JPS625090A - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate inserting and mounting works of the heat exchanger by a method wherein an inlet port pipeline and an outlet port pipeline are attached to one surface of main body of the rectangular parallelepiped heat exchanger substantially vertically on one line in an evaporator for car air conditioner. CONSTITUTION:The principal section A of the heat exchanger is consisting of a meandering flat tube 1 and an extended flat tube 2, connected to the meandering flat tube 1, and respective ends of the these pipes are connected to a distributing pipe 4 and a collecting pipe 5 while the inlet port pipeline 6 is attached to the distributing pipe 4 and the outlet port pipeline 7 is attached to the collecting pipe 5 substantially vertically. The heat exchanger is inserted into an unit case 30, provided in a cabin, through an opening (d) and is fixed stably by a heat insulating material 15 while the opening (d) is sealed by a heat insulating lid 13. Thus, the principal section A of the heat exchanger may be inserted into the unit case 30 simply and quickly while the profile of the case 30 may be designed so as to be compact.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, and particularly to the structure of a cooling evaporator used by being incorporated into a vehicle air conditioner.

[Prior Art] The general structure of conventional air conditioners for automobiles is that the air conditioning duct, which is the main part of the device and has a long and narrow shape in the horizontal direction, is connected to an intake blower case and an evaporator as a cooling heat exchanger. It consisted of a cooler case that housed a heater core, and a heater case that housed a heater core and the like, which were successively connected laterally. This horizontally elongated duct was installed at the bottom of the driver's instrument panel, but the main part of the duct was located in front of the passenger seat, which caused the inconvenience of narrowing leg space. It had to be removed, which was extremely inconvenient. As a countermeasure, a unit case-type duct that compactly integrates a cooler case and a heater case, as shown in the side cross section in Figure 8, is mounted below the instrument panel between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. In Figure 1, A is the main body of the evaporator, 30 is the unit case, 32 is the blower case, 33 is the blower, and 34
is an air intake port, 35 is a heater core as a heating heat exchanger,
36 is an air mix damper for mixing cold air and hot air, 37~
39 is a conditioned air outlet, 40 is a partition wall between the engine room and the driver's cabin, 41 is a hood, and 42 is an instrument panel.

Further, a conventional evaporator has a general structure as shown in a top view in FIG. A+ is the main body of the evaporator, and as will be described later, is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped by bending a wide and flat refrigerant flow pipe in a meandering manner. Reference numerals 43 and 44 denote refrigerant inlet pipes and outlet pipes which are also brazed and joined to the refrigerant distribution pipe 4 and the refrigerant collecting pipe 5 which are welded to the inlet end a and the outlet @b of this flat tube, respectively, and 8 is the refrigerant expansion valve.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The automobile air conditioner having the structure as shown in FIG. or when attempting to repair the unit case 3 as shown by d in the figure.
If an opening for putting in and taking out the evaporator is provided on the side wall surface of No. 0 (parallel to the direction of travel of the car), the No. 7
It should be possible to attach and detach easily as shown by the arrow (B) in the figure, but in reality, as shown in Figure 7, the refrigerant inlet is perpendicular to the opening direction of the opening d. Outlet pipes 43 and 44 are provided protruding from the main body portion A1 of the vapor regulator, and since these pipes are joined together, it is impossible to braze them.

(Publicly known materials that address this kind of technical problem include [Utility Model Publication No. 47-136484.] Therefore, we had no choice but to split the unit case 30 into two vertically and fit the evaporator into the case from above. However, due to the assembly structure, the height of the duct increases somewhat, which has a negative effect on the intended purpose of making the duct externally more compact.

An object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger that can be easily incorporated into or removed from an air conditioner installed in a very narrow space, and which can make the external shape of the device as compact as possible. do.

Means for Solving Problem E] In order to achieve the above object, the heat exchanger of the present invention bends the flat tubes for the flow of the heat transfer medium in a meandering manner, and also radiates heat into the parallel gaps between the flat tubes. A heat exchanger in which an inlet piping for a heat transfer medium is connected to one tube end of the flat tube and an outlet piping is connected to the other tube end of the flat tube, which has a main body portion formed by inserting fins and forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, A configuration is adopted in which one of both ends of the flat tube is extended to bring the end of the extended flat tube to the same surface as the other end facing one surface of the rectangular parallelepiped. .

[Function] In a heat exchanger having the above-mentioned configuration, the inlet and outlet piping for the heat transfer medium to be connected to the main body are located on one surface of the main body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and are connected to this surface. Since the heat exchanger is installed in a generally vertical direction, it is easy to install this heat exchanger in a narrow installation space, such as in the air conditioning duct of an automobile air conditioner, when the device is already installed. Even if it becomes necessary to install or remove a heat exchanger within the equipment, the heat exchanger can be installed on the duct wall simply by creating an opening large enough for the cross section to pass through, and the heat exchanger can be installed on the duct wall instead of the conventional heat exchanger. Insertion can be easily and quickly completed without being hindered by the piping protruding from the main body.

