Vehicle heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9669681-B2
Application number	US-201314650580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2013
Priority date	Dec 11, 2012
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle heat exchanger includes a low-temperature side radiator, a condenser, and a high-temperature side radiator, which are aligned in an airflow direction and are integrated together. The low-temperature side radiator includes an inflow portion and an upper path, which are located in an upper portion thereof. In addition, the low-temperature side radiator includes a lower path and an outlet portion, which are located in a lower portion thereof and communicate with the upper path. A subcooler of the condenser overlaps, in the airflow direction, with at least a part of the lower path of the low-temperature side radiator. As a result, thermal influence by the low-temperature side radiator on the subcooler of the condenser can be reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle heat exchanger, comprising:
a low-temperature side radiator that exchanges heat between a first coolant and air to cool the first coolant;
a condenser that exchanges heat between a refrigerant of a refrigeration cycle and the air to cool the refrigerant; and
a high-temperature side radiator that exchanges heat between a second coolant and the air to cool the second coolant, the second coolant having a higher temperature than the first coolant that is cooled by the low-temperature side radiator, wherein
the low-temperature side radiator, the condenser, and the high-temperature side radiator are aligned in an airflow direction such that the air for heat exchange passes therethrough,
the low-temperature side radiator includes
an inflow portion into which the first coolant flows,
an upstream path, the first coolant flowing, from the inflow portion into the upstream path, to pass through the upstream path, the upstream path cooling the first coolant by exchanging heat between the first coolant and the air,
a downstream path that is located downstream, in a coolant flowing direction, from the upstream path, the downstream path exchanging heat between the first coolant, which passed through the upstream path, and the air to further cool the first coolant, and
an outlet portion, the first coolant, which passed through the downstream path, flowing out of the outlet portion,

the condenser includes
a condenser core that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air to cool the refrigerant, and
a subcooler that is located downstream, in a refrigerant flowing direction, from the condenser core, the subcooler exchanging heat between the refrigerant, which passed through the condenser core, and the air to subcool the refrigerant, and

the subcooler overlaps, in the airflow direction, with at least a portion of the downstream path.

2. A vehicle heat exchanger comprising:
a low-temperature side radiator that exchanges heat between a first coolant and air to cool the first coolant;
a condenser that exchanges heat between a refrigerant of a refrigeration cycle and the air to cool the refrigerant; and
a high-temperature side radiator that exchanges heat between a second coolant and the air to cool the second coolant, the second coolant having a higher temperature than the first coolant that is cooled by the low-temperature side radiator, wherein
the low-temperature side radiator, the condenser, and the high-temperature side radiator are aligned in an airflow direction such that the air for heat exchange passes therethrough,
the low-temperature side radiator includes
an inflow portion that is located in an upper portion of the low-temperature side radiator,
an upper path that is in communication with the inflow portion, the upper path constituting a coolant flow channel and exchanging heat between the first coolant and the air to cool the first coolant,
a lower path that is located below the upper path, the lower path constituting a coolant flow channel and exchanging heat between the first coolant, which passed through the upper path, and the air to further cool the first coolant, and
an outlet portion that is located in a lower portion of the low-temperature side radiator, the outlet portion in communication with the lower path,

the condenser includes
a condenser core that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air to cool and condense the refrigerant, thereby changing the refrigerant into liquid phase, and
a subcooler that is located below the condenser core, the subcooler exchanging heat between the liquid-phase refrigerant, which flowed in from the condenser core, and the air to subcool the liquid-phase refrigerant, and

the subcooler overlaps, in the airflow direction, with at least a portion of the lower path.

3. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
in the airflow direction, the low-temperature side radiator, the condenser, and the high-temperature side radiator are aligned in this order.

4. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein,
in the airflow direction, the condenser, the low-temperature side radiator, and the high-temperature side radiator are aligned in this order.

5. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein
the upper path includes a plurality of upper tubes,
each of the plurality of upper tubes includes a heat-exchange efficiency improvement member that improves efficiency of heat exchange with the air,
the lower path includes a plurality of lower tubes, and
each of the plurality of lower tubes has a single coolant flow channel.

6. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein
the low-temperature side radiator further includes a middle-stage path that is located between the upper path and the lower path, and
the low-temperature side radiator defines a flow path in which the first coolant flows through the inflow portion, the upper path, the middle-stage path, the lower path, and then the outlet portion, in this order.

7. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein
the low-temperature side radiator further includes a middle-stage path and a middle-lower stage path, the middle-stage path and the middle-lower stage path being located between the upper path and the lower path,
the middle-lower stage path is located below the middle-stage path, and
the low-temperature side radiator defines a flow path in which the first coolant flows through the inflow portion, the upper path, the middle-stage path, the middle-lower stage path, the lower path, and then the outlet portion, in this order.

8. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein
the subcooler defines a refrigerant flow channel, and
the first coolant flowing through the coolant flow channel of the lower path and the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow channel of the subcooler flow in the same direction.

9. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein
the subcooler does not overlap with the upper path in the airflow direction.

10. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein
an entirety of the subcooler overlaps, in the airflow direction, with the at least a portion of the lower path.

11. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein
the low-temperature side radiator is included in a low-temperature side coolant cycle that circulates the first coolant for cooling a first heat generation unit,
the high-temperature side radiator is included in a high-temperature side coolant cycle that circulates the second coolant for cooling a second heat generation unit, and
a coolant circuit formed by the low-temperature side coolant cycle and a coolant circuit formed by the high-temperature side coolant cycle are independent of each other.

12. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 11 , wherein
the first heat generation unit is an intercooler of a supercharger for an internal combustion engine, and
the second heat generation unit is the internal combustion engine.

13. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 5 , wherein
the heat-exchange efficiency improvement member is an inner fin that partitions an interior of the plurality of upper tubes and extends in a longitudinal direction of the plurality of upper tubes.

14. The vehicle heat exchanger according to claim 5 , wherein
each of the plurality of upper tubes is an extrusion tube that is formed by extrusion molding, and
the heat-exchange efficiency improvement member is an inner member formed in the extrusion tubes during the extrusion molding.

15. The vehic

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Oono Shingo
• Akagi Shota

Classifications

• B60K11/04 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds · CPC title

• F01P2003/182

  with multiple heat-exchangers · CPC title

• F28F9/0224

  Header boxes formed by sealing end plates into covers (F28F9/0221 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28D1/05391

  with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits combined with a particular flow pattern, e.g. multi-row multi-stage radiators · CPC title

• F28D1/0452

  Combination of units extending one behind the other with units extending one beside or one above the other · CPC title