Assembly for collecting and removing leaked refrigerant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059169-B2
Application number	US-201715593659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2017
Priority date	Jun 6, 2016
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

An assembly for collecting and removing leaked refrigerant, in particular from an evaporator of an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle and/or from a periphery, provided for the refrigerant, of the evaporator with a housing part for the air-tight surrounding of at least one refrigerant connection and/or at least one section of a refrigerant line, and with a connection element, whereby the attachment element has at least one first attachment opening and a second attachment opening, whereby the first connection opening is fluidically connected to the housing part by a channel element and the second connection opening can be fluidically connected to an outlet channel opening into the surroundings such that the refrigerant leaked within the housing part can be fed into the first channel element and can be discharged into the surroundings via the connection element and the outlet channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly for collecting and removing leaked refrigerant from an evaporator of an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle or from an area provided for a refrigerant of the evaporator, the assembly comprising:
a housing part that air-tight surrounds at least one refrigerant connection and/or at least one section of a refrigerant line; and
a connection element that has at least one first connection opening and a second connection opening, the first connection opening being fluidically connected to the housing part via a channel element and the second connection opening being fluidically connected to an outlet channel opening into an external surround such that the refrigerant that is leaked within the housing part is directed into the first channel element and discharged into the external surroundings via the connection element and the outlet channel.

2. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet channel is a condensate drain of a housing of an air conditioning system.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the connection element has a third connection opening that is fluidically connected to a condensate collecting element of the air conditioning system housing.

4. The assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the connection element is integrated into a frame part and/or a bottom part and/or the condensate collecting element and/or connected to the frame part and/or the bottom part and/or the condensate collecting element and/or formed integrally with the frame part and/or the bottom part and/or the condensate collecting element.

5. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the channel element is a flexible hose and/or a plastic tube.

6. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the channel element has a first connecting element at a first end facing away from the housing part, and wherein the connection element, in an area of the first connection opening, has a second connecting element corresponding to the first connecting element such that the first end of the channel element is connected to the first connection opening of the connection element.

7. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least a retaining element is disposed at a first side facing the connection element of the condensate collecting element, and wherein the channel element is inserted or pressed into the at least one retaining element and is secured in the retaining element against a translation occurring parallel to the first side of the condensate collecting element and in a first direction A facing away from the connection element.

8. The assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the channel element in an area of its first end has two radially formed webs circumferentially, wherein the webs of the channel element inserted in the retaining element protrude substantially parallel to the first side of the condensate collecting element on both sides from the circumference of the channel element, wherein the webs have an outer edge facing away from the channel element and a bearing edge substantially facing away from the first end of the channel element, wherein the retaining element located at the first side of the condensate collecting element has at least two projections and/or fins protruding from the first side of the condensate collecting element, and wherein a distance between the two projections and/or fins is smaller than a distance between the outer edges of the webs such that the bearing edges of both webs of the channel element inserted in the retaining element are supported in the first direction A against one of the projections and/or against one of the fins.

9. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the housing part is formed from a first housing part half and a second housing part half, and wherein the first and second housing part halves are connected substantially air-tight to one another.

10. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the housing part encloses a refrigerant connection connected to the evaporator and/or refrigerant lines for conveying the refrigerant.

11. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second connection opening of the connection element has a discharge fitting, and wherein a hose connectable to the outlet channel and/or a tube connectable to the outlet channel are disposed at the discharge fitting.

12. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a first plane formed by an opening surface of the first connection opening of the connection element is disposed substantially perpendicular to a second plane formed by an opening surface of the second connection opening of the connection element.

13. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the condensate collecting element engages below the evaporator on at least one first side of the evaporator and has a discharge opening that is fluidically connected to the third connection opening of the connection element.

14. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the housing part is connected to the housing of the air conditioning system.

15. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the connection element, in an installed position of the evaporator and when viewed relative to the bottom of the motor vehicle, is disposed below the evaporator and/or at a bottom side substantially facing the bottom of the evaporator.

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Graaf Juergen
• Loens Moritz

Classifications

• B60H1/00978 Primary

  Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods · CPC title

• B60H1/3225

  characterised by safety arrangements, e.g. compressor anti-seizure means or by signalling devices · CPC title

• F25B9/008

  the refrigerant being carbon dioxide · CPC title

• B60H1/3233

  characterised by condensed liquid drainage means · CPC title

• B60H1/3202 Primary

  using evaporation, i.e. not including a compressor, e.g. involving fuel or water evaporation · CPC title