Double heat exchanger for vehicle air conditioner

• US 6,789,613 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Muto, Satomi, Ozaki, Tatsuo, Sakane, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric, Ljiljana
• Application Number:
  US09/620,860
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 165/140, 165/41, 165/135, 165/132
• US Class Current: 165/140
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/187 arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/14 Condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/18 Arrangements or mounting of liquid-to-air heat-exchangers such arrangements on cylinders or cylinder heads F01P3/04; relative to vehicles B60K11/04
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0452 Combination of units extending one behind the other with units extending one beside or one above the other
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/05375 with particular pattern of flow, e.g. change of flow direction F28D1/05391 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0031 Radiators for recooling a coolant of cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0084 Condensers
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0094 for recooling the engine coolant
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2009/004 Common frame elements for multiple cores
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2215/02 Arrangements of fins common to different heat exchange sections, the fins being in contact with different heat exchange media

Abstract

A double heat exchanger for a vehicle air conditioner has a first radiator for cooling engine coolant, a second radiator for cooling electronic-parts coolant for cooling electronic parts of the vehicle and a condenser disposed at an upstream air side of the first and second radiators. The condenser has a condenser core and a cooler through which refrigerant discharged from the condenser core flows. The second radiator is disposed opposite the cooler so that air having passed through the cooler passes through the second radiator. Therefore, a difference between a temperature of air passing through the second radiator and a temperature of electronic-parts coolant flowing through the second radiator is increased, and electronic-parts coolant is sufficiently cooled. As a result, the electronic parts are sufficiently cooled without increasing a size of the second radiator.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger comprising:

a first heat exchanger having a first core portion performing heat exchange between a first fluid flowing through the first heat exchanger and air passing through the first heat exchanger the first heat exchanger being an engine radiator for cooling the first fluid to be introduced into an engine;

a second heat exchanger having a second core portion performing heat exchange between a second fluid flowing through the second heat exchanger and air passing through the second heat exchanger to cool the second fluid, the second heat exchanger being an inverter radiator for cooling the second fluid to be introduced into an inverter;

a third heat exchanger disposed at an upstream air side of the first and second heat exchangers, the third heat exchanger being a condenser having a third core portion for cooling and condensing high temperature refrigerant by performing heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing therethrough and air, the third core portion having a cooling part and a super-cooling part downstream of the cooling part in a refrigerant flow of the third core portion;

a receiver for separating refrigerant from the cooling part into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, the receiver being disposed between the cooling part and the super-cooling part in a refrigerant flow such that the liquid refrigerant is introduced to the super-cooling part, wherein;

the first core portion, the second core portion and the third core portion are disposed in such a manner that the refrigerant flows through the third core portion approximately in parallel with the first fluid flowing through the first core portion and the second fluid flowing through the second core portion;

the first core portion has a core area that is set larger than that of the second core portion;

the cooling part of the third core portion has a core area that is set larger than that of the super-cooling part of the third core portion;

the second core portion is disposed opposite to the super-cooling part of the third core portion;

the first heat exchanger includes a first inlet pipe through which the first fluid from the engine flows into the first core portion and a first outlet pipe through which the first fluid from the first core portion flows out of the first heat exchanger;

the second heat exchanger includes a second inlet pipe through which the second fluid from the inverter flows into the second core portion and a second outlet pipe through which the second fluid from the second core portion flows out of the second heat exchanger; and

the first core portion is disposed opposite to the cooling part of the third core portion.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third heat exchangers are integrally formed.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein:

the first core portion includes a plurality of first tubes through which the first fluid flows, and a plurality of first corrugated fins laminated with the first tubes alternately;

the first heat exchanger further includes a first tank disposed for introducing the first fluid into the first tubes or for collecting the first fluid flowing from the first tubes;

the second core portion includes a plurality of second tubes through which the second fluid flows, and a plurality of second corrugated fins laminated with the second tubes alternately;

the second heat exchanger further includes a second tank disposed for introducing the second fluid into the second tubes or for collecting the second fluid flowing from the second tubes;

the first tank and the second tank are constructed by a tank member integrally and continuously extending in an extending direction, and are separated from each other by a partition member in the tank member; and

the partition member is disposed at a position approximately equal to a boundary defining the super-cooling part of the third heat exchanger in the extending direction.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein:

the first core portion includes a plurality of first tubes through which the first fluid flows, and a plurality of first corrugated fins laminated with the first tubes alternately;

the second core portion includes a plurality of second tubes through which the second fluid flows, and a plurality of second corrugated fins laminated with the second tubes alternately;

each of the cooling part and the super-cooling part of the third core portion includes a plurality of third tubes through which the refrigerant fluid flows, and a plurality of third corrugated fins laminated with the third tubes alternately;

the first tubes and the second tubes are disposed in parallel with the third tubes; and

each of the first tubes and the second tubes has a length approximately equal to that of the third tubes.

5. The heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first heat exchanger has a plurality of first tubes through which the first fluid flows, a first inlet tank disposed at a first flow-path end of the first tubes to distribute the first fluid to each of the first tubes and a first outlet tank disposed at a second flow-path end of the first tubes to collect the first fluid having been heat-exchanged with air therein;

the second heat exchanger has a plurality of second tubes through which the first fluid flows, a second inlet tank disposed at a first flow-path end of the second tubes to distribute the first fluid to each of the second tubes and a second outlet tank disposed at a second flow-path end of the second tubes to collect the first fluid having been heat-exchanged with air therein; and

the first and second heat exchangers are integrally formed through at least one of an integration of the first and second inlet tanks and an integration of the first and second outlet tanks.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the second core portion is disposed opposite to substantially all of the super-cooling part of the third core portion.

7. A heat exchanger comprising:

a first heat exchanger having a first core portion performing heat exchange between a first fluid flowing through the first heat exchanger and air passing through the first heat exchanger to cool the first fluid;

a second heat exchanger having a second core portion performing heat exchange between a second fluid flowing through the second heat exchanger and air passing through the second heat exchanger to cool the second fluid;

a third heat exchanger disposed at an upstream air side of the first and second heat exchangers, the third heat exchanger having a third core portion performing heat exchange between a third fluid flowing through the third heat exchanger and air passing through the third heat exchanger to cool the third fluid, the third heat exchanger having a first section through which the third fluid flows in a first direction and a second section through which the third fluid flows in a second direction, the second direction being opposite to and parallel with the first direction;

wherein

the first heat exchanger is disposed opposite to the first section of the third heat exchanger in an air flow direction and the second heat exchanger is disposed opposite to the second section of the third heat exchanger in the air flow direction; and

the second section has a core area smaller than a core area of the first section.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 7 wherein the third fluid flows from the first section to the second section.