Universal Collar Mounting for Vehicle Heat Exchangers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for mounting heat exchangers on vehicle radiators are structurally complex and require specific adaptations, making them costly and difficult to implement across different vehicle types, including internal combustion engine and hybrid vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A junction member with axis bearings and shoulders is used to securely attach auxiliary heat exchangers to the main radiator, allowing for parallel arrangement and easy installation without modifying the existing radiator structure, and additional features like flexible strips and elastically deformable members facilitate the mounting process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing mounting methods for heat exchangers are used, then the heat exchanger can be mounted on the radiator, but the mounting structure becomes complex and requires specific adaptations for different vehicle types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single standardized mounting structure (collars with shaft bearing surfaces) that can accommodate different types of heat exchangers (condensers with desiccant reservoirs, evaporative condensers without tanks, and heat exchangers for hybrid vehicles) on both internal combustion engine and hybrid vehicles. This eliminates the need for vehicle-type-specific mounting adaptations while maintaining reliable attachment through the universal collar-and-shaft bearing interface.
2Reliability
If existing mounting methods with clamps and reservoirs are used, then the heat exchanger can be secured, but the mounting process becomes difficult to implement across different vehicle types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves versatility across vehicle types by replacing vehicle-specific mounting adaptations with a universal collar system. The collars are standardized components with shaft bearing surfaces that interface with corresponding shafts on various heat exchanger types, allowing the same mounting structure to be used on internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and with different heat exchanger configurations without requiring vehicle-type-specific modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the mounting system into separate, modular components: collars attached to the radiator, shafts on the heat exchangers, and the interface between them. This modular segmentation allows each component to be independently designed and standardized, facilitating easy assembly and disassembly while maintaining secure attachment across different vehicle applications.
3Reliability
If specialized mounting brackets are used for heat exchangers without receiver driers, then the heat exchanger can be mounted, but the mounting device becomes structurally complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for specialized mounting brackets by implementing a universal collar system that accommodates all heat exchanger types through a single standardized interface. The collars with shaft bearing surfaces provide stable mounting for heat exchangers with or without receiver driers, evaporative condensers, and other variations, thereby reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need to produce multiple specialized bracket designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by replicating the standardized collar design across all mounting positions and vehicle types. Instead of creating unique mounting structures for each heat exchanger configuration, the same collar template is copied and applied universally, simplifying manufacturing while ensuring consistent mounting stability across all applications.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a thermal module (1) for a motor vehicle, comprising a main radiator (2) and at least one auxiliary heat exchanger (3, 4) mounted on the main radiator (2) via a connection member (13) inserted between the main radiator (2) and at least a first auxiliary heat exchanger (3). The connection member (13) consists mainly of at least two shaft bearings (14, 15) secured to the first auxiliary heat exchanger (3) and respectively nested inside open flanges (16, 17) provided at one of the lateral sides (7, 8) of the main radiator (2). The connection member (13) carries, secondarily, a plurality of auxiliary heat exchangers (3, 4) secured to one another in a stepped series, thus forming a thermal sub-module mounted on the main radiator (2) via the connection member (13).