Drain cap for a cooler arrangement

Abstract

The present invention describes a drain cap (1) for a cooler arrangement (2). The drain cap (1) comprises an annular contact region (11) and an outflow lip (12) arranged radially outside the contact region (11). Here, the contact region (11) is designed to bear against a connection nozzle (4) of a cooler arrangement. The outflow lip (12) is arranged at a predetermined angle (α) in relation to a rotation axis (X-X) of the contact region (12), wherein the outflow lip (12) is designed to discharge a liquid from the connection nozzle (4) radially to the outside.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] title

[0003] Drain cap for a radiator assembly

[0004] State of the art

[0005] The present invention relates to a drain cap for a radiator assembly and a radiator assembly.

[0006] An inverter cooler assembly typically consists of two aluminum sheets soldered together, along with the corresponding connection pieces for the coolant inlet and outlet. During assembly, the connection pieces are inserted through designated holes in the housing. To ensure a tight seal between the outside and the inside of the inverter, a seal is located between the cooler assembly and the housing.

[0007] In certain applications, the connection piece is mounted facing upwards on the housing. This creates a basin in the housing bore into which fluids cannot drain. During operation, this accumulated water can corrode the seal and lead to leaks and inverter failure.

[0008] Disclosure of the invention

[0009] The drain cap according to the invention for a radiator assembly with the features of claim 1 has the advantage that it is designed to drain liquid radially outwards from a connection piece, so that no stagnant water can form in the radiator assembly, which could corrosively damage the radiator assembly. This is achieved according to the invention with the features of claim 1 in that the drain cap has an annular contact area which is designed to bear against the connection piece of a radiator assembly. Furthermore, the drain cap has a drain lip which is arranged radially outwards from the contact area and is aligned at a predetermined angle to a rotation axis of the contact area. The drain lip is thus designed to drain liquid radially outwards from the connection piece.For a radially curved drainage lip, the angle between the drainage lip and the rotational axis is calculated at a center of mass of the cross-section of the drainage lip. The drainage lip is preferably arranged transversely to the rotational axis of the contact area. Thus, the angle between the drainage lip and the rotational axis allows a fluid, especially splash water, to be diverted radially outward.

[0010] The subclaims show preferred developments of the invention.

[0011] Preferably, the drain cap has an L-shaped cross-section with a first leg and a second leg, with the contact area forming the first leg and the drainage lip forming the second leg. Thus, the contact area and the drainage lip are connected to each other at a common end, allowing the liquid to drain directly over the drainage lip, eliminating the risk of the liquid accumulating at the contact area.

[0012] More preferably, the angle a between the first leg and the second leg is less than 90°. This prevents the liquid from accumulating on the drain cap when the drain cap is positioned horizontally.

[0013] Particularly preferably, the angle a between the first leg and the second leg is between 60° and 80°, and in particular substantially 70°. This angle is particularly advantageous for draining fluid radially outward as far as possible with the shortest possible drainage lip, without the fluid accumulating.

[0014] More preferably, the first leg is aligned parallel to the rotational axis of the contact area. Thus, the first leg can seal a connection piece across the contact area along its entire longitudinal axis, preventing liquid from seeping under the connection piece in the contact area. The drain cap is preferably made of an elastomer. This allows the drain cap to be manufactured inexpensively and can be flexibly adapted to the respective application.

[0015] The invention further comprises a cooler assembly according to the features of claim 7, comprising a cooler, a housing, a connecting piece, and a drain cap according to the invention. The connecting piece is connected to the cooler and is inserted through a bore in the housing. The drain cap is fastened to the connecting piece. The drainage lip of the drain cap rests circumferentially on the housing. The drain cap is thus configured to direct fluid away from the bore and the connecting piece, preventing fluid from collecting in a cavity between the connecting piece and the housing. Consequently, the cooler assembly with a drain cap contributes to significantly reducing the corrosion load of the cooler assembly and increasing its service life.

[0016] Preferably, the rotation axis of the connecting piece is aligned parallel to the direction of action of the gravitational force F. The arrangement according to the invention prevents liquid from accumulating on the cooler arrangement and leading to an increased corrosion load.

[0017] Further preferably, a seal is arranged around the bore between the housing and the connecting piece. The seal ensures tightness from the outside to the inside of the cooler. The drain cap according to the invention prevents liquid from collecting in the cavity between the housing, connecting piece, and seal.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cooler is configured to cool an inverter. Inverters conduct high currents and must be cooled to operate efficiently. Furthermore, the penetration of a conductive liquid into the inverter must be prevented. The cooler assembly according to the invention reduces corrosion of the cooler assembly and thus ensures reliable cooling of the inverter. The cooler is preferably a sheet metal component. Sheet metal components enable high heat dissipation but are susceptible to corrosion. The design according to the invention can significantly reduce the susceptibility of the sheet metal component to corrosion.

[0019] Particularly preferably, the cooler is a sheet metal component made of aluminum sheet.

[0020] Further preferably, the connecting piece has an outer groove in which the contact area of ​​the drain cap is arranged. The groove prevents axial displacement of the drain cap along the connecting piece. This ensures that the drain cap seals via the contact surface at the groove of the connecting piece and seals against the housing via the drain lip, and that no gap forms between the drain lip and the housing.

