KR20160082887A - Heat exchanger for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for a vehicle, which is able to reduce production costs of the heat exchanger and improve productivity by integrating an inlet port and an outlet port which take in and out operation fluid with a valve assembly installed in an independent structure in an existing heat exchanger for a vehicle. For the above, the heat exchanger for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a radiating unit which forms connection paths alternatively inside by stacking a plurality of plates, exchanges heat mutually by taking different kinds of fluid into each connection path, and is individually connected with each connection path by forming a plurality of inlet holes and outlet holes in one side; and a valve assembly which is formed at one side of the radiating unit in a single united body and selectively opens and closes the connection paths in the radiating unit.

Description

[0001] Heat exchanger for vehicles [

The present invention relates to a vehicular heat exchanger, and more particularly, to a heat exchanger for a vehicle, which integrates an inlet port and an exhaust port of a working fluid with a valve assembly installed in an existing structure of an existing heat exchanger, thereby reducing the number of parts of the heat exchanger, And a vehicle heat exchanger capable of increasing productivity.

Generally, a heat exchanger transfers heat from a high temperature fluid to a low temperature fluid through a heat transfer wall, and is used in a heater, a cooler, an evaporator, a condenser, and the like.

Such a heat exchanger regulates the temperature of the working fluid which is suited for the purpose of reuse of the heat energy or the use of the heat energy. The heat exchanger is usually applied to the air conditioning system of the vehicle, the transmission oil cooler, and the like.

Here, when a heat exchanger mounted on a vehicle is installed in an engine room having a limited space, it is difficult to secure and mount a space. In order to solve the difficulty of securing and mounting the space, a heat exchanger is required to be compact, lightweight, Research is continuing.

Meanwhile, in the conventional heat exchanger, the working fluid is supplied to the engine, the transmission, and the air conditioner of the vehicle by adjusting the temperature of the working fluid according to the state of the vehicle. To this end, Should be installed.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional vehicle heat exchanger. As shown in the drawing, a conventional heat exchanger includes a plurality of plates stacked vertically, and a flow path through which different working fluids are moved is formed, And a heat dissipation part (10) in which different working fluids flow therethrough are mutually heat exchanged.

The upper end of the heat dissipating unit 10 includes an inlet pipe 40 through which a high temperature working fluid (for example, transmission oil and cooling water) flows and a high temperature working fluid flowing into the inlet pipe 40, (20) for selectively opening and closing the flow of the working fluid flowing into the inlet pipe (40) of the heat dissipating unit (10), a discharge side pipe (30) .

However, in the conventional vehicular heat exchanger having the above-described configuration, the inlet pipe 40 and the outlet pipe 30 through which the working fluid flows in and out, and the inlet and outlet of the working fluid into the heat- Since the valves 20 selectively opened and closed are mounted in the form of independent structures on different positions depending on the flow path position of the heat exchanger, the layout of the periphery of the heat exchanger becomes complicated due to an increase in the number of mounting structures, There is a problem in that the space utilization of the apparatus is deteriorated.

In addition, since additional additional parts are required for installing a plurality of individual structures around the heat exchanger, the assemblability of the product is lowered and the number of the assembled products is increased, resulting in a problem of deteriorating the productivity of the product.

Korea Patent Publication No. 2014-0072735 (June 14, 2014) Korea Open Patent No. 2012-0124306 (2012.11.13)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a valve assembly for an internal combustion engine, Thereby minimizing the number of individual components to be assembled in the heat exchanger and thereby reducing the production cost of the product and simplifying the layout arrangement around the heat exchanger to improve the space utilization inside the engine room. To provide.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular heat exchanger including a plurality of plates stacked to form mutually alternate connection passages, wherein different fluids flow into the respective connection passages to mutually heat exchange, A heat dissipation unit having a plurality of inlet holes and exhaust holes formed therein and connected to the connection flow channels, respectively; And a valve assembly integrally formed on one side of the heat dissipation unit and selectively opening and closing the connection passage in the heat dissipation unit.

The valve assembly includes a valve housing having an inlet side inlet and an outlet side sequentially formed along a direction in which a fluid flows into a connection channel of the heat dissipation unit and a discharge side inlet and an outlet formed sequentially along a direction in which the fluid is discharged; And a valve body that linearly moves within the valve housing and selectively opens and closes the inlet side inlet and outlet, the outlet side inlet, and the outlet.

