COLLECTOR OF A HEAT EXCHANGER FOR A VEHICLE AND SUCH A HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract

A collector of a heat exchanger for a vehicle, which collector has numerous recesses for projections on a tube sheet that are pressed into the recesses as part of a crimp connection, and wherein the recesses have at least one platform which is spaced apart from at least one edge of the recess in such a way that a free space is created. A heat exchanger for a vehicle, which heat exchanger has a tube sheet with projections that adjoin openings and are pressed into recesses of a collector, and wherein at least one opening edge, which is adjacent to an opening edge that is directly adjacent to the projection, is bent out of the plane of the opening.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A collector of a heat exchanger for a vehicle, the collector comprising: a plurality of recesses for projections on a tube sheet or a header that are pressed into the recesses as part of a crimp connection, wherein each of the recesses has at least one platform which is spaced apart from at least one edge of the recesses in such a way that a free space is created.

12. The collector according to claim 11, wherein the at least one platform overhangs one lateral edge of the collector.

13. The collector according to claim 11, wherein, next to the at least one platform, a bottom of each of the recesses rises in a direction of a level of the at least one platform.

14. The collector according to claim 11, wherein at least one lateral edge of each of the recesses next to the at least one platform or next to the free space is formed in a curved manner.

15. A heat exchanger for a vehicle, the heat exchanger comprising: a tube sheet or a header with projections that adjoin openings and are pressed into recesses of a collector, wherein at least one opening edge, which is adjacent to an opening edge that is directly adjacent to the projections, is bent out of a plane of the openings.

16. The heat exchanger according to claim 15, wherein an edge of the tube sheet or the header that is directed towards the collector has further projections between the projections each adjacent to one of the openings.

17. The heat exchanger according to claim 16, wherein the edge of the tube sheet directed towards the collector is cut in, deepened or recessed next to the further projections.

18. The heat exchanger according to claim 15, wherein the at least one opening edge adjacent to the adjacent opening edge which is directly adjacent to the projections are essentially parallel to each other.

19. The heat exchanger according to claim 15, wherein the tube sheet or the header has a serpentine or undulating form when viewed in a direction of the plane of the openings.

20. The heat exchanger according to claim 15 with the collector according to claim 11.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by reference to exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings. The drawings show the following:

[0024] FIG. 1 a perspective view of the collector according to the invention;

[0025] FIG. 2 a plan view of a portion of the collector according to the invention and a tube sheet connected thereto;

[0026] FIG. 3a a perspective view of a section of the collector according to FIG. 1 in a second embodiment;

[0027] FIG. 3b a perspective view of a section of the collector according to FIG. 1;

[0028] FIG. 4 a perspective view of a portion of the tube sheet according to the invention;

[0029] FIG. 5 a perspective view of the collector according to the invention and the tube sheet connected thereto;

[0030] FIG. 6 a sectional view of the tube sheet connected to the collector according to the embodiment from FIG. 3;

[0031] FIG. 7 a perspective view of a portion of a collector according to the prior art;

[0032] FIG. 8 a view corresponding to FIG. 4 of the tube sheet according to the prior art;

[0033] FIG. 9 a perspective view of a section of FIG. 8.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

[0034] As is apparent from FIG. 1, in the shown exemplary case of a heat exchanger with numerous tubes, the collector 10 is essentially elongated and, in the right-hand region thereof according to the orientation of FIG. 1, numerous tubes, in particular flat tubes, which extend essentially vertically according to FIG. 1 would open into the collector. In the left-hand region of the collector, a connection to surrounding components is provided. As is apparent in the lower right-hand region of FIG. 1 and, in more detail, in FIG. 3, the collector has numerous recesses 12 for connecting with a tube sheet, the recesses being laterally delimited (according to FIG. 1 on the left and right) by walls extending in a curved manner. According to the invention, a platform 18 is provided at the outer edge (at the front according to FIG. 1) and at the respective lower edge of each recess 12, which platform 18 is spaced apart from the left and right edges of the recess 12 in such a way that a free space 20 is formed there in each case. As already mentioned, this free space 20 can be used advantageously so that the opening edges 24 (cf. FIG. 4) extending essentially parallel to the joining direction (in FIG. 1 from top to bottom) can be advantageously deformed and can be pressed into said free spaces 20. With regard to the embodiment of FIG. 1, it should be mentioned that the platforms 18 do not overhang the lateral edge of the collector 10, which is also apparent in FIG. 2.

