Abstract:
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger header, wherein said header includes a lower portion ( 3 ) having two longitudinal edges ( 7 ), an upper portion ( 4 ) forming a cover, and at least one flange ( 9, 10, 30 ). According to the invention, said flange ( 9, 10, 30 ) has a profile ( 11, 17, 37 ) that enables the longitudinal edges ( 7 ) of the header, which are provided at least locally folded, to be received at the flanks ( 12, 19, 38 ) thereof, so as to simultaneously crimp the flange ( 9, 10, 30 ) onto said cover ( 4 ) and retain the cover ( 4 ) on said lower portion ( 3 ).

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to a header for a heat exchanger and to a heat exchanger equipped with such a header and to an associated method of assembly. 
         [0002]    The invention will notably find applications in the field of condensers for motor vehicle heating or cooling devices. 
         [0003]    However, although particularly intended for such an application, the exchanger could be used in other fields that employ exchangers comprising headers made in two parts. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Certain heat exchangers use a type of header made in two parts, known as a two-part header or a two-part header tank. 
         [0005]    More specifically, this type of header comprises a lower first part or collector plate which comprises a bottom and longitudinal walls. 
         [0006]    This type of header also comprises an upper part forming a cover, this upper part accepting flanges that form inlets and/or outlets for fluid passing through the exchanger and/or flanges that form fixing tabs to allow the exchanger to be fixed to a support. 
         [0007]    A tube-type heat exchanger generally comprises one or two headers the lower part of which comprises parallel slots to accept the ends of the tubes through which the fluid passing through the exchanger flows, said fluid emerging via the end of said tubes into an interior volume of the header. 
         [0008]    The various components of the exchanger are generally made of metal, notably of aluminum alloy, and are assembled by brazing. To ensure high quality brazing it is necessary for the components to be assembled with one another beforehand accurately. 
         [0009]    Thus, the assembling of a heat exchanger involves numerous prior assembly steps. In the case of a two-part header an initial assembly between the lower and upper parts of the header, a second assembly between the inlet/outlet flanges and the upper part of the header and a third assembly between the upper part and the various fixing tabs are performed in addition to the assembling of the metal tubes. 
         [0010]    These various assembly operations require two or three steps according to the modes of assembly known to those skilled in the art; the process of assembling the exchanger is therefore complicated especially since the assembly techniques use different technologies, notably crimping, clinching or even welding. 
         [0011]    Thus there is a first known mode of assembly in which the cover is crimped by clips provided on the lower part, the inlet/outlet flange is for its part held in position by means of a flared joint with the cover and the tab is fixed by a clip of the tab passing through the wall of the cover. 
         [0012]    Also known is a second mode of assembly in which the cover is also crimped to the lower part using clips arranged on the lower part, while the inlet/outlet flange is crimped using a clip arranged on the cover and the fixing tab is attached to the cover using TIG welding. 
         [0013]    Also known is a third mode of assembly in which the cover is crimped into the lower part of the header while the inlet/outlet flange and the fixing tab are secured to the cover using clinching operations. 
       OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger in which the structure of the various components allows assembly of the lower part of the header and of the cover and at least of the inlet/outlet flange or flanges and/or of the fixing tab or tabs in a single crimping operation once the aforementioned components have been positioned relative to one another. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    To this end, the present invention relates to a header as described above, in which said flange has a profile that allows longitudinal edges of the lower part, which come at least locally bent over, to be accepted at its flanks so that the flange can be crimped to said cover while at the same time the cover can be held on said lower part. 
         [0016]    According to various embodiments:
       said flange is chosen from the following components:
           a connecting flange defining a fluid inlet and/or outlet and able to accept a pipe,   a fixing tab that can be used to fix the exchanger to a support,   a fastening flange for attaching a cylinder designed to be in fluidic communication with the header,   
           the header comprises at least two of said flanges,   the profiles of said connecting flange or flanges, of said fixing tab or tabs and/or of said fixing flange or flanges are all identical,   said longitudinal edges are bent over along the entire length of said header,   the profile on one of said flanks has a groove able to accept the end of a first bent-over longitudinal edge and, on the other flank, has a protrusion able to be at least partially covered by the end of the second bent-over longitudinal edge,   the groove and the protrusion are dimensioned so as to be compatible with a set angle of inclination between the flange and the header,   the profile has a groove on each flank, each groove being able to accept the bent-over end of one of said longitudinal edges,   the profile has a protrusion on each flank, each protrusion being able to accept the bent-over end of one of said longitudinal edges,   the profile of the fixing tab or tabs comprises two ends forming wedges, each wedge matching the surface of the cover and becoming inserted just into a space formed between the cover and longitudinal walls of the header so as to be covered by said bent-over longitudinal edges,   one of the wedges of the fixing tab is continuous along the longitudinal axis of the header and the other is interrupted at a central part, said fixing tab having, at said central part, an attachment surface that diverges from the cover.       
 
         [0030]    The invention also relates to a heat exchanger comprising at least one header as mentioned above. 
