Protective member for manifolds of heat exchangers

Abstract

The invention relates to a protection member (10) for a manifold (2) of a heat exchanger of a motor vehicle air conditioning unit, said exchanger being for example an evaporator of an air conditioning unit, said protection member comprising a wall (30) arranged to at least partially surround the manifold to be protected, said protection member forming a wall portion (27) of an air passage inside the air conditioning unit.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a protective member for a manifold of a heat exchanger in an air conditioning unit of a motor vehicle, the heat exchanger being, for example, the evaporator of the air conditioning unit. The protective member has a wall arranged to at least partially surround the manifold to be protected, and the protective member forms a wall portion of an air passage inside the air conditioning unit.

[0002] Heating, ventilation, and cooling units for motor vehicles (also known as air conditioning units) typically include at least two pairs of pipes connected to a heat exchanger to heat air and to an evaporator to cool air, respectively. The free ends of these pipes are exposed outside the unit to connect to the engine cooling circuit and the air conditioning circuit, which is why these pipes are left uncovered in sections of varying lengths. In the event of a leak or condensation, fluids may be released from the pipes, spreading uncontrollably throughout the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle (e.g., under the dashboard), thus posing a risk of malfunction. To address this drawback, the manufacture and installation of pipes to cover these pipes is difficult due to the shape and arrangement of these pipes. Furthermore, it is challenging to hold these free ends in place during their connection to the circuits.

[0003] These units are also known as HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units.

[0004] The present invention aims to improve the protection of such manifolds.

[0005] Therefore, one subject of the present invention is a protective member for a manifold of a heat exchanger in an air conditioning unit of a motor vehicle, the heat exchanger being, for example, the evaporator of the air conditioning unit, the protective member having a wall arranged to at least partially surround the manifold to be protected, the protective member forming a wall portion of an air passage inside the air conditioning unit.

[0006] According to one aspect of the invention, the protective member is made in a single piece, particularly of a plastic material.

[0007] According to one aspect of the invention, the protective member has a leg that forms part of the wall portion of the air passage.

[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, the protective member has a top plate, the leg is connected to the top plate, and the top plate and the leg form a wall portion of the air passage.

[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, the top plate has an extension arranged to at least partially surround the manifold to be protected.

[0010] According to one aspect of the invention, the extension has a curved shape, particularly having a concave surface pointing toward the manifold.

[0011] According to one aspect of the invention, the top plate forms a separator between the air passage and the manifold.

[0012] Another subject of the present invention is an air conditioning unit, particularly an air conditioning unit for a motor vehicle, the air conditioning unit having: a heat exchanger; a manifold connected to the heat exchanger; and a protective member as described above, the protective member being arranged to protect the manifold.

[0013] According to one aspect of the invention, the air conditioning unit has an upper housing element and a lower housing element, which are arranged together and thus define the housing of the unit as a whole.

[0014] According to one aspect of the invention, the upper housing element has a window, and the component for protecting the manifold is housed in the window, particularly continuous with the upper housing element.

[0015] In other words, once the protective member is placed in the window, the protective member and the upper housing element define a continuous wall for the air passage of the air conditioning unit.

[0016] According to one aspect of the invention, the window is substantially located in the middle of the upper housing element.

[0017] According to one aspect of the invention, the upper housing element has an extension arranged together with the extension of the protective member to form a housing surrounding one or more manifolds of the heat exchanger.

[0018] According to one aspect of the invention, in particular, the housing has a rectangular profile with rounded corners.

[0019] According to any aspect of the invention, the housing is capable of separating one or more airflow manifolds in the air conditioning unit.

[0020] In particular, the present invention can prevent condensation on one or more manifolds.

[0021] This invention can also reduce noise between the air conditioning loop and the air conditioning unit.

[0022] According to one aspect of the invention, the protective member is arranged to be fastened to the upper housing element, and in particular to be held sandwiched between the upper housing element and the lower housing element.

[0023] According to one aspect of the invention, the protective member has an edge that extends along the connection between the two housing elements.

[0024] According to one aspect of the invention, the air conditioning unit has an airflow partition wall added between the two housing elements, and the protective member is clamped to the partition wall.

[0025] According to one aspect of the invention, the protective member is fastened to these housing elements without additional fastening elements (such as screws).

[0026] This invention enables the creation of mechanically more robust components.

[0027] The air conditioning unit is a semi-central type. This means that the unit includes an air blower located on one side of the unit. Therefore, if we assume that the air conditioning unit is cut into two halves by a plane passing through the protective member, then the air blower is one of these two halves because this plane intersects perpendicularly with the connecting plane between these housing elements.

[0028] A better understanding of the invention and its various applications will be gained by reading the following description and studying the accompanying drawings:

[0029] [ Figure 1 An air conditioning unit according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention is illustrated schematically.

