heat exchanger

Abstract

To appropriately mount a heat exchanger to a mounted place, such as a car body even if a positional relationship of a number of aligned tubes or the like is maintained by bringing a restraint tool into contact with the outside of a side plate when collectively brazing the heat exchanger made of an aluminum material.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger includes: multiple tubes through the interior of which a heat medium flows; a pair of headers extending along a lamination direction of the multiple tubes and each connected to either end of the tubes; and side plates that are provided at both ends in the lamination direction of the multiple tubes while the ends are connected to the headers. The side plates each have a clamping part clamped to a clamped member while being separated from a connection place to the corresponding header by a predetermined distance, the clamping part has a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole for inserting a clamping tool along the longitudinal direction of the side plate, and the second insertion hole has a larger diameter than the first insertion hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, heat exchangers made of aluminum (including aluminum alloys) have been known for use in vehicle air conditioning systems. This heat exchanger has a pair of hollow headers connected in communication to both ends of a plurality of tubes arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, corrugated fins arranged between the tubes and on the outside of the outermost tube, side plates arranged on the outside of the outermost corrugated fins to protect the fins, and connecting pipes connected in communication to the hollow headers as appropriate, which serve as inlets and outlets for a heat medium (including a refrigerant).

[0003] In this type of heat exchanger, the aforementioned tubes, headers, corrugated fins, side plates, etc. are all made of aluminum, and the entire assembly is placed in an electric furnace and brazed together to join the various parts.

[0004] This heat exchanger must be attached to the vehicle body or the like with each part joined by brazing, and for this purpose, an attachment bracket is fixed to the side plate or the like of the heat exchanger. In this case, the bracket is temporarily fixed to the side plate or the like by brazing during the aforementioned collective brazing, and then fasteners (bolts) are inserted into the screw holes in the side plate and the elongated holes in the bracket to fasten and fix them (see Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-79788 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When assembling and brazing the various parts of a heat exchanger, any misalignment in the assembly makes it impossible to produce a quality product. In particular, when corrugated fins are arranged between multiple flat tubes, it is difficult to place the entire unit in an electric furnace while maintaining the relative positions of all the tubes and corrugated fins, as the tubes and corrugated fins are arranged in parallel in large numbers.

[0007] For this reason, a restraining jig made of a metal material (such as stainless steel) that cannot be brazed to aluminum is placed against the outside of both side plates, and the restraining jig sandwiches both side plates and the many tubes and corrugated fins placed between them, and they are brazed all at once while maintaining their relative positions.This makes it possible to place the entire assembly of the many parallel-arranged tubes and corrugated fins in an electric furnace while maintaining their relative positions, thereby increasing the yield of non-defective products.

[0008] However, when using such a restraining jig, due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the metal material of the restraining jig and the aluminum material of the heat exchanger, it was confirmed that bending of the side plate occurs at the boundary between the part of the side plate that is restrained by the restraining jig and the part that is not restrained. When such bending occurs in the side plate, the bracket temporarily fixed to the side plate becomes tilted, causing the problem of not being able to properly attach the heat exchanger to the attachment location on the vehicle body, etc.

[0009] The present invention addresses this problem by making it possible to properly attach a heat exchanger to a mounting location on a vehicle body, etc., even when a restraining jig is placed on the outside of the side plate to maintain the positional relationship of a large number of parallel-arranged tubes, etc., when brazing an aluminum heat exchanger in one step. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve such problems, the heat exchanger of the present invention has the following configuration. a heat exchanger comprising: a plurality of tubes through which a heat medium flows; a pair of headers extending along the stacking direction of the plurality of tubes and connected to both ends of the tubes; and side plates provided at both ends of the plurality of tubes in the stacking direction, the ends of which are connected to the headers; wherein the side plates have fastening portions for fastening to fastened members at a set distance from the connection point with the headers, the fastening portions having first and second insertion holes along the longitudinal direction of the side plates, for inserting fasteners, and the second insertion hole has a longer diameter than the first insertion hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] A heat exchanger with these characteristics can be properly attached to the mounting location on a vehicle body, etc., even when brazing an aluminum heat exchanger together by abutting a restraining jig against the outside of the side plate to maintain the positional relationship of multiple parallel-arranged tubes, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the heat exchanger before bulk brazing in a state where it is restrained by a restraining device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a side plate in a state deformed by bulk brazing. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a fastening portion in a side plate. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a fastening portion in a side plate. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a fastened member (bracket) is fastened to the fastening portion of the side plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts with the same function, and duplicated explanations in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate. In the drawings, the X and Y directions indicate directions perpendicular to each other on a plane.

