JP2006170562A - Composite heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite heat exchanger reducing the number of parts and simplifying assembling man-hours by dispensing with a sheet metal bracket mounted to each heat exchanger. <P>SOLUTION: The composite heat exchanger comprising a plurality of heat exchangers has a connection structure for connecting the respective heat exchangers. The connection structure is provided with side plates fixed to the respective heat exchangers to be connected, and a rubber member which is a thermal stress buffer member joined to the respective side plates to connect them and to buffer thermal stress or the like generated by the temperature difference between the respective heat exchangers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a combined heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers having different uses are integrally formed, and more particularly, includes a connecting member or a connecting member for connecting the heat exchangers of the combined heat exchanger. Relates to a combined heat exchanger.

  In vehicles, a plurality of heat exchangers are generally mounted. For example, a radiator for cooling the engine, an oil cooler for cooling engine lubricating oil, an oil cooler for cooling working oil such as power steering, a condenser for cooling refrigerant of an air conditioner, and the like are mounted. These heat exchangers must be separate heat exchangers due to different fluids to be cooled, different temperature conditions, etc., but on the other hand, they should be integrated into a combined heat exchanger. There are various merits. A composite heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers are integrated and combined can reduce the number of parts and work processes such as assembly, thereby reducing costs. Furthermore, since the composite heat exchanger is reduced in size as compared with a plurality of separate heat exchangers, the space occupied by the heat exchanger in the vehicle can be reduced.

  FIG. 5 shows a general conventional example in which such two heat exchangers are integrated. FIG. 5A shows a composite type in which a fin-and-tube type oil cooler 11 and a condenser 12 are integrated. It is a front view of a heat exchanger, and Drawing 5 (b) is a sectional view which meets line X5b-X5b in Drawing 5 (a). In FIG. 5 ((a) and (b)), the oil cooler 11 and the condenser 12 are connected by a connecting structure 50 to form a combined heat exchanger. FIG. 5C is an enlarged view of the arrow B in FIG. 5B, and is an explanatory diagram of the connection structure 50. The connecting structure 50 includes a first sheet metal bracket 51 fixed to each heat exchanger, a thermal stress buffer rubber 52 having one end screwed to the first sheet metal bracket 51, and a thermal stress buffer rubber. And a second sheet metal bracket 53 for connecting the other ends of the thermal stress buffering rubbers 52 after the screws 52 are fixed by screws.

  In the above-described conventional combined heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers having different uses are integrally formed, heat is reduced between sheet metal brackets attached to each heat exchanger in order to alleviate thermal stress generated by different temperature environments. Each heat exchanger is connected via a stress buffer rubber. However, the connecting method using the above-described connecting structure complicates the assembling man-hours, leading to an increase in cost, increasing the weight of the bracket to ensure the strength of the sheet metal bracket, and technically difficult. .

Further, various proposals have been made regarding the composite heat exchanger. (For example, see Patent Documents 1, 2, 3, and 4)
JP 10-1111086 JP-A-9-152296 EP 1 003 005A1 US patent US6,394,176 B1

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and pays attention to whether or not a sheet metal bracket to be attached to each heat exchanger in order to achieve simplification of assembly man-hours. Can be installed between each heat exchanger without a sheet metal bracket, and the mounting man-hours can be simplified by attaching the buffer rubber directly to the brazing side plate, which is a structural member of each heat exchanger, by baking or bonding. An object of the present invention is to provide a combined heat exchanger.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost of the composite heat exchanger by simplifying the assembly man-hours.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object in the first aspect of the present invention, a composite heat exchanger having a plurality of heat exchangers includes a connection structure for connecting the heat exchangers, and the connection The structure is composed of a side plate fixed to each heat exchanger to be connected, and joined to each side plate to connect them and buffer stress such as thermal stress caused by a temperature difference of each heat exchanger. And a thermal stress buffer member.

