Modular Cooling Assembly With Pivoted Heat Exchanger Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling assemblies in motor vehicles face challenges in reducing production costs and weight while maintaining thermal performance, as current solutions primarily focus on reducing the size of individual components without addressing cost and weight reduction effectively.
Innovation Solution
A cooling assembly design that integrates multiple heat exchangers with innovative fixation methods, including pivoting and parallel alignment, using U-shaped and L-shaped supports, clips, and tensioners to ensure efficient assembly and alignment of heat exchangers, thereby reducing material usage and production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of heat exchangers is reduced to improve packaging, then packaging efficiency is improved, but thermal performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling assembly is divided into multiple modular heat exchangers (first heat exchanger, second heat exchanger, third heat exchanger) that can be independently designed and optimized. Each heat exchanger maintains its own manifold-tube structure, allowing individual size optimization while collectively achieving compact packaging through modular arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs three-dimensional spatial arrangement of heat exchangers with different orientations. The first heat exchanger has tubes perpendicular to manifolds in one plane, while the second heat exchanger rotates around the manifold axis to achieve parallel planes, and the third heat exchanger extends perpendicular to the common plane, utilizing multiple spatial dimensions to pack heat exchangers efficiently without compromising individual thermal performance.
2Ease of manufacture
If synthetic materials are used for heat exchanger components to reduce production cost, then production cost is reduced, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges metal components (manifolds and tubes for heat exchange) with synthetic components (supports, clips, tensioners for assembly and sealing) in a hybrid construction. The metal parts handle thermal exchange where performance is critical, while synthetic parts provide cost-effective structural support and assembly functions, achieving optimal balance between cost and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The synthetic components (U-shaped supports, L-shaped supports, clips, tensioners) serve multiple functions: structural support, alignment guidance, mechanical fastening, and sealing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, lowering overall material usage and weight while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
3Volume of moving object
If multiple heat exchangers are assembled closely to reduce dimensions, then overall dimensions are reduced, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pre-designed alignment features (U-shaped supports, L-shaped supports, guides) and fastening mechanisms (clips, tensioners) into the heat exchanger assembly structure before final assembly. These preliminary actions establish precise geometric relationships between heat exchangers and pre-position critical components, significantly simplifying the final assembly process despite the close proximity of multiple heat exchangers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components (U-shaped supports, L-shaped supports, tensioners) that mediate between the heat exchangers during assembly. These intermediaries provide standardized connection interfaces and alignment references, enabling systematic assembly of multiple heat exchangers in close proximity without direct complex interconnections between each component pair.
4Weight of moving object
If material usage is reduced to decrease weight, then weight is reduced, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties and thicknesses to different parts of the assembly based on local requirements. Metal manifolds and tubes use sufficient thickness for thermal performance and pressure containment, while synthetic supports and clips are optimized locally for mechanical strength where needed and reduced where only light structural support is required, achieving weight reduction without compromising overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling assembly employs composite construction combining metal materials (for heat exchange components requiring thermal conductivity and pressure resistance) with synthetic materials (for structural supports requiring corrosion resistance and manufacturing efficiency). This composite approach optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio by selecting materials with appropriate properties for each specific application within the assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed assembly method enhances feasibility, reduces production costs, and minimizes weight, contributing to improved thermal performance and reduced environmental impact by using fewer materials, thus lowering fuel consumption and emissions.
Implementation Method 1
the second heat exchanger is adapted to be fixed to the first heat exchanger at least by pivoting thereof around an axis of elongation of the second manifold until the general plane of the second heat exchanger is parallel to the general plane of the first heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
the third heat exchanger is adapted to be fixed to the first heat exchanger along the axis perpendicular to the general planes of the heat exchangers by at least pushing the third heat exchanger towards the first heat exchanger so that the planes remain parallel with respect to each other during and after fixing one heat exchanger to the other
Implementation Method 3
The invention relates to a cooling assembly. In particular, the invention relates to the cooling assembly for a motor vehicle... heat exchangers in motor vehicles are usually responsible for thermal management of the powertrain, the air conditioning system, the power steering system
Implementation Method 4
The sub-components responsible for heat exchange, such as the heat exchanger core comprising tubes assembled with the headers
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling assembly configured to provide a heat exchange between the fluids comprising: at least one first heat exchanger comprising a pair of first manifolds comprising an axis of elongation of the first manifolds, and a plurality of first tubes stacked between the first manifolds, each first tube comprising an axis of elongation of the first tubes which is substantially perpendicular to axis of elongation of the first manifolds. The axes form the general plane of the first heat exchanger, at least one second heat exchanger comprising a pair of second manifolds comprising an axis of elongation of the second manifolds, and a plurality of second tubes stacked between the second manifolds, each second tube comprising an axis of elongation of the second tubes which is substantially perpendicular to axis of elongation of the second manifolds.