JPS628165Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a structure for preventing air leakage in a heat exchanger section of a corrugated fin type evaporator or the like in an air conditioner used in a vehicle or the like.

Generally, cooler units that use corrugated fin type evaporators have a case (resin molded product) molded to match the shape of the evaporator, and a heat insulating material made of resin foam vacuum molded product is used between the case and the evaporator. This heat insulating material is molded to match the shape of the side surface of the case and the side surface of the evaporator, and is designed so that no gap is created between the evaporator and the heat insulating material (or the case) in the assembled state.

However, the sides of the case inevitably require a draft angle of the resin mold, and the width (horizontal) dimension of the evaporator tends to vary when brazing the evaporator, so the mating surfaces of the case, etc. It is becoming more and more likely that gaps will form. This gap sends the air from the blower into the cabin without almost exchanging heat with the evaporator, resulting in a problem of lowering the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator. Conventionally, in order to eliminate this gap, a separate compressible sealing material was attached to the side of the evaporator to prevent bypass air from occurring, but this structure required an extra special sealing material. Therefore, the number of parts increases and the number of assembly steps increases, resulting in higher costs.

On the other hand, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-187211 discloses an air conditioner in which a rib protruding toward the side plate of the evaporator is integrally molded on the heat insulating material, and the rib prevents bypass air from flowing into the gap. Proposed.

However, in the device disclosed in the above publication, the heat insulating material is made of a deformable material such as resin foam, so if the air conditioner is used in an environment where the ambient temperature changes significantly, such as in a car, the Due to repeated temperature changes (repetitive cooling/heating cycles), the heat insulating material deteriorates over time, causing the ribs to collapse, resulting in a problem in that the bypass air in the gap described above cannot be blocked.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to reliably block bypass air from the side surface of the heat exchanger with an extremely simple structure that does not use any special sealing material.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a case forming an air passage, a heat exchanger disposed inside the case, a deformable heat insulating material closely arranged on the inner surface of the case, and Ribs are integrally formed on metal side plates disposed on both sides of the heat exchanger to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the air flow direction, and the heat insulating material is clamped between the ribs and the case. Adopt technical means to configure the system in such a way.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. Figure 1 shows the cooling unit part of an automobile air conditioner. Case 1 is molded from a resin material such as polypropylene. This case 1 is designed to accommodate and hold the evaporator 2 of the refrigeration cycle. It is molded to fit the outside shape. The evaporator 2 has a heat exchange section composed of a meander-shaped aluminum flat tube 3 and an aluminum corrugated fin 4 thermally coupled to the tube 3 by brazing. Then, the refrigerant liquefied in a condenser (not shown) of the refrigeration cycle is supplied from the inlet pipe 5 to the expansion valve 6, and after being depressurized and expanded by the expansion valve 6, is introduced into the flat tube 3 of the evaporator 2. The refrigerant evaporated by passing through the flat tube 3 is led out from the outlet pipe 7 to a compressor (not shown) of the refrigeration cycle.

The case 1 forms a ventilation path as shown in FIG. 2, and air sent from a blower (not shown) connected to the upstream side flows in from the case inlet 8 and passes through the evaporator 3. The refrigerant is then cooled by the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant, and then exits from the case outlet 9 and is blown into the passenger compartment from an air outlet (not shown) via a heater unit (not shown) connected downstream. There is.

A deformable heat insulating material 10 made of foamed resin is adhered to the entire inner surface of the case 1 in order to improve the heat insulation properties of the case 1.

On the other hand, aluminum side plates 11 are provided on both sides of the evaporator 2 and integrally brazed to the corrugated fins 4. This side plate 11 has a shape as shown in FIG. 3, and has ribs 11a integrally formed to protrude over the entire length in a direction perpendicular to the air flow direction X in the case 11 (FIG. 2). As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the ribs 11a are designed to press and hold the heat insulating material 10 between the ribs 11a and the case 1. In this example, rib 1
Although two 1a are provided, the number can be increased or decreased as necessary. Further, the rib 11a is arranged in the air flow direction
It may not be completely orthogonal to the curve, but may be inclined to some extent.

Further, it is preferable that the height of the rib 11a be molded in accordance with the draft angle when the case 1 is molded.

Further, the case 1 is divided into upper and lower halves at a portion 1a in FIG. 1 in order to assemble the evaporator 2 thereto.

According to the above configuration, the rib 11a of the side plate 11 presses and clamps the heat insulating material 10 with the case 1, compressing and deforming a part of the heat insulating material 10, thereby ensuring the bypass wind on the side surface of the evaporator 2. It can be prevented. In particular, since the ribs 11a are made of a highly rigid metal member, the compressed state of the heat insulating material 10 with the case 1 can be reliably maintained without causing deterioration over time, and a reliable sealing effect can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 5, a recess 1b is formed in a portion of the case 1 facing the rib 11a, and while the heat insulating material 10 is bent by the rib 11a on the side of the recess 1b, the inner surface of the rib 11a and the recess 1b is bent. The heat insulating material 10 may be clamped and held between the two.

Moreover, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly applied to heat exchangers other than evaporators as long as they have side plates 11.

As described above, the present invention focuses on the existing metal side plate 11 provided in the heat exchanger, and integrally forms the rib 11a protruding from the side plate 11, and connects the rib 11a with the inner surface of the case 1. Since the structure is such that the heat insulating material 10 is held under pressure between the heat exchangers, it is possible to reliably prevent bypass air from the sides of the heat exchanger for a long period of time without causing sealing failure due to aging of the heat insulating material. This has a great practical effect in that it is possible to provide an air conditioner with high heat exchange efficiency even with an extremely simple and low-cost structure that does not require any sealing material.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1.
, a perspective view of the side plate 11 shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Case, 2... Evaporator forming a heat exchanger, 10... Heat insulating material, 11... Side plate, 11a... Rib.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The heat exchanger includes a case forming an air passage, a heat exchanger disposed within the case, and a deformable heat insulating material closely disposed on the inner surface of the case, and disposed on both sides of the heat exchanger. The air conditioner is configured such that a rib is integrally formed on a metal side plate protruding in a direction perpendicular to an air flow direction, and the heat insulating material is clamped between the rib and the case.