At this time, the inlet side inlet and outlet side outlet may be arranged parallel to one side of the valve housing.

Alternatively, the inlet-side inlet and the outlet may be arranged vertically on different sides of the valve housing.

Alternatively, the discharge-side inlet and the outlet may be arranged in parallel so as to be positioned in a straight line on opposite sides of the valve housing.

The valve body includes: a cap fixed inside the valve housing; A piston valve coupled to one side of the cap so as to be linearly movable; A thermal expansion means interposed in the space between the cap and the piston valve for linearly expanding or contracting the piston valve to change the temperature of the piston valve; And a return spring that supports the piston valve and provides an elastic return force.

Here, the plate may be provided with a partition wall for guiding a U-turn flow of the fluid passing through the connection passage.

In addition, the plate may have a rectangular shape with a long axis and a short axis, and the partition may be formed parallel to the long axis.

The inlet hole and the outlet hole may be arranged parallel to the short axis so that a distance between the inlet hole and the outlet hole is minimized.

In addition, the inflow hole and the discharge hole may be arranged to be deflected to one side of the plate.

Meanwhile, the vehicle heat exchanger according to the present invention includes an inlet pipe connected to the inlet of the inlet of the valve housing; A first discharge side pipe connecting the connection passage in the heat dissipation unit and the discharge side inlet of the valve housing; And a second discharge side pipe connected to the discharge side outlet so as to communicate with the first discharge side pipe.

At this time, the valve assembly may be fixed to the uppermost plate of the heat dissipating unit through brazing.

Meanwhile, a method of manufacturing a heat exchanger for a vehicle according to the present invention includes: stacking a plurality of plates; Stacking a valve housing on a top surface plate of the plate; Brazing the plate and the valve housing together; Assembling a piston valve, a thermal expansion means, and a return spring inside the valve housing; And assembling the cap to close the valve housing.

According to the vehicle heat exchanger structure of the present invention, the valve assembly, which is installed in the existing heat exchanger in the form of an independent structure, and the inflow pipe and the discharge pipe for introducing and discharging the working fluid into and out of the heat dissipating unit, The number of components mounted on the heat exchanger can be minimized to minimize the number of assemblies, and the productivity of the product can be improved by lowering the production cost of the heat exchanger product. In addition, since the layout around the heat exchanger can be easily implemented, space utilization in the engine room can be enhanced.

The valve assembly installed in the heat exchanger is employed in the form of a wax actuator for opening and closing the flow of the working fluid by linearly moving the piston valve by the expansion or contraction action of the internal thermal expansion means according to the temperature change of the incoming working fluid, The opening and closing operation of the valve can be automatically performed in accordance with the temperature of the working fluid flowing into the valve assembly according to the running state of the vehicle or the initial starting condition, thereby selectively performing the warming function and the cooling function of the working fluid, The temperature of the fluid can be efficiently controlled.

In addition, the inlet side inlet and the outlet side outlet of the valve assembly are arranged in parallel to one side of the valve housing, and the inlet side inlet and the outlet are vertically arranged on different sides of the valve housing, The opening and closing performance of the valve can be improved by simplifying the flow path of the working fluid flowing into and through the inside of the heat dissipating unit through the valve assembly, and the valve assembly can be made compact and compact It is possible to arrange them in an aligned form by minimizing the inflow and outflow ports of the working fluid installed around the valve assembly, thereby improving the freedom of layout design around the heat exchanger. .

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional heat exchanger structure;
2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a heat exchanger for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 2;
4 is an operating state diagram showing the working fluid flow inside the heat exchanger when hot working fluid is introduced.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of working fluid inside the valve assembly in the state of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an operating state diagram showing the working fluid flow inside the heat exchanger when the low temperature working fluid is introduced. FIG.
7 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of working fluid inside the valve assembly in the state of FIG. 6;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the present invention as claimed. It should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be substituted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a heat exchanger for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

2 and 3, the vehicle heat exchanger according to the present invention includes a heat dissipating unit 200 for allowing two different kinds of working fluid to flow from outside to perform a heat exchange function, And a valve assembly which is integrally formed and selectively opens and closes the inflow of the working fluid into the heat dissipating unit 200.

