Heat exchanger and inner fin therefor

Abstract

To provide a heat exchanger and an inner fin therefor which can be made sufficiently thin, has high design flexibility and versatility, can be efficiently and easily manufactured, and can reduce cost.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger includes: an outer package 1 provided with a port 16 and having a pair of opposing walls; and a wave-shaped inner fin 2 positioned between the pair of opposing walls and having a recess 25 and a projection 26 alternately and continuously formed. The outer package 1 is made of an outer package laminate material L1 with a resin thermal fusion layer provided on an inner surface side of a metal heat transfer layer. The inner fin 2 is made of an inner core laminate material L2 with a thermal fusion layer provided on both sides of the metal heat transfer layer. The inner fin 2 is formed with angular waves such that a bottom wall of the recess and a top wall of the projection are positioned in parallel with the pair or opposing walls, and a standing wall connecting between the bottom wall of the recess and a top wall of the projection is orthogonal to the pair of opposing walls.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger and its inner fins manufactured using a laminate material such as a laminate sheet in which a resin heat-sealing layer is laminated onto a metal heat-conductive layer. [Background technology]

[0002] As electronic devices such as smartphones and personal computers become smaller and more powerful, measures to prevent heat generation around the CPU of the electronic device have become important. Some models incorporate water-cooling devices or heat pipes to reduce the thermal load on electronic components such as the CPU and prevent heat from building up inside the housing, and technologies have been proposed to avoid the adverse effects of heat.

[0003] In addition, the battery modules installed in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles generate a lot of heat in the battery packs due to repeated charging and discharging. For this reason, technology has been proposed to incorporate water-cooling devices and heat pipes into battery modules, just like the above electronic devices, to avoid the adverse effects of heat.

[0004] Furthermore, for power modules made of silicon carbide (SiC) and the like, measures such as installing cooling plates or heat sinks have been proposed to prevent heat generation.

[0005] Incidentally, electronic devices such as the above-mentioned smartphones and personal computers have thin housings, and since a large number of electronic components and coolers are incorporated into the limited space within the thin housing, the coolers themselves are also thin.

[0006] Conventionally, thin coolers such as heat pipes incorporated into small electronic devices have generally been produced by joining multiple metal processed parts obtained by processing metals with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, by brazing, diffusion bonding, or the like (Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-59693 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-141002 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2016-189415 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, in the above-mentioned conventional small electronic device coolers, each component part is manufactured by metal processing (machining) such as plastic processing, such as casting or forging, or removal processing, such as cutting. However, such metal processing is tedious and has severe restrictions, so there is a limit to how thin the device can be made, and there is a problem that it is difficult to make the device thinner than current models.

[0009] In addition, conventional coolers for small electronic devices require difficult metalworking (metal-to-metal joining) such as brazing or diffusion bonding to join the various components, which not only makes them difficult to manufacture, but also reduces production efficiency and increases costs.

[0010] Furthermore, conventional coolers are manufactured using restrictive metal processing techniques, which means that their shape and size cannot be easily modified, limiting design freedom and making them less versatile.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a heat exchanger and its inner fins that can be made sufficiently thin, have a high degree of design freedom and are highly versatile, and can be manufactured efficiently and easily, thereby reducing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises the following means.

[0013] [1] A heat exchanger comprising an outer casing having an inlet and an outlet and a pair of opposing walls, and a wavy inner fin disposed between the pair of opposing walls and having alternating and continuous concave and convex portions, wherein a heat exchange medium flowing in from the inlet passes through an inner fin installation portion in the outer casing and flows out from the outlet, The outer envelope is made of an outer envelope laminate material having a resin heat-sealing layer on the inner side of a metal heat transfer layer, The inner fin is made of an inner core laminate material having a heat fusion layer on both sides of a metal heat transfer layer, the inner fin has a bottom wall of a recess and a top wall of a protrusion disposed parallel to the pair of opposing walls, and a rising wall connecting the bottom wall of the recess and the top wall of the protrusion is formed in an angular waveform perpendicular to the pair of opposing walls, a bottom surface of the recess and a top surface of the protrusion of the inner fin are joined to the pair of opposing walls.

[0014] [2] When the width of the bottom surface of the recess of the inner fin is "W11" and the width of the top surface of the protrusion is "W12", 0.9≦W12 / W11≦1.1 2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the following relationship is satisfied:

[0015] [3] When the fin pitch of the inner fin is "Pf" and the fin height is "Hf", Pf / 2=0.1Hf~10Hf 3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the following relationship is satisfied:

[0016] [4] A heat exchanger described in any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the outer casing is composed of a tray member having a recess formed in an intermediate region for accommodating the inner fin, and a cover member arranged to cover the recess of the tray member.

[0017] [5] A heat exchanger described in any one of items 1 to 3 above, wherein the outer casing is formed by joining and integrating the outer peripheral edges of two sheets of the outer casing laminate material stacked together with the inner fin interposed therebetween.

[0018] [6] An inner fin for a heat exchanger, which is provided with an inlet and an outlet, and is disposed between a pair of opposing walls of an outer casing having the pair of opposing walls, and is configured to allow a heat exchange medium flowing in from the inlet to pass therethrough and flow out from the outlet, It is composed of an inner core laminate material with a metal heat transfer layer and heat fusion layers on both sides. a corrugated shape in which concave portions and convex portions are alternately and continuously provided, a bottom wall of the concave portion and a top wall of the convex portion are arranged parallel to the pair of opposing walls, and a rising wall connecting the bottom wall of the concave portion and the top wall of the convex portion is formed in an angular waveform shape perpendicular to the pair of opposing walls, 13. An inner fin for a heat exchanger, wherein the bottom surface of the recess and the top surface of the protrusion are joined to a pair of opposing walls. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the heat exchanger of the invention [1], the inner fins are formed in a rectangular wave shape, so that the rising walls connecting the bottom wall of the recess and the top wall of the protrusion are arranged in a large number perpendicular to a pair of opposing walls of the outer casing. This allows the inner fins to fully function as reinforcing members and ensure high strength, making it possible to stabilize the shape against external and internal pressure, improving operational reliability, and improving heat exchange performance. In addition, since the heat exchanger of the present invention is manufactured by heat fusing laminate materials, etc., troublesome metal processing is not required. Since there is no need to use a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger can be efficiently and simply manufactured, reducing costs and achieving a sufficiently thin structure. Furthermore, in the heat exchanger of the present invention, the shape and size of the laminate material used as the outer envelope and the inner fin can be easily changed, increasing the degree of freedom in design and improving versatility.

[0020] According to the heat exchanger of invention [2], the bonding area of ​​the inner fin to the pair of opposing walls (side walls) is approximately equal, so that external and internal pressure can be evenly distributed to both side walls and received in a balanced manner, thereby reliably preventing defects such as deformation of the heat exchanger due to external and internal pressure.

[0021] According to the heat exchanger of the invention [3], the fin pitch is set to a specific value relative to the fin height, thereby improving the fluidity of the heat exchange medium while ensuring sufficient strength against internal and external pressure, thereby further improving operational reliability and heat exchange performance.

[0022] According to the heat exchanger of the inventions [4] [5], the above-mentioned effects can be obtained more reliably.

[0023] According to the inner fins of the heat exchanger of invention [6], they are formed in a rectangular wave shape, so that by manufacturing a heat exchanger using the inner fins, it is possible to reliably manufacture a heat exchanger that has the same effects as the heat exchanger of the above invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a heat exchanger of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a heat exchanger of the first embodiment, in which FIG. 2(a) is a plan view, FIG. 2(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line BB in FIG. 2(a), and FIG. 2(c) is a front cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line CC in FIG. 2(a). [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the heat exchanger of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view for explaining an outer shell and an inner fin applied to the heat exchanger of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view for explaining the inner fin of the first embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 shows a heat exchanger according to a modified example of the present invention, where FIG. 6(a) is a plan view and FIG. 6(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross section taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front sectional view for explaining an inner fin applied to the heat exchanger of Comparative Example 1. As shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front sectional view for explaining an inner fin applied to the heat exchanger of Comparative Example 2. As shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which a battery is mounted on the heat exchanger of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows a heat exchanger of the second embodiment, where FIG. 10(a) is a plan view, FIG. 10(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line BB in FIG. 10(a), and FIG. 10(c) is a front cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line CC in FIG. 10(a). [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a heat exchanger of the third embodiment, in which FIG. 11(a) is a plan view, FIG. 11(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line BB in FIG. 11(a), and FIG. 11(c) is a front cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line CC in FIG. 11(a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] The heat exchanger of the present invention is used mainly as a cooler for cooling an on-board battery, and has a structure capable of withstanding a large external pressure even if the pressure is applied thereto from the outside.

