Heat exchange device for air conditioners

A heat exchange device for air conditioners and the like comprising a primary body member of sheet plate material having tubular flow conduit fastened thereto for receiving and containing the flow of fluid such as the liquid/gas used with air conditioners and the like. Projecting pins securely attached to the plate member or members in single or double rows alternately with the tubing material provide the heat exchange improvement. Several different embodiments of the tubing and rows of projecting pins are provided for various type of applications. Another embodiment replaces the tubular flow conduit with a second plate member with the refrigerant flow being between the two plate members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to heat exchange devices for use with air 
conditioning devices and the like and especially for heat exchange 
structure which will greatly increase the overall efficiency of such 
process. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A common problem with known type heat exchange devices used with air 
conditioners and especially of the automotive type, is that an efficient 
exchange between the gas/liquid flowing in the air conditioning system 
with the ambient air circulating over the heat exchange surfaces leaves 
quite a bit to be desired. The overall cooling in the automobile with 
which such an air conditioner is used depends greatly upon the efficiency 
of the condensing coil as well as the evaporating coil. Any improvement in 
either or both of these heat exchange coils will greatly increase the 
overall efficiency of the system. 
Another problem with known type heat exchange systems as used with 
automotive air conditioners and the like is that the construction expense 
and material expense are quite great. Anything that can be done to 
decrease the cost of the cooling and condensing units will be of great 
benefit. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchange structure 
for use with automotive-type air conditioner systems and the like which 
will increase the overall efficiency of such system. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchange 
system which will be more readily manufactured with less expense than 
known type devices. 
A further object of this invention is to provide a heat exchange structure 
which may be used for either the condensing coil unit of an air 
conditioning system, or the cooling coil unit of said system, or both if 
desired. 
A still further object of this invention is to provide a heat exchange 
structure which includes a basic plate member for mounting upon 
appropriate associated structure, tubular flow structure firmly attached 
to said mounting plate in good heat flow relationship thereto and 
projecting pin members arranged in various embodiments, and alternately in 
single or double rows with the flow tubing structure in order to greatly 
increase the overall efficiency of the device. 
A further object is to provide a heat exchange structure which is more 
easily manufactured at less cost and more quickly than conventional type 
exchange structures. 
The heat exchange structure and the various embodiments thereof of this 
invention consists basically of a primary plate member or members 
supporting securely attached and in good heat flow relationship thereto 
flow structure for conducting the gas/liquid medium as used in 
conventional air conditioners and especially as used in automotive type 
air conditioners. Projecting from the support plate member are pins 
securely attached thereto for greatly increasing the surface area over 
which the surrounding air flows, either by convection or preferably by 
forced blower means, in order to greatly increase the overall efficiency 
of the heat exchange process. The flow tubing is arranged to alternately 
reverse the flow path of the medium being conducted thereby and also 
alternately spaced with the projecting pins arranged in single or double 
rows therebetween. 
The pins may be supported through punched or drilled apertures in the plate 
member and then secured by brazing, soldering, or other deposition of 
metal material to securely attach and hold the projecting pins within and 
on the plate member. 
Another embodiment utilizes the primary plate together with a secondary 
plate to form a flow path therebetween for the gas/liquid medium. In this 
embodiment the flow tubes are eliminated and the plate members themselves 
form the conducting flow channel for such refrigerant medium. 
These, together with other objects and advantages which will become 
subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation 
as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to 
the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals 
refer to like parts throughout.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates in 
general, the arrangement of two heat exchange devices as used with a 
automotive type air conditioning system. The top of the auto air 
conditioner is indicated by reference numeral 12 with two end portions 14, 
14' and a bottom structure 13. Air flow grilles 15, 15' are provided in 
each of the ends with a cooling air container 16 being provided in 
one-half of the overall housing and a condenser unit 18 being provided in 
the other. A partition 20 of insulating material separates the two 
portions of the air conditioner system. A conventional type auto or house 
refrigeration compressor 22 is provided on or within the condenser portion 
of the overall air conditioner. This structure is basically conventional 
and will not be described in greater detail. 
Blower units 24 and 24' provide a forced air flow over the respective 
cooling and condenser units. A water and condensate collecting pan 26 is 
provided mounted upon appropriate supports 28 from the bottom structure 
13. This collection pan may be connected to discharge tubing for feeding 
any collected water outside of the overall housing. A support structure 29 
also is provided and associated with the housing for the condenser 
structure 18. An air inlet grille 27 is also provided for the cooling unit 
while an air intake flap 31, shown in part and which may be adjustable, is 
provided for the condenser unit. Mounted upon the cooling end of the air 
conditioner is an adjustable thermostat 21, having a knob 23 and 
associated wiring 25 for connection to the electrical wiring of the air 
conditioner. 
As is conventional with air conditioner units the compressor 22 compresses 
the refrigerant within the system into normally liquid form which passes 
through the heat exchange unit 30 within the condenser portion 18 of the 
system. At this point, forced air from the blower 24' which enters through 
the flap 31 at the bottom of the air conditioner housing upwardly into the 
inlet A of the blower for pressure exhaust at B and for flow over the heat 
exchanger plate 32 to the top thereof at gap C, and then downwardly and 
outwardly over projecting pins 36 for exhaustion through the grille 15. 