The heat dissipating unit 200 allows the two kinds of working fluid (for example, cooling water and transmission oil) introduced from the outside to flow in opposite directions to each other to exchange heat with each other.

The heat dissipating unit 200 is formed by stacking a plurality of plates 210 having a plate shape and a connection channel 220 is formed alternately with each plate 210 interposed therebetween, Different working fluids flow into the coupling flow path 220 and are exchanged with each other.

The plurality of inlet holes 230 and the outlet holes 240 are formed in the heat dissipation unit 200 to be connected to the connection channels 220.

A partition wall 250 for guiding a U-turn flow of the working fluid passing through each connection flow path 220 is formed inside the plates 210 of the heat dissipation unit 200 .

The plate 210 is formed in a rectangular shape having a long axis a and a short axis b and the barrier rib 250 is formed parallel to the long axis a.

The inlet hole 230 and the outlet hole 240 are disposed in parallel with the short axis b so that the distance X between the inlet hole 230 and the outlet hole 240 is minimized.

The inlet hole 230 and the outlet hole 240 are disposed to be deflected to one side of the plate 210.

The uppermost plate 210 of the heat dissipating unit 200 is connected to one of the inlet holes 230 and the outlet holes 240 of the plurality of inlet holes 230 and the outlet holes 240, A valve assembly for selectively opening and closing the flow path 220 is integrally provided.

The valve assembly expands or contracts the internal thermal expansion means 123 according to the temperature of the working fluid flowing from the outside to move the piston valve 122 back and forth to move the working fluid into the heat dissipating unit 200 Thereby selectively opening or blocking.

The valve assembly includes a valve housing 110 fixed to the uppermost plate 210 of the heat dissipating unit 200 and a valve body 120 installed inside the valve housing 110 to selectively open and close the flow passage do.

The valve housing 110 is provided with an inlet side inlet 112 and an outlet side 114 sequentially along the direction in which the working fluid flows toward the connection flow passage 220 inside the heat dissipating part 200.

At this time, an inlet side pipe (255) is connected to an inlet side inlet (112) of the valve housing (110) so as to allow a working fluid to flow from the outside.

The valve housing 110 is provided with a discharge side inlet 116 and an outlet 118 sequentially along the direction in which the working fluid is discharged from the coupling flow path 220 inside the heat dissipating part 200.

At this time, the inlet side inlet 112 and the outlet side outlet 118 are disposed in parallel on one side of the valve housing 110.

In addition, the inlet side inlet 112 and the outlet side 114 are vertically disposed on different sides of the valve housing 110.

Accordingly, the working fluid introduced in the horizontal direction through the inlet side inlet 112 is discharged through the inlet side outlet 114 disposed vertically downward through the valve body 120 in the valve housing 110, And flows into the connection flow path 220 in the part 200.

In addition, the discharge-side inlet 116 and the outlet 118 are disposed in parallel so as to be positioned on opposite sides facing each other on opposite sides of the valve housing 110.

At this time, a first discharge side pipe (260) is connected between the connection passage (220) in the heat dissipating part (200) and the discharge side inlet (116) of the valve housing (110) And a second discharge side pipe (270) is connected and connected to the first discharge side pipe (260).

The first discharge side pipe 260 and the second discharge side pipe 270 including the inlet pipe 255 may be applied in the form of flexible connecting hoses or connecting pipes.

Meanwhile, in the valve housing 110 having the above-described structure, brazing welding is fixed to the upper surface of the top plate 210 of the heat dissipating unit 200.

The valve housing 110 is provided with a valve body 120 for selectively opening and closing the inlet and outlet ports 112 and 114 of the valve housing 110 by performing a back and forth linear movement.

The valve body 120 includes a cap 121, a piston valve 122, a thermal expansion means 123, and a return spring 124.

Inside the valve housing 110, a piston valve 122 is installed to be linearly movable.

The valve housing 110 is provided with thermal expansion means 123 for expanding or contracting according to the ambient temperature and providing driving force for linearly moving the piston valve 122.

A return spring 124 is provided inside the valve housing 110 to elastically support the piston valve 122 and provide an elastic return force to the piston valve 122.