[0026] First Embodiment 1 to 3 are diagrams showing a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the left-right direction (longitudinal direction) of FIG. 2(a) is defined as the "front-rear direction" and the right-left direction (longitudinal direction) of FIG. 2(a) is defined as the "front-rear direction". The direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction on the paper surface of FIG. 2(a) will be described as the "width direction", and the vertical direction in FIG. 2(b) will be described as the "vertical direction (thickness direction)".

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the heat exchanger of this first embodiment is used as a heat transfer panel, a heat transfer tube, etc., and comprises an outer casing 1 as a casing (container), an inner fin (inner core material) 2 housed inside the outer casing 1, and a pair (both sides) of headers (joint members) 3, 3 housed within both end portions of the outer casing 1.

[0028] The outer envelope 1 is composed of a tray member 10 having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and a cover member 15 having a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0029] The tray member 10 is composed of a molded product of an outer laminate material L1, and the entire middle region except for the outer peripheral edge is recessed downward using cold forming techniques such as deep drawing or extrusion molding to form a recess 11 that is rectangular in plan view, and a flange portion 12 that protrudes outward is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the opening edge of the recess 11.

[0030] Further, the cover member 15 is formed with a pair of openings 16, 16 corresponding to the front and rear ends of the recessed portion 11 in the tray member 10. Needless to say, in this embodiment, of the pair of openings 16, one opening 16 is configured as an entrance, and the other opening 16 is configured as an exit.

[0031] The tray member 10 and the cover member 15 are made of an outer laminate material L1 which is a laminate sheet having flexibility and suppleness.

[0032] 4, the outer laminate material L1 includes a heat transfer layer 51 made of metal (metal foil), a heat fusion layer 52 made of a heat fusion resin film or a heat fusion resin sheet laminated via an adhesive on one surface (inner surface) of the heat transfer layer 51, and a protective layer 53 made of a heat resistant resin film or a heat resistant resin sheet laminated via an adhesive on the other surface (outer surface) of the heat transfer layer 51. In this embodiment, the term "foil" is used to include a film, a thin plate, and a sheet.

[0033] The heat-transfer layer 51 in the outer laminate material L1 can be suitably made of copper foil, aluminum foil, stainless steel foil, nickel foil, nickel-plated copper foil, clad metal made of nickel and copper foil, etc. Among these, it is preferable to use aluminum foil in terms of cost and thermal conductivity.

[0034] Furthermore, among aluminum foils, it is preferable to use pure aluminum, an Al-Mn based alloy containing 1.0% to 1.5% Mn, or an Al-Fe based alloy containing 0.7% to 1.7% Fe. Among these, in consideration of formability and durability against internal pressure and external pressure, it is particularly preferable to use an Al-Fe based alloy containing 0.7% to 1.7% Fe.

[0035] In this embodiment, the terms "copper," "aluminum," "nickel," and "titanium" are used to include alloys thereof.

[0036] The heat transfer layer 51 is also called a heat collection layer, and is preferably 8 μm to 300 μm in thickness, and more preferably 100 μm or less.

[0037] Furthermore, by subjecting the heat transfer layer 51 to a surface treatment such as a chemical conversion treatment, the durability of the heat transfer layer 51 can be further improved, for example, by preventing corrosion of the heat transfer layer 51 and improving adhesion to the resin.

[0038] The chemical conversion treatment is carried out, for example, as follows: That is, the surface of the metal foil that has been subjected to a degreasing treatment is coated with an aqueous solution of any one of the following 1) to 3), and then dried to carry out the chemical conversion treatment.

[0039] 1) An aqueous solution of a mixture containing phosphoric acid, chromic acid, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of metal salts of fluorides and non-metal salts of fluorides.

[0040] 2) An aqueous solution of a mixture containing phosphoric acid, at least one resin selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins, chitosan derivative resins, and phenolic resins, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of chromic acid and chromium (III) salts.

[0041] 3) An aqueous solution of a mixture containing phosphoric acid, at least one resin selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins, chitosan derivative resins, and phenolic resins, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of chromic acid and chromium (III) salts, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of metal salts of fluorides and non-metal salts of fluorides.

[0042] The chemical conversion coating preferably has a chromium coating weight (per side) of 0.1 mg / m2 to 50 mg / m2, and even more preferably 2 mg / m2 to 20 mg / m2.

[0043] A film or sheet made of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or a modified resin thereof, a fluorine resin, a polyester resin, a vinyl chloride resin, etc. can be suitably used as the heat-sealing layer 52. Among them, it is particularly preferable to use a film or sheet made of non-oriented polypropylene (CPP) or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).

[0044] The thermal adhesive layer 52 preferably has a thickness of 20 μm to 5000 μm, and more preferably has a thickness of 30 μm to 80 μm.

[0045] As the protective layer 53, a film or sheet made of a heat-resistant resin such as polyester resin (PEs) or polyamide resin (PA) can be suitably used.

[0046] The heat-resistant resin constituting the protective layer 53 is one that does not melt at the heating temperature used when heat-sealing the outer cover 1, the inner fin 2, etc. It is preferable to use this heat-resistant resin having a melting point 10° C. or more higher than the melting point of the heat-sealable resin, and it is particularly preferable to use one having a melting point 20° C. or more higher than the melting point of the heat-sealable resin.

[0047] Furthermore, it is preferable that the protective layer 53 has a thickness of 6 μm to 100 μm.

[0048] In addition, as an adhesive for bonding between the heat transfer layer 51, the heat fusion layer 52 and the protective layer 53 that constitute the outer laminate material L1, a urethane-based adhesive, an epoxy-based adhesive, an olefin-based adhesive, etc., having a thickness of 1 μm to 5 μm can be suitably used.

[0049] In this embodiment, a three-layered sheet is used as the laminate material L1 constituting the envelope 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a four-layered or more layered sheet may be used. For example, a four-layered or more layered sheet may be used by interposing another layer between the protective layer and the heat transfer layer, or by interposing another layer between the heat transfer layer and the heat fusion layer.

[0050] The outer envelope laminate material L1 having the above-mentioned configuration constitutes the tray member 10 and the cover member 15 of the outer envelope 1. Then, as will be described in detail later, the cover member 15 is attached to the tray member 10 so as to close the opening of the recessed portion 11, thereby forming the outer envelope 1.

[0051] In this embodiment, a pair of opposing walls is formed by the bottom wall (lower wall) 111 of the recess 11 in the tray member 10 and the top wall (upper wall) 151 of the portion corresponding to the recess 11 in the cover member 15 attached to the tray member 10.

[0052] As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the inner fin 2 housed in the hollow portion (recessed portion) 11 of the outer envelope 1 is made of an inner core laminate material L2 which is a laminate sheet having flexibility or suppleness.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 4, the inner core laminate material L2 includes a heat transfer layer 61 made of metal foil, and heat fusion layers 62, 62 made of a resin film or resin sheet laminated on both sides of the heat transfer layer 61 with an adhesive.

[0054] The heat transfer layer 61 in the inner core laminate material L2 can be suitably made of copper foil, aluminum foil, stainless steel foil, nickel foil, nickel-plated copper foil, clad metal made of nickel and copper foil, etc. Among these, it is preferable to use aluminum foil in view of cost and thermal conductivity.

[0055] Furthermore, among aluminum foils, it is preferable to use pure aluminum, an Al-Mn based alloy containing 1.0% to 1.5% Mn, or an Al-Fe based alloy containing 0.7% to 1.7% Fe. Among these, in consideration of formability and durability against internal pressure and external pressure, it is particularly preferable to use an Al-Fe based alloy containing 0.7% to 1.7% Fe.