The liquid refrigerant is the passed through an expansion valve or other 
conventional type cooling means into the cooling unit 30' at the right of 
the view of FIG. 1. 
Input air is drawn in through the grille 27 and into the blower 24 at input 
A' for forced discharge at B' and upward flow over the backside of plate 
32' through the gap C' and then downwardly and outwardly past the 
projections 36' for discharge out grille 15'. The expanding refrigerant in 
the heat exchanger 30' within cooling portion 16 greatly cools the air 
being forced thereover to provide the appropriate cooling at the discharge 
15' of the air conditioner. 
While the refrigerant flow tubing 34, 34' in FIG. 1 is shown as 
transversing back and forth in a horizontal direction, the units will work 
equally as well with the tubing transversing vertically. This manner of 
construction is best seen in the embodiment of FIG. 2. In this embodiment, 
the flow tubing 34 is appropriately connected at respective ends thereof 
by the continuing portions of the tubing 35 so that the tubing traverses 
the plate 32 as seen. The tubing is securely fastened to the plate member 
32 by means of soldering, brazing, or other type of metal welding 
procedures. Appropriate outer flanges 33 may be provided at the edges of 
the plate member 32 for strength and rigidity. 
In order to increase the overall efficiency of the heat exchange between 
the refrigerant flowing through the tubing and the air passing over the 
combined tubing and plate, projecting pins 36 are provided. These 
projecting pins as shown in FIG. 2 may be arranged in two rows alternating 
with the refrigerant flow tubing. This arrangement has been discovered to 
greatly increase the heat transfer relationship of the structure. 
In FIG. 3, the flow tubing is arranged alternately and traversely in a 
horizontal direction with flow tubing 34' connected at the respective ends 
thereof with continuous flow tubing 35'. In this embodiment single rows of 
pins 36' alternate with the flow tubing. This embodiment also may be seen 
in cross section in FIG. 4 wherein the length of the pins 36' with respect 
to the diameter and size of the refrigerant flow tubing 34' may be 
compared. As indicated generally by reference numeral 40 in FIG. 4, the 
pins are secured to the plate member 32' as best seen in the enlarged view 
of FIG. 5. Here the plate 32 is shown with a single perforation or 
aperture provided therein. This aperture 41 may be appropriately punched, 
drilled, or otherwise provided in the plate. Normally, if a punching 
process is used a flanged edge 42 will surround the hole in the direction 
opposite from which the punch was made. A punching operation is a 
relatively quick and inexpensive method of providing the needed number of 
holes in the plates 32. Pins 36 having heads 37 thereon are then placed 
through the apertures 41 and then metal solder or brazing material 44 
completely covers the head and surrounds the aperture to secure the pins 
within the holes. It should be noted that the diameter or outer 
circumference of pins 36 preferably are just slightly larger than the 
apertures 41 so that said pins must be force fitted into the respective 
holes. This in addition to the weld or solder material 44 functions to 
positively hold said pins in good heat exchange relationship with the 
plate 32. 
While the embodiment of FIG. 2 shows alternately spaced flow tube paths 
alternately with double rows of heat exchange pins, and the embodiments of 
FIGS. 3 and 4 show single rows of spaced heat exchange pins between the 
traversing flow tubing, the embodiment of FIG. 6 eliminates the traversing 
alternating tubes 34, 34' and replaces them with a second plate structure 
for containing the refrigerant flow. In this arrangement, the primary 
plate 52 supports and contains the spaced projecting pins 36 as described 
for the previous embodiments. However, in addition to this plate another 
plate 53 having apertures 51 therein is attached at the edges 50 to the 
first plate 52. The spacing between the plates 52 and 53 provides the 
refrigerant flow channel in place of the tubing 34, 34'. Inwardly flange 
portions 56 on the plate 52 meet and complement inwardly flange portions 
57 on the plate 53, and are appropriately welded or otherwise joined 
together along line 50 at the junction point therebetween. An input tube 
48 and an exhaust tube 49 are also provided in apertures in one of flanges 
56, or 57 of the respective plates. Obviously, all the connections of the 
tubing projecting pins, apertures, flared junction joints, etc. are 
securely brazed or welded to form fluid and air tight junctions. In this 
embodiment, the refrigerant flow will directly contact the portions 36a of 
the heat transfer pins contained within the plates 52 and 53 while the 
outer portions of the pins 36b will conduct the heat to the air flowing 
thereover. Thus, one can readily visualize how the overall efficiency of 
this heat exchange device will be greatly increased by this method of 
arrangement and construction. 
FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the heat exchange device as used 
for the condenser unit normally mounted adjacent an automotive radiator in 
an automobile type air conditioning structure. This embodiment is quite 
similar to that of FIGS. 3 and 4, but has a plurality of plate members 62 
instead of a single plate member 32 as in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. 
These plurality of plate members 62 are mounted upon end support structure 
64 which in turn may be appropriately secured adjacent the radiator of an 
automobile. Pins 36' are provided on either side of the flow tubing 34' 
for the refrigerant. Again, all the component parts are secured together 
by soldering, brazing, welding or the like. From the above description, 
one can readily visualize how the improved heat exchanger structure as 
disclosed herein will greatly increase the efficiency of same and also 
increase the overall efficiency of the entire air conditioner system. 
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the 
invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily 
occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the 
invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and 
accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, 
falling within the scope of the invention.