JP2000257992A - Connecting structure for liquid receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting structure for liquid receiver, which can easily and surely close the upper and lower opened ends of the main body of a liquid receiver and moreover does not increase the number of part items used. SOLUTION: The opened ends of a main body 11 of a liquid receiver are easily and surely closed and an increase in number of parts is prevented by integrally forming connecting members 16 and 17 for connecting the main body 11 to a heat carrier flowing member (header pipe) 2a on the outer peripheral of the main body 11 and forming brazed surfaces, which are closely adhered to the member 2a on the members 16 and 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applied to an air conditioner installed in, for example, an automobile or a house.
The present invention relates to a connection structure of a liquid receiver for connecting a liquid medium for gas-liquid separation of a heat medium liquefied by a condenser to a heat medium flowing member on the condenser side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, as shown in FIG. 8, an air conditioning system used for air conditioners of automobiles and houses includes a compressor a, a condenser b, a liquid receiver c, an expansion valve d and an evaporator e. And those connected via a pipe f are known. In the air-conditioning system AC configured as described above, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous heat medium discharged from the compressor a performs heat exchange with the heat exchange fluid, for example, air while passing through the condenser b. By releasing latent heat, it begins to condense and liquefy. The high-temperature heat medium thus liquefied is separated into gas and liquid while being temporarily stored in the liquid receiver c, and only the liquid is sent to the expansion valve d, and the liquid is injected from a small hole (not shown) by the expansion valve d. As a result, it is adiabatically expanded and becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure mist and sent to the evaporator e.

In the evaporator e, the heat medium evaporates and evaporates by performing heat exchange with a heat exchange fluid such as air to absorb latent heat. The low-temperature and low-pressure heat medium thus vaporized is sent to the compressor a and adiabatically compressed,
It becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous heat medium and is sent to the condenser b again. By repeating such a series of cycles, the air conditioning system AC can be used for cooling and heating.

In the air conditioning system AC, the liquid receiver c
Is connected to a header pipe (heat medium flow member) b1 of the condenser b, as shown in FIG. 9, and separates the liquid-phase heat medium sent from the header pipe b1 into gas and liquid, and The liquid is temporarily stored, and the liquid component is stored in an expansion valve d.
To be sent to

That is, the liquid receiver c has a cylindrical liquid receiver main body c1 whose upper and lower opening ends are closed, and the liquid receiver main body c1 is also formed into a cylindrical header pipe b1. Are connected in such a manner that their axial directions coincide with each other. The liquid receiver main body c1 and the header pipe b1 are connected by brazing so that the planar portions c2 and b2 formed in the respective axial directions are brought into close contact with each other. Further, the inside of the liquid receiver main body c1 and the inside of the header pipe b1 communicate with each other in the vicinity of the lower part thereof.

However, in the connection structure of the liquid receiver c configured as described above, the inner surface of the liquid receiver main body c1 has a flat portion c2.
Therefore, there is a drawback that it is difficult to close the upper and lower open ends with blind plugs or the like.

For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, for example, a liquid receiver main body c1 having a cylindrical shape is also used. The one shown in FIG. 10 is configured such that a first connecting member g brazed to the header pipe b1 and a second connecting member h brazed to the receiver main body c1 are connected by a screw i. In addition, the liquid receiver main body c1 and the header pipe b1 communicate with each other through the through holes k formed in the first and second connecting members g and h. FIG.
Shows one end of the connecting member j connected to the header pipe b.
1 and the other end of the connecting member j is connected to the receiver main body c1.
The liquid receiver main body c1 and the header pipe b1 communicate with each other through a through hole k formed in the connecting member j. As another structure, as shown in FIG. 12, a structure in which a liquid receiver main body c1 and a header pipe b1 are connected via a pipe member m is known.

