Heat exchange device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9618281-B2
Application number	US-201113045982-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2011
Priority date	Apr 22, 2010
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A heat exchanger having a heat exchange surface comprising a plurality of tubes, a pair of tanks, an end plate, and a shroud disposed to cover the heat exchange surface, wherein, the shroud provides a first hook and a second hook at it's a vertical wall, and the end plate is held in place either between the first hook and the second hook, or between the second hook and the vertical wall. With the above structure, the fan shroud assembly can hold two types of heat exchangers having different thickness.

First claim

What is claim is:

1. A heat exchange device for a vehicle comprising:
a heat exchanger;
a fan generating an airflow passing through the heat exchanger;
a motor connected to an axis of the fan; and
a shroud attached to the heat exchanger, the shroud including:
a vertical wall defining a longitudinal direction that is substantially perpendicular to said air flow direction;
a first hook extending from the vertical wall towards the heat exchanger, the first hook including a first plate portion defining a first gap between the first plate portion and the vertical wall;
a second hook extending from the vertical wall towards the heat exchanger, the second hook including a second plate portion defining a second gap between the second plate portion and the vertical wall, the second gap is less than the first gap;
a first protrusion of the second hook protrudes toward the heat exchanger and is elastically bendable; and
a second protrusion protrudes from the vertical wall toward the heat exchanger and is elastically bendable;
wherein the first hook and the second hook are longitudinally offset from each other;
wherein:

the first hook and the second hook hold the heat exchanger in the first gap by elastically clamping an end plate of the heat exchanger between the first plate portion and the first protrusion when the heat exchanger has a first thickness; and
the second hook and the second protrusion hold the heat exchanger in the second gap by elastically clamping the end plate of the heat exchanger between the second plate portion and the second protrusion when the heat exchanger has a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness.

2. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, the second plate portion has a first nick residing around the first protrusion.

3. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein, the vertical wall has a second nick residing around the second protrusion.

4. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, the vertical wall has a second nick residing around the second protrusion.

5. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the first gap, the first plate portion and the first protrusion elastically hold the end plate.

6. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the second gap, the second plate portion and the second protrusion elastically hold the end plate.

7. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the second gap, the second plate portion and the second protrusion elastically hold the end plate.

8. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the first gap, the first plate portion and the first protrusion directly engage the end plate, and an open space is defined between the end plate and the vertical wall of the shroud.

9. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the second gap, the second plate portion and the second protrusion directly engage the end plate, and a second open space is defined between the end plate and the first plate portion.

10. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the second gap, the second plate portion and the second protrusion directly engage the end plate, and an open space is defined between the end plate and the first plate portion.

11. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the first gap, the second plate portion is disposed directly between the end plate and the vertical wall of the shroud.

12. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the second gap, the first plate portion is not disposed directly between the end plate and the vertical wall of the shroud.

13. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein when the end plate is retained in the second gap, the first plate portion is not disposed directly between the end plate and the vertical wall of the shroud.

14. The heat exchange device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the heat exchanger is a first heat exchanger;
the shroud is configured to be separately attached to either the first heat exchanger or a second heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger have different dimensions;
the first heat exchanger is a thin tube heat exchanger having thin tubes and a thin end plate;
the second heat exchanger is a thick tube heat exchanger having thick tubes and a thick end plate, which are thicker than the thin tubes and the thin end plate, respectively;
the first hook and the second hook are sized to hold the first heat exchanger in the first gap by elastically clamping the first heat exchanger between the first plate portion and the first protrusion; and
the second hook and the second protrusion are sized to hold the second heat exchanger in the second gap by elastically clamping the second heat exchanger between the second plate portion and the second protrusion.

15. A shroud for attaching a fan to a heat exchanger for a vehicle, the shroud comprising:
a vertical wall defining a longitudinal direction that is substantially perpendicular to an air flow direction;
a first hook extending from the vertical wall towards the heat exchanger, the first hook including a first plate portion defining a first gap between the first plate portion and the vertical wall;
a second hook extending from the vertical wall towards the heat exchanger, the second hook including a second plate portion defining a second gap, which is less than the first gap, between the second plate portion and the vertical wall;
a first protrusion of the second hook protrudes toward the heat exchanger from the second hook, the first protrusion is elastically bendable; and
a second protrusion protrudes from the vertical wall toward the heat exchanger and is elastically bendable;
wherein the first hook and the second hook are longitudinally offset from each other;
wherein:
the first hook and the second hook hold the heat exchanger in the first gap by elastically clamping an end plate of the heat exchanger between the first plate portion and the first protrusion when the heat exchanger has a first thickness; and
the second hook and the second protrusion hold the heat exchanger in the second gap by elastically clamping the end plate of the heat exchanger between the second plate portion and the second protrusion when the heat exchanger has a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness.

Assignees

• Colpan Oguzhan
• Basinski Jeffrey V
• Denso Int America Inc
• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Colpan Oguzhan
• Basinski Jeffrey V

Classifications

• F01P5/06

  Guiding or ducting air to, or from, ducted fans · CPC title

• F01P3/18

  Arrangements or mounting of liquid-to-air heat-exchangers (such arrangements on cylinders or cylinder heads F01P3/04; relative to vehicles B60K11/04) · CPC title

• F01P2070/50

  mounting fans to heat-exchangers · CPC title

• F01P1/10

  for cooling fuel injectors or sparking-plugs · CPC title

• F28F9/002 Primary

  with fastening means for other structures · CPC title