[0021] Short description of the drawings

[0022] An embodiment of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawing:

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a cooler arrangement according to a preferred embodiment, and

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the

[0025] Cooler arrangement from Figure 1.

[0026] Embodiment of the invention

[0027] A cooler arrangement with a drain cap according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0028] Figure 1 shows a cooler assembly 2. The cooler assembly 2 comprises a cooler 3, a housing 8 with a bore 5, a connection piece 4 and a drain cap 1. The cooler assembly 2 is configured to cool an inverter.

[0029] The connecting piece 4 is a rotationally symmetrical component that is firmly connected to the cooler 3. A cooling medium can flow into or out of the cooler 3 through a through-hole in the connecting piece 4. The cooler 3 comprises two aluminum sheets soldered together.

[0030] The connection piece 4 has a plurality of grooves 41 on its outer surface, which are designed to receive the drain cap 1 and / or a coolant connection.

[0031] The connecting piece 4 is arranged in the bore 5 in the housing 8, with a clearance fit between the housing 8 and the connecting piece 4. The connecting piece 4 is aligned parallel to a gravitational force F. The connecting piece 4 is arranged in the bore 5 up to a stop, which is provided by the cooler 3 contacting the housing 8 via a seal 6 arranged between the housing 8 and the cooler 3.

[0032] The drain cap 1 is arranged via a contact area 11 in a groove 41 on the connecting piece 4. The rotation axes X - X of the contact area 11 and the connecting piece 4 are aligned coaxially with each other. Adjacent to the contact area 11 is a drain lip 12, which extends radially outward from the contact area 11 and rests on the outer side of the housing 8.

[0033] Thus, the drain cap 1 seals a cavity 7 between the connection piece 4, the housing 8, and the seal 6, preventing liquid from penetrating the cavity 7. The liquid is preferably splash water, but can also occur in other forms. The contact area 11 and the drain lip 12 are preferably one-piece.

[0034] The drain cap 1 describes an L-shaped cross-section with a first leg 13 and a second leg 14. The contact area 11 forms the first leg 13 and the drain lip 12 forms the second leg 14. The first leg 13 of the contact area 11 is aligned parallel to the rotation axis X - X of the connecting piece 4.

[0035] An exemplary circumferentially constant angle a of 70° is shown between the first leg 13 and the second leg 14. The angle a slopes downwards relative to the gravitational force F and the connecting piece 12, so that a liquid is drained radially outward from the drain cap 1.

[0036] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the cooler assembly 2 from Figure 1 from above. The connecting piece 4 is inserted into the housing 8. A drain cap 1 is arranged circumferentially around the connecting piece 4 and rests against the housing 4, so that the bore 5 is sealed against the ingress of liquid. This prevents liquid from accumulating in the cavity 7 between the housing 8 and the cooler 3, thus reducing corrosion of the cooler assembly 2.

Claims

Claims 1. Drain cap (1) for a cooler assembly (2), comprising - an annular contact area (11) and - a drainage lip (12) arranged radially outwards from the contact area (11), - wherein the contact area (11) is designed to rest on a connection piece (4) of a cooler arrangement, - wherein the drainage lip (12) is arranged at a predetermined angle (a) to a rotation axis (X - X) of the contact area (12), and - wherein the drain lip (12) is arranged to drain a liquid radially outwards from the connecting piece (4).

2. Drain cap (1) according to claim 1, wherein the drain cap (1) has an L-shaped cross-section with a first leg (13) and a second leg (14), wherein the contact region (11) forms the first leg (13), and wherein the drainage lip (12) forms the second leg (14).

3. Drain cap (1) according to claim 2, wherein the angle (a) between the first leg (13) and the second leg (14) is less than 90°.

4. Drain cap (1) according to claim 3, wherein the angle (a) between the first leg (13) and the second leg (14) is between 60° and 80° 5. Drain cap (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first leg is aligned parallel to the axis of rotation of the contact region.

6. Drain cap (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drain cap (1) is made of an elastomer.

7. Radiator arrangement (2), comprising - a cooler (3), - a housing (8), - a connecting piece (4) which is connected to the cooler (3) and is inserted through a hole (5) in the housing (8), and - a drain cap (1) according to one of the preceding claims, - the drain cap (1) is attached to the connection piece (4), - wherein a drainage lip (12) of the drainage cap (1) rests circumferentially on the housing (8), and - wherein the drain cap is designed to direct a liquid away from the bore (5) and the connecting piece (4).

8. Cooler arrangement (2) according to claim 7, wherein the rotation axis (X - X) of the connecting piece (4) is aligned parallel to the direction of action of the gravitational force (F).

9. Radiator arrangement (2) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a seal (6) is arranged around the bore (5) between the housing (8) and the connecting piece (4).

10. Cooler arrangement (2) according to one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the cooler (3) is arranged to cool an inverter.

11. Radiator arrangement (2) according to one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the radiator (3) is a sheet metal component.

12. Cooler arrangement (2) according to one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the connecting piece (4) has an outer groove (41) in which the contact area (11) of the drain cap (1) is arranged.

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