REFRIGERANT DISTRIBUTOR

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerant distributor comprising a housing, a plurality of component mounting parts arranged on a surface of the housing and having component insertion holes formed in the same direction, wherein the component insertion holes are configured to insert components into the component insertion holes, and a connecting flow path configured to connect the component insertion holes of the plurality of component mounting parts, wherein the component insertion holes connected by the connecting flow path are arranged with a height difference H1, thereby reducing the size of a package.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Area of ​​the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerant distributor used in a cooling module forming a cooling system for a vehicle, and in particular to a refrigerant distributor configured to connect a refrigerant line and components such as a heat exchanger and a valve. Description of the related technique

[0002] With the increasing interest in energy efficiency and the problems of environmental pollution, there is a need to develop environmentally friendly vehicles that can largely replace combustion engine vehicles. These environmentally friendly vehicles are generally divided into electric vehicles, powered by fuel cells or electricity, and hybrid vehicles, which use both a motor and a battery.

[0003] Unlike a conventional vehicle's air conditioning system, an electric or hybrid vehicle (among other environmentally friendly vehicles) does not use a separate heating system. The air conditioning system used in these vehicles is typically a heat pump system.

[0004] Meanwhile, the electric vehicle generates propulsion energy by converting energy produced by a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen into electrical energy. Since this process generates thermal energy through a chemical reaction in a fuel cell, the resulting heat must be effectively dissipated to ensure the fuel cell's efficiency.

[0005] Furthermore, the hybrid vehicle generates its drive power through the operation of a conventional fuel-powered engine and a motor powered by electrical energy from the fuel cell or an electric battery. To ensure the engine's efficiency, it is therefore necessary to effectively dissipate the heat generated by the fuel cell or battery and the engine.

[0006] Therefore, in a hybrid or electric vehicle using related technology, a cooling system, a heat pump system, and a battery cooling system are provided. A refrigerant distributor is used to reduce the size and weight of the cooling module and to simplify the arrangement of the pipes connecting the numerous heat exchangers and valves.

[0007] The refrigerant distributor can, for example, have a two-layer structure where a first housing, a middle plate, and a second housing are stacked and then joined by brazing. The refrigerant distributor with this two-layer structure can freely shape the refrigerant flow path, thereby reducing the package size. However, because the first housing, middle plate, and second housing are stacked and joined by brazing, a sealing defect can occur in the junction, and refrigerant can leak, potentially affecting its durability.

[0008] In another example, to reduce the likelihood of refrigerant leakage and improve durability, the refrigerant manifold can have a single-layer structure. This is formed by forging a block of material and subsequently machining components, parts where a refrigerant pipe flange is to be mounted, and refrigerant flow paths, resulting in a single-layer structure without a connecting section. However, the single-layer refrigerant manifold has the disadvantage that the package size increases due to the structural and manufacturing characteristics of the refrigerant flow path. Furthermore, if the refrigerant manifold is manufactured by forging, the forging process can be carried out using an upper and lower die, and a sliding core cannot be used.In the event that the directions of the component assembly parts, i.e., the parts into which components such as valves are inserted and mounted, differ from the directions of movement of the upper and lower molds, the component assembly parts will inevitably be manufactured in such a way that they have molds with completely filled interiors, which causes a problem insofar as the material weights are increased and the machining time for forming holes in the component assembly parts is increased. [Document of related technology]

[0009] [Patent document] KR 10-2022-0162479 A (December 8, 2022) “Integrated Cooling Module” SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention is proposed to solve these problems and aims to provide a refrigerant distributor having a single-layer structure produced by forging, so that the size of a package can be reduced and the refrigerant distributor is easy to manufacture.

[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the present invention provides a coolant distributor comprising: a housing; a plurality of component mounting parts arranged on a surface of the housing and having component insertion holes formed in the same direction, wherein the component insertion holes are configured to insert components into the component insertion holes; and a connecting flow path configured to connect the component insertion holes of the plurality of component mounting parts, wherein the component insertion holes connected by the connecting flow path are arranged with a height difference.

[0012] Furthermore, one end of the connecting flow path can be formed in a side surface of a component insertion hole and the other end of the connecting flow path in a bottom surface of another component insertion hole.