[0014] Figure 1 shows the assembled state of the heat exchanger before bulk brazing. The heat exchanger 1 includes tubes 10, headers 11, and side plates 12. Corrugated fins 13 are arranged between the stacked tubes 10 and between the tubes 10 at both ends and the side plates 12. All of these components that make up the heat exchanger 1 are made of aluminum.

[0015] The heat exchanger 1 is, for example, an outdoor heat exchanger used in a heat pump of a vehicle air conditioner, through which a refrigerant as a heat medium passes, and functions as a heat absorber during heating of the vehicle air conditioner and as a heat radiator during cooling. However, this is just one example, and the heat exchanger 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be used for various purposes in vehicle air conditioners.

[0016] The tubes 10 of the heat exchanger 1 extend along the Y direction in the drawing, and are stacked in multiple layers along the X direction in the drawing, with one end of each connected to one of a pair of headers 11 and the other end connected to the other of the pair of headers 11. The tubes 10 are, for example, flat tubes, and the inside of the tubes 10 is divided into multiple chambers.

[0017] The headers 11 of the heat exchanger 1 extend along the stacking direction (X direction in the figure) of the multiple tubes 10. Connections with the multiple tubes 10 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the headers 11. The heat medium distributed to the multiple tubes 10 through one header 11 flows inside the tubes 10 and is collected in the other header 11.

[0018] The side plates 12 of the heat exchanger 1 are provided at both ends of the stacking direction (X direction in the figure) of the multiple tubes 10 and are arranged along the extending direction (Y direction in the figure) of the tubes 10. One end of the side plate 12 is connected to one of the pair of headers 11, and the other end is connected to the other of the pair of headers 11.

[0019] In this type of heat exchanger 1, the vertical members H1 of the restraining jig H made of stainless steel are abutted against the outside of the pair of side plates 12, and horizontal members H2 are provided in a direction perpendicular to the pair of vertical members H1, thereby sandwiching the side plates 12 and the numerous tubes 10 and corrugated fins 13 arranged between them, and performing collective brazing while maintaining their relative positions. This makes it possible to place the entire assembly into an electric furnace while maintaining the relative positions of the numerous parallel-arranged tubes 10 and corrugated fins 13, thereby increasing the yield of non-defective products in the manufacture of heat exchangers 1.

[0020] It has been confirmed that when the heat exchanger 1 is brazed en bloc while being restrained by restraining jig H as shown in Figure 1, the difference in the linear expansion coefficient between the stainless steel restraining jig H and the aluminum heat exchanger 1 causes bending deformation in the side plate 12 as shown in Figure 2. This bending deformation occurs when the boundary T between the part of the side plate 12 that is restrained by restraining jig H and the part that is not restrained becomes a bent part, and the connection point P between the side plate 12 and the header 11 becomes the center of deformation, causing the part of the side plate 12 that is not restrained by the restraining jig H to tilt in the Y direction in the figure.

[0021] 2 shows the relationship between the header 11 and the side plates 12, and omits the illustration of the tubes 10 and the corrugated fins 13. Similarly, in FIGS. 3 to 5 described below, the relationship between the header 11 and the side plates 12 is shown, omitting the illustration of the tubes 10 and the corrugated fins 13.

[0022] In contrast, the side plate 12 has a fastening portion 20 at a set distance from the connection point P with the header 11, which fastens to a fastened member J (for example, a mounting bracket or a part of the vehicle body to be mounted). This fastening portion 20 has a first insertion hole 21 corresponding to the mounting hole J1 of the fastened member J and a second insertion hole 22 corresponding to the mounting hole J2 of the fastened member J, along the longitudinal direction of the side plate 12. By aligning the first insertion hole 21 with the mounting hole J1 and the second mounting hole 22 with the mounting hole J2 and inserting fasteners such as bolts into these, the heat exchanger 1 is fastened and fixed to the mounting location on the vehicle body.

[0023] Here, the first insertion hole 21 and the second insertion hole 22 provided in the fastening portion 20 should have as small a diameter as possible within the range that allows the fastener to be inserted, in order to achieve a stable fastening state. However, if the bending deformation of the side plate 12 described above is not taken into consideration, the positional relationship of the first insertion hole 21 and the second insertion hole 22 will be inclined as shown by line L1 with respect to the reference line L0 along the Y direction in the figure, and it will be impossible to fasten the fastened member J in the appropriate direction (X direction in the figure).

[0024] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the second insertion hole 22 is made longer in diameter than the first insertion hole 21 to the minimum extent necessary, thereby ensuring a stable fastening state while absorbing bending deformation of the side plate 12 and enabling the fastened member J to be fastened in the appropriate direction.