  This configuration eliminates the sheet metal bracket that is attached when assembling the composite heat exchanger, and allows each heat exchanger to intervene between each heat exchanger without a sheet metal bracket. The thermal stress buffer member is directly fixed to the brazing side plate, which is a structural member provided at the end of the steel plate, by means of baking, bonding, or the like, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the assembly process. Furthermore, the manufacturing cost of the composite heat exchanger is reduced by simplifying the assembly man-hours.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the thermal stress buffer member is made of rubber.
According to this embodiment, the material of the thermal stress buffer member having sufficient thermal stress buffer characteristics is embodied.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the rubber thermal stress buffer member is bonded to the side plate by baking.
According to this embodiment, a plurality of heat exchangers can be firmly connected, and thermal stress generated between them can be sufficiently buffered.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the form of the second aspect, the rubber thermal stress buffer member is bonded to the side plate by adhesion.
According to this embodiment, another embodiment is disclosed in which a plurality of heat exchangers can be firmly connected and thermal stress generated between them can be sufficiently buffered.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the thermal stress buffer member is partially joined to the side plate.
According to this embodiment, the amount of the thermal stress buffer member, for example, the rubber amount of the rubber member can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the heat exchanger included in the composite heat exchanger is a fin-and-tube type. .
According to the present embodiment, the type of the heat exchanger provided in the composite heat exchanger is embodied.

  Hereinafter, a composite heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a first embodiment of a composite heat exchanger according to the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) shows a composite heat exchanger in which an oil cooler 11 and a condenser 12 are integrated. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line X1b-X1b in FIG. FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of the arrow A in FIG. 1B, and is an explanatory view of the connection structure 2. Referring to FIG. 1 ((a)-(c)), the element parts of FIG. 1 that are the same as or similar to the element parts of the conventional composite heat exchanger disclosed in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals. Has been.

  In the following embodiments, the oil cooler 11 and the condenser 12 are fin-and-tube heat exchangers as in the above-described conventional example. The fin-and-tube type heat exchanger can be configured by alternately stacking a plurality of tubes for passing a fluid to be cooled and fins for increasing a heat transfer area attached to the tube. It is a type of heat exchanger configured by stacking units composed of fins.

  The oil cooler 11 has a cylindrical first header portion and a second header portion extending in the height direction at both ends in the width direction, and a plurality of tubes are passed between them. The first header portion of the oil cooler 11 is provided with an inlet, and the second header portion is provided with an outlet.

  The capacitor 12 has a cylindrical first header portion and a second header portion extending in the height direction at both ends in the width direction, and a plurality of tubes are passed between them. The condenser 12 is called a modulator-integrated supercooled condenser, and has an inlet and an outlet at a first header portion thereof. The capacitor 12 has a cylindrical modulator 13 extending in the height direction substantially parallel to one of the header portions.

  The modulator 13 can also be called a receiver. The modulator 13 is connected to the capacitor 12 via a passage. The modulator 13 is joined to the capacitor 12, particularly to the header portion thereof by a joining means such as brazing, and is configured to be integrated with the capacitor 12, for example, can be regarded as an integral rigid body. The modulator 13 provides a chamber in which the refrigerant flowing from the condensing unit formed in the condenser 12 to the supercooling unit or the refrigerant flowing out of the capacitor 12 is introduced to store excess refrigerant. The modulator 13 has a height that is higher than the height of the capacitor 12 and is disposed not only beside the capacitor 12 but also beside the oil cooler 11.

In FIG. 1 ((a) to (c)), the fin-and-tube type oil cooler 11 and the condenser 12 are connected by a connecting structure 2 to form a composite heat exchanger 1.
In the connection structure 50 of the composite heat exchanger shown in FIG. 5, one end of the thermal stress buffer rubber 52 is screwed to each of the metal plate brackets b51 fixed to each heat exchanger, and then the metal plate bracket a53 is used. The other end of the thermal stress buffer rubber 52 is connected. On the other hand, in the connection structure 2 in the composite heat exchanger of the present invention shown in FIG. The two heat exchangers 11 and 12 are connected by sintering 5 or fixing the rubber member 5 with a rubber adhesive. The rubber member 5 serves as the thermal stress buffer rubber of the prior art. Here, the side plate 4 is a structural member provided at both ends of a single heat exchanger.

  The side plate 4 a of the oil cooler 11 is provided at least at the end of the oil cooler 11 on the capacitor 12 side. The side plate 4a extends substantially over the entire length of the oil cooler 11 in the longitudinal direction of the oil cooler 11, that is, in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 1 (c), the side plate 4a has a substantially U-shaped cross section with respect to the direction of ventilation of the oil cooler 11, that is, the thickness direction, and is an elongated plate parallel to the tube of the oil cooler 11. Part 411, a side wall part 412 located on the upstream side of the air flow, and a side wall part 413 located on the downstream side of the air flow. The side plate 4a can have a U-shaped cross section at least at a portion in contact with the rubber member 5. In this embodiment, the side plate 4a has a U-shaped cross section over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. The cross-sectional shape of the side plate 4a provides a holding portion that accommodates and holds the rubber member 5 inside the U-shaped cross section, and at the same time provides a contact area necessary for the rubber member 5 to be fixed. Yes.