[0013] Furthermore, another component insertion hole can be positioned higher than a component insertion hole.

[0014] Furthermore, the depth of one component insertion hole and the depth of another component insertion hole can be the same.

[0015] Furthermore, the upper end of another component insertion hole can be positioned higher than the upper end of a component insertion hole.

[0016] Furthermore, the lower end of another component entry hole can be positioned higher than the lower end of a component entry hole and lower than the upper end of a component entry hole.

[0017] Furthermore, the connecting flow path may include a lateral flow path extending from the side face of one component entry hole to a height lower than the bottom end of another component entry hole.

[0018] In addition, the connecting flow path may include: a vertical flow path extending downwards from the bottom face of another component insertion hole; and a horizontal flow path extending from a side face of the housing and configured to connect the lateral flow path and the vertical flow path.

[0019] Furthermore, all lateral, vertical and horizontal flow paths can be straight.

[0020] Furthermore, the lateral flow path can be designed to have an angle of inclination relative to the central axis of a component insertion hole, which is an acute angle.

[0021] Furthermore, the upper end of the horizontal flow path can be positioned higher than the lower end of the component insertion hole.

[0022] Furthermore, the height from the central axis of the horizontal flow path to the lower end of the housing at a section where the horizontal flow path is formed can correspond to the height difference between the component insertion holes connected by the connecting flow path.

[0023] Furthermore, one end of the horizontal flow path can be connected to the lateral flow path, the other end of the horizontal flow path can be formed in the side surface of the housing, and the vertical flow path can be connected between two opposite ends of the horizontal flow path.

[0024] Furthermore, the other end of the horizontal flow path can be a connection that is linked to a heat exchanger.

[0025] Furthermore, the multitude of component mounting parts may include valve mounting parts on which valves are mounted.

[0026] In addition, the multitude of component mounting parts may also include component mounting holes located next to the component insertion holes, and fasteners are attached to the component mounting holes.

[0027] Furthermore, the housing can also be designed as a single body without a connecting section.

[0028] Furthermore, the housing can also be formed by forging a material into a block-shaped form.

[0029] Furthermore, the connecting flow path through the interior of the housing can be formed by machining.

[0030] Furthermore, an upper end of the component mounting part is designed to have a flat surface that is set up to come into contact with the component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a composite perspective view illustrating a state in which components (valves) are mounted on a refrigerant distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 is a perspective exploded view illustrating a state in which the components (valves) are removed from the refrigerant distributor according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 3 is a front cross-sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 4 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the refrigerant distributor according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 5 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating a height difference between component insertion holes, an inclination angle of a lateral flow path and a height of a lower end of a housing of a section for forming a horizontal flow path in the refrigerant distributor according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] A refrigerant distributor of the present invention, configured as described above, is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Fig. Figure 1 is a composite perspective view illustrating a state in which components (valves) are mounted on a refrigerant distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 is a perspective exploded view illustrating a state in which the components (valves) are disassembled from the refrigerant distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 3 is a front cross-sectional view of Fig. 1, and Fig. Figure 4 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the refrigerant distributor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] As illustrated, the refrigerant distributor according to the embodiment of the present invention can include a housing 100, a plurality of component mounting parts 200 and a connecting flow path 300.

[0034] The housing 100 can be formed by performing a forging operation on a metallic material with a block shape and can have a single-layer structure, designed as a body without a connecting section.

[0035] The multitude of component mounting parts 200 represent parts to which the components are mounted. The multitude of component mounting parts 200 can be formed on an upper surface of the housing 100. In this case, the components can be target components mounted on the component mounting parts 200. The components can be, for example, valves 400. The valve can be an expansion valve or a general directional control valve. Furthermore, the components can be various other components such as a heat exchanger or a sensor. The multitude of component mounting parts 200 can have concave component insertion holes 210 in the housing 100. The multitude of component mounting parts 200 can also include component fastening holes 220, which are formed adjacent to the component insertion holes 210.An upper end of the component mounting part 200 can have a flat surface that can come into contact with the component. The component insertion hole 210 can be in the form of a concave hole running from top to bottom. A lower side of the valve 400, representing the component, can be inserted into the component insertion hole 210 and coupled. The component mounting hole 220 can be in the form of a concave hole running from top to bottom. A fastener can be attached to the component mounting hole 220. Therefore, the valve 400 can be easily coupled and fastened to the component mounting part 200 using a fastener, such as a bolt. Furthermore, the multiple component mounting parts 200 can be arranged to be spaced apart from one another in the horizontal direction.Approximate shapes of the component insertion holes can be easily formed if the housing is manufactured by forging.