[0008] However, in the one shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, components for connecting the receiver main body c1 to the header pipe b1, for example, a first connecting member g, a second connecting member h, Since the screw i or the connecting member j is required separately, there is a problem that the number of parts increases. Also, in the configuration shown in FIG. 12, there is a problem that the number of parts increases because the pipe member m is separately required. Further, since the pipe member m protrudes into the receiver body c1, the desiccant n disposed (accommodated) in the receiver body c1.
However, there is a problem in that the heat exchanger is deformed by being pressed, which hinders the flow of the heat medium, that is, causes a pressure loss, and lowers the heat exchange efficiency.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can easily and reliably close the upper and lower opening ends of a liquid receiver main body, and increase the number of parts. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connection structure for a liquid receiver that does not cause a problem.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a connecting structure of a liquid receiver for connecting a cylindrical liquid receiver main body to a predetermined heat medium circulating member. In the outer periphery of the liquid receiver main body, a connecting member for connecting with the heat medium flowing member is integrally formed, and the connecting member has a brazing surface which is in close contact with the heat medium flowing member. It is characterized by having been formed.

With this configuration, the receiver main body can be easily and reliably connected to the heat medium flowing member only by brazing the brazing surface of the connecting member to the heat medium flowing member. Since the connecting member is interposed between the heat medium circulating member and the liquid receiver main body, the liquid receiver main body can be constituted by a cylindrical member having a cylindrical inner surface. Therefore, the upper and lower opening ends of the liquid receiver main body can be simply and reliably closed by blind plugs or the like. Moreover, since the connecting member is formed integrally with the receiver main body, there is an advantage that the number of parts does not increase and the number of brazing portions does not increase.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a through hole is formed in the connecting member, and the inside of the heat medium circulating member and the inside of the liquid receiver main body are formed through the through hole. It is characterized in that it is configured to communicate.

With this configuration, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to separately provide a pipe for supplying a heat medium to the liquid receiver main body. In addition, the protrusion of the pipe to the inner surface of the receiver main body can be eliminated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the liquid receiver main body is formed so as to extend continuously in the axial direction together with the connecting member by plastic working by extrusion or drawing. It is characterized by having been done.

With this configuration, the entirety of the liquid receiver main body in the axial direction can be connected to the heat medium circulating member, so that the connection strength can be improved. Also,
By performing plastic working by extrusion or drawing, the receiver main body can be integrally formed with the connecting member, so that productivity can be improved and cost can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the connecting member is formed by leaving a part in the axial direction and deleting the other part.

With this configuration, it is possible to connect only a portion of the liquid receiver main body that is necessary for strength to the heat medium circulating member. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the weight while sufficiently maintaining the connection strength of the connection member. In addition, since the length of the brazing surface of the connecting member in the axial direction is shortened, it is possible to reduce the dimensional accuracy of the brazing surface and the heat medium flowing member that is in close contact with the brazing surface.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
This will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a connection structure of a parallel flow type condenser and a liquid receiver integrally brazed and used for an air conditioner such as an automobile will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a state in which a liquid receiver is integrally joined to a condenser, FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner.

The condenser 1 includes a pair of header pipes (heat medium flowing members) 2a and 2b, and these header pipes 2a and 2b.
a, a heat exchange fin, for example, a corrugated fin 4, which is interposed between the heat exchange tubes 3 and integrally joined together. I have.

The header pipes 2a and 2b are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by, for example, an extruded member made of aluminum.
A cap member 5 is attached and fixed to the upper and lower ends. Also, one header pipe 2a (left side in FIG. 1)
For example, a heat medium inlet 7 is provided near the upper end on the outer side, and the other header pipe 2b (right side in FIG. 1)
A heat medium outlet 8 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end on the outer side. Further, a liquid receiver 1 is provided on a side surface of the header pipe 2a.
0, the outlet 9a and the inlet 9
b is drilled (see FIG. 4), and the liquid receiver 10 is integrally brazed so as to communicate with the outflow hole 9a and the inflow hole 9b. Note that a partition plate 9c is provided between the outflow hole 9a and the inflow hole 9b in the header pipe 2a.

