Heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12241687-B2
Application number	US-202217854199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2022
Priority date	Jan 29, 2020
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

A heat exchanger includes: a plurality of tubes arranged in an up-down direction; and a reinforcing plate arranged on a lower side of a lowermost tube of the plurality of tubes. The reinforcing plate has a bent portion protruding downward and extending along a longitudinal direction of the tube. The bent portion includes at least one discharge hole to discharge a condensed water. The discharge hole is formed by an upstream rib extending from the upper side toward the discharge hole in an upstream region and a downstream rib extending from the upper side toward the discharge hole in a downstream region, and a height dimension of the upstream rib is different from a height dimension of the downstream rib at least partially along a longitudinal direction of the tube.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between a heat medium and an air, the heat exchanger comprising:
a plurality of tubes arranged in an up-down direction, through which the heat medium passes; and
a reinforcing plate arranged on a lower side of a lowermost tube of the plurality of tubes, wherein
the reinforcing plate has a bent portion protruding downward and extending along a longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes,
the bent portion includes at least one discharge hole to discharge a condensed water flowing from an upper side toward a lower side,
the bent portion has a lower end to define an upstream region upstream of the lower end in a flow direction of air and a downstream region downstream of the lower end in the flow direction of air,
the discharge hole is formed by an upstream rib extending from the upper side toward the discharge hole in the upstream region and a downstream rib extending from the upper side toward the discharge hole in the downstream region, wherein a height dimension of the upstream rib is different from a height dimension of the downstream rib partially at least along the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes, and
the height dimension of the upstream rib forming the one discharge hole is larger than the height dimension of the downstream rib forming the one discharge hole partially at least along the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
the discharge hole is one of a plurality of discharge holes including
a first discharge hole in which the height dimension of the upstream rib forming the one discharge hole is larger than the height dimension of the downstream rib forming the one discharge hole partially at least along the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes, and
a second discharge hole in which the height dimension of the downstream rib forming the one discharge hole is larger than the height dimension of the upstream rib forming the one discharge hole partially at least along the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes, and
the first discharge hole and the second discharge hole are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
the discharge hole is one of a plurality of discharge holes, in all of which the height dimension of the upstream rib forming the one discharge hole is larger than the height dimension of the downstream rib forming the one discharge hole partially at least along the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of tubes includes
a plurality of first tubes arranged in the up-down direction, and
a plurality of second tubes arranged in the up-down direction at downstream of the plurality of first tubes in the flow direction of air,
a gap is formed between the plurality of first tubes and the plurality of second tubes adjacent to each other in the flow direction of air, and
the bent portion is positioned directly below the gap.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
the one discharge hole is deviated to a downstream side with respect to the lower end of the bent portion in the flow direction of air.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
the reinforcing plate has a flat portion formed in a flat plate shape having a normal direction along the up-down direction, a lower surface of the flat portion being flat along the flow direction of air,
the height dimension of the upstream rib represents a distance from the lower surface of the flat portion to a lower end of the upstream rib, and
the height dimension of the downstream rib represents a distance from the lower surface of the flat portion to a lower end of the downstream rib.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein
the height dimension of the upstream rib is equal to a height of the bent portion in the up-down direction, and
the height dimension of the downstream rib is zero.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein
the height dimension of the upstream rib is equal to a height of the bent portion in the up-down direction, and
the height dimension of the downstream rib is larger than zero and smaller than a half of the height of the bent portion in the up-down direction.

9. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein
the height dimension of the upstream rib is smaller than a height of the bent portion in the up-down direction, and
the height dimension of the downstream rib is larger than zero and smaller than a half of the height of the bent portion in the up-down direction.

10. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
the height dimension of the upstream rib is equal to a height of the bent portion in the up-down direction,
the height dimension of the downstream rib is larger than zero and smaller than a half of the height of the bent portion in the up-down direction, and
the upstream rib is located to overlap with the downstream rib in the flow direction of air.

11. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein
the height dimension of the downstream rib is zero.

12. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein
the height dimension of the downstream rib is larger than zero and smaller than a half of a height of the bent portion in the up-down direction.

13. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein
the height dimension of the upstream rib is larger than a half of a height of the bent portion in the up-down direction, and is smaller than the height of the bent portion in the up-down direction.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Kitagawa Shinya
• Uno Takahiro

Classifications

• F28F17/005

  Means for draining condensates from heat exchangers, e.g. from evaporators (F28B9/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F1/128 Primary

  Fins with openings, e.g. louvered fins · CPC title

• F28F2225/06

  for fins · CPC title

• F28F2225/04

  for conduits · CPC title

• F28F9/0212

  the partitions being separate elements attached to header boxes · CPC title