[0036] The connecting flow path 300 is connected to the component insertion holes 210 of the plurality of component mounting parts 200. For example, the two adjacent component mounting parts 200 can be connected by the connecting flow path 300. A side surface 211a of a first component insertion hole 211, which is a component insertion hole, and a bottom surface 212b of a second component insertion hole 212, which is another component insertion hole, can be connected by the connecting flow path 300. That is, one end of the connecting flow path 300 can be formed in the side surface 211a of the first component insertion hole 211, and the other end of the connecting flow path 300 can be formed in the bottom surface 212b of the second component insertion hole 212. In addition, the connecting flow path 300 can be formed through the inside of the housing 100 by machining.

[0037] In this case, the first component insertion hole 211 and the second component insertion hole 212, which are connected by the connecting flow path 300, can be arranged with a height difference H1, and the second component insertion hole 212 can be arranged to have a greater height than the first component insertion hole 211. For example, the depth of the first component insertion hole 211 and the depth of the second component insertion hole 212 are equal. An upper end of the second component insertion hole 212 is arranged to be higher than an upper end of the first component insertion hole 211, and a lower end of the second component insertion hole 212 can be arranged to be higher than a lower end of the first component insertion hole 211. Furthermore, the lower end of the second component insertion hole 212 can be arranged to be lower than the upper end of the first component insertion hole 211.

[0038] Since the refrigerant distributor of the present invention is arranged such that the lower end of the second component inlet hole 212 is higher than the lower end of the first component inlet hole 211, a section of the connecting flow path 300, which is connected to the second component inlet hole 212, can be located adjacent to the bottom surface 212b of the second component inlet hole 212 when the connecting flow path 300, which connects the side surface 211a of the first component inlet hole 211 and the bottom surface 212b of the second component inlet hole 212, is formed by machining. Therefore, the size of the housing 100 can be reduced in the vertical direction in the area where the second component inlet hole 212 is located. That is, it is possible to reduce the size of a refrigerant distributor assembly in the vertical direction.

[0039] Furthermore, the connecting flow path 300 can include a lateral flow path 310, a vertical flow path 320, and a horizontal flow path 330. All lateral flow paths 310, the vertical flow paths 320, and the horizontal flow paths 330 can be formed into straight shapes by machining. The lateral flow path 310 can extend from the side surface 211a of the first component insertion hole 211 to a height lower than the bottom surface 212b of the second component insertion hole 212. The lateral flow path 310 can be configured to have an angle of inclination θ, which is an acute angle, with respect to a central axis of the first component insertion hole 211. The vertical flow path 320 can extend downwards from the bottom surface 212b of the second component insertion hole 212.The horizontal flow path 330 can extend from the side face of the housing 100, and the horizontal flow path 330 can be connected to the lateral flow path 310 and the vertical flow path 320. For example, one end of the horizontal flow path 330 can be connected to the lateral flow path 310, the other end of the horizontal flow path 330 can be formed in the side face of the housing 100, and the vertical flow path 320 can be connected between two opposite ends of the horizontal flow path 330. Therefore, the connecting flow path 300, which connects the side face 211a of the first component inlet 211 and the bottom face 212b of the second component inlet 212, can be easily formed. In this case, the other end of the horizontal flow path 330 can be a port connected to a heat exchanger, e.g. B. an indoor unit.

[0040] Furthermore, an upper end of the horizontal flow path 330 can be positioned higher than a bottom surface 211b of the first component insertion hole 211. Additionally, a height H2 from a central axis of the horizontal flow path 330 to a lower end 110 of the housing 100 at the section where the horizontal flow path 330 is formed can be equal to or similar to a height difference H1 between the first component insertion hole 211 and the second component insertion hole 212. Therefore, it can be easy to provide space in which a vehicle chassis or other components can be positioned below the lower end 110 of the housing 100.

