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FIELD OF INVENTION:
The present invention relates to connector of automotive condenser. The present
invention in particular relates to tube connector of automotive condenser which is
directly brazed on modular tank.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART:
A conventional condenser includes a pair of tanks and a condenser core having a
plurality of tubes and fins and arranged between the tanks. One of the tanks is fixed
at its top portion with an inlet connector for connecting a pipe and the other tank is
fixed at its bottom portion with an outlet connector for connecting a pipe.
Specifically, the tanks are formed with a communicating hole and the connectors are
formed with a connecting hole, so that they can be fluidically communicated with
each other.
The connectors are fixed to the tanks, respectively, by caulking and brazing as
follows. The tank and the connector are arranged so that the communicating hole
and the connecting hole are aligned with each other, and then a punch is press-fitted
from a tank side into the holes to form a burring portion of the tank and caulk the
burring portion on an inner surface of the connecting hole so as to temporarily fix
them together. The punch is drawn out from the holes, and then the temporarily
fixed tank and connector are placed with brazing filler metal in a heating furnace to
be brazed. Incidentally, in this blazing process, a temporarily assembled tanks and
condenser core are also brazed to integrally form a condenser.
Publication No. JP2009299926 describes a connector structure of a condenser for a
vehicle, using an input connector also as a fixing bracket for an output connector,
thereby achieving favorable brazed fixing between the input connector and a tank,
and simultaneously fixing and supporting the output connector in a stable state
without any increase in number of parts, assembling man-hour and weight.
Publication No. EP1589300 describes a connector of a dryer tank integrated with the
header of a refrigerating system condenser, such as vehicle air conditioning system.
The connector has a form of a shape stamped in a side surface of the dryer tank, said
shape having at least two convex arms at each side of the dryer tank
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longitudinal axis and an a butting face defined by the arms, wherein the shape of the
butting face corresponds to the side surface of the header, bonded to the dryer tank
by brazing.
Publication No. EP1956333 describes a heat exchanger in particular condenser
having a block made from pipes and ribs and a collecting tube, which communicate
with the pipes. A connection flange and a holder are fixed at the collecting tube. The
holder is formed as continuous guide rail and is fixed at the connection flange and
intermediate holder.
Publication No. KR20050015761 describes a condenser for an air conditioner of a
vehicle provided to improve assembling force, and to reduce the cost and the
working process by directly bonding one of a couple of header pipes to a receiver
driver tank through a brazing material connector pipe. The connector pipe is
composed of a communication pipe made of brazing material and composed of a
communication hole and a connector having a containing part storing the
communication pipe.
Publication No. EP1933106 provides a heat transfer device having at least one
manifold, to which at least one auxiliary component is attached. The auxiliary
component has a fork-shaped profile piece fitting round the at least partly circular
circumference of the manifold. There is at least one carrier surface on the
circumference of the manifold and on the profile piece.
US Patent No. 7,178,580 describes a brazed heat exchanger suitable for a motor
vehicle comprising at least one manifold to which at least one additional part is
fastened. The at least one additional part has a fork-shaped profile piece, which is
adapted to the circumference of the manifold, lies against the circumference of the
manifold and can be fixed thereto by a form locking and/or frictional connection,
preferably prior to brazing.
Publication No. US2004104019 describes a brazed condenser for an air conditioner,
such as a motor vehicle air conditioner, where a collecting tube connected with a
collector is a prefabricated as a one-piece tube which is connected by tack weld
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seams with the collector before brazing the collecting tube and the collector
together.
US Publication No. 20080149312 provides a vehicle air conditioning system having
a condenser with a header tank attached to it. A modulator attaches to the header
tank using a full-length dove tail joint that is further secured and sealed to the header
tank by a brazing process. A modulator inlet receives gaseous refrigerant from the
condenser and discharges liquid refrigerant to a bottom, sub cooler portion of the
condenser. The modulator inlet and outlet pass through the dove tail joint of the
modulator and header tank. The dove tail joint is brazed.
US Patent No. 7900693 provides a soldered heat exchanger, in particular a
condenser for motor vehicles which has at least one collector tube, and a flange
which is secured to the collector tube and which is used to receive connection tubes.
The flange can be fixed and soldered to the collection tube by one or two supports.
Publication No. EP2108912 describes a condenser having a tube/rib block and
manifolds arranged on both sides of the condenser, a coolant connector. The
manifolds exhibit covering parts and base parts for holding tube ends of the tube/rib
block. An opening or borehole and the coolant connector are arranged at the base
part.
US Publication No. 20060123837 provides a receiver tank for an automobile air
conditioner condenser comprising: a first half having two openings for refrigerant
inlet and outlet, a second half to be joined with the first half to form the receiver, at
least one of the first or second half having means to join with the other half.
US Patent No. 8205667 describes a heat exchanger including a plurality of tubes, a
header tank coupled to the plurality of tubes, and a connector coupled to the header
tank. The connector includes a female joint part that is to be coupled to a male joint
part of an external pipe and a tubular part that extends from the female joint part and
has a closed end on a side opposite to the female joint part. The connector is coupled
to the header tank such that a side wall of the tubular part is located on an outer
periphery of the header tank.
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Publication No. WO0101051 describes a refrigerant condenser which comprises a
core including a number of parellel tubes and headers attached to both sides of the
core. The refrigerant condenser further comprises a tank attached to the header to
enhance condensation efficiency and supercooling efficiency. A gas-phase
refrigerant flowing into the intermediate chamber of the header is passed through the
first condenser during which it is cooled to migrate into a gas-liquid mix phase and
it is blown into the intermediate chamber of the header to enter the gas-liquid
separating chamber of the tank via a first communication passageway.