  The side plate 4 b of the capacitor 12 is provided at least at the end of the capacitor 12 on the oil cooler 11 side. The side plate 4b extends substantially over the entire length of the capacitor 12 in the longitudinal direction of the capacitor 12, that is, in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 1C, the side plate 4 b has a substantially U-shaped cross section in the ventilation direction of the capacitor 12, that is, the thickness direction, and an elongated flat plate portion 421 parallel to the tube of the capacitor 12. And a side wall part 422 located on the upstream side of the air flow and a side wall part 423 located on the downstream side of the air flow. The side plate 4b can have a U-shaped cross section at least at a portion in contact with the rubber member 5. In this embodiment, the side plate 4b has a U-shaped cross section over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. The cross-sectional shape of the side plate 4b provides a holding portion that accommodates and holds the rubber member 5 inside the U-shaped cross section, and at the same time provides a contact area necessary for the rubber member 5 to be fixed. Yes.

  The width of the opening in the U-shaped cross section of the side plates 4a and 4b, that is, the interval between the side walls in the thickness direction is slightly different from the opening of the rubber member 5 before or during the fixing process such as baking or bonding. The width is such that it can be easily accepted with play or with some press-fitting deformation. As a result, the side plates 4a and 4b and the rubber member 5 are exclusively connected by fixing means such as baking or bonding.

  A predetermined gap G is formed between the side wall portions of the side plate 4a and the side plate 4b (for example, between the side wall portions 412 and 422), that is, in the height direction. The dimension of the rubber member 5 in the height direction is larger than the sum of the heights of both side walls of the side plates 4a and 4b by a dimension sufficient to provide the gap G. As a result, the two side wall portions are elastically connected and supported by the rubber member 5 so as to allow mutual relative movement of the vibration without causing direct contact.

  The rubber member 5 can be in the shape of a rod having the same length as the side plates 4a and 4b or in the shape of a square tube. When the rubber member 5 has a rectangular tube shape, a configuration in which a rib for adjusting elasticity or a partition plate is integrally provided can be employed. The rubber member 5 provides a plane having a required area on the oil cooler 11 side and the capacitor 12 side in order to adhere to the side plates 4a and 4b. The rubber member 5 can be configured as a plurality of partial rubber members arranged in a distributed manner with respect to the width direction of both heat exchangers 11 and 12, and can be configured as a plurality of completely independent partial rubber members or connected to each other. It can be provided as a plurality of partial rubber members.

The oil cooler 11 and the condenser 12 are mainly connected by the rubber member 5. A combined heat exchanger in which both heat exchangers of the oil cooler 11 and the condenser 12 are integrally formed is provided on the condenser 12 side by fixing only a bracket provided on the oil cooler 11 side to the vehicle body. It can be fixed to the vehicle body by fixing only the bracket to the vehicle body or by fixing both the brackets to the vehicle body. Further, the oil cooler 11 and the capacitor 12 can be connected only via the rubber member 5.
The modulator 13 can be fixed to connect the passage only to the condenser 12, can be disposed slightly away from the oil cooler 11, and can be configured not to be directly connected to the oil cooler 11.

  FIG. 2 shows a connecting structure 20 for a composite heat exchanger according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a second structure corresponding to FIG. 1 (b) of the first embodiment. It is drawing of embodiment. In the second embodiment, the shape of the side plate 4 is different from that of the first embodiment. Here, the connecting structures 20a and 20b are not limited to the shape shown in the first embodiment, and the amount of rubber can be reduced by using the side plate 4 in the form shown in FIG. 2A (the connecting structure 20a). Alternatively, the side plate 4 'on the oil cooler 11 side has a triangular shape as shown in FIG. 2B, and the rigidity of the side plate 4' is increased to improve the rigidity of the connection structure 20b (connection structure). 20b). The configuration of the second embodiment other than the above points is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 3 shows a coupling structure 30 of a composite heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A shows a third embodiment in which the oil cooler 11 and the condenser 12 are also integrated. It is a front view of the compound type heat exchanger of a form, and Drawing 3 (b) is a sectional view which meets line X3b-X3b in Drawing 3 (a). As shown in FIG. 3A, the rubber member 5 fixed to the side plate 4 is not a series but is divided as necessary. The configuration of the third embodiment other than the above points is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4 shows a coupling structure 40 of a composite heat exchanger according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 (a) shows a fourth embodiment in which the oil cooler 11 and the condenser 12 are integrated. Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line X4b-X4b in Fig. 4A. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, a rubber member 35 is also interposed between the modulator (adjuster) 13 of the capacitor 12 and the oil cooler 11 at a place other than the side plate 4. The configuration of the fourth embodiment other than the above points is the same as that of the third embodiment.

