Refrigeration – Refrigeration producer – Evaporator – e.g. – heat exchanger
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-06
2001-03-13
McDermott, Corrine (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Refrigeration producer
Evaporator, e.g., heat exchanger
C062S527000, C165S153000, C165S174000, C165SDIG004
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199401
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a distributing/collecting case (or tank or header) of aluminum or an aluminum alloy of an at least double-flow brazed evaporator of a motor vehicle air conditioning equipment with the features of the preamble of claim
1
. Such a case is known from the DE-C1-195 15 526 (in particular FIG. 4).
The term distributing/collecting case is to include the three application possibilities of a case (or tank or header), namely either, in case of an even number of the flows, to be provided only at one respective end of the heat exchange tubes of the evaporator with an inlet and an outlet function, or, in case of an uneven number of flows, to concern the case on the inlet and/or on the outlet side, and finally in both mentioned cases to be able to accomplish an additional distribution function to individual heat exchange tubes or groups thereof as a case on the inlet side.
Moreover, the invention concerns especially the design of such a case in a multipart embodiment with a bottom and a cap, which, however, in contrast to the otherwise usual construction, are terminated by at least one separate end piece at least on one front side. In this case, the refrigerant inlet is provided at at least one case wall, in the mentioned known case at the cap of the case.
The design of at least one separate end piece offers a greater liberty concerning the design and in particular the manufacture of tube bottom and cap from a solder-coated or braze-coated sheet metal of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, if the tube bottom and the cap have a constant external cross-section between the case walls on the front side in the longitudinal extension direction and thus also have a constant external cross-section of the case in the longitudinal extension direction, one can carry out the prefabrication of tube bottom and cap invariantly with respect to the case length by cutting off sections from the prefabricated longitudinal profiles of cap and tube bottom, as required. This is already interesting if during prefabrication a case wall for the front side is additionally prefabricated, as then the cutting off can be effected at the other end. Of particular interest and particularly material-saving is a prefabrication as an endless billet made by an arbitrary fabrication technology, the parts of which are supplemented by end pieces at both front sides, no matter how long the parts are. This is not only true for a continuous extrusion but in particular for other continuous designs of an undefined length, as they e.g result from rolling sheet metal parts, which is preferred in connection with the invention. This particularly enables the processing of sheet metals pre-coated with solder or braze.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object underlying the invention is to further improve the design of a distributor/header case of the mentioned type of construction with respect to manufacture and function.
This object is solved in a case with the features of the preamble of claim
1
by the characterizing features thereof.
The end piece which is in this case only necessary at one front side of the case is now a multi-function piece having the following functions:
it is the only end piece on the front side in contrast to the mentioned prior art of the DE-C1-195 15 526, where at one front side of the case several end pieces are provided;
feeding the refrigerant inlet as well as the refrigerant outlet through this one end piece on the front side;
further development as link (or joining piece or connecting piece) for the two lines extending externally and optionally also for one line continued internally, the latter in case of an injection pipe projecting to the inside, which can serve as a direct injection pipe;
as a result saving separate connection means.
If the refrigerant is not distributed to the individual heat exchange tubes within a case on the inlet side by means of correspondingly dimensioned throttles in the course of a so-called direct injection (cf. DE-A1-195 15 527, in particular FIGS. 6 and 7), conventionally a separate injection valve, now conventionally designed as a thermostatically controlled block valve, is connected to the refrigerant inlet of the case on the inlet side of an evaporator via a supply line. Such a supply line, however, requires its own material and space, has to be separately manufactured and stocked up and causes segregation effects between the liquid and the gaseous phase of the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator, if the distance between the injection valve and the case is relatively long or the supply line even has a bent course, which generally reduces the efficiency and, in particular if the case further comprises a distributor means of the refrigerant to individual heat exchange tubes or groups thereof, causes distribution disturbances with respect to the desired optimal refrigerant allocation with a constant proportion of liquid and gaseous phase.
These functional difficulties are eliminated according to the solution of the invention according to claim
1
.
Claim
1
provides a direct connection of the injection valve to the end piece, which is so direct that no segregation difficulties of the kind mentioned above arise anymore. Here, commercially available injection valves and conventional types of connection thereof can be applied.
Moreover, the manufacture and the design by combining longitudinal profiles cut at an arbitrary length and being made according to an arbitrary manufacture technology is rendered easier with the prefabricated multifunctional end piece applicable for various lengths.
Here, furthermore a thermostatically controlled block valve (cf. claim
2
) can control the operation of the evaporator, measuring the temperature and in most cases also the pressure of the refrigerant exiting the evaporator, as the refrigerant inlet as well as the refrigerant outlet extend through the same end piece.
As already mentioned, the supply lines to the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator require their own space, which is critical in particular in motor vehicle air conditioning equipment. The solution according to the invention in accordance with claim
4
at least partially saves a separate assembly space for the supply line. This space-saving effect can also be extended to an injection valve inserted in front of the evaporator in the sense of claim
5
. In particular by this measure, furthermore the advantageous combination possibility of the idea of the invention according to claim
6
with the idea of the invention according to claims
1
or
2
becomes clear.
The further subclaims concern preferred further designs of the embodiment according to claim
4
. Here, the claims
12
and
13
concern products of manufacturing techniques for the end pieces, which have not been common in the past in this context. The design of the end piece as diecast or injection moulded piece according to claims
14
and
15
with an integrated inclusion of a chamber subdivision of the case and preferably also of distribution ducts consequently continues the integration idea according to claim
4
.
It is just when the end piece according to claim
12
is an extruded part or according to claim
13
is designed as diecast or injection moulded piece (used as synonyms within the scope of the invention), that in a preferred manner the tube bottom and/or cap can be continued to be shaped of solder-coated or braze-coated sheet metal in the conventional manner, wherein in case of the material aluminum or aluminum alloy employed herein, the braze only has to be applied to the precoated sheet metal.
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patent: 5701760 (1997-12-01), Torigoe et al.
patent: 5901785 (1999-05-01), Chiba et al.
patent: WO 94-14021 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 9420-659 (1995-02-01), None
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patent: 0-029-859 (1989-08-01), N
McDermott Corrine
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
Norman Marc
Valeo Klimatechnik GmbH & Co. KG
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