US patent No. 7,077,194 describes a jumper tube assembly for a heat exchanger
including a first connector block having an attachment portion engaged to the heat
exchanger, an outlet and an inlet for receiving refrigerant from the heat exchanger. A
second connector block includes an attachment portion engaged to the heat
exchanger, an inlet and an outlet. A jumper tube extends between the first and the
second connector block. The jumper tube inlet and the jumper tube outlet are brazed
to the respective first and second connector blocks. The first and second connector
blocks are brazed to the heat exchanger.
US Publication No. 20040182553 describes a heat exchanger with a receiver tank
provided with a multi-flow type heat-exchange body, a receiver tank, a block flange
having a side surface connected to the periphery of a condensing portion outlet of
the heat exchanger body and an upper end to which a lower end of the receiver tank
is attached and a bracket for supporting the upper part of the receiver tank to the heat
exchanger body.
Denso Corporation has introduced a condenser that integrates the condenser and
subcooler. This condenser was the first in the world to have the modulator (receiver)
integrated with the condenser tank. The condenser part cools the high-temperature,
high-pressure gas refrigerant sent from the compressor, and condenses it into liquid
refrigerant. The modulator separates gas and liquid refrigerants and sends the liquid
refrigerant to the subcooler part. Using desiccant and a filter, the modulator removes
moisture and foreign material from the refrigerant. The subcooler part further cools
the liquid refrigerant to increase the refrigerant enthalpy.
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The condenser mentioned in prior art, however, encounters some problems. The
manufacturing cost is high as additional part is used to hold the tube connector. It
occupies more space and weight of the modulator unit is high. Additionally, there is
option of fixing the connector only on the condenser tank which restricts the
designer for fixing the location of the tube connector. This becomes problem for
space management in the existing vehicle of new development.
Therefore, in view of above prior art, the present invention provides a condenser in
which tube connector is directly brazed on modular tank that reduces weight of the
condenser.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
The principal object of the present invention is to provide tube connector directly
brazed to modular tank which reduces the cost and weight of the condenser.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a condenser having a simple
and economical construction.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a condenser with compact
assembly for improved packaging and efficient assembly.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a condenser having a
permanent, vibration-resistant brazed tube connector which minimizes leakages or
strength problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention provides an automotive condenser in which tube connector is
directly brazed onto modular tank. The invention provides an option for designers
for fixing connector on modular tank.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tube connector has
cylindrical profile matching that of modular tank. Tube connector may be extrusion
type or forging type of any thickness considering the brazing strength requirement
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for the pipe being brazed. Width of connector shall be maintained considering size
of the tube.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturing process for
fixing tube connector to the modular tank before brazing furnace is TIG welding.
TIG welding is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten
electrode to produce the weld.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the space for mounting the
heat exchanger with the connector is reduced. In current technology connector is
generally fixed on the condenser tank directly and not on Modulator Tank. However,
in the current invention it provides an option for designers for fixing connector onto
modular tank. No, extra part like bracket etc are required. Thus if there is any
constrain in fixing the connector at the tank header it can alternately use space at the
modulator header.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical
embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered for
limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective
embodiments.
Fig. 1 illustrates prior art condenser and tube connector;
Fig. 2 illustrates condenser, modular tank and tube connector of present invention;
Fig. 3 illustrates tube connector assembly with tube connector according to the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
Accordingly, the present invention provides an automotive condenser in which the
tube connector is directly brazed on modulator tank.
The condenser is a part of the refrigerating cycle of a vehicle air conditioning system
which is connected between the compressor and the expansion valve in a manner
known to a person skilled in the art. The condenser is made of aluminum alloy and
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comprises a cooling core consisting of plural parallel tubes and cooling fins and two
cylindrical headers connected to the reciprocal ends of each tube. The cylindrical
dryer is fluidly connected to one header by means of connectors which enable flow
of the coolant between the condenser header and the dryer tank. The cylindrical
dryer may be hinged with connectors on to condenser header or directly stick to
condenser header as shown in fig. 1.
Referring to fig. 2, the modulator tank 11 is connected to the header tank 12 so that
liquid refrigerant flowing through the header tank 12 is collected and stored therein.
The modulator 11 separates gas and liquid refrigerants and sends the liquid
refrigerant to the subcooler part. The modulator tank 11 may be formed of a
cylindrical container that is formed by extrusion. The modulator tank 11 is fixed to a
side wall of the header tank by brazing. The connector is preferably an extruded part
which has a tubular profile and a refrigerant connection region with refrigerant
connection bores Tube connector may be extrusion type or forging type of any
thickness considering the brazing strength requirement for the pipe being brazed.
Width of connector shall be maintained considering size of the tube. In the present
invention the tube connector 13 is directly brazed on the modulator tank 11 through
TIG welding process. TIG welding is an arc welding process that uses a nonconsumable
tungsten electrode to produce the weld.
Fig. 3 shows tube connector 13 arranged on the outer periphery of the modulator
tank 11 and has cylindrical profile matching that of modulator tank 11 profile. The
tube connector 13 is fixed to the modulator tank 11 before brazing furnace by TIG
welding. Additionally the present invention reduces the cost and weight of the
condenser and provides better space management.
Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system of the present invention
will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the
appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall
within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

WE CLAIM:
1. A tube connector directly brazed on the modulator tank of the condenser
having cylindrical profile matching that of modular tank.
2. The tube connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tube connector is
chosen from extrusion type or forging type of any thickness considering the
brazing strength requirement for the pipe being brazed.
3. The tube connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the manufacturing process
for fixing the tube connector to the modulator tank before braze furnace is
TIG welding.