in which when engaged Snap tab (29) the head of the hook (30) has space.

It can first be seen from FIG. 11a that one can disassemble at the poorly accessible location of the snap tab (18) a tool (39) on the underside of the two heat exchangers, roughly in the form of a screwdriver, from the side in the space between the hook (30) and one upwards Rib (40) of the support (32) can be inserted. According to FIG. 11b, this tool can be inserted further the wall (37) captured below and according to Figure 11c be pressed up so that the recess (38) and its securing edge the safety bar (35) is lifted as far up is that the hook of the snap tab (29) from its The locking edge (31) becomes free and the coolant cooler (2) can swivel from the charge air cooler (1) and now in Counterclockwise until the pins (9 and 10) again the inclination previously mentioned during assembly to their contact surfaces (11a and 13) and in this way the coolant cooler from the charge air cooler can be solved. It goes without saying before the dismantling process also necessary to release the upper snap tab (17), before the coolers can be taken apart.

The configuration according to the invention makes it very simple way without the use of screwing tools or the like possible a secure and permanent connection between to manufacture two heat exchangers. Of course it would be also conceivable a third heat exchanger, e.g. one Oil cooler, in a similar way to be additionally attached, if there is a need for it. By design the pin bearing (pin 9 and 10) on the one hand and the arrangement of the snap tabs (which are perpendicular to each other) on the other hand, in addition to easy handling also the security for an exact alignment of each other attached heat exchanger. The possibility of manufacturing tolerances to compensate also exists and Possibility that the new connection absorbs thermal expansion. The configuration according to the invention is particularly suitable for Heat exchanger with plastic collection boxes because then the previously mentioned parts in one piece in a simple manner have them made with the collection boxes.

Claims (10)

1. Arrangement for the attachment together of two or more heat exchangers, each of which is provided with collector boxes (3, 4) or (5, 6), in particular ones made of plastic, and with flow channels (finned-tube blocks 7, 8) extending between these with heat exchange surfaces for a heat exchange medium,
   characterized in that
   to attach the heat exchangers together, plugs (9, 10) some distance apart from one another are attached to one (5) of the collector boxes of a heat exchanger (2) and project approximately perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the collector boxes, the said plugs being introduced into openings in support brackets (11, 12) on the associated collector box (3) of the other heat exchanger (1) and being brought to a determined end position by tilting relative to an abutment surface (11a, 12a), and detent devices (17, 18), in particular snaphooks, are associated with the other two collector boxes (4, 6) to secure the end position of the plugs and the two heat exchangers.
2. Arrangement according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   as detent devices two snap-catch arrangements (17, 18) are provided, each being able to bend elastically about an axis and each being associated approximately with the end area of a collector box, with their bend axes directed perpendicularly to one another.
3. Arrangement according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the cross-sections of at least one plug (10) and of the corresponding opening in the support (12) are adapted to one another in the longitudinal direction of the collector boxes.
4. Arrangement according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   one of the two plugs (9) has a rectangular cross-section, while the other (10), in contrast, has a quadrilateral cross-section with two mutually parallel side walls (10a), with at least one other side wall (10c) oblique to the parallel side walls (10a), whose inclination corresponds to the inclination of the wall (12b) of the support (12) that co-operates with it when the heat exchanger (2) is being positioned.
5. Arrangement according to Claim 2,
   characterized in that
   one snap-catch arrangement (18) is directed horizontally and the other (17) vertically.
6. Arrangement according to Claim 5,
   characterized in that
   each of the snap-catch arrangements (17, 18) comprises a snap-catch (21 and 29 respectively), which is associated with a contact surface (24 and 32) for an abutment (25 and 33) as well as an abutment surface (23 and 31) as its detent lip and a springy securing web (26 and 35), which is positioned relative to the detent lip (23 and 31) in such a way that its free end lies in the movement path of the end of the snap-catch (21 or 29) provided with a detent hook (22 or 30) and which, when the snap-catch is engaged, presses against the side of the end of the snap-catch (21 or 29) facing away from the detent hook.
7. Arrangement according to Claim 6,
   characterized in that
   the contact surface (33) of the horizontally directed snap-catch arrangement (18) can to some extent yield elastically.
8. Arrangement according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   each support surface (11a or 12a) of the plugs (9 or 10) is associated with an opposite contact surface (13 or 14) against which the plug (9 or 10) rests when in its end position.
9. Arrangement according to Claim 8,
   characterized in that
   the positions of the contact surfaces (13 and 14) are offset relative to the support surfaces (11a or 12a respectively).
10. Arrangement according to Claims 1 and 2,
    characterized in that
    associated with the collector boxes (4 and 6) fitted with the snap-catch arrangements (17, 18) there is at least one additional force take-up point in the form of a plug (19) which engages in a recess (socket 20) of one collector box (4) and is attached to the other collector box (6).

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