PROFILE FOR A HEADER OF A COOLER, A HEADER HAVING SUCH A PROFILE AND A COOLER HAVING A HEADER

Abstract

A profile for a header of a cooler which also includes numerous parallel tubes. The parallel tubes have a cross-sectional shape between slots for the tubes which further include at least two wave troughs Further, a header is also included having such a profile. A cooler may also be provided, wherein the cooler has such a header.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A profile for a header of a cooler which also comprises a plurality of parallel tubes, having a cross-sectional shape between slots for the tubes which comprises at least two wave troughs.

12. The profile according to claim 1, further comprising at least three wave crests.

13. The profile according to claim 11, wherein radiuses in a region of the waves troughs are between 1.5 mm and 50 mm.

14. The profile according to claim 12, wherein from outside to inside an outer radius (R1) of a first one of the wave crests, an inner radius (R2) of the first one of the wave crests, an outer radius (R3) of a first one of the wave troughs, an inner radius (R4) of the first one of the wave troughs and/or a radius (R5) of a second one of the wave crests measure as follows: R1=1.5 -3.5 mm, R2=2-4 mm, R3=1.9-5 mm, R4=1.9-40 mm, R5=3-50 mm

15. The profile according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the wave crests or at least one of the wave troughs has at least one flat portion.

16. The profile according to claim 11, wherein the following applies to at least one flat portion (W1) on a first one of the wave crests from outside to inside, to at least one flat portion (W2) between the first one of the wave crests and a first one of the wave troughs, to at least one flat portion (W3) in the first one of the wave troughs and/or to at least one flat portion (W4) between the first one of the wave troughs and a second one of the wave crests:
5=2.15+R1+W1
2.2=(R2−cos 45*R2)+cos 45*W2+(R3−cos 45*R3)
2.6=(R5−cos α*R5)+cos(90−α)*W4+(R4−cos α*R4)
4.77+T.sub.width/2=2.15+R1+W1+cos 45*R2+cos 45*W2+cos 45*R3+W3+sin α*R4+sin(90−α)*W4+sin α*R5 where alpha is an angle between the first one of the wave troughs and the second one of the wave crests with respect to a tangent to the first one of the wave troughs, and T.sub.width is the width of a tube.

17. The profile according to claim 11, wherein the profile consists of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

18. A header having at least one profile according to claim 11.

19. A cooler for an air-conditioning system of a motor vehicle, the cooler having at least one header according to claim 18.

20. The cooler according to claim 19, wherein the tubes consist of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and are soldered to the at least one profile.

21. The profile according to claim 11, wherein radiuses in a region of the waves troughs are between 1.9 mm and 40 mm.

22. The profile according to claim 11, wherein radiuses in a region of the waves troughs are between 1.9 mm and 5 mm.

23. The profile according to claim 11, wherein radiuses in a region of the waves troughs are between 2 mm and 4 mm.

24. The profile according to claim 11, wherein radiuses in a region of the waves troughs are between 1.5 mm and 3 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] In the following, embodiments of the invention that are shown in the drawings will be described in more detail. In the drawings:

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a profile according to the invention in a first embodiment;

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the profile shown in FIG. 1 with a detail enlargement;

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a view of a further embodiment of the profile according to the invention that corresponds to FIG. 2;

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a view of a further embodiment of the profile according to the invention that corresponds to FIG. 2;

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a view of a further embodiment of the profile according to the invention that corresponds to FIG. 2;

[0019] FIG. 6 shows a further sectional view of the profile shown in FIG. 2;

[0020] FIG. 7 shows a partial sectional view of the profile shown in FIG. 2; and

[0021] FIG. 8 shows a partial sectional view of the profile shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0022] As can be seen from FIG. 1, the profile 10 according to the invention for a header of a cooler has the form of a shallow dish with an elongated rectangular shape and rounded corners and edges. According to FIG. 1, the profile 10 shown is closed on the upper side by a further profile, such that a header is formed, which is typically vertically oriented during operation. According to the orientation in FIG. 1, underneath the profile 10 shown and when installed, typically in a horizontal direction, numerous flat tubes are inserted in slots 16 which are formed in the “base” of the profile 10. The invention relates to the cross-sectional shape of the base, which effectively remains between the slots 16. The dimensions of the remaining base portions in a direction from bottom left to top right according to FIG. 1 are slightly larger, in particular 1.5 to 2.5 times as large as the dimensions of the slots 16 in the same direction.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows the wave shape of the base, and also the circumferential web 18 which surrounds each slot 16 and which essentially has a shape that corresponds to the flat tube to be inserted therein. As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 6, the web 18 has a considerable height H which preferably remains the same over the circumference and which ensures a secure soldered connection to the flat tubes to be inserted. The slots 16 and the webs 18 are typically formed by burring.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows the wave shape according to the invention of the profile 10 between the slots 16, which in the case shown has two wave troughs 12, which are aligned with the flat tubes that are not shown, and three wave crests 14. The slots 16 extend approximately to the highest point of the two outer wave crests 14.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows the profile for flat tubes having a width (measured in FIG. 2 from left to right) of 18.5 mm, and FIG. 3 shows a profile for a width of 14 mm, FIG. 4 for a width of the flat tubes of 25.2 mm and FIG. 5 for a width of the flat tubes of 36.4 mm. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the waves here are slightly flatter, and in the embodiments according to FIG. 4 the wave crests are slightly drawn apart, as will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0026] In FIG. 6 the radiuses R1 to R5 are marked out, wherein it should first of all be stressed that these are always to be measured on the side facing away from the flat tubes (that are not shown). An exterior or outer radius is therefore to be understood to be a radius measured on the (lateral) outer side, in other words in FIG. 6 for the first wave crest 14.1 to the left. In contrast, an internal or inner radius, such as R2 in the case of the first wave crest 14.1 and R4 in the case of the first wave trough 12.1, is measured at a point further inwards (further to the right in FIG. 6). It should also be noted that the cross-sectional shape of the profile according to the invention, which can be seen in FIG. 6, is typically symmetrical to the center of the second, middle wave crest 14.2, such that the directions described (left/right) can be reversed for the right-hand half of the profile according to FIG. 6. The presently preferred values for a header profile for flat tubes having a width of 18.5 mm are: R1=2.3 mm, R2=2.6 mm, R3=1.9 mm, R4=1.9 mm and R5=4 mm.

[0027] The flat portions specified in claim 6 are labelled in FIG. 7 and are shown for the profile in FIG. 6.

[0028] The profile in FIG. 8 corresponds to that in FIG. 4, in which there is a wider flat portion W3 corresponding to the preferred configuration.

[0029] The invention relates to a profile for a header of a cooler, a header having such a profile and a cooler, in particular for a motor vehicle, having at least one header.