[0056] The heat transfer layer 61 preferably has a thickness of 8 μm to 300 μm, and more preferably has a thickness of 100 μm or less.

[0057] As the heat-sealing layer 62, a film or sheet made of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or a modified resin thereof, a fluorine resin, a polyester resin, a vinyl chloride resin, etc., can be suitably used. Among them, it is particularly preferable to use a film or sheet made of non-oriented polypropylene (CPP) or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).

[0058] The thermal adhesive layer 62 preferably has a thickness of 20 μm to 5000 μm, and more preferably has a thickness of 30 μm to 80 μm.

[0059] As an adhesive for bonding between the heat transfer layer 61 and the heat fusion layer 62 constituting the inner core laminate material L2, a urethane-based adhesive, an epoxy-based adhesive, an olefin-based adhesive, etc. having a thickness of 1 μm to 5 μm can be suitably used, similar to the outer laminate material L1 described above.

[0060] In this embodiment, a three-layered sheet is used as the laminate material L2 constituting the inner fin 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a four-layered sheet may be used in the present invention. For example, a four-layered sheet may be adopted by interposing another layer between the thermal fusion layer and the heat transfer layer.

[0061] The inner fin 2 can be processed by cutting, injection molding, sheet molding (vacuum molding, compressed air molding, etc.), corrugating, embossing, etc. Furthermore, the method for processing the inner fins 2 is not limited.

[0062] 2 to 5, the inner fin 2 is formed in an angular wave shape (rectangular wave shape) in which the recesses 25 and the protrusions 26 are alternately and continuously formed, i.e., in a so-called digital signal waveform. That is, the bottom surfaces (bottom walls) of the recesses and the top surfaces (top walls) of the protrusions in the inner fin 2 of this embodiment are formed flat, and are arranged parallel to the bottom wall (lower wall) 111 of the tray member 10 and the top wall (upper wall) 151 of the cover member 15 in a state where the heat exchanger is assembled. Furthermore, in the inner fin 2, the rising walls connecting the adjacent recess bottom walls and protrusion top walls are arranged perpendicular to the recess bottom walls and protrusion top walls, or to the upper and lower walls 111, 151 of the outer casing 1 in a state where the heat exchanger is assembled.

[0063] In this embodiment, the inner fin 2 has a fin pitch Pf, which is the distance from the center line of one recess 25 (one convex portion 26) to the center line of the other recess 25 (the other convex portion 26) in adjacent recesses 25, 25 (or adjacent convex portions 26, 26), and a half pitch (Pf / 2) which is the distance from the center line of the recess 25 to the center line of the convex portion 26 in adjacent concave and convex portions 25, 26. The fin pitch Pf and the half pitch Pf / 2 are arranged at equal intervals. In other words, the width dimension W11 of the bottom wall of the recess (the width dimension in the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 5) and the dimension in the width direction W12 of the top wall of the convex portion are set to be equal. In the present invention, the fin pitch P and the half pitch Pf / 2 do not necessarily have to be set to equal pitches, and the pitch intervals may be made different, the width dimension W11 of the bottom walls of each recess may be made different, the width dimension W12 of the top walls of each protrusion may be made different, and further the width dimension W11 of the bottom walls of the recess and the width dimension W12 of the top walls of the protrusions W12 may be made different. In short, the inner fin 2 of the present invention can have any shape as long as it has a square wave shape.

[0064] In this embodiment, it is preferable to set the half pitch Pf / 2 to 1 mm to 5 mm. That is, if the half pitch Pf / 2 is too narrow, processing becomes difficult and the pressure loss of the heat exchange medium increases, which is not preferable. Conversely, if the half pitch Pf / 2 is too wide, it becomes easy to deform due to external pressure, which may lead to a decrease in pressure resistance, which is not preferable.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable to set the half pitch Pf / 2 to 0.1 to 10 times the fin height Hf. In other words, it is preferable to establish the relationship 0.1Hf≦Pf / 2≦10Hf. When the fin pitch (half pitch) is set to a specific value in this manner, it is possible to ensure sufficient strength against both internal and external pressures while improving the fluidity of the heat exchange medium, thereby improving operational reliability and heat exchange performance.

[0066] In this embodiment, it is preferable to set the ratio W12 / W11 of the width W12 of the top surface of the convex portion to the width W11 of the bottom surface of the concave portion to be 0.9 to 1.1. In other words, it is preferable to establish the relationship 0.9≦W12 / W11≦1.1. When this relationship is established, the bonding areas of the inner fin 2 to the lower wall 111 and the lower wall 151 become substantially equal, and external pressure and internal pressure can be evenly distributed on both the upper and lower sides and received in a balanced manner, thereby reliably preventing defects such as deformation of the heat exchanger due to external pressure and internal pressure.

[0067] In this embodiment, the fin height Hf of the inner fin 2 is preferably set to 0.1 mm to 50 mm.

[0068] Also, it is preferable to set the fin thickness Tf to 0.1 mm to 2 mm. That is, if the fin thickness Tf is too thin, the strength against external pressure decreases, and if it is too thick, there is a risk of adversely affecting heat transfer and the flow rate of the heat medium.

[0069] Furthermore, in the inner fin 2 of this embodiment, from the viewpoint of manufacturing process, etc., it is preferable to set the outer corner radius (outer radius of curvature) R1 at the corner portion between the top wall of the convex portion (or the bottom wall of the concave portion) and the rising wall to 0.2 mm to 7 mm, and the inner corner radius (inner radius of curvature) R2 to 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0070] The inner fin 2 is accommodated in the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10. In this case, the inner fin 2 is accommodated in the middle portion of the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10, excluding both front and rear ends. Furthermore, the inner fin 2 is arranged so that the direction of the peaks and valleys coincides with the front-rear direction of the tray member 10 (the left-right direction in FIG. 1). As a result, the tunnel portion and the groove portion formed by the peaks and valleys of the inner fin 2 are configured as a heat exchange flow path. The heat exchange flow paths are arranged along the front-rear direction (length direction) of the tray member 10, and a plurality of them are arranged in parallel in the width direction (left-right direction), so that the heat exchange medium (heat medium) can flow smoothly from one end side to the other end side in the front-rear direction of the outer envelope 1 while being evenly distributed through each heat exchange flow path.

[0071] On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a pair of headers 3, 3 arranged at both ends of the envelope 1 are made of molded synthetic resin.

[0072] The resin constituting the header 3 is preferably the same type of resin as that constituting the heat-sealing layers 52, 62 of the outer cover 1 and the inner fin 2. Specifically, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene or modified resins thereof, fluorine-based resins, polyester-based resins, vinyl chloride resins, etc. can be suitably used.

[0073] The header 3 includes a box-shaped mounting box portion 31 having an opening 32 on one side, and a pipe portion 33 provided on the upper wall of the mounting box portion 31. The pipe portion 33 communicates with the inside of the mounting box portion 31, and is configured to allow a heat exchange medium to pass between the inside of the pipe portion 33 and the inside of the mounting box portion 31.

[0074] The mounting box portions 31 of the header 3 are disposed on both sides of the inner fin 2 in the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10. Furthermore, the pipe portions 33 of the header 3 are disposed facing upward, and the openings 32 of the mounting box portions 31 are disposed facing inward, that is, facing the inner fins 2.

[0075] In this way, the headers 3, 3 are housed in the tray member 10, and the cover member 15 is placed on the tray member 10 so as to close the opening. In this case, the upward pipe portions 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 are inserted and placed in the entrance / exit 16 of the cover member 15.

[0076] The heat exchanger temporary assembly thus temporarily assembled is heated, whereby the members in contact with each other are thermally fused and joined together into an integrated unit.

[0077] First, the overlapping portion of the flange 12 of the tray member 10 and the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 15 in the outer envelope 1 is heated while being sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower heat seal dies (outer envelope fusion process). This causes the heat fusion layers 52 between the flange 12 of the tray member 10 and the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 15 to be heat fused (thermally bonded) together, sealing the hollow portion of the outer envelope 1 in an airtight or liquidtight state.

