Manifold for heat exchanger and heat exchanger including same

Abstract

A manifold of a heat exchanger comprises: a header configured so that a tube can be inserted; a tank member coupled to the header; and a mounting bracket coupled to the tank member in order to mount the tank member to an external structure. The header includes a plurality of tabs for securing the tank member and the mounting bracket. Some of the tabs are used to secure the tank member, and some of the tabs are used to secure the mounting bracket.

Description

Manifold for heat exchanger and heat exchanger including same

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a manifold for a heat exchanger and a heat exchanger including the manifold for the heat exchanger.

[0002] Typically, a heat exchanger, such as a radiator, includes an inlet and an outlet manifold, and a plurality of tubes fluidly connecting the inlet and outlet manifolds. For example, coolant flows into the inlet manifold through an inlet port provided on the inlet manifold and then through tubes to the outlet manifold. While the coolant flows through the tubes, heat is exchanged with the air passing between the tubes. The cooled coolant flows into the outlet manifold and is then discharged through an outlet port provided on the outlet manifold.

[0003] The manifolds of these heat exchangers are manufactured by assembling several parts, such as fluid ports (inlet ports of the inlet manifold, outlet ports of the outlet manifold) and mounting brackets for vehicle installation, and then brazing them in a continuous furnace. During this process, processes such as spot welding or caulking are typically required to assemble and secure each part in its designated location, which prolongs assembly time and increases costs. In particular, when brazing is performed in a continuous furnace after welding the parts that make up the manifold, thermal stress caused by the welding can occur, causing deformation of the welded portion during brazing, potentially resulting in dimensional defects.

[0004] The matters described in the technical background of this invention are written to enhance understanding of the background of the invention and may include matters that are not already known prior art in the field to which this technology belongs.

[0005] <Prior Art Literature>

[0006] - U.S. Patent Publication No. US10,295,278 (May 21, 2019)

[0007] - U.S. Patent Publication No. US9,982,952 (May 29, 2018)

[0008] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a manifold for a heat exchanger having a short manufacturing time and low manufacturing cost, and a heat exchanger including the manifold.

[0009] In addition, another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a manifold and a heat exchanger of a heat exchanger that can fundamentally prevent deformation of a welded portion that occurs during brazing by not applying welding to fix the parts constituting the manifold of the heat exchanger to each other.

[0010] A manifold of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a header configured to allow a tube to be inserted; a tank member coupled to the header; and a mounting bracket coupled to the tank member for mounting to an external structure. The header comprises a plurality of tabs for securing the tank member and the mounting bracket. Some of the tabs are used to secure the tank member, and some of the tabs are used to secure the mounting bracket.

[0011] The above mounting bracket may include a fixing portion and a fastening portion that extends so as to protrude from the fixing portion and is configured to be fastened to the external structure. The tank member may include a fixing portion on which the fixing portion is fixed. The tab may be formed by clinching while the fixing portion is fixed to the fixing portion, thereby fixing the fixing portion to the fixing portion.

[0012] The above-mentioned mounting portion may be formed in a sunken structure.

[0013] The above-mentioned fixing portion may include a protruding guide formed to protrude, and the fixing portion may include a recessed guide into which the protruding guide is inserted.

[0014] A heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the above-described manifold.

[0015] The above heat exchanger can be formed entirely of aluminum material.

[0016] According to the present invention, a manifold for a heat exchanger having a short manufacturing time and low manufacturing cost and a heat exchanger including the same can be provided.

[0017] In addition, by not applying welding to fix the parts that make up the manifold of the heat exchanger to each other, deformation of the welded part that occurs during brazing can be fundamentally prevented.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part A of Figure 1.

[0020] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 is a front view of one end of an inlet manifold of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ⅰ-Ⅰ of Figure 4.

[0023] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Figure 4.

[0024] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a header of a manifold of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8 is a plan view of the header of the manifold of the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 9 is a perspective view of a portion of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention in which a mounting bracket is mounted.

[0027] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ⅲ-Ⅲ of Figure 9.

[0028] Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a mounting portion of a manifold to which a mounting bracket of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention is coupled.

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the described embodiments.

[0030] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," as used herein, indicate the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The term "coupled" indicates a physical relationship between two components in which the components are directly connected to one another or are indirectly connected through one or more intervening components.

[0031] When describing components of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected, coupled, or connected to the other component, but that another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. The heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a manifold of the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the manifold of the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention may be an inlet manifold or an outlet manifold.

[0034] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the heat exchanger (10) includes an inlet manifold (11) and an outlet manifold (13) that are arranged to face each other. A plurality of tubes (15) fluidly connect the inlet manifold (11) and the outlet manifold (13). The inlet manifold (11) and the outlet manifold (13) may have the same shape and may be arranged to face each other. The inlet manifold (11) includes an inlet port (17) for introducing a target fluid, i.e., a cooling water (F), and the outlet manifold (13) includes an outlet port (19) for discharging the cooling water.

[0035] Coolant flows into the inlet manifold (11) through the inlet port (17), and the fluid in the inlet manifold (11) moves to the outlet manifold (13) through the tube (15) and is then discharged through the outlet port (19). To facilitate understanding, the inlet flow and the discharge flow of the coolant are indicated by the reference numeral 'F' in Fig. 1. In the process of the coolant moving through the tube (15), heat exchange occurs with the air between the tubes (15), and cooling fins (21) may be arranged between the tubes (15) to improve the heat exchange performance.

[0036] The inlet manifold (13) and the outlet manifold (15) may have the same structure and shape, but may be arranged symmetrically as shown in Fig. 1. The structure of the inlet manifold (13) will be described below, and the same may be applied to the outlet manifold (15).