[Example] A specific configuration of the present invention will be described below based on an example shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an evaporator as a cooling heat exchanger used by being incorporated into an air conditioning duct of an automobile air conditioner as an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flat tube for the circulation of a refrigerant as a heat transfer medium, which is made by extrusion molding aluminum or its alloy, and inside the tube wall there are many partition walls spaced apart at regular intervals in the width direction. It is provided integrally with the pipe over the entire length of the pipe. As shown in the figure, the long flat tube 1 is bent in a meandering manner to form the main body A of the evaporator, which has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. 3
is a radiation fin that is inserted into the parallel gap of the flat tube 1 and fixed by brazing, in this case a corrugated fin made of an extremely thin aluminum plate.

Reference numeral 2 denotes an extended flat tube which is a part obtained by further extending one tube end a of the flat tube 1 which has been bent so as to obtain a rectangular parallelepiped block. Under the condition that the increase in the external dimensions of the evaporator can be suppressed as much as possible while being circumscribed by the 18 groups of curved surfaces,
The tube end C is brought to a position adjacent to the other tube end of the flat tube 1. In other words, the tube end C of the extended flat tube 2, which is an extension of one tube end of the flat tube 1, and the other tube @b of the flat tube 1 are the main body part A of the evaporator, which is assembled into a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. They will be placed side by side together on one side.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a refrigerant distribution pipe which is brazed to the pipe end C of the extension flat pipe 2, and the flat pipe 1 is internally divided into a number of sections.
It also serves to cause the refrigerant to evenly flow into the extension flat tube 2. 6 is a refrigerant artificial pipe connected to the distribution pipe 4 by brazing in the same manner, and 8 is a refrigerant expansion valve interposed in this pipe.a
5 is a refrigerant collecting pipe brazed to the other end of the flat tube 1; 7 is a refrigerant outlet pipe brazed to this pipe;
Reference numeral 9 indicates a heat-sensitive tube for controlling the opening and closing of the expansion valve 8, 10 indicates a temperature-sensitive gas sealed tube connecting these two, 11 and 12 indicate piping joints, and 16 indicates a protective plate for the radiation fin 3 located at the outer end. It is. Further, the arrow (a) indicates the direction of entry of the conditioned air.

FIG. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the evaporator shown in FIG. 1 assembled into the air conditioning duct, where 30 is the unit case of the automobile air conditioner; d is the unit case; An opening for inserting the evaporator is provided on the side wall, 13 is a heat-insulating lid for sealing this opening d, and 14 is for preventing condensation on the flat tube 1, the extended flat tube 2, and the pipes 6 and 7. The heat insulating material layers 15 and 15a prevent the conditioned air from passing through the gap that is not involved in the cooling work and is created between the inner wall surface of the case 3o and the outer peripheral surface of the evaporator main body A housed in the case 30. This is an insulating packing material that prevents dew condensation on the duct surface and is made of styrofoam or polyethylene foam. Further, a drain hole for condensed water is provided at the bottom of 15a.

3 to 6 are diagrams illustrating a specific example of a method for inserting and fixing the evaporator as described above into the Yukobutsu case 30, and FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the evaporator mounting portion; FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 are a rear view, a side sectional view, and a perspective view, respectively, of the evaporator fixing fitting. 20 is a lid plate lining and reinforcing the heat insulating lid body 13; 21;
is an evaporator fixing fitting made of a resilient metal plate, 20
a is an insertion hole for the fixing fitting 21 provided in the cover plate 20; 21a;
is a backstop. Note that 1b is a plurality of tube reinforcing partition walls provided in the inner space of the flat tube 1 in the longitudinal direction of the tube.

Next, the functional features of the heat exchanger shown in the above embodiment will be explained. The structure of the main body part A of the evaporator as a heat exchanger according to the present invention is essentially the same as that of the conventional evaporator main part A) shown in FIG. However, the refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes 6 and 7 to the tube ends a and b of the meandering bent flat tube as a component of the evaporator main body
As can be seen at a glance by comparing Figures 1 and 2 with Figure 7, the installation method for the pipes 6 and 1 with respect to the main body A is as explained in detail above. It's completely different. As a result, an opening with a minimum area sufficient to insert the evaporator main body A into the side wall surface (the surface in the width direction of the vehicle body) of the unit case 30, which is characterized by its compact design, is created. By simply providing part d, the heat exchanger can be inserted into or removed from the case 30 installed in a narrow vehicle interior very easily and quickly without being obstructed by the protruding pipes 43 and 44 as in conventional heat exchangers. It becomes possible.

