Patent Application
20130126124
The present disclosure relates to HVAC and PTC systems in vehicles including an attachment bracket brazed to a vehicle heat exchanger.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
In automotive vehicles, heat exchangers are commonly mounted using brackets that can be fixed such as by brazing to the heat exchanger and releasably fastened using the bracket to structure of the vehicle. Due to space limitations of the vehicle, all equipment including the heat exchanger and bracket are designed to minimize their space envelope. Commonly used mounting brackets include first and second legs that are brazed to the heat exchanger in a common axis.
The surface area available for brazing can limit the structural strength provided by the brazed joints of the bracket. In addition, with the legs of the bracket each oriented in a common axis, resistance to bending in an out-of-axis plane or direction is limited, and therefore reduces the maximum retention capability of the bracket.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
According to several embodiments, a connecting device is provided for a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has orthogonally oriented first and second mount members. The connecting device includes a body; a first sidewall extension integrally connected to and extending from the body and including a first planar mount surface; and a second sidewall extension integrally connected to and extending from the body. The second sidewall extension oppositely faces with respect to the first sidewall extension and includes a second planar mount surface. A mounting wall extension is integrally connected to the body and extends orthogonally with respect to the first and second sidewall extensions and includes a third planar mount surface. The first, second and third planar mount surfaces are oriented parallel to each other and are fixedly connected to the first mount member.
According to further embodiments, a connecting device is provided for combination use with a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has orthogonally oriented first and second mount members. The connecting device includes a body having opposed first and second sidewalls. A first sidewall extension is integrally connected to and extends orthogonally with respect to the first sidewall, and includes a first planar mount surface. A second sidewall extension is integrally connected to and extends orthogonally with respect to the second sidewall. The second sidewall extension oppositely faces with respect to the first sidewall extension and includes a second planar mount surface. A mounting wall extension is integrally connected to the body and extends orthogonally with respect to the first and second sidewall extensions, and includes a third planar mount surface. The first, second and third planar mount surfaces are oriented parallel to each other.
According to other embodiments of the connecting device provided for combination use with a heat exchanger, the first and second sidewall extensions are oriented with respect to a longitudinal axis of the first mount member thereby increasing a longitudinal stiffness of the connecting device. The mounting wall extension has a longitudinal axis oriented orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal axis of the first mount member thereby increasing a lateral stiffness of the connecting device.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
Integrally connected to and extending orthogonally with respect to the first and second sidewalls 14, 16 are each of a first sidewall extension 20 and an oppositely directed second sidewall extension 22. First sidewall extension 20 defines a first planar mount surface 24, and second sidewall extension 22 similarly defines a second planar mount surface 26. According to several embodiments, the first and second planar mount surfaces 24, 26 are both oriented parallel with respect to each other and coplanar with respect to a planar surface 28. In order to stiffen each of the first and second sidewall extensions 20, 22, a first stiffening member 30 which is oriented parallel to first sidewall 14 and therefore orthogonally with respect to first sidewall extension 20 can be integrally included with and extend from a free end 31 of first sidewall extension 20. Similarly, a second stiffening member 32 oriented parallel with respect to second sidewall 16 can be integrally provided with and extend from a free end 33 second sidewall extension 22. Both first and second stiffening members 30, 32 are directed oppositely with respect to the first and second planar mount surfaces 24, 26.
In addition to the first and second sidewall extensions 20, 22, connecting device 10 can further include a mounting wall extension 34 which is created by removing material of planar body portion 12 defining first and second relief notches 36, 38 in planar body portion 12. Mounting wall extension 34 includes a third planar mount surface 40 which is oriented parallel with respect to both first and second planar mount surfaces 24, 26 and also coplanar with respect to planar surface 28. The mounting wall extension 34 has an extension width “A” which is less than a body portion width “B” of the planar body portion 12. Mounting wall extension 34 is an integrally extending portion of a mounting wall base 42 created from material of planar body portion 12, which is positioned between each of the first and second relief notches 36, 38.
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Similar to the first and second stiffening members 30, 32 of connecting device 10, connecting device 74 can also include first and second stiffening members 94, 96 integrally connected to and extending parallel with respect to first and second sidewalls 78, 80. A mounting wall extension 98 is modified with respect to the mounting wall extensions 34, 66 of connecting devices 10, 50. Mounting wall extension 98 is created between first and second sidewalls 78, 80 and is separated from planar body portion 76 by first and second relief notches 100, 102. Mounting wall extension 98 includes a third planar mount surface 104 which is oriented parallel with respect to first and second planar mount surfaces 88, 90 and is also oriented coplanar with respect to planar surface 92.
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Connecting device 122 includes a body 134 having an elongated aperture 135 and a first sidewall 136 with an integrally extending first sidewall extension 138 oriented parallel and substantially coplanar with respect to component first mount surface 128, thereby permitting a first brazed joint 140 to be created between first sidewall extension 138 and component first mount surface 128. Similarly, body 134 also includes a second sidewall 142 having a second sidewall extension 144 integrally extending therefrom oppositely directed with respect to first sidewall extension 138. Second sidewall extension 144 is oriented parallel to and substantially coplanar with respect to component first mount surface 128. A second brazed joint 146 is created between second sidewall extension 144 and component first mount surface 128. The first and second sidewall extensions 138, 144 increase a longitudinal stiffness of connecting device 122 against longitudinal bending of body 134 with respect to a longitudinal axis “J” of first mount member 126. Each of the first and second sidewall extensions 20, 22; 56, 58; and 84, 86 provide similar improvements to the longitudinal stiffness of the corresponding connecting devices 10, 50 and 74.
In order to further enhance the stability of connecting device 122 when fixed to component 124, a mounting wall base 148 is further provided, having an integrally connected mounting wall extension 150. Mounting wall extension 150 is substantially coplanar with respect to component first mount surface 128, but is oriented with respect to a longitudinal axis “K” which is oriented orthogonal to longitudinal axis “J”. Mounting wall extension 150 provides for a third brazed joint 152 between mounting wall extension 150 and component first mount surface 128. Because the mounting wall extension 150 is oriented orthogonally with respect to first and second sidewall extensions 138, 144, mounting wall extension 150 increases a lateral stiffness of connecting device 122 with respect to a bending force acting parallel to longitudinal axis “K” of mounting wall extension 150. Each of the mounting wall bases 34, 66 and 98 provide similar improvements to the lateral stiffness of the corresponding connecting devices 10, 50 and 74.
To further improve the lateral stability of connecting device 122, a fourth brazed joint 154 can be provided between a rear facing surface (not shown in this view) of mounting wall base 148 and a portion of the component second mount surface 132. This additional fourth brazed joint 154 therefore allows for connectivity between connecting device 122 and component 124 for a full width “L” of component first mount surface 128 with respect to first, second and third brazed joints 140, 146, 152 as well as a full width or height “M” of component second mount surface 132 with respect to fourth brazed joint 154.
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When connecting device 74 is substituted for connecting device 122 with respect to the arrangement shown in
Although brazed joints are described herein, these joints can be replaced by welded joints, soldered joints, or similar fixed connections. Connecting devices of the present disclosure provide a third surface area for brazing, welding or soldering with respect to a component. In addition, each of the connecting devices of the present disclosure also permit the brazing or fixing of an orthogonally oriented portion or surface of the connecting device to a second mount surface of a component. The increased quantity of mounting surfaces, the orientation of the mounting surfaces, and the addition of an orthogonally oriented mounting surface for the connecting devices of the present disclosure therefore substantially improve the lateral stability of the connecting device with respect to a component.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