  2, 3 and 4, the element parts of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 which are the same as or similar to the element parts of the first embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. .

Next, effects and operations of the above embodiment will be described.
The following effects can be expected from the composite heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
-In the combined heat exchanger, the brazing side of each heat exchanger is installed so that the sheet metal bracket to be installed at the time of assembly is abolished so that the thermal stress buffer rubber can intervene between each heat exchanger without the sheet metal bracket. By directly attaching the buffer rubber member to the plate by baking or bonding, the number of parts is reduced and the number of assembling steps is simplified.
・ Furthermore, by simplifying the assembly man-hours, the manufacturing cost of the composite heat exchanger is reduced.

In addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be expected from the composite heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
-Reduce the rubber amount of the rubber member or improve the rigidity of the connecting structure.

In addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be expected from the composite heat exchanger according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
-The rubber amount of the rubber member can be reduced.

With the composite heat exchanger according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the following effects can be expected in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.
-The rubber amount of the rubber member can be reduced, and the coupling force between the two heat exchangers constituting the composite heat exchanger can be increased.

In the above description, the composite heat exchanger of the present invention has been described for a vehicle. However, the apparatus may be used for purposes other than for a vehicle.
In the embodiment described above or shown in the accompanying drawings, in the composite heat exchanger, the number of heat exchangers to be combined is 2, but the present invention is not limited to this and is combined. The number of heat exchangers may be three or more.

In the above embodiment, the single heat exchanger included in the composite heat exchanger is a fin-and-tube type, but other types of heat exchangers may be included.
In the embodiment described above or shown in the accompanying drawings, in the composite heat exchanger, the material of the member connecting the side plates is rubber, but it has high heat resistance and appropriate stress buffering performance. Other known materials may be used.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the embodiment, but is defined only by matters described in the claims, and other embodiments than the above are also possible. It can be implemented.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a first embodiment of a composite heat exchanger according to the present invention, and is a front view (a) of a composite heat exchanger 1 in which an oil cooler 11 and a condenser 12 are integrated. And sectional drawing (b) in alignment with line X1b-X1b in Fig.1 (a), and explanatory drawing (c) which expanded the A arrow view in FIG.1 (b) are shown. FIG. 2 shows a plurality of examples of the connection structure of the composite heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and a second implementation corresponding to FIG. 1B of the first embodiment. It is drawing of the form. FIG. 3 shows a composite heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view of the composite heat exchanger according to the third embodiment in which an oil cooler 11 and a condenser 12 are integrated ( a) and sectional drawing (b) which follows the line X3b-X3b in Fig.3 (a) are shown. FIG. 4 shows a composite heat exchanger according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view of the composite heat exchanger according to the fourth embodiment in which an oil cooler 11 and a condenser 12 are integrated ( a) and sectional drawing (b) which follows the line X4b-X4b in Fig.4 (a) are shown. FIG. 5 shows a general conventional example of a composite heat exchanger in which two heat exchangers are integrated, and a front view (a) of the composite heat exchanger in which an oil cooler 11 and a condenser 12 are integrated. Sectional drawing (b) in alignment with line X5b-X5b in Fig.5 (a) and explanatory drawing (c) which expanded the B arrow view in FIG.5 (b) are shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Composite heat exchanger 2 Connection structure 4 Side plate 5 Rubber member (thermal stress buffer member)
11 Oil cooler 12 Capacitor

Claims (6)

In the composite heat exchanger having a plurality of heat exchangers, the composite heat exchanger has a connection structure for connecting the heat exchangers,
The connection structure includes a side plate fixed to each heat exchanger to be connected;
A thermal stress buffering member capable of buffering stress such as thermal stress caused by a temperature difference of each heat exchanger while being joined to each side plate and connecting them;
A composite heat exchanger comprising:   The composite heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the thermal stress buffer member is made of rubber.   The composite heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the rubber thermal stress buffer member is bonded to the side plate by baking.   The composite heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the rubber thermal stress buffer member is bonded to the side plate by bonding.   The composite heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thermal stress buffer member is partially joined to the side plate.   The composite heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat exchanger included in the composite heat exchanger is a fin-and-tube type.

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