[0078] Next, the middle region (lower wall 111 and upper wall 151) of the outer casing 1 with the outer periphery heat-sealed is heated while being sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower heating plates. As a result, the heat-sealed layers 62 at the peaks and valleys of the inner fin 2 and the heat-sealed layers 52 at the bottom wall 111 of the tray member 10 and the middle region (upper wall) 151 of the cover member 15 are bonded together by heat fusion (thermal adhesion) to form a liquid-tight or airtight seal (fin fusion process). Furthermore, in this fin fusion process, the outer periphery of the mounting box portions 31, 31 of the headers 3, 3 and the heat-sealed layers 52 of the corresponding tray member 10 and cover member 15 are bonded together by heat fusion (thermal adhesion) to form a liquid-tight or airtight seal.

[0079] The heat exchanger thus assembled is arranged so that the pipe sections 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 protrude upward from the upper walls (cover members 15) at both ends of the envelope 1.

[0080] Here, when the heat-sealed portions between the inner fin 2 and the headers 3, 3 and the outer envelope 1 are made of the same type of resin, they can be reliably fixed to each other with sufficient attachment strength.

[0081] In this embodiment, by carrying out the heat fusion treatment (heating treatment) under reduced pressure, strong heat bonding can be performed with high adhesion between the tray member 10 and the cover member 15, and between the tray member 10 and the cover member 15 and the inner fins 2 and the headers 3, 3 in contact with them, and the bonding area can be increased. Therefore, it is preferable to carry out the heat fusion treatment under reduced pressure.

[0082] In this embodiment, the heating temperature (welding temperature) during the heat fusion treatment is preferably set to 140° C. to 250° C., and more preferably to 160° C. to 200° C. Furthermore, the pressure during heat fusion (welding pressure) is preferably set to 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa, and more preferably to 0.15 MPa to 0.4 MPa. Furthermore, the fusion time (welding time) is preferably set to 2 seconds to 10 seconds, and more preferably to 3 seconds to 7 seconds.

[0083] In addition, in this embodiment, the outer body fusion process of heat-sealing the flange portion 12 of the tray member 10 and the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover member 15, and the fin fusion process of heat-sealing the inner fin 2 and the headers 3, 3 to the outer body 1 are performed by separate heat treatments, but this is not limited to this, and in the present invention, the outer body fusion process and the fin fusion process may be performed by the same heat treatment.

[0084] In addition, in this embodiment, during the fusion process, particularly the fin fusion process, a heat-conductive rubber layer is placed on the contact surface between the outer cover 1 and a pair of heating plates that sandwich the lower wall 111 and upper wall 151 of the outer cover 1, thereby ensuring contact between the lower wall 111 and upper wall 151 of the outer cover 1 and the bottom surface of the recess and the top surface of the protrusion of the inner fin 2, and enabling the heat fusion process to be performed with high precision.

[0085] The heat exchanger having the above configuration is used as a cooler (cooling device) that cools a battery or the like as a member to be cooled (a member to be heat exchanged). That is, an inlet pipe for introducing a cooling liquid (cooling water, antifreeze liquid, etc.) as a heat exchange medium (refrigerant) is connected to one pipe section 33 of the heat exchanger, and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling liquid is connected to the other pipe section 33. Furthermore, a battery as a member to be cooled is placed in contact with the lower wall 111 and / or the upper wall 151 of the outer casing 1 of the heat exchanger. In this state, the cooling liquid flows from one pipe section 33 into the inside of the outer casing 1 through one header 3, flows through the inner fin 2, and flows out of the other pipe section 33 through the other header 3. By circulating the cooling liquid through the outer casing 1 in this way, heat is exchanged between the cooling liquid and the battery through the inner fin 2 and the upper and lower walls of the outer casing 1, and the battery is cooled.

[0086] The heat exchanger of this embodiment is not particularly limited in the manner of use, and may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When using one heat exchanger, as described above, the heat exchange target material is brought into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the heat exchanger. When using two heat exchangers, the heat exchange target material is sandwiched between the two heat exchangers. Furthermore, when two or more are used, the heat exchangers and the heat exchange target members can be arranged so as to overlap each other alternately.

[0087] As described above, according to the heat exchanger of the first embodiment, since the inner fins 2 are formed in a rectangular wave shape, a sufficient contact area with the outer envelope 1 can be ensured, improving the heat exchange efficiency between the inner fins 2 and the member to be cooled that is in contact with the outer surface of the outer envelope 1, and achieving high heat exchange performance. Furthermore, since a large contact area between the inner fins 2 and the outer envelope 1 can be ensured, the attachment strength of the inner fins 2 to the outer envelope 1 can be improved, and contact failures and the like can be reliably prevented.

[0088] In addition, since the inner fin 2 is formed in an angular wave shape, a large number of rising walls connecting the bottom wall of the recessed portion and the top wall of the protruding portion are arranged perpendicular to the opposing upper and lower walls 111, 151 of the outer envelope 1. This allows the inner fin 2 to fully function as a reinforcing member, for example, acting to brace against stress in the compressive direction due to external pressure and acting to pull against stress in the expansive direction due to internal pressure, ensuring high strength against both internal and external pressure, preventing deformation and reliably maintaining a stable shape, and further improving operational reliability. In particular, when multiple heat exchangers are used in a stacked manner, sufficient pressure resistance can be ensured, a stable form (shape) can be reliably maintained, and high heat exchange performance can be reliably obtained. Furthermore, since sufficient pressure resistance can be ensured, there is no need to provide a separate reinforcing member, and the number of parts can be reduced accordingly, simplifying the structure and reducing costs.

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, a battery pack consisting of multiple batteries B is placed on the upper surface of the cover member 15 of the heat exchanger, and the total weight of the batteries B constituting the battery pack is placed on the heat exchanger. In this way, this embodiment can provide a heat exchanger in which the heat exchange flow path is not collapsed even when multiple batteries B constituting the battery pack are placed.

[0090] In addition, in the heat exchanger of this embodiment, the position of the inner fins 2 can be regulated by the headers 3, 3, so the inner fins 2 do not swing or flutter due to the flow of the heat exchange medium, and the stagnation of the heat exchange medium caused by such movement can be prevented. This improves the fluidity of the heat exchange medium, and further improves the heat exchange performance.

[0091] Furthermore, according to the heat exchanger of this embodiment, the tray member 10, cover member 15, inner fin 2, and header 3 as components are made of synthetic resin, so that the components can be easily manufactured by simply heat fusing them together appropriately. Therefore, the heat exchanger of this embodiment can reduce costs and improve productivity compared to conventional metal heat exchangers that are manufactured by difficult and troublesome joining processes such as brazing.

[0092] Furthermore, the heat exchanger of this embodiment can achieve further improvement in production efficiency and cost reduction, unlike a case where a troublesome and restrictive metal processing such as metal plastic processing or cutting is used.

[0093] Furthermore, since the heat exchanger of this embodiment is formed by bonding together the tray member 10 and the cover member 15, which are made of a thin laminate sheet (laminate material) L1, it is possible to reliably achieve a sufficiently thin and lightweight structure.

[0094] Furthermore, in the heat exchanger of this embodiment, since the outer cover 1 is the laminate material L1, the shape and size of the heat exchanger itself can be easily changed, and as described above, the thickness, strength, heat exchange performance, etc. can also be easily changed, so that the heat exchanger can be easily finished to an appropriate configuration according to the installation position, etc. of the heat exchanger. This increases the degree of freedom in design and improves versatility.

[0095] <Second embodiment> FIG. 10 shows a heat exchanger of the second embodiment, where FIG. 10(a) is a plan view, FIG. 10(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line BB in FIG. 10(a), and FIG. 10(c) is a front cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line CC in FIG. 10(a).

[0096] As shown in Figure 10, the heat exchanger of the second embodiment comprises an outer body 1, two inner fins (inner core materials) 2 housed inside the outer body 1, a pair (on both sides) of headers (joint members) 3, 3 housed within both ends of the outer body 1, and a resin block 7 parallel to the concave-convex direction of the inner fins 2 and in the center in the width direction (the position sandwiched between the two inner fins 2).