[0030] [ Figure 2 [Shown] Figure 1 A part of the unit.

[0031] Figure 1 An air conditioning unit 1 or HVAC unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. This unit is arranged to have separate airflows at the top and bottom. This type of unit is referred to as a double-layer unit or dual-layer unit.

[0032] This unit 1 includes manifolds 2 that connect to the evaporator 3 to cool the air. The free ends of these manifolds 2 protrude outside the housing 5 of the air conditioning unit to connect via flanges 4 to the engine cooling circuit and the air conditioning circuit (these circuits are not shown).

[0033] The air conditioning unit 1 has an upper housing element 7 and a lower housing element 8, which are arranged together and thus define the housing 5 of the unit as a whole.

[0034] The upper housing element 7 has a window 9, and the component 10 for protecting the manifold 2 is housed in the window 9 and is continuous with the upper housing element 7.

[0035] In other words, once the protective member 10 is placed in the window 9, the protective member 10 and the upper housing element 7 define the continuous wall 12 of the air passage 11 of the air conditioning unit.

[0036] Window 9 is located roughly in the middle of the upper housing element.

[0037] The upper housing element 7 has an extension 14 that is arranged together with the extension 15 of the protective member 10 to form a housing 16 surrounding one or more manifolds 2 of the heat exchanger.

[0038] In particular, this housing 16 has a rectangular outline with rounded corners.

[0039] This housing 16 can separate one or more airflow manifolds in the air conditioning unit.

[0040] This invention can also reduce noise between the air conditioning loop and the air conditioning unit.

[0041] The protective member 10 is arranged to be fastened to the upper housing element 7 and held between the upper housing element 7 and the lower housing element 8.

[0042] The protective member 10 has an edge 20 that extends along the junction 21 between the two housing elements 7 and 8.

[0043] The air conditioning unit 1 has an airflow partition 24 added between two housing elements 7 and 8, and a protective member 10 is clamped to this partition 25.

[0044] The protective member 10 is fastened to the housing elements 7 and 8 without additional fastening elements (such as screws).

[0045] The protective component 10 is made in a single piece (particularly from plastic material).

[0046] The protective member 10 has a leg 27 that forms part of the wall portion of the air passage 11.

[0047] The protective member 10 has a top plate 28, to which a leg 27 is connected. The top plate and the leg form a wall portion 12 of an air passage. The leg 27 forms a wall portion defining the air passage 11.

[0048] The top plate 28 has an extension 15 arranged to at least partially surround the manifold 2 to be protected.

[0049] This extension 15 has a curved shape, and in particular has a concave surface pointing toward the manifold.

[0050] The top plate 28 forms a separator between the air passage and the manifold.

[0051] The extension 15 and the top plate 28 form a wall 30 surrounding the manifold 2.

[0052] The air conditioning unit is a semi-central type. This means that the unit includes an air blower located on one side of the unit. Figure 1 In the arrangement, the air blower of the motor fan unit is located on the right side of the protective member, specifically, the protective member is located essentially in the middle of this unit.

Claims

1. An air conditioning unit (1) for a motor vehicle, the air conditioning unit comprising: a heat exchanger; a manifold connected to the heat exchanger; and a protective member (10) having a wall (30) arranged to at least partially surround the manifold to be protected, the protective member forming a wall portion of an air passage inside the air conditioning unit, the air conditioning unit having an upper housing element (7) and a lower housing element (8) arranged to be connected together and integrally defining the housing of the unit, wherein, The protective member is arranged to be fastened to the upper housing element without additional fastening elements and to remain sandwiched between the upper housing element (7) and the lower housing element.

2. The air conditioning unit (1) as described in claim 1, wherein, The protective component (10) is made as a single piece.

3. The air conditioning unit (1) as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The protective component (10) is made of plastic material.

4. The air conditioning unit (1) as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The protective member has legs (27) that form part of the wall portion of the air passage.

5. The air conditioning unit (1) as described in claim 4, wherein, The protective member (10) has a top plate (28), and the support leg (27) is connected to the top plate, the top plate and the support leg forming the wall portion of the air passage.

6. The air conditioning unit (1) as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The upper housing element has a window, and the protective member for protecting the manifold is housed in the window.

7. The air conditioning unit (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein, The protective member used to protect the manifold is continuous with the upper housing element.

8. The air conditioning unit (1) as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The upper housing element (7) has an extension that is arranged together with the extension of the protective member to form a housing surrounding one or more manifolds of the heat exchanger.

9. The air conditioning unit (1) as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The protective member has an edge that extends along the connection between the upper housing element (7) and the lower housing element (8).

10. The air conditioning unit (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The unit is of a semi-centered type.

11. The air conditioning unit (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The heat exchanger is the evaporator of the air conditioning unit.

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