The heat exchange tube 3 is formed of, for example, a flat plate made of an extruded aluminum member, and has a plurality of heat medium flow passages (in a longitudinal direction) penetrating therein. (Not shown). Both ends of the heat exchange tube 3 thus formed are connected to both header pipes 2a, 2a
On the opposite side of the b-side surface, a plurality of slits (not shown) arranged parallel to each other at appropriate intervals are inserted and fixed.

Heat exchange fins or corrugated fins 4
Is formed in a continuous wave shape by bending an aluminum plate material, and is interposed between the heat exchange tubes 3 and brazed. In this case, the corrugated fins 4 are also brazed to the outer sides of the heat exchange tubes 3 arranged at the uppermost stage and the lowermost stage, and both corrugated fins 4 are protected to protect these corrugated fins 4. Further, a side plate 6 is brazed to the outer side.

The connection structure of the receiver will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The liquid receiver 10 includes a liquid receiver main body 11, a filter 30 housed in the liquid receiver main body 11, and a cap member (blind plug) 15 for closing one end (upper end opening) of the liquid receiver main body 11. And a plug (blind plug) 20 inserted into the other end opening (lower end opening) of the receiver main body 11.
It is mainly composed of

The liquid receiver main body 11 is made of, for example, an extruded member made of aluminum and has a substantially cylindrical shape (connection members 16 and 17 described later).
Are formed in a cylindrical shape, and a mounting hole 14 is provided at an opposing position near the opening on the plug 20 side in the liquid receiver main body 11 (FIGS. 7A and 7B). reference). The condenser 1 is provided on a side surface of the receiver main body 11.
The connecting members 16 and 17 to be joined to the side surface (outer surface) of the header pipe 2a are integrally formed with the receiver main body 11. The connecting members 16 and 17 are formed with brazing surfaces 16a and 17a having arcuate curved surfaces corresponding to the side surfaces of the header pipe 2a, respectively. And
These connecting members 16 and 17 are formed by extruding integrally with the liquid receiver main body 11 and then cutting (cutting) the other part into a substantially cylindrical shape while leaving a part thereof.
The lower connecting member 17 is provided with an inlet (through hole) 12 and an outlet (through hole) 13 for the heat medium. That is, the connecting members 16 and 17 are connected to the inlet 1 of the receiver main body 11.
2 and the outlet pipe 9a of the header pipe 2a communicate with each other, and the outlet 13 of the receiver main body 11 and the inlet hole 9b of the header pipe 2a are aligned with each other and brazed to the header pipe 2a. Have been. The connecting members 16 and 17 do not necessarily need to be formed at two places. For example, one connecting member that extends vertically may be formed, or may be formed at three or more places.

The filter 30 is mainly composed of a tubular body 31 made of, for example, aluminum and having a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a filter element (not shown) filled in the tubular body 31. In this case, a ventilation portion 32 formed of, for example, a metal mesh is provided on the side surface of the cylindrical body 31 (see FIG. 6). In addition, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 4, for example, a desiccant 35 formed in a substantially columnar shape is inserted into the upper part of the filter 30 in the receiver main body 11.
Moisture contained in the heat medium can be absorbed and removed.

The cap member 15 is formed in a substantially hat shape by, for example, an aluminum member, and a part of the cap member 15 is fitted into an opening at one end (the upper side in FIG. 4) of the liquid receiver main body 11. Is fixed (brazed) so as to close off. In this case, since it is sufficient that the opening at one end of the liquid receiver main body 11 can be closed, for example, the upper part is integrally provided to close the one end of the liquid receiver main body 11.
Means other than 5 may be used. However, the cap member 1
In the case where 5 is used, since the inner surface of the liquid receiver main body 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape, a part of the cap member 15 is easily and securely fitted to one end opening of the liquid receiver main body 11. And can be fixed by brazing.

