Heat exchange – Side-by-side tubular structures or tube sections – With manifold type header or header plate
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-26
2001-01-16
Lazarus, Ira S. (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
Side-by-side tubular structures or tube sections
With manifold type header or header plate
C165S140000, C165S148000, C165S153000, C123S1960AB, C123S041100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173766
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated heat exchanger comprising a radiator adjoining a condenser, and corrugated fins provided in a core formed between the radiator and the condenser and is shared between them.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has recently been developed a so-called integrated heat exchanger comprising a condenser for cooling purposes which is joined to the front surface of the radiator.
FIG. 6
shows an integrated heat exchanger of this type, wherein a condenser
1
is provided in front of a radiator
2
.
The condenser
1
comprises an upper condenser tank
3
which is spaced a given distance away from and is opposite to a lower condenser tank
4
, and a core
5
formed between the upper and lower condenser tanks
3
,
4
. The radiator
2
comprises an upper radiator tank
6
which is spaced a given distance away from and is opposite to a lower radiator tank
7
, and the core
5
formed between the upper and lower radiator tanks
6
,
7
.
In this integrated heat exchanger, tubes
8
for use with the condenser and tubes
8
for use with the radiator are provided in the core
5
. Wide corrugated fins
9
are mounted so as to extend over the tubes
8
by brazing and is shared between the condenser
1
and the radiator
2
.
A cooling water inflow pipe
10
is connected to the upper radiator tank
6
of the radiator
2
, and a cooling water outflow pipe
11
is connected to the lower radiator tank
7
.
Further, a coolant inflow pipe
12
and a coolant outflow pipe
13
are connected to the upper condenser tank
3
of the condenser
1
.
In this integrated heat exchanger, a fluid cooler
14
for cooling an automatic transmission fluid is housed in the lower radiator tank
7
.
This fluid cooler
14
comprises an inner fin
17
sandwiched between an outer cylinder
16
and an inner cylinder
15
. The outer cylinder
16
is connected at one longitudinal end to a fluid inflow pipe
19
via a seat member
18
and is connected at the other longitudinal end to a fluid outflow pipe (not shown) via the seat member
18
.
The fluid inflow pipe
19
and the fluid outflow pipe are respectively inserted into through holes
7
a
formed in the lower radiator tank
7
, and the seat members
18
are caulked onto and brazed to the respective through holes
7
a.
However, since the fluid cooler
14
is additionally housed in the lower radiator tank
7
, the forgoing existing integrated heat exchanger suffers the problem of an increase in the number of components and man-hours required to assemble the heat exchanger.
Further, before the fluid cooler
14
is housed in the lower radiator tank
7
, the inner fin
17
is interposed between the inner cylinder
15
and the outer cylinder
16
. While the seat members
18
are attached to the outer cylinder
16
, these components must be brazed to each other. For these reasons, the integrated heat exchanger suffers another problem of an increase the number of man-hours required to braze the components together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to solve the foregoing problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide an integrated heat exchanger which enables a fluid cooler to be readily and reliably formed.
According to the present invention, there is provided an integrated heat exchanger comprising: a pair of radiator tanks; a pair of condenser tanks respectively adjoining the pair of radiator tanks; a core provided between the pair of radiator tanks and between the pair of condenser tanks so as to be shared between the radiator tanks and the condenser tanks; and a pair of first partitions provided insides of the pair of condenser tanks so as to be opposed to each other and divide insides of the pair of condenser tanks thereby creating a pair of fluid chambers on one side of the respective condenser tanks, whereby a fluid flows through the fluid chambers and the core independently from a coolant flowing through the pair of condenser tanks and the core.
The above integrated heat exchanger preferably includes a fluid inflow pipe and a fluid outflow pipe connected to one of the fluid chambers of the condenser tanks.
Further, the above integrated heat exchanger preferably includes a second partition for dividing one of the fluid chambers into first and second sub-divided fluid chambers, wherein the fluid inflow pipe is connected to the first sub-divided fluid chamber, and the fluid outflow pipe is connected to another sub-divided fluid chamber.
Still further, the second sub-divided fluid chamber is closer to the first partition than the first sub-divided fluid chamber.
In the integrated heat exchanger according to the present invention, the pair of condenser tanks are respectively divided by the first partitions, thereby forming fluid chambers, which will serve as a fluid tank of a fluid cooler, in a part of the condenser tanks.
The fluid inflow and outflow pipes are connected to the fluid chamber, and a part of the core of the condenser is used as the core of the fluid cooler.
Further, the fluid chamber of one of the condenser tanks is further divided into sub-divided fluid chambers by means of the second partition. The fluid inflow pipe is connected to one of the sub-divided fluid chambers, and the fluid outflow pipe is connected to the other sub-divided fluid chamber.
Still further, the fluid outflow pipe through which a cooled fluid flows outside is connected to the fluid chamber formed by the first partition.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1948929 (1934-02-01), MacPherson
patent: 4190105 (1980-02-01), Dankowski
patent: 4947931 (1990-08-01), Vitacco
patent: 5000257 (1991-03-01), Shinmura
patent: 5009262 (1991-04-01), Halstead et al.
patent: 5033540 (1991-07-01), Tategami et al.
patent: 5186244 (1993-02-01), Joshi
patent: 5526873 (1996-06-01), Marsais et al.
patent: 195 09 654 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 0 237 675 (1987-09-01), None
patent: 0 431 917 (1991-06-01), None
patent: 0 789 213 (1997-08-01), None
patent: 1-247990 (1989-10-01), None
Nakamura Katsumi
Sumida Michitake
Calsonic Kansei Corporation
Lazarus Ira S.
McKinnon Terrell
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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