[0097] The outer cover 1 in the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, is composed of a tray member 10 which is rectangular in a planar view and a cover member 15 which is rectangular in a planar view, and like the first embodiment, the tray member 10 and the cover member 15 are also composed of an outer cover laminate material L1 which is a flexible or malleable laminate sheet.

[0098] The outer laminate material L1 of the second embodiment also includes a heat transfer layer 51 made of metal (metal foil), a heat-sealing layer 52 made of a heat-sealable resin film or a heat-sealable resin sheet laminated to one side (inner surface) of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, and a protective layer 53 made of a heat-resistant resin film or a heat-resistant resin sheet laminated to the other side (outer surface) of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive.

[0099] In the second embodiment, the term "foil" is also used to mean a film, a thin plate, and a sheet.

[0100] The heat transfer layer 51 in the second embodiment preferably has a thickness of 30 μm to 300 μm.

[0101] The outer laminate material L1 of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, except that the heat transfer layer 51 has the above-mentioned thickness.

[0102] Other configurations of the outer envelope 1 in the second embodiment are substantially similar to those in the first embodiment, so the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0103] In the second embodiment, two inner fins 2 are housed inside the outer envelope 1.

[0104] The inner fin 2 of the second embodiment is also made of an inner core laminate material L2 which is a laminate sheet having flexibility or pliability.

[0105] The inner core laminate material L2 of the second embodiment also includes a heat transfer layer 61 made of metal foil, and heat fusion layers 62, 62 made of a resin film or resin sheet laminated on both sides of the heat transfer layer 61 via an adhesive.

[0106] The heat transfer layer 61 can be suitably made of copper foil or aluminum foil, and the thickness thereof is preferably 30 μm to 300 μm.

[0107] The thermal adhesive layer 62 is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0108] As a method for forming the uneven portion in the inner core laminate material L2, A method of forming concave-convex portions on the inner core laminate material L2 by passing the inner core laminate material L2 between a pair of embossing rolls or a pair of corrugated rolls while sandwiching the inner core laminate material L2 between the pair of rolls can be used. Alternatively, a method of forming concave-convex portions on the inner core laminate material L2 by using a press machine or a press die can be used.

[0109] Other configurations of the inner fin 2 in the second embodiment are substantially similar to those in the first embodiment, so the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0110] A pair of headers 3, 3 are disposed at both ends of the envelope 1.

[0111] The header 3 of the second embodiment is also made of a molded synthetic resin, and the resin used can be the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0112] Moreover, the header 3 of the second embodiment can be manufactured by injection molding or the like.

[0113] Other configurations of the header 3 in the second embodiment are substantially similar to those in the first embodiment, so the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations are omitted.

[0114] As shown in FIGS. 10(a) to (c), a resin block 7 is disposed inside the outer envelope 1.

[0115] The resin block 7 functions as a reinforcing member against external pressure and internal pressure.

[0116] The resin constituting the resin block 7 is preferably polyethylene, polypropylene-based resin or modified resins thereof, fluorine-based resin, polyester-based resin, vinyl chloride resin, etc. Among them, it is preferable to use block copolymer-based polypropylene.

[0117] It is also preferable that the resin block 7 is made of the same type of resin as that constituting the heat-sealing layer 52 of the outer laminate material L1, because by using the same type of resin in this manner, the resin block 7 and the outer envelope 1 can be reliably fixed with sufficient attachment strength.

[0118] As for the hardness of the resin block 7, it is preferable to use one having a tensile strength of 0.3 Kgf / mm2 to 10 Kgf / mm2. This tensile strength is a value measured in accordance with JIS K 7127.

[0119] In the second embodiment, the resin block 7 is disposed in the center in the width direction of the heat exchanger and parallel to the direction of the uneven portions 25, 26 of the inner fin 2. In the second embodiment, as shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(c), the resin block 7 is sandwiched between the inner fins 2 on both sides, so two inner fins 2 are required.

[0120] In this way, by positioning the resin block 7 in the center of the heat exchanger in the width direction, i.e., by positioning the resin block 7 so that it is sandwiched between two inner fins 2, even if strong external pressure is applied, the resin block 7 is loaded, preventing the inner fins 2 from deforming and impeding the flow of the heat exchange medium.

[0121] Furthermore, by arranging the resin block 7 parallel to the direction of the concave and convex portions 25, 26 of the inner fin 2, it is possible to cool the member to be cooled (the member to be subjected to heat exchange) without blocking the flow of the heat exchange medium.

[0122] In the second embodiment, the resin block 7 is arranged only in the center of the heat exchanger in the width direction, but if the heat exchanger requires further reinforcement, additional resin blocks 7 may be arranged in positions other than the center.

[0123] In addition, the resin block 7 in the second embodiment is formed into a rectangular shape by injection molding or cutting a resin plate, etc., and its length in the front-to-rear direction is the same as that of the inner fin 2, and its length in the width direction is less than half that of the inner fin 2.

[0124] Moreover, the height of the resin block 7 in the second embodiment is configured to be the same as the height of the uneven portions 25, 26 of the inner fin 2. By making the height of the resin block 7 the same as the height of the uneven portions 25, 26 of the inner fin 2 in this way, it is possible to improve the smoothness of the surface of the heat exchanger, and by improving the adhesion with electronic devices and the like, it is possible to improve the heat exchange function.

[0125] Furthermore, the resin block 7 of the second embodiment is integrated with the thermal adhesive layer 52 of the tray member 10 and the cover member 15 by thermal fusion (thermal adhesion). The resin block 7 does not need to be entirely made of resin, and it is sufficient that at least the surfaces to be bonded to the thermal adhesive layer 52 of the tray member 10 and the cover member 15 are made of resin.

[0126] In the second embodiment, the resin block 7 is bonded to the tray member 10 and the heat-sealing layer 52 of the cover member 15 by heat fusion. However, the bonding is not limited to heat fusion and may be performed using, for example, an adhesive or adhesive tape containing a modified polyolefin, acrylic, or epoxy adhesive.

[0127] As described above, according to the heat exchanger of the second embodiment, the resin block 7 is fixed by heat fusion to the heat fusion layer 52 of the outer laminate material L1 (tray member 10 and cover member 15), thereby preventing the heat exchanger from being deformed even when strong pressure is applied from the outside. In addition, by using the same type of resin as that constituting the heat fusion layer 52 of the outer laminate material L1 as the resin block 7, or a resin that adheres strongly, it is possible to prevent the outer envelope 1 from swelling even when internal pressure is generated in the heat exchanger. In addition, by making the width of the resin block 7 1 mm or more, deformation during heat fusion can be prevented.

[0128] Moreover, in the heat exchanger of the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0129] <Third embodiment> FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a heat exchanger of the third embodiment, in which FIG. 11(a) is a plan view, FIG. 11(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line BB in FIG. 11(a), and FIG. 11(c) is a front cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-section along line CC in FIG. 11(a).

[0130] In the third embodiment, the resin block 7 is disposed in the center in the front-rear direction of the heat exchanger (a position sandwiched between two inner fins 2) and perpendicular to the direction of the uneven portions 25, 26 of the inner fin 2. Note that, as shown in Fig. 11(a) , in the third embodiment as well, the resin block 7 is disposed to be sandwiched between the inner fins 2 on the front and rear sides, so that two inner fins 2 are required.

[0131] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11(c), in the third embodiment, a through hole 71 is formed in the resin block .

[0132] In the third embodiment, the resin block 7 is perpendicular to the direction of the concave and convex portions 25 and 26 of the inner fin 2. In other words, the resin block 7 is disposed so as to block the heat exchange flow path, and a through hole 71 is formed in the resin block 7 to ensure a flow path through which the heat exchange medium flows.

[0133] In FIG. 11(c), if the surface area of ​​resin block 7 is S1 and the total surface area of ​​the portion corresponding to through-hole 71 is S2, in the third embodiment, S2 is preferably 30% to 80% of the sum of S1 and S2.