The stopper 20 is formed in an approximately cylindrical shape by, for example, an extruded aluminum member, and is detachably inserted into the opening of the receiver main body 11. For example, at two locations on the side surface of the plug 20, a concave groove 24 is provided,
A sealing member such as an O-ring 25
Are fitted respectively to keep the gap between the liquid receiver main body 11 and the plug body 20 airtight. The number of the grooves 24 is not necessarily two, but may be one or three.

A screw hole 21 is provided in the vicinity of the end (lower end in FIGS. 4 and 5) of the plug 20 so as to be continuous with the mounting hole 14 of the liquid receiver main body 11. A member, for example, a fixing screw 26 is screwed to the screw hole 21 (see FIGS. 7A and 7B). The stopper 20 need not necessarily be fixed by screwing. For example, a through hole is provided instead of the screw hole 21, and a mounting hole provided at a position facing the through hole and the receiver main body 11. The protrusion of the fixing pin penetrating through the fixing pin 14 may be fixed by a stopper, for example, an E-ring or the like, or, for example, a fixing bolt and a nut may be used instead of the fixing pin and the E-ring. That is, the fixing bolt may be penetrated into the through hole and the mounting hole 14, and the nut may be fastened or screwed to the protrusion of the fixing bolt.

According to the liquid receiver 10 constructed as described above, as shown by a dashed line with an arrow in FIG. 4, the inlet port of the liquid receiver main body 11 from the outlet hole 9a of the header pipe 2a in the condenser 1. The heat medium flows through the heat medium 12, and the heat medium penetrates and passes through the desiccant 35 and the filter 30, whereby impurities and moisture contained in the heat medium can be removed. Of the heat medium thus purified, the liquefied portion passes through the inflow hole 9b of the header pipe 2a from the outlet 13 and flows into the header pipe 2a. Remains at the top of the

Next, a procedure for replacing the filter 30 and the desiccant 35 will be described. First, loosen the fixing screw 26,
Mounting hole 14 of receiver main body 11 and screw hole 21 of plug 20
The fixing screw 26 is pulled out from the above.

Then, while removing the filter 30,
Remove the desiccant 35 and install a new desiccant 35. In this manner, the stopper 20 is housed in the receiver main body 11, and the fixing screw 26 passing through the mounting hole 14 is screwed into the screw hole 2.
By screwing the filter 30, the replacement of the filter 30 is completed. In addition to the case where the entire filter 30 is replaced as described above, a used filter element (not shown) is taken out from the cylinder 31, the cylinder 31 is washed and dried, and then a new filter element is filled. Is also good.

On the other hand, according to the connecting structure of the liquid receiver constructed as described above, the connecting members 16 and 17 are formed with the brazing surfaces 16a and 17a which are in close contact with the header pipe 2a. , 17 can be easily and reliably brazed to the header pipe 2a. The connecting members 16, 1 are provided between the header pipe 2 a and the receiver main body 11.
7, the receiver main body 11 can be formed of a cylindrical member having a cylindrical inner surface, that is, a cylindrical member. Therefore, the lower open end of the liquid receiver main body 11 can be easily and reliably closed by inserting the plug 20, and the upper side can be easily fitted with the cap 15 and securely closed by brazing or the like. Can be. Moreover, by closing with the plug 20, the lower opening can be configured to be openable and closable. Furthermore, since the connecting members 16 and 17 are formed integrally with the liquid receiver main body 11, there is an advantage that the number of components does not increase and the number of connection points by brazing does not increase.

The inside of the header pipe 2a and the inside of the receiver main body 11 are connected to each other through an inlet 12 and an outlet 13 as through holes formed in the connecting members 16 and 17. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to separately provide a pipe for supplying a heat medium to the liquid receiver main body 11. Furthermore, since the liquid receiver main body 11 is formed by extrusion, the liquid receiver main body 11 having the connecting members 16 and 17 can be easily manufactured. Therefore, productivity can be improved and cost can be reduced. Since the connecting members 16 and 17 are arranged at the upper and lower ends, the weight can be reduced without substantially decreasing the strength of connecting the receiver main body 11 to the header pipe 2a. In addition, the axial length of the brazing surfaces 16a, 17a in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the header pipe 2a is shortened, so that the dimensional accuracy of the brazing surfaces 16a, 17a and the outer surface of the header pipe 2a to which they are in close contact is reduced. It is possible to do.