[0037] The inlet manifold (13) is formed to have a tubular structure so as to store the cooling water introduced through the inlet port (17). The inlet manifold (13) may include a tank member (23) and a header (25) that are connected to each other. Similarly, the outlet manifold (15) may include a tank member and a header that are connected to each other.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a tank member (23) and a header (25) are connected to each other to form a space for receiving coolant. The header (25) may include a base (26) and side portions (27) extending approximately vertically from both sides of the base (26). Referring to FIG. 8, a plurality of slots (31) into which one end of a tube (15) is inserted are formed in the base (26) of the header (25). The tank member (23) is connected to the header (25) in a state opposite to the side to which the tube (15) is connected. Separators (33, 34) may be provided at both longitudinal ends of the connected tank member (23) and header (25) to form a fluid seal.

[0039] The header (25) has a mounting groove (35) into which the edge portion of the separator (33, 34) can be inserted, and the tank member (23) is assembled to the header (25) in a state in which the separator (33, 34) is fitted into the mounting groove (35) of the header (25) and the tank member (23) is in contact with the separator (33, 34). At this time, referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the separator (33, 34) has support protrusions (37, 38), and the tank member (23) has insertion grooves (41, 42) into which the support protrusions (37, 38) are inserted. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the tank member (23) and the header (25) are coupled to each other so that the support protrusions (37, 38) are inserted into the insertion holes (41, 42).

[0040] Also, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the settling groove (35) is formed by a pair of protrusions (43, 44) that extend parallel to each other while protruding from the inner surface of the header (25). As shown in FIG. 6, the tank member (23) is assembled to the header (25) with its end supported on the protrusions (43, 44). In this way, since the separator (33, 34) is assembled into the mounting groove (35) of the header (25) and the support protrusions (37, 38) of the separator (33, 34) are inserted into the insertion grooves (41, 42) of the tank member (23) while the tank member (23) comes into contact with the protrusions (43, 44) of the header (25), the header (25), the separator (33, 34) and the tank member (23) can be assembled at an accurate position and insertion depth and can be joined to each other by brazing in this state to implement an accurate design dimension.

[0041] The header (25) may be provided with a tab (45) for assembly with the tank member (23). The tab (45) is formed by protruding from the end of the side portion (28) of the header (25), and may be formed into a state as shown in FIG. 1 or the like by clinching after the tank member (23) is assembled. That is, the tab (45) initially has an unfolded shape so that the tank member (23) can be assembled to the header (25), and is formed into a state as shown in FIG. 1 or the like after the tank member (23) is temporarily assembled. By forming the tab (45) by the clinching process to fix the tank member (23) and the header (25), a separate welding process can be omitted, and thereby the problem of deformation due to thermal stress at the welded portion can be fundamentally eliminated.

[0042] Mounting brackets (51, 52) for mounting the heat exchanger (10) to the vehicle may be provided on the inlet manifold (11) and the outlet manifold (13), respectively. The mounting brackets (51, 52) are formed so that some are fixed to the tank members (23, 28) of the inlet manifold (11) and the outlet manifold (13), respectively, and some are formed so as to protrude outward and be fixed to the structure of the vehicle. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the mounting bracket (51) may include a fixing portion (53) fixed to the tank member (23) of the inlet manifold (11), and a fastening portion (54) protruding and extending from the fixing portion (53). Referring to Fig. 11, the tank member (23) may be provided with a seating portion (65) formed in a sunken structure so that the fixing portion (53) of the mounting bracket (51) can be fixedly connected to the tank member (23) in a state where the fixing portion (53) is fixedly fixed on the seating portion (65). The fixing portion (53) may be fixed by the tab (45) described above. That is, some of the plurality of tabs (45) provided on the header (25) are used to fix the mounting bracket (51). In this regard, in order to stably fix the mounting bracket (51) at a set position, a protruding guide (61) is formed on the seating portion (65), and a corresponding recessed guide (62) is formed on the fixing portion (53) of the mounting bracket (51). In a state where the protruding guide (61) is inserted into the recessed guide (62), the mounting bracket (51) and the inlet manifold (11) can be joined by clinching the tab (45).

[0043] As described above, by performing brazing in a pre-assembled state without welding of the header (23), the tank member (25), the separator (33, 34), the inlet port (17), and the mounting bracket (51), easy and stable joining of these elements can be achieved, and the problem of deformation due to thermal stress generated by welding can be fundamentally eliminated. In this regard, the header (23), the tank member (25), the separator (33, 34), the inlet port (17), and the mounting bracket (51) constituting the heat exchanger can all be formed of aluminum.

[0044] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and includes all changes and modifications that can be easily modified by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains and are recognized as equivalent from the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. In the manifold of the heat exchanger, A header configured so that a tube can be inserted; a tank member coupled to the above header; and A mounting bracket is included that is coupled to the tank member for mounting to an external structure, The above header includes a plurality of tabs for securing the tank member and the mounting bracket, Some of the above tabs are used to secure the tank member, Some of the above tabs are manifolds used to secure the above mounting brackets.

2. In paragraph 1, The above mounting bracket includes a fixing portion and a fastening portion configured to protrude from the fixing portion and be fastened to the external structure, The above tank member includes a mounting portion on which the fixed portion is mounted, The above tab is a manifold that is formed by clinching while the above fixing part is fixed to the above mounting part, thereby fixing the above fixing part to the mounting part.

3. In paragraph 2, The above-mentioned mounting portion is a manifold formed with a sunken structure.

4. In paragraph 3, The above-mentioned mounting portion includes a protruding guide formed to protrude, The above fixed part is a manifold including a recessed guide into which the above protruding guide is inserted.

5. A heat exchanger comprising a manifold according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. In paragraph 5, The above heat exchanger is a heat exchanger formed entirely of aluminum material.

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