The cap 121 is inserted into the valve housing 110 while the main components of the valve including the piston valve 122, the thermal expansion means 123 and the return spring 124 are all inserted into the valve housing 110, Lt; / RTI >

The thermal expansion means 123 may be a wax material that flows into the valve housing 110 and can contract and expand according to the temperature of the working fluid.

The wax material is a material having the property that the volume is expanded when the temperature is increased and is restored to the initial volume when the temperature is lowered.

Accordingly, when the high temperature working fluid flows through the inlet side inlet 112 of the valve assembly, the volume of the thermal expansion means 123 is expanded by the temperature rise, so that the piston valve 122 at the initial position on the cap 121 When the temperature of the thermal expansion means 123 is lowered again, the volume is reduced and the piston valve 122 is again returned to the initial position by the elastic restoring force of the return spring 124 Is returned.

A method of manufacturing a heat exchanger for a vehicle according to the present invention having the above-described configuration will now be described.

First, a plurality of plates 210 are stacked and sealed so as to form a connection channel 220 alternately in the heat dissipation unit 200.

The valve housing 110 is stacked on the top surface 210 of the plurality of stacked plates 210.

Next, the top surface plate 210 and the valve housing 110 are brazed and integrally joined.

Then, the piston valve 122, the thermal expansion means 123, and the return spring 124 are assembled into the valve housing 110.

Finally, the cap 121 is assembled to the end of the valve housing 110 assembled with the piston valve 122, the thermal expansion means 123, and the return spring 124 to close the valve housing 110, Assembly of the machine is completed.

Fig. 4 is an operational state view showing a working fluid flow inside the heat exchanger when a hot working fluid is introduced, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a flow of working fluid inside the valve assembly in a state as shown in Fig.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when a high temperature (about 70 ° C. or more) working fluid flows into the inlet port 112 of the valve housing 110, the internal temperature of the valve housing 110 rises The thermal expansion means 123 between the cap 121 and the piston valve 122 expands and advances the piston valve 122 forward.

At this time, due to the expansion force of the thermal expansion means 123, the piston valve 122 advances toward the front side while elastically compressing the return spring 124, and the inflow of the valve housing 110 by the forward movement of the piston valve 122 The flow path connecting the side inlet 112 and the outlet 114 and the flow path connecting the outlet 116 and the outlet 118 are opened.

The high temperature working fluid flows through the inlet port 112 and the outlet port 114 and through the plurality of inlet holes 230 in the heat dissipating unit 200 to the connection flow path 220 inside each plate 210, And then discharged through the plurality of discharge holes 240 in a cooled state after passing through the respective connecting flow paths 220 and then discharged through the discharge side inlet 116 and the outlet 118 to the valve housing 110 ).

FIG. 6 is an operational state view showing a working fluid flow inside the heat exchanger when the low-temperature working fluid is introduced, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a flow of the working fluid inside the valve assembly in the state shown in FIG.

6 and 7, when a low-temperature working fluid (less than about 70 ° C) flows into the inlet port 112 of the valve housing 110, the gap between the cap 121 and the piston valve 122 The expansion or contraction of the thermal expansion means 123 does not occur and the position of the piston valve 122 is not changed. That is, the piston valve 122 maintains the initial contracted state in a state in which the elastic force of the return spring 124 is provided.

In this case, the flow path between the inlet side inlet 112 and the outlet side 114 of the valve housing 110 is closed by the piston valve 122, and the working fluid is not introduced into the heat releasing portion 200 , The working fluid flowing through the inlet side inlet 112 is bypassed to the outlet side outlet 118 without being introduced into the heat dissipating unit 200 and then discharged to the outside.

In this way, the valve assembly generates a linear displacement of the piston valve 122 through selective expansion or contraction deformation by the thermal expansion means 123 according to the temperature change of the working fluid flowing into the inside of the valve assembly, And the working fluid introduced through the inlet side inlet 112 flows into the heat dissipating unit 200 to heat-exchange the working fluid, or bypass the working fluid into the heat dissipating unit 200, By-pass.

Accordingly, the temperature of the working fluid can be adjusted according to the state of the vehicle, so that the fuel consumption and the heating performance of the vehicle can be improved.