[0134] Other configurations of the heat exchanger of the third embodiment other than those described above are substantially similar to those of the heat exchanger of the second embodiment, so the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0135] As described above, according to the heat exchanger of the third embodiment, since the through holes 71 are formed in the resin block 7, it is possible to cool a member to be cooled (a member to be subjected to heat exchange) without impeding the flow of the heat exchange medium.

[0136] Moreover, in the heat exchanger of the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

[0137] In the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, if the heat exchanger needs further reinforcement, resin blocks 7 may be additionally disposed in positions other than the central portion.

[0138] <Modification> FIG. 6 shows a heat exchanger according to a modified example of the present invention, where FIG. 6(a) is a plan view and FIG. 6(b) is a side sectional view.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 6, the heat exchanger of this modified example includes a bag-shaped outer cover 1 and an inner fin 2 disposed inside the outer cover 1, with inlets and outlets 16, 16 provided at the front and rear ends of the outer cover 1.

[0140] The outer envelope 1 is composed of a pair (two sheets) of outer envelope laminate materials L1, which are rectangular sheet-like outer envelope base materials. The two outer envelope laminate materials L1 are stacked one on top of the other with an inner fin 2 interposed between them, and the heat fusion layers 52 at the outer periphery of the outer envelope laminate materials L1 are joined together by heat fusion (heat sealing) to form the heat exchanger of this modified example.

[0141] In this modification, a joint pipe 33 is provided at the inlets 16, 16 of the outer envelope 1. The joint pipe 33 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the front and rear ends of the two outer envelope laminate materials 1a that constitute the outer envelope 1, and the outer peripheral surface (thermal seal layer) of each joint pipe 33, 33 is integrally joined by thermal fusion to the thermal seal layer 52 of the corresponding outer envelope laminate material L1. In this way, the joint pipes 33, 33 are fixed to the outer envelope 1 at the positions of the inlets 16, 16 of the outer envelope 1, penetrating the front and rear ends of the outer envelope 1.

[0142] In the heat exchanger of this modification, the laminate material L1 constituting the outer envelope 1 and the inner core laminate material L2 constituting the inner fin 2 are made of substantially the same material as the laminate materials L1 and L2 in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5, and the inner fin 2 of the modification is formed in a square wave shape as in the above embodiment. Furthermore, the joint pipe 33 of the modification is made of the same material as the header 3 of the above embodiment.

[0143] In the heat exchanger of this modified example, a pair of opposing intermediate regions of a pair of outer laminate materials L1, in other words, the installation regions of the inner fins 2, form a pair of opposing walls 1a, 1a. has been formed.

[0144] In this heat exchanger, a heat exchange medium such as a cooling liquid is flowed into the outer envelope 1 through one joint pipe 33 and flowed out from the other joint pipe 33, thereby circulating the cooling liquid within the outer envelope 1 and performing heat exchange between the circulating cooling liquid and a heat exchange target material in contact with the outer surface of the outer envelope 1, thereby cooling the heat exchange target material.

[0145] The heat exchanger of this modified example can also provide the same effects as the heat exchanger of the above embodiment. EXAMPLES

[0146] <Example 1> (1) Preparation of outer laminate material L1 An exterior laminate material L1 was produced by bonding a 30 μm thick linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) film to one side (inner surface) of an aluminum foil (thickness 120 μm) containing 1.5% Fe as a heat transfer layer 51 via a urethane-based adhesive (thickness 3 μm), and bonding a 12 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to the other side (outer surface) of the heat transfer layer (aluminum foil) via a urethane-based adhesive (thickness 3 μm).

[0147] (2) Preparation of inner core laminate material L2 A 40 μm thick linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) film was bonded to both sides of a soft aluminum foil (thickness 120 μm) containing 1.0% Fe and 0.18% Si as a heat transfer layer 61 via a urethane-based adhesive (thickness 3 μm) to produce an inner core laminate material L2 with a thickness of 0.2 mm.

[0148] (3) Preparation of Tray Member 10 and Cover Member 15 In accordance with the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, the sheet material obtained by cutting the outer laminate material L1 was subjected to deep drawing molding using a press mold to produce a tray member 11 having a width of 60 mm, a length of 180 mm, a recess 11 with a corner R of 0.2 mm and a depth of 4 mm, and a flange portion 12 with a width of 10 mm formed around the entire circumference of the opening edge of the recess 11.

[0149] The above outer laminate material L1 was cut to produce a sheet-like cover member 15 of a size (80 mm x 200 mm) corresponding to the upper surface of the tray member 11, with an entrance / exit 16 formed corresponding to both sides of the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 11.

[0150] (4) Making the inner fin 2 The above-mentioned inner core laminate material L2 was formed into a corrugated shape by a gear embossing machine with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 7.6 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, a recess bottom wall width W11 and a protrusion top wall width W12 of 4 mm, an outer corner radius R1 of 0.3 mm, and an inner corner radius R2 of 0.1 mm, as shown in Fig. 5, and the corrugated sheet was cut to a length of 120 mm and a width of 60 mm to produce the inner fin 2. The crest and valley directions of the inner fin 2 are arranged along the length direction (vertical direction).

[0151] (5) Making Header 3 As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a header 3 was produced by injection molding HDPE resin material, in which a mounting box 31 with a height of 4 mm, a length of 60 mm, and a width of 30 mm was integrally formed with a pipe section 33 with an inner diameter of φ10 mm, an outer diameter of φ12 mm, and a length of 3 mm.

[0152] (6) Assembly of heat exchanger The headers 3, 3 are attached to both ends of the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10, and the pipe portions 33 are attached to the upper Further, the inner fin 2 is accommodated between the headers 3, 3 in the recessed portion 11.

[0153] Next, the cover member 15 was placed on the tray member 10 so as to close the recessed portion 11 from above. At this time, the pipe portions 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 were inserted into the openings 16, 16 of the cover member 15 and protruded above the cover member 15.

[0154] In this way, a non-jointed heat exchanger mock-up was produced, and the mock-up was subjected to heat sealing (welding process) at 200°C for 6 seconds using upper and lower sealing dies that matched the shape of the mock-up, and the joints between each part in the mock-up were heat-fused (thermally bonded) to produce the heat exchanger of Example 1.

[0155] <Example 2> The inner fin 2 had a corrugated shape with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 4 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, a recess bottom wall width W11 of 2.2 mm, a convex top wall width W12 of 2.2 mm, an outer corner radius R1 of 0.5 mm, and an inner corner radius R2 of 0.3 mm. The heat exchanger of Example 2 was produced in the same manner as the above embodiment.

[0156] <Example 3> The inner fin 2 had a corrugated shape with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 12 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, a recess bottom wall width W11 of 7.2 mm, a convex top wall width W12 of 5.2 mm, an outer corner radius R1 of 1 mm, and an inner corner radius R2 of 0.8 mm. The heat exchanger of Example 3 was produced in the same manner as the above embodiment.

[0157] The heat exchangers of Examples 1 to 3, which are 60 mm wide and 180 mm long, can withstand a load of 12 kg when batteries B, each with a front-rear width of 20 mm and a weight of 2 kg, are placed within a range of a front-rear width of 120 mm on the upper surface of the cover member 15 as shown in Fig. 9, which means that six batteries B are placed thereon. The heat exchangers of Examples 1 to 3 can withstand loads of approximately 50 kg to 60 kg.

[0158] <Example 4> (1) Preparation of outer laminate material L1 An exterior laminate material L1 was produced by bonding a 40 μm thick unoriented polypropylene (CPP) film to one side (inner surface) of an aluminum foil (thickness 120 μm) containing 1.5% Fe as a heat transfer layer 51 via a urethane-based adhesive (thickness 3 μm), and bonding a 12 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to the other side (outer surface) of the heat transfer layer (aluminum foil) via a urethane-based adhesive (thickness 3 μm).

[0159] (2) Preparation of inner core laminate material L2 A 30 μm thick unoriented polypropylene (CPP) film was bonded to both sides of a soft aluminum foil (thickness 120 μm) containing 1.0% Fe and 0.18% Si as a heat transfer layer 61 via a urethane-based adhesive (thickness 3 μm) to produce an inner core laminate material L2 with a thickness of 0.2 mm.