[0041] Furthermore, one end of the horizontal flow path 330 can be arranged outside a side surface 212a of the second component insertion hole 212 in the radial direction of the second component insertion hole 212. Therefore, the lateral flow path 310 can be easily formed without affecting the second component insertion hole 212.

[0042] Furthermore, the refrigerant distributor of the present invention can also have a refrigerant channel which can be connected to the component inlet 210. The refrigerant distributor of the present invention can also have a flange mounting part to which a flange formed at one end of a refrigerant line is mounted.

[0043] According to the refrigerant distributor of the present invention, there is a height difference between the component insertion holes in which the components are mounted, so that the connecting flow path, which is set up to connect the component insertion holes, can be easily set up, thereby reducing the size of the package.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments mentioned above, and its scope of application is diverse. Naturally, various modifications and implementations can be made by any person skilled in the field relating to the present invention without deviating from the subject matter of the present invention as claimed in the claims. DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 100 cases 110 Lower end 200 component assembly part 210 Component insertion hole 211 First component insertion hole 212 Second component insertion hole 211a Side surface 211b Floor area 212a Side surface 212b Floor area 220 component mounting holes 300 connecting flow path 310 Lateral flow path 320 Vertical flow path 330 Horizontal flow path 400 valve θ Inclination angle of the lateral flow path QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] KR 10-2022-0162479 A

[0009]

Claims

[1] Refrigerant distributor, comprising: a case; a plurality of component mounting parts arranged on a surface of the housing and having component insertion holes formed in the same direction, the component insertion holes being configured to insert components into component insertion holes; and a connecting flow path that is set up to connect the component insertion holes of the multitude of component mounting parts, wherein the component insertion holes connected by the connecting flow path are arranged with a height difference. [2] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein one end of the connecting flow path is formed in a side surface of a component insertion hole and the other end of the connecting flow path is formed in a bottom surface of another component insertion hole. [3] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 2, wherein a further component insertion hole is arranged higher than a component insertion hole. [4] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 3, wherein the depth of one component insertion hole and the depth of another component insertion hole are the same. [5] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 3, wherein an upper end of a further component insertion hole is arranged higher than an upper end of a component insertion hole. [6] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 3, wherein a lower end of a further component insertion hole is arranged higher than a lower end of a component insertion hole and lower than an upper end of a component insertion hole. [7] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 2, wherein the connecting flow path comprises a lateral flow path extending from the side face of a component insertion hole to a height lower than the lower end of another component insertion hole. [8] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 7, wherein the connecting flow path comprises: a vertical flow path extending downwards from the bottom surface of another component insertion hole; and a horizontal flow path extending from a side surface of the housing and designed to connect the lateral flow path and the vertical flow path. [9] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 8, wherein the entire lateral flow path, the vertical flow path and the horizontal flow path are formed in straight shapes. [10] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 7, wherein the lateral flow path is configured to have an angle of inclination which is an acute angle with respect to a central axis of a component insertion hole. [11] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 8, wherein an upper end of the horizontal flow path is arranged higher than a lower end of a component insertion hole. [12] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 8, wherein a height from the central axis of the horizontal flow path to the lower end of the housing at a section where the horizontal flow path is formed to correspond to a height difference between the component insertion holes connected by the connecting flow path. [13] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 8, wherein one end of the horizontal flow path is connected to the lateral flow path, the other end of the horizontal flow path is formed in the side surface of the housing and the vertical flow path is connected between two opposite ends of the horizontal flow path. [14] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 8, wherein the other end of the horizontal flow path is a connection that is connected to a heat exchanger. [15] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein the multiple component mounting parts are valve mounting parts for mounting valves. [16] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of component mounting parts further comprises component mounting holes arranged next to the component insertion holes, and fastening elements are attached to the component mounting holes. [17] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein the housing is designed as a body without a connecting section. [18] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein the housing is produced by performing a forging operation on a material with a block shape. [19] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein the connecting flow path through the interior of the housing is formed by machining. [20] Refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein an upper end of the component mounting part is designed to have a flat surface designed to come into contact with the component.

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