         [0031]    The invention further relates to a method of assembling such a header, in which method a step of positioning the cover of the header on the lower part thereof, a step of positioning at least one flange, and a step of bending the longitudinal edges over onto the flanks of the flange are carried out. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0032]    The present invention will be better understood from reading a detailed exemplary embodiment with reference to the attached figures given by way of nonlimiting example and among which: 
           [0033]      FIG. 1  is a schematic and perspective depiction of one embodiment of part of the exchanger produced according to the invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 2  is a larger scale view of a detail of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 3  is a first cross section through the embodiment of the exchanger depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 4  is a second cross section through the embodiment of the exchanger depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 5  is a cross section through an alternative form of embodiment, the section being taken at the same angle as in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0038]    Reference is made to  FIG. 1  which partially depicts a heat exchanger  1 . It comprises a bundle of tubes  100 , intended to have passing through them a fluid that exchanges heat with an air flow passing through the exchanger, these alternating with separators  110  arranged between the tubes  100  to increase the heat exchange area. 
         [0039]    Said exchanger  1  also comprises a two-part header  2 , with a lower part  3  and an upper part  4 . That being the case, the terms “lower” and “upper” do not presage the orientation of the header or the orientation of the exchanger in which said header is used, it being possible for the exchanger to be oriented in such a way as to allow vertical flow of the fluid through its tubes just as it can be oriented to allow horizontal flow. 
         [0040]    The lower part  3  forms the base of the header  2  and comprises a bottom  5 , longitudinal walls  6  ending in longitudinal edges  7 , for example straight longitudinal edges, and transverse walls  8 . 
         [0041]    The upper part  4  forms the cover of the header  2 . The dimensions of the cover  4  are designed to allow the cover  4  to be inserted and accepted between the longitudinal walls  6  when the longitudinal edges  7  are in the straight position. 
         [0042]    The exchanger  1  further comprises two fluid inlet/outlet flanges  9  each able to accept a fluid pipe (not depicted in the attached figures). 
         [0043]    The exchanger  1  also comprises two other flanges forming two fixing tabs  10 . These fixing tabs  10  can be used to fix the exchanger  2  to a support (not depicted in the attached figures) according to various fixing possibilities well known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0044]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , it may be seen that the inlet/outlet flange  9  has a particular profile  11 . This profile  11  allows the longitudinal edges  7  to be accepted at the flanks  12  of the flange  9 , once these longitudinal edges have been bent over. 
         [0045]    More specifically, the profile  11  allows the inlet/outlet flange  9  to be inserted between the longitudinal edges  7  when the latter are in their straight position and allows the flange  9  to be crimped by bending said longitudinal edges  7  over onto the flanks  12 . 
         [0046]    In the exemplary embodiment of the attached figures, the profile  11  comprises a groove  13  made in one flank  12  of the flange  9  and a protrusion  14  on its other flank  12 . 
         [0047]    The protrusion  14  has an underside  15  that more or less matches the shape of the cover  4  and a lateral face  16  that comes into abutment against the inside of the longitudinal wall  6  of the lower part  3 . In this way, when the longitudinal edges  7  are bent over, one of them into the groove  13  and the other onto the protrusion  14 , on the one hand the flange  9  is crimped onto the cover  4  and on the other hand the cover  4  is trapped between the flange  9  and the lower part  3 . 
         [0048]    The crimping of the flange  9  therefore allows the cover  4  to be held reliably between the lower part  3  and the flange  9  in a single crimping operation. 
         [0049]    Advantageously, the groove  13  and the protrusion  14  extend over the entire length of the flanks  12  of the flange  9 . 
         [0050]    Advantageously, the fixing tabs  10  are also designed to be secured to the cover  4  and the lower part  3  at the same time as the flange  9  crimping operation. 
         [0051]    To do this, and with reference mainly to  FIG. 4 , provision is made for the profile  17  of the fixing tabs  10  to comprise, for example, two ends  18  in the form of wedges  19 . 
         [0052]    Each wedge  19  matches the surface of the cover  4  and is inserted just into the space formed between the cover  4  and the longitudinal walls  6  of the lower part  3 . The fixing tabs  10 , the cover  4  and the lower part are secured together when the longitudinal edges  7  are bent over onto the wedges  19 , preventing any movement of the tabs  10  away from the cover  4  and from the lower part  3 . 
         [0053]    It is important to point out that, advantageously, the dimensions of the groove  13  and of the protrusion  14  are calculated to be compatible with a set angle of inclination between the flange  9  and a plane of symmetry of the header  2 . 
         [0054]    The inclination is obtained by altering the length of the protrusion  14  and the depth of the groove  13 . It is thus possible accurately to obtain different inclinations of the flange  9  with respect to the header  2 .  FIG. 3  thus shows one possible example of the inclination between the flange  9  and the header  2 , the inclination being controlled by the dimensions of the groove  13  and of the protrusion  14 . 