[0160] (3) Preparation of Tray Member 10 and Cover Member 15 In accordance with the above-mentioned second embodiment, the sheet material obtained by cutting the outer laminate material L1 was subjected to deep drawing molding using a press mold to produce a tray member 11 having a width of 65 mm, a length of 180 mm, a recess 11 with a corner R of 0.2 mm and a depth of 4 mm, and a flange portion 12 with a width of 10 mm formed around the entire circumference of the opening edge of the recess 11.

[0161] The outer laminate material L1 is cut to a size (8 A sheet-like cover member 15 measuring 5 mm×200 mm was prepared, in which an entrance / exit port 16 was formed corresponding to both sides of the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 11 .

[0162] (4) Making the inner fin 2 The inner core laminate material L2 was corrugated to form a corrugated shape with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 7.6 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, a recess bottom wall width W11 and a protrusion top wall width W12 of 4 mm, an outer corner radius R1 of 0.3 mm, and an inner corner radius R2 of 0.1 mm, as shown in Fig. 5, and the corrugated sheet was cut to a length of 120 mm and a width of 30 mm to produce two inner fins 2. The peaks and valleys of the inner fins 2 were arranged along the front-to-rear direction.

[0163] (5) Making Header 3 As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a header 3 was produced by injection molding polypropylene resin material, in which a mounting box portion 31 with a height of 4 mm, a length of 65 mm, and a width of 30 mm was integrally formed with a pipe portion 33 with an inner diameter of φ10 mm, an outer diameter of φ12 mm, and a length of 3 mm.

[0164] (6) Preparation of resin block 7 A resin block 7 having a width of 5 mm and a length of 120 mm was produced by cutting out a polypropylene plate having a thickness of 4 mm.

[0165] (7) Assembly of heat exchanger As shown in Fig. 10, headers 3, 3 with polypropylene joint pipes were placed at both ends of the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10 with each pipe portion 33 facing upward. Furthermore, two of the above-mentioned inner fins 2 were placed between the headers 3, 3 in the recessed portion 11, and a polypropylene resin block 7 was placed between these inner fins 2 parallel to the direction of the recessed portions 25, 26 of the inner fins 2.

[0166] Next, the cover member 15 was placed on the tray member 10 so as to close the recessed portion 11 from above. At this time, the pipe portions 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 were inserted into the inlets 16, 16 of the cover member 15 and protruded above the cover member 15.

[0167] In this way, a non-bonded heat exchanger mock-assembly was produced, and then a two-stage heat fusion (thermal bonding) process was carried out on the mock-assembly using upper and lower metal sealing dies (without heat-conductive rubber) that matched the shape of the mock-assembly.

[0168] First, heat sealing (welding process) was performed at 190° C.×0.3 MPa×7 seconds to heat-seal (thermally bond) the heat-sealing layers 52 of the flange portion 12 of the tray member 10 and the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover member 15 to each other.

[0169] Next, heat sealing (welding process) was performed at 200°C x 0.3 MPa x 7 seconds to heat-seal (thermally bond) each joint between the outer casing 1, inner fin 2, header 3 and resin block 7 to produce the heat exchanger of Example 4.

[0170] <Example 5> (1) Preparation of outer laminate material L1 An outer packaging laminate material L1 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0171] (2) Preparation of inner core laminate material L2 An inner core laminate material L2 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0172] (3) Preparation of Tray Member 10 and Cover Member 15 A tray member 10 and a cover member 15 were produced in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0173] (4) Making the inner fin 2 The inner core laminate material L2 was corrugated to form a corrugated shape with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 7.6 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, a recess bottom wall width W11 and a protrusion top wall width W12 of 4 mm, an outer corner radius R1 of 0.3 mm, and an inner corner radius R2 of 0.1 mm, and the corrugated sheet was cut to a length of 57.5 mm and a width of 65 mm to produce two inner fins 2. The peaks and valleys of the inner fins 2 were arranged along the front-rear direction.

[0174] (5) Making Header 3 A header 3 was produced in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0175] (6) Preparation of resin block 7 A resin block 7 with a width of 65 mm and a length of 5 mm was fabricated by cutting out a polypropylene plate with a thickness of 4 mm. Furthermore, through holes 71 with a width of 5 mm and a height of 2 mm were drilled at intervals of 12 mm on the abdominal part of the resin block 7 (the surface intersecting with the heat exchange flow path).

[0176] (7) Assembly of heat exchanger As shown in Fig. 11, headers 3, 3 with polypropylene joint pipes were placed at both ends of the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10 with each pipe portion 33 facing upward. Furthermore, two of the above-mentioned inner fins 2 were placed between the headers 3, 3 in the recessed portion 11, and a polypropylene resin block 7 was placed between these inner fins 2 perpendicular to the direction of the recessed portions 25, 26 of the inner fins 2.

[0177] Next, the cover member 15 was placed on the tray member 10 so as to close the recessed portion 11 from above. At this time, the pipe portions 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 were inserted into the inlets 16, 16 of the cover member 15 and protruded above the cover member 15.

[0178] In this way, a non-bonded heat exchanger mock-up was produced, and then, using upper and lower metal sealing dies (without heat-conductive rubber) that matched the shape of the mock-up, a two-stage heat fusion (thermal bonding) was performed on the mock-up in the same manner as in Example 4, to produce the heat exchanger of Example 5.

[0179] <Comparative Example 1> As shown in FIG. 7, the inner fin used was a wavy fin with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 7.6 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, and an inner surface radius D of 3.5 mm, with a continuous pattern of recesses and protrusions. The heat exchanger of Comparative Example 1 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 above.

[0180] <Comparative Example 2> As shown in Fig. 8, an inner fin 2 was prepared in which triangles and inverted triangles were arranged alternately and continuously. That is, the inner fin used was a deformed wavy fin with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 7.6 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, a recess bottom wall width W11 and a protrusion top wall width W12 of 6.0 mm, and a gap between adjacent protrusion top walls (gap between adjacent recess bottom walls) S of 1.6 mm. The heat exchanger of Comparative Example 2 was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1 above.

[0181] <Comparative Example 3> (1) Preparation of outer laminate material L1 An outer packaging laminate material L1 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0182] (2) Preparation of inner core laminate material L2 An inner core laminate material L2 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0183] (3) Preparation of Tray Member 10 and Cover Member 15 A tray member 10 and a cover member 15 were produced in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0184] (4) Making the inner fin 2 The above-mentioned inner core laminate material L2 was corrugated to form a corrugated shape with a fin height Hf of 4 mm, a fin pitch Pf of 7.6 mm, a fin thickness Tf of 0.2 mm, a recess bottom wall width W11 and a protrusion top wall width W12 of 4 mm, an outer corner radius R1 of 0.3 mm, and an inner corner radius R2 of 0.1 mm, and the corrugated sheet was cut to a length of 120 mm and a width of 65 mm to produce the inner fin 2. The peaks and valleys of the inner fin 2 are arranged along the front-to-rear direction.

[0185] (5) Making Header 3 A header 3 was produced in the same manner as in Example 4.

[0186] (6) Assembly of heat exchanger The headers 3, 3 with polypropylene joint pipes were placed in both ends of the recess 11 of the tray member 10 with the pipes 33 facing upward. Furthermore, the above-mentioned inner fin 2 was placed between the headers 3, 3 in the recess 11.

[0187] Next, the cover member 15 was placed on the tray member 10 so as to close the recessed portion 11 from above. At this time, the pipe portions 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 were inserted into the inlets 16, 16 of the cover member 15 and protruded above the cover member 15.

[0188] In this way, a non-bonded heat exchanger mock-assembly was produced, and then a two-stage heat fusion (thermal bonding) process was carried out on the mock-assembly using upper and lower metal sealing dies (without heat-conductive rubber) that matched the shape of the mock-assembly.

[0189] First, heat sealing (welding process) was performed at 190° C.×0.3 MPa×7 seconds to heat-seal (thermally bond) the heat-sealing layers 52 of the flange portion 12 of the tray member 10 and the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover member 15 to each other.