The connecting members 16 and 17 are connected to the receiver main body 1.
1 is formed over the entirety in the axial direction.
The connection strength between the header pipe 2a and the header pipe 2a can be further improved.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, because of the above-described configuration, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

(1) According to the invention described in claim 1, only by brazing the brazing surface of the connecting member to the heat medium flowing member,
The receiver main body can be easily and reliably connected to the heat medium flowing member. And since the connecting member is interposed between the heat medium circulating member and the liquid receiver main body, the liquid receiver main body is
It can be constituted by a cylindrical member having a cylindrical inner surface. Therefore, the upper and lower opening ends of the liquid receiver main body can be simply and reliably closed by blind plugs or the like. Moreover, since the connecting member is formed integrally with the receiver main body, there is an advantage that the number of parts does not increase and the number of brazing portions does not increase.

(2) According to the second aspect of the invention, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to separately provide a pipe for supplying a heat medium to the liquid receiver main body. In addition, since the inner surface of the liquid receiver main body can be made flat, the desiccant disposed (contained) in the liquid receiver main body is not pressed and deformed, and the flow of the heat medium is made smooth. Heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

(3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, the entirety of the liquid receiver main body in the axial direction can be connected to the heat medium flowing member, so that the connection strength can be improved. Moreover, since the liquid receiver main body can be integrally formed with the connecting member by plastic working by extrusion or drawing, the productivity can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

(4) According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, only the portion of the liquid receiver main body that is necessary for strength can be connected to the heat medium flowing member. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the weight while sufficiently maintaining the connection strength of the connection member. In addition, since the length of the brazing surface of the connecting member in the axial direction is shortened, it is possible to reduce the dimensional accuracy of the brazing surface and the heat medium flowing member that is in close contact with the brazing surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of an air conditioner having a condenser and a liquid receiver to which a liquid receiver connection structure according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the air conditioner, and is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a connection structure of a liquid receiver in the air conditioner, and is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

4 is a view showing a connection structure of a liquid receiver in the air conditioner, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged main part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a plug in the liquid receiver of the air conditioner.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional perspective view showing a filter cylinder in the liquid receiver of the air conditioner.

7A and 7B are an enlarged perspective view and a bottom view, respectively, showing a main part of a liquid receiver of the air conditioner.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a configuration of an air conditioner.

FIG. 9 is a front view (a) and a cross-sectional view (b) showing a connection structure of a conventional liquid receiver in an air conditioner.

10A and 10B are a front view and a cross-sectional view showing another example of the connection structure of the liquid receiver.

FIG. 11A is a front view showing still another example of the connection structure of the liquid receiver, and FIG. 11B is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a main part showing still another example of the connection structure of the liquid receiver.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2a Header pipe (heat medium flowing member) 10 Liquid receiver 11 Liquid receiver main body 12 Inlet (screw hole) 13 Outlet (screw hole) 16, 17 Connecting member 16a, 17a Brazing surface

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A connection structure of a liquid receiver for connecting a tubular liquid receiver main body to a predetermined heat medium distribution member, wherein the heat medium distribution member is connected to an outer periphery of the liquid receiver main body. A connection structure for a liquid receiver, wherein a connection member for connection is integrally formed, and a brazing surface that is in close contact with the heat medium flowing member is formed on the connection member. 2. The connecting member has a through hole formed therein, and the inside of the heat medium circulating member and the inside of the liquid receiver main body are connected to each other through the through hole. The connecting structure of the receiver described in the above. 3. The liquid receiver main body is formed so as to extend continuously in the axial direction together with the connecting member by plastic working by extrusion or drawing.
The connecting structure of the receiver described in the above. 4. The connecting structure for a liquid receiver according to claim 3, wherein the connecting member is formed by leaving a part in the axial direction and removing the other part.