[0025] That is, the bending deformation after bulk brazing occurs such that the boundary T between the part of the side plate 12 that is restrained by the restraining jig H and the part that is not restrained becomes the bend, and the connection point P between the side plate 12 and the header 11 becomes the center of deformation, and the part of the side plate 12 that is not restrained by the restraining jig H (i.e., the fastening part 20) becomes inclined relative to the Y direction in the figure.Taking this into consideration, the first insertion hole 21 is used as a reference hole and the second insertion hole 22 is used as an adjustment long hole, and the direction of the second insertion hole 22 is specified so that the angle can be adjusted to match the inclination of the fastening part 20.

[0026] More specifically, the dimension of the second insertion hole 22, which is farther from the connection point P than the first insertion hole 21, in the stacking direction of the multiple tubes 10 (X direction in the figure) is made larger than the diameter of the first insertion hole 21.

[0027] As one example, as shown in Fig. 3, the second insertion hole 22 is inclined in the circumferential direction of an arc whose radius is the distance R1 from the connection point P and whose center is the connection point P. Specifically, as shown in the second insertion hole 22' indicated by the dashed dotted line in the figure, the deformation amount of the fastening portion 20 is calculated backward and the second insertion hole 22 is inclined in the circumferential direction of an arc whose radius is the distance R1 so that the hole direction after the inclined deformation of the fastening portion 20 faces the X direction in the figure. As another example, as shown in Fig. 4, the second insertion hole 22 is formed as an elongated hole that follows an arc whose radius is the distance R1 from the connection point P and whose center is the connection point P.

[0028] In each example, of the first insertion hole 21 and second insertion hole 22 provided in the fastening part 20, the first insertion hole 21 closer to the connection point P is made into a round hole as a reference hole. This is because the first insertion hole 21 closer to the connection point P is less affected by the inclination of the fastening part 20, and by making the first insertion hole 21 a round hole, it is possible to maintain the dimensional accuracy after attachment to the attachment point within an appropriate range and to increase the stability of the fastened state.

[0029] In this way, by specifying the direction of the second insertion hole 22, which serves as an adjustable elongated hole, according to the inclination of the fastening portion 20 due to the lump-brazing, even if the hole diameter of the second insertion hole 22 is limited within a range in which a stable fastening state is obtained, as shown in Figure 5, the fastener N can be inserted into the first insertion hole 21 and the second insertion hole 22 and the fastened member J can be fastened in the appropriate direction (the X direction shown) with respect to the inclination of the fastening portion 20 after brazing.

[0030] As described above, in the heat exchanger 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, multiple tubes and multiple corrugated fins are sandwiched between the two side plates 12 using the restraining device H and brazed together, which reduces connection failures and increases the yield of non-defective products. Furthermore, even if the fastening portion 20 of the side plate 12 is deformed and tilted during the brazing process, the second insertion hole 22 of the fastening portion 20 is elongated so as to face in a direction that absorbs the deformation angle. This reduces the likelihood of dimensional defects due to deformation, and allows the heat exchanger 1 to be properly attached to the vehicle body. In this case, the first insertion hole 21, which is close to the connection point P between the side plate 12 and the header 11, is round, and the second insertion hole 22, which is farther from the connection point P, is elongated. This allows for a stable fastening state while maintaining dimensional accuracy.

[0031] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in their purposes, configurations, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1: Heat exchanger, 10: Tube, 11: Header, 12: Side plate, 13: Corrugated fin, 20: Fastening portion, first insertion hole 21, second insertion hole 22, H: restraint, H1: vertical member, H2: horizontal member, J: Fastened part (bracket), J1, J2: Mounting holes, P: Connection point, T: Boundary, N: Fastener

Claims

1. A heat exchanger comprising: a plurality of tubes through which a heat medium flows; a pair of headers extending along a stacking direction of the plurality of tubes and connected to both ends of the tubes; and side plates provided at both ends of the plurality of tubes in the stacking direction, the ends of the side plates being connected to the headers, The side plate has a fastening portion for fastening to a fastened member at a set distance from a connection point with the header, The fastening portion includes a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole for inserting a fastener along the longitudinal direction of the side plate, The heat exchanger is characterized in that the second insertion hole is an adjustable elongated hole determined according to the inclination of the fastening portion during bulk brazing, and has a longer diameter than the first insertion hole.

2. 2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the second insertion hole is farther from the connection point than the first insertion hole, and the dimension in the stacking direction of the plurality of tubes is larger than the diameter of the first insertion hole.

3. 3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the second insertion hole is inclined in a circumferential direction of an arc having a radius equal to a distance from the connection point and a center at the connection point.

4. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second insertion hole is an elongated hole along an arc with the distance from the connection point as its radius and the connection point as its center.

5. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the tubes, the headers, and the side plates, which are made of aluminum material, are formed by brazing them together while the pair of side plates are restrained by restraining devices.

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