Further, as a method of fixing the evaporator inserted through the opening d of the case 30, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, it is inserted into the insertion hole 20a provided in the lid plate 20 of the container that is to be applied to the opening d, and a U-shaped opening is formed at the edge of the opening d. By fitting into the flange-like part 30a, the elastic non-returning claw 21a works, and the fixing metal fitting 21 firmly grips the flange-like part 30a to fix the cover plate 20 and also serves to prevent it from falling off. The work of fixing the evaporator is also extremely easy, quick and reliable. The end to which the fin protection plate 16 of the evaporator is attached is stably fixed by partially fitting it into a bulge 30b formed on the opposite case wall corresponding to the shape of the mouth edge of the opening d of the case 30. At that time, the elastic heat insulating material 15 acts as a packing material for stable fixation.

To add a supplementary explanation to the features of the heat exchanger shown in the above embodiment, the refrigerant distribution pipe 4 is connected to the pipe end a of the flat tube 1 in the main body part A of the evaporator, while the refrigerant inlet pipe 6 is extended. The main objective of the present invention should be achieved even if the flat tube 2 is extended to replace it and its extended end is connected to the refrigerant distribution pipe 4, but according to this method, the thickness is greater than that of the flat tube 1. As the thick piping 6 and distribution piping 4 protrude outward toward the main body, their external dimensions increase and the assembly structure must also become complicated. In this respect, the evaporator shown in the above embodiment has a method of assembling the extension flat tube 2 by bending the extension part of one end of the flat tube 1 by 90 degrees, After the heat dissipation fins 3 are in circumscribed contact with the curved surfaces 1a, the heat dissipation fins 3 can be brazed in a furnace according to a known method, and the extension flat tubes 2 can also be assembled in the evaporator assembly process. It is possible to obtain the productivity improvement effect of being able to perform the tasks simultaneously without much effort. Furthermore, the extension flat tube 2 having a wider cross-sectional area is also advantageous in that the pressure loss of the refrigerant can be kept low compared to the refrigerant inlet pipe 6 having a narrower cross-sectional area.
In addition, in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, the installation position of the flat extension tube 2 may be on the bottom side of the evaporator main body instead of the top side, but in this case, care must be taken to drain the condensed water. There is a need. Furthermore, the vicinity of the non-extended tube end of both ends of the flat tube 1 constituting the main body of the evaporator is also bent at an angle of approximately 90°, as if it were an extension of the flat tube 1. Although the tube end is bent as short as possible, by positioning the tube end as close to the center of the evaporator main body A as possible rather than to the outer circumferential surface side, the refrigerant collecting pipe 5 and refrigerant outlet piping connected to this tube end are This is a measure to prevent the portion 7 from protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion A.

[Effects of the Invention] The heat exchanger of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration has a method of attaching the inlet and outlet piping of the heat transfer medium to the main body of the heat exchanger having the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, compared to the conventional heat exchanger. Now on to the seventh
As shown in the figure, the inlet piping and outlet piping were installed on two opposing faces of the rectangular parallelepiped, whereas as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the Since both pipes are installed together and the pipes are installed in a direction almost perpendicular to the mounting surface, it is possible to install this heat exchanger in an extremely narrow car interior, for example. Even when attempting to insert the unit through the opening provided in the side wall of the unit type case as described above, the insertion and installation work is not hindered by the presence of piping, unlike the conventional one illustrated in Fig. 7. , can be carried out easily and quickly 3, and this makes it possible to design a compact outer shape of the case in which the heat exchanger is to be housed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooling evaporator used in an automobile air conditioner as an embodiment of the heat exchanger according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of its installation situation, and Figs.
The figure is an explanatory view showing a method of fixing an evaporator and a fixing tool. Figure 7 is a top view of a conventional evaporator and a diagram explaining the difficulty of installing it into an automobile air conditioner, and Figure 8 is a side cross-sectional sketch of an automobile air conditioner using a unit type duct. be.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A main body portion having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by bending a flat tube for the flow of a heat transfer medium in a meandering manner and inserting heat radiation fins into the parallel gaps of the flat tube; In a heat exchanger in which an inlet pipe for a heat transfer medium is connected to one end of the flat tube and an outlet pipe is connected to the other end of the flat tube, one of both ends of the flat tube is extended,
A heat exchanger characterized in that the tube end of the extended flat tube is placed on the same surface as the other tube end located facing one surface of the rectangular parallelepiped. 2) The inlet and outlet pipes of the heat transfer medium are oriented substantially perpendicularly to one surface of the rectangular parallelepiped and are connected to the pipe ends. Heat exchanger according to item 1. 3) The heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the extended flat tube is disposed so as to circumscribe a meandering curved surface group of the flat tube. 4) The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat exchanger is a cooling evaporator incorporated into an air conditioning duct of an automotive air conditioner. .