In addition, since the valve assembly, which is installed as an independent structure in the existing heat exchanger, and the inflow pipe and the discharge pipe for introducing and discharging the working fluid into and out of the heat dissipating unit are integrated into one valve assembly structure, Since the number of components to be mounted can be minimized to reduce the number of assembling steps, the productivity of the product can be improved by reducing the production cost of the heat exchanger product. In addition, since the layout around the heat exchanger can be easily implemented, space utilization in the engine room can be enhanced.

The valve assembly is expanded or contracted according to the temperature of the working fluid and is applied to the actuator in the form of an actuator that opens and closes the flow of the working fluid by generating a linear displacement of the piston valve. The opening and closing operation of the valve can be automatically performed according to the temperature of the introduced working fluid. Accordingly, the warming up function and the cooling function of the working fluid can be selectively performed, and the temperature of the working fluid can be efficiently controlled There is an advantage.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Will be possible.

110: valve housing 112, 114: inlet side inlet and outlet
116, 118: exhaust side inlet, outlet 120: valve body
121: cap 122: piston valve
123: thermal expansion means 124: spring
200: heat radiating part 210: plate
220: connecting flow channel 230: inlet hole
240: exhaust hole 255: inflow pipe
260: first discharge side pipe 270: second discharge side pipe

Claims (13)

A plurality of plates 210 are stacked to form a connection passage 220 alternately in the interior of the connection passage 220. Different fluids flow into the connection passage 220 to exchange heat with each other, And a discharge hole (240) formed in the discharge hole (240) and connected to the connection passage (220);
And a valve assembly integrally formed on one side of the heat dissipation unit and selectively opening and closing the connection passage in the heat dissipation unit.
2. The valve assembly of claim 1,
The inlet side inlet 112 and the outlet side 114 are sequentially formed along the direction in which the fluid flows into the connection channel 220 of the heat dissipation unit 200 and the direction in which the fluid is discharged from the connection channel 220 is A valve housing 110 in which a discharge side inlet 116 and an outlet 118 are sequentially formed;
And a valve body 120 which linearly moves within the valve housing 110 and selectively opens and closes the inlet side inlet 112 and the outlet 114, the outlet side inlet 116 and the outlet 118 And the second heat exchanger.
3. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the inlet side inlet (112) and the outlet side outlet (118) are arranged parallel to one side of the valve housing (110).
3. The vehicle heat exchanger of claim 2, wherein the inlet inlet (112) and the outlet (114) are vertically disposed on different sides of the valve housing (110).
3. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the discharge side inlet (116) and the outlet (118) are disposed in parallel so as to be positioned on opposite sides of opposite sides of the valve housing (110).
The valve according to claim 2, wherein the valve body (120)
A cap 121 fixed inside the valve housing 110;
A piston valve 122 coupled to one side of the cap 121 so as to be linearly movable;
Thermal expansion means (123) interposed in the space between the cap (121) and the piston valve (122) and expanding or contracting according to the temperature change of the periphery to linearly move the piston valve (122);
And a return spring (124) for supporting the piston valve (122) and providing a resilient return force.
The vehicle heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a partition wall (250) for guiding a U-turn flow of fluid passing through the connection passage (220) is formed in the plate (210).
8. The method of claim 7,
The plate 210 is formed in a rectangular shape having a long axis a and a short axis b,
Wherein the partition wall (250) is formed parallel to the long axis (a).
9. The method of claim 8,
Characterized in that the inflow hole (230) and the discharge hole (240) are arranged parallel to the short axis (b) so that the distance X between the inflow hole (230) heat transmitter.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the inflow hole (230) and the discharge hole (240) are disposed on one side of the plate (210).
3. The method of claim 2,
An inlet pipe (255) connected to an inlet inlet (112) of the valve housing (110);
A first discharge side pipe (260) connecting the connection passage (220) in the heat dissipating unit (200) and the discharge side inlet (116) of the valve housing (110);
And a second discharge side pipe (270) connected to the discharge side outlet (118) to communicate with the first discharge side pipe (260).
The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the valve assembly is fixed to the uppermost surface plate (210) of the heat dissipating unit (200) through brazing.
Stacking a plurality of plates;
Stacking a valve housing on a top surface plate of the plate;
Brazing the plate and the valve housing together;
Assembling a piston valve, a thermal expansion means, and a return spring in the valve housing;
Assembling the cap to close the valve housing;
Wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat exchanger.

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