[0190] Next, heat sealing (welding process) was performed at 200° C.×0.3 MPa×7 seconds to heat-seal (thermally bond) each joint between the outer envelope 1, the inner fin 2 and the header 3, thereby producing the heat exchanger of Comparative Example 3.

[0191] <Internal pressure test>

[0192] [Table 1]

[0193] Twenty heat exchangers of each of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were prepared, and tap water was continuously passed (circulated) through each heat exchanger at a running water pressure of 0.2 MPa for 336 hours (14 days), and each heat exchanger was evaluated for whether peeling occurred in any part of it.

[0194] Specifically, products in which peeling between the outer case 1 and the inner fin 2 occurred in 1 or less out of 20 pieces were rated as passing (△), and products in which peeling between the outer case 1 and the inner fin 2 occurred in 2 or more out of 20 pieces were rated as failing (×). Among the passing products, products in which no peeling occurred at all were rated as extremely good (○). The results are shown in Table 1.

[0195] <External pressure test> A load of 500 kg was applied to the outer cover 1 at a position other than the header 3 using a flat die measuring 50 mm×50 mm, and the degree of crushing was evaluated.

[0196] Specifically, those with a crush height (amount) of less than 0.5 mm were rated as passing (△), and those with a crush height of 1 mm or more were rated as failing (×). Among the passing products, those that were not crushed at all (those with a crush height of "0") were rated as extremely good (○). The results are also shown in Table 1.

[0197] As is clear from Table 1, the heat exchangers of Examples 1 to 3 equipped with rectangular inner fins 2 were evaluated as excellent in terms of both internal and external pressure. In contrast, the heat exchangers of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 equipped with arc-shaped or triangular inner fins were somewhat inferior to the heat exchangers of Examples 1 to 3 in terms of both internal and external pressure.

[0198] [Table 2]

[0199] <Internal pressure resistance test> Three heat exchangers each of Examples 4 and 5 and Comparative Example 3 were prepared, each of which was made up of the components shown in Table 2. Cooling water was passed through each heat exchanger, and the internal pressure was maintained at 1.5 MPa for five minutes, and the presence or absence of peeling (adhesion failure points) between the outer shell 1 and the inner fin 2 of each heat exchanger was observed. For reference, a test was also conducted when the internal pressure was excessively increased to 2 MPa.

[0200] The results were evaluated based on the following internal pressure resistance test evaluation criteria. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

[0201] <Internal pressure resistance test evaluation criteria> "◎" (Very good): No peeling, swelling or other adhesive failure occurred up to an internal pressure of 2 MPa. "○" (Pass): No peeling, blistering or other adhesive failure occurred up to an internal pressure of 1.5 MPa, but when the internal pressure exceeded 1.5 MPa, peeling, blistering or other adhesive failure occurred at less than 2 MPa. "X" (Fail): Internal pressure was less than 2 MPa and peeling, swelling, and other adhesive failure occurred.

[0202] <External pressure resistance test> Three heat exchangers were prepared for each of Examples 4 and 5 and Comparative Example 3, each of which was composed of the components shown in Table 2. An aluminum plate 5 mm thick, 65 mm wide, and 120 mm long was attached to both sides of each heat exchanger, one side was placed on a concrete floor, and a pressure of 5 MPa was applied from the other side and maintained for one minute to check the degree of deformation of each heat exchanger. The external height of each heat exchanger was 4.3 mm.

[0203] The results were evaluated based on the following external pressure resistance test evaluation criteria. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

[0204] <External pressure resistance test evaluation criteria> "◎" (Very good): No deformation up to an external pressure of 5 MPa (no change in heat exchanger height) "○" (Pass): No deformation occurs up to an external pressure of 4.5 MPa, but the height of the heat exchanger decreases by 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm when the external pressure is 5 MPa or less. "X" (Fail): The external pressure was less than 5 MPa and the height of the heat exchanger was reduced by 0.4 mm or more.

[0205] As is clear from Table 2, the heat exchangers of Examples 4 and 5, which are equipped with the resin block 7, were evaluated as excellent in terms of both internal and external pressure. In contrast, the heat exchanger of Comparative Example 3, which does not have the resin block 7, is inferior to the heat exchangers of Examples 4 and 5 in terms of both internal and external pressure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0206] The heat exchanger of this invention can be used as a cooler (cooling device) used primarily to control heat generation around in-vehicle batteries, around the CPUs and batteries of smartphones and personal computers, around the displays of LCD televisions, OLED televisions, and plasma televisions, around automotive power modules, and around batteries, as well as a heater (heating device) used for underfloor heating and snow removal. [Explanation of symbols]

[0207] 1: Outer envelope 1a: A pair of opposing walls 10: Tray material 11: Depression 111: Bottom wall (opposing wall) 15: Cover material 151: Upper wall (opposite wall) 16: Entrance / exit 2: Inner fin 25: Recess 26: Convex 51: Heat transfer layer 52: Heat-sealing layer 61: Heat transfer layer 62: Heat-sealing layer L1: Outer laminate material L2: Inner core laminate material Hf: Fin height Pf: Fin pitch W11: Recess bottom width W12: width of top of convex part

Claims

1. A heat exchanger comprising: an outer envelope having an inlet and an outlet and a pair of opposing walls; and a corrugated inner fin disposed between the pair of opposing walls and having alternating concave and convex portions, wherein a heat exchange medium flowing in from the inlet passes through an inner fin installation portion in the outer envelope and flows out from the outlet, The outer envelope is made of an outer envelope laminate material having a resin heat-sealing layer provided on the inner surface side of a metal heat transfer layer via an adhesive, The inner fin is made of an inner core laminate material having a heat fusion layer provided on both sides of a metal heat transfer layer via an adhesive, the inner fin has a bottom wall of a recess and a top wall of a protrusion disposed parallel to the pair of opposing walls, and a rising wall connecting the bottom wall of the recess and the top wall of the protrusion is formed in an angular waveform perpendicular to the pair of opposing walls, a heat exchanger including: a heat-sealing layer formed on a bottom surface of the recess and a top surface of the protrusion of the inner fin; and a heat-sealing layer formed on each of the pair of opposing walls, the heat-sealing layer being joined by thermal adhesion to the bottom surface of the recess and the top surface of the protrusion of the inner fin.

2. When the width of the bottom surface of the recess of the inner fin is "W11" and the width of the top surface of the protrusion is "W12", 0.9≦W12 / W11≦1.1 The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the following relationship is satisfied:

3. When the fin pitch of the inner fin is "Pf" and the fin height is "Hf", Pf / 2=0.1Hf~10Hf 3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the following relationship is satisfied:

4. A heat exchanger as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outer casing is composed of a tray member having a recess formed in an intermediate region for accommodating the inner fin, and a cover member arranged to cover the recess of the tray member.

5. A heat exchanger as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outer casing is formed by joining and integrating the outer peripheral edges of two sheets of the outer casing laminate material stacked together with the inner fin interposed therebetween.

6. An inner fin for a heat exchanger, the inner fin having an inlet and an outlet, disposed between a pair of opposing walls of an outer casing having the pair of opposing walls, the inner fin configured to allow a heat exchange medium flowing in from the inlet to pass therethrough and flow out from the outlet, It is composed of an inner core laminate material with a metal heat transfer layer and heat fusion layers on both sides of the metal heat transfer layer, the concave portions and the convex portions are alternately and continuously arranged in a wavy shape, the bottom walls of the concave portions and the top walls of the convex portions are arranged parallel to the pair of opposing walls, and a rising wall connecting the bottom walls of the concave portions and the top walls of the convex portions is formed in an angular waveform perpendicular to the pair of opposing walls; the outer envelope is made of an outer envelope laminate material having a resin heat-sealing layer provided on the inner surface side of a metal heat transfer layer via an adhesive; An inner fin for a heat exchanger, characterized in that the heat-sealing layers on the bottom surface of the recess and the top surface of the protrusion are joined to the heat-sealing layers of a pair of opposing walls by thermal adhesion.

Images