         [0055]    Likewise, the orientation of the fixing tab  10  with respect to the header  2  is controlled by altering the length of the wedges  19 . In the embodiment of the attached figures and as is more particularly visible in  FIG. 4 , the wedges  19  are substantially identical, although in order to obtain different inclinations, it would be possible to provide wedges  19  of non-identical lengths. 
         [0056]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the exchanger according to the invention can also comprise a cylinder  40  designed to be in fluidic communication with the header. In a way known to those skilled in the art, such a cylinder is oriented parallel to the header  2  and has a wall  42  defining an interior volume  44 . Such a cylinder is notably used to define a fluid storage volume and/or to facilitate separation of phases when associated with a condenser. Said cylinder may also be fitted with a filter and/or with a desiccant cartridge, neither of which items has been depicted. 
         [0057]    Said header may then be equipped with a flange, as mentioned above, this time defining an attachment flange  30  for the cylinder  40 , said attachment flange  30  possibly being provided as a material continuity of the cylinder  40 . In the example depicted, the fixing flange  30  is of the type having protrusions  14  or wedges  19 . 
         [0058]    It is also important to emphasize that in order to position the cover  4  in the lower part  3  when bending over the longitudinal edges, a local deformation or an additional thickness is provided at the longitudinal walls  6  and/or transverse walls  8 . This local deformation or additional thickness constitutes an end stop  20  preventing the cover  4  from dropping into the bottom of the lower part  3  through forcing on the longitudinal wall  6 . 
         [0059]    That being the case, it should be noted that, in the known way, the header  2  may comprise partitions dividing its internal volume into several parts, each one connected to a given number of exchanger tubes, defining fluid circulation passes having the effect of allowing the fluid to circulate alternately in directions that alternate from one pass to the next. 
         [0060]    In such a case and according to an alternative form of embodiment that has not been depicted, the cover  4  may rest against the lower part  3  via said partitions and/or transverse walls  8  as an alternative and/or in addition to resting via the end stops  20 . 
         [0061]    It may thus be seen that the proposed structure allows the various types of flange  9 ,  10 ,  30  provided on the header  2  to be crimped simultaneously while at the same time holding the cover  4  in place. 
         [0062]    More specifically, the bent-over edges  7  will be present, for example, at said flanges at least in the region of at least one of said flanges, and it is the crimping of said flange or flanges by the bent-over edges  7  that will hold the cover  4  in position on the lower part  3 . Bent-over edges  7  may also be provided beyond said flanges in order to hold the cover in position not only by the flanges but also by the bent-over parts which are now in direct contact with said cover, and which are provided beyond the flanges. 
         [0063]    The method of assembling the exchanger involves carrying out a first step of positioning the cover  4  of the header  2 . To do that, the cover  4  is inserted in the lower part  3  as far as the end stop  20 . Next, the various inlet/outlet flanges  9  are positioned on the cover  4 . This positioning of the flange  9  is easy because all that is required is for the flanges  9  to be moved vertically until they come into contact with the cover  4  causing the openings made in the cover  4  to coincide with those made in the flanges  9 . 
         [0064]    In the embodiment illustrated, the exchanger  1  comprises fixing tabs  10  at the header  2 , the fixing tabs  10  are therefore also positioned. However, this step is naturally omitted when the fixing tabs  10  are not located on the cover of the header  2  or even in a down-graded embodiment of the invention in which the fixing tabs  10  are fixed to the cover  4  in the conventional way, notably by welding or clipping. 
         [0065]    The method of assembling the exchanger  1  then consists in carrying out a step of bending the longitudinal edges  7  over. This bending-over step allows the end of the longitudinal edges  7  to be positioned in the grooves  13  and on the protrusions  14  of the flanges  9  as well as, where appropriate, on the wedges  19 . 
         [0066]    When the longitudinal edges  7  are placed on the flanks  12  of the flanges  9  and cover the wedges  19  of the fixing tabs  10 , the flanges  9  and the tabs  10  are crimped trapping the cover  4  of the header  2 . Assembly of the various components  3 ,  4 ,  9  and  10  is therefore carried out simultaneously in one single crimping operation. 
         [0067]    Other features of the invention could also have been conceived of without thereby departing from the scope of the invention defined in the following claims. 
         [0068]    Notably and by way of example, in other embodiments the profile  11  of the flanges  9  could differ and for example each flank  12  could comprise a protrusion  14  for crimping or alternatively each flank  12  could comprise a groove  13  to accept the bent-over end of the longitudinal edge  7 . 
         [0069]    In another embodiment, the grooves  13  and the protrusions  14  of the flanges  9  and/or the wedges  19  of the tabs  10  extend only partially along the length of the components  9  and  10 . 
         [0070]    Instead of being straight, the longitudinal edges  7  could be in the form of crimping tabs distributed along the flanks, for example uniformly and/or so as to coincide with the locations of the grooves, of the protrusions and/or of the wedges of the flanges, assembly being performed after said crimping tabs have been bent over.