Automotive heat exchanger
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A heat exchanger for an air conditioning system, comprising:
- a plurality of generally planar, interconnected plate members folded in a bellows-like manner to form a plurality of tube members through which a fluid can flow;
a plurality of corrugated fin members interposed between adjacent tube members;
a first set of tab members interconnecting adjacent plate members, each tab member of said first set including a single bend zone along which said adjacent plate members bend in a face-to-face relationship to form a tube member; and
a second set of tab members distinctly shaped with respect to said first set of tab members interconnecting adjacent tube members, each tab member of said second set including a first and second bend zones defining an area of predetermined size for receiving one of said plurality of fin members thereinto.
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Abstract
A heat exchanger formed from a plurality of adjacent, contiguous plate members is disclosed. The plate members are joined together by a first and second set of tabs, the tabs being configured to bend at predefined locations. The plates are folded in a bellows-like fashion to form a heat exchanger core. The bend zones provide proper plate-to-plate contact when forming the plate tubes as well as proper fin height spacing between adjacent pairs of plate tubes.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A heat exchanger for an air conditioning system, comprising:
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a plurality of generally planar, interconnected plate members folded in a bellows-like manner to form a plurality of tube members through which a fluid can flow; a plurality of corrugated fin members interposed between adjacent tube members; a first set of tab members interconnecting adjacent plate members, each tab member of said first set including a single bend zone along which said adjacent plate members bend in a face-to-face relationship to form a tube member; and a second set of tab members distinctly shaped with respect to said first set of tab members interconnecting adjacent tube members, each tab member of said second set including a first and second bend zones defining an area of predetermined size for receiving one of said plurality of fin members thereinto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An evaporator for an air conditioning system, comprising:
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a plurality of contiguous plate members joined together by a first and second set of distinctly shaped tab members and folded bellows-like into a plurality of tube members to form an evaporator core; a plurality of fin members interposed between adjacent tube members; said first and second sets of tab members being disposed between adjacent plates in an alternating pattern such that said first set is disposed between a first pair of adjacent plates and said second set is disposed between one of the plates of said first pair and its next adjacent plate. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An evaporator for use in an air conditioning system of an automotive vehicle, comprising:
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a plurality of generally planar, interconnected plate members having a longitudinal axis generally parallel to the flow of fluid over the plate members, the plate members being folded in a bellows-like manner to form a plurality of tube members through which a fluid can flow; a plurality of corrugated fin members interposed between adjacent tube members; a first set of tab members interconnecting adjacent plate members, each tab member of said first set including a single bend zone along which said adjacent plate members bend in a face-to-face relationship to form a tube member, each tab member of said first set of tab members further including a first edge including a single medial recess disposed at a predetermined location thereof and a second edge having a single medial recess disposed opposite said recess along said first edge such that said first bend zone is formed between said medial recesses; and a second set of tab members distinctly shaped with respect to said first set of tab members interconnecting adjacent tube members, each tab member of said second set including a first and second bend zones defining an area of predetermined size for receiving one of said plurality of fin members thereinto, each tab member of said second set of tab members further including a first edge including a pair of spaced recesses disposed at a predetermined location thereof and a second edge having a pair of spaced recesses disposed opposite said recesses along said first edge such that said first and second bend zones are formed between said spaced recesses in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of said plate members, the transverse length of each tab member of said second set being greater than the transverse length of each tab of said first set of tab members.
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Specification