[0035] The contour of the collector 10, which is essentially serpentine in the plan view, is furthermore apparent in FIG. 2, viewed in the direction of the plane of openings (22), this contour resulting from the fact that the region of the so-called band, which comprises the projections 14 and the openings 22 (cf. FIGS. 4 and 5), is deformed essentially in the described serpentine form.

[0036] In FIG. 2, a preferred measure is additionally apparent, according to which further projections 28, essentially having the form of lugs, are formed between each of the projections 14 of the tube sheet 16 that are adjacent to openings 22 of the tube sheet. These further projections 28 are pressed into further recesses 30 of the collector that are provided for this purpose, and improve the connection between the collector 10 and tube sheet 16 with regard to the strength. In order to enable the required deformations, said band is cut in, deepened or recessed between each of the lugs and projections.

[0037] The respective platforms 18 and the free spaces 20 created thereby are more clearly apparent in FIG. 3. The same is true of the lateral walls of the recess 12 which, in the example shown, extend in such a curved manner that the recess widens in the direction of the described band of the tube sheet 16 (downwards according to FIG. 2). The recess 12 with the free spaces 20 provided, in a way, next to the platform 18 can be described, in the side view (see also FIG. 1), as having an inverted U-shape. Furthermore, the lower edge of the respective recess 12 rises next to the platform 18.

[0038] In FIG. 3a, a preferred embodiment of the platforms is furthermore shown in such a way that they overhang the lateral opening edge of the collector 10, so that the contact area with the opening edge of collector 10 is further increased. It should be mentioned here that this is depicted better in FIG. 6.

[0039] In FIG. 3b, in accordance with FIG. 3a, a portion of the collector shown in FIG. 1 is depicted, in which the platforms do not protrude from the edge of the collector.

[0040] It is apparent from FIG. 4, in particular in comparison with FIG. 8, that, according to the invention, not only the actual projection 14 and the opening edge 26 directly adjacent thereto are deformed, but also the opening edges 24 adjacent to this opening edge 26, such that, as described above, the dangerous stress peaks can be avoided. In the case shown, the deformation essentially ends at the opening edge opposite to the opening edge 26.

[0041] FIG. 5 additionally shows a portion of the collector 10 with the tube sheet 16 attached thereto, which is deformed according to FIG. 4 in the region essential for the invention.

[0042] As already pointed out. FIG. 6 shows the overhanging configuration of the platform 18, which is abutted by the opening edge 26 particularly reliably and with a particularly large surface area. The region of the collector 10 comprising the numerous recesses 12 can also be referred to as the “foot”. It is particularly clearly apparent from FIG. 6 (and FIG. 5) that the tube sheet 16 with the described band extends essentially parallel to the lateral edge of the collector (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 6) and is bent essentially in a U-shape underneath the described foot of the collector. According to FIG. 6, in the case of a heat exchanger with numerous tubes, the flat area (not shown), which comprises numerous openings into which fluid tubes open, can connect thereto on the left side.

[0043] Alternatively, in the case of a plate heat exchanger, with the “body” of said heat exchanger having a plurality of plates between which fluid flows, the header can be connected to said body in various ways.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0044] The invention relates to a collector of a heat exchanger for a vehicle and to such a heat exchanger.

[0045] In heat exchangers which have numerous parallel tubes through which a fluid flows, the connection between the collector and a tube sheet is often a critical point. The tube sheet typically has numerous openings into which the numerous parallel tubes open. The fluid can be air, for example, that is cooled in the heat exchanger, which then acts as a charge air cooler. The tubes described open into a space formed by the tube sheet and the collector such that the air is “collected” there.

[0046] Alternatively, in heat exchangers which have numerous plates, a header or head plate is provided between the collector and the plates. The plates, between which a fluid flows, are not necessarily connected to the header. It should already be mentioned at this point that the invention can also be applied to such a header or head plate and that, at all places where a tube sheet is mentioned, including in the patent claims, a header or head plate is equally meant.

[0047] The collector and tube sheet are usually connected by means of a crimp connection, in which portions of the tube sheet are pressed into recesses in the collector. The described crimp connection can constitute a weak point since the pressure of charge air, for example, increases with the further development of engines, and since it is moreover considered to integrate the charge air cooler into the air diffuser as a structural element. This also leads to greater strains on the crimp connections.