Patent Application
20210148619
The present disclosure relates to a filter cap for a body of a refrigerant tank of an automotive heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) device.
A cooling circuit used in, for example, a vehicle air-conditioning unit is configured to circulate a refrigerant in passages that extend through an evaporator, a condenser, or the like. Typically, a refrigerant tank is disposed is provided in which refrigerant circulates. The refrigerant tank is configured to temporarily store the refrigerant to separate vapor refrigerant from liquid refrigerant. There can also be a modulator tank in the receiver tank and disposed downstream of the condenser, for example.
Refrigerant may contain water during circulation of the cooling circuit. If such a refrigerant containing water circulates in the cooling circuit, the water may be condensed at an expansion valve, which will lead to occurrence of clogging in the expansion valve. Therefore, it may be beneficial to remove water from refrigerant circulating in the cooling circuit during cooling cycle operation.
The refrigerant tank may also have a desiccant within a bag (“desiccant bag”) within the refrigerant tank. The desiccant bag aids in removing water from the refrigerant.
According to one embodiment, a filter cap for a body of a refrigerant tank of an automotive HVAC device is provided. The filter cap includes a main body including a threaded region configured to mate with a corresponding region of the HVAC device, the main body having a rim defining an opening. A filter membrane covers the opening. A snap-on collar is secured to and fitted about the rim, and at least partially covers the filter membrane to protect the filter membrane.
According to an embodiment, a refrigerant tank for storing a refrigerant of a vehicular HVAC system is provided. The refrigerant tank includes a housing body defining therein a space for storing the refrigerant, a desiccant bag disposed within the space of the housing body, and a filter cap inserted in and secured to the housing body. The filter cap includes a main body having a rim defining an opening through which the refrigerant passes through, a filter membrane covering the opening of the main body, and a collar attached directly to the rim and partially covering the filter membrane to protect the filter membrane.
According to an embodiment, a vehicular HVAC system includes a filter cap configured to screw into a refrigerant tank of a heat exchanger assembly. The filter cap includes a rim about an opening through which refrigerant passes, a filter membrane disposed over the opening and configured to filter contaminants within the refrigerant, and a releasable protective cap covering the filter membrane and releasably attached to the rim of the filter cap.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.
Terms such as “leading,” “front,” “forward,” “rearward,” etc. may be used in this disclosure. These terms are for giving positional context of various components relative to a vehicle in which the heat exchanger resides. For example, the leading or front edge of a component is one that is forward-most in the direction of the front of the vehicle (e.g., the vehicle grille).
Coolant from the engine, which may either be a liquid or gaseous phase, flows from the inlet header tank 12, through the core 16, and to the outlet header tank 14. The core 16 cools the coolant flowing through the radiator 10. More specifically, the coolant flows through the tubes 22, and the fins 24 conduct or transfer heat from the coolant flowing through the tubes 22. Heat transferred to the fins 24 is transferred to air flowing through the radiator 10. The air flowing through the radiator can be supplied naturally when the vehicle is traveling, or via a fan (not shown).
The radiator 10 may also include or be coupled with a receiver drier 30. The receiver drier 30 is shown according to one embodiment in
In the embodiment illustrated in
In typical automotive refrigeration systems, the cap is serviceable, in that it can be removed for service. The cap is configured to seal the receiver drier so that the desiccant bag can be serviced and replaced. The cap may also contain the filter. The filter may be at the upper portion of the cap and, if left unexposed, can be prone to damage during shipment. Moreover, different refrigeration systems may have various filtration requirements.
Therefore, according to various embodiments described herein, the cap 34 is designed to utilize a mechanical snap feature to establish one section of the integrated filter cap as a constant across various applications. This mechanical snap feature allows for flexibility for other requirements to be met by attaching differently-shaped components to the cap prior to installation, while minimizing manufacturing costs and tooling associated with creating an array of arrangements to meet different established requirements.
The main body 50 is also formed with a side port 58. The side port 58 is an opening for the coolant to exit the cap 34 after filtration and/or desiccation. As shown in
The upper region of the main body 50 is provided with an annular rim 60. The rim 60 may define a boundary of a hollow interior of the cap 34, providing a fluid passageway for a portion of the coolant. According to one embodiment, a filter membrane 62 may be placed above the rim 60, covering the rim 60. The filter membrane may be plastic, metal, or other materials. The filter membrane 62 may be a single sheet with holes formed therein, or alternatively, the filter membrane 62 may be a mesh or weave structure. The openings (either via holes or the space between the mesh or weave material) are sized to be large enough to permit the coolant to flow therethrough but small enough to prevent passage of the desiccant or contaminants.
The filter membrane 62 is fixed to cover the opening of the rim 60 via a collar 64. The collar 64 may be made of a thermoplastic, metallic (e.g., stainless steel, 3D-printed, etc.), thermoset, or other materials. The collar 64 covers a portion of the filter membrane 62 and connects directly to the rim 60 to secure the filter membrane 62 axially between the rim 60 and the collar 64. As will be described with reference to
The collar 64 includes an upper portion 66 that extends over a portion of the filter membrane 62, between the filter membrane 62 and the desiccant bag, for example. In one embodiment, the upper portion 66 includes an open (e.g., cylindrical) central region 68, and a plurality of linear legs 70 extending radially outward therefrom. While three legs 70 are shown in the figures, more or less than three legs 70 may be provided. The legs 70 extend from an external periphery of the central region 68. Gaps or openings 72 exist between each two adjacent legs 70. In other words, the openings 72 separate the legs 70.
The collar 64 provides protection to the filter membrane 62 during, for example, shipping of the caps 34. For example, if many of the caps 34 are shipped or handled together, contact between and amongst the caps 34 may be made, with the potential for an edge of the cap 34 to damage the filter membrane 62 of another cap 34. Therefore, the collar 64 is designed to cover and protect the filter membrane 62 from damage, while maintaining a minimal profile over the filter membrane 62 to not inadequately interfere with the operation of the filter membrane 62 during operation within the receiver drier 30. In one embodiment, a maximum distance between two adjacent legs 70 is less than an outer radius of the main body 50 of the cap 34. This can assure that if a first one of the caps 34 were to roll and contact an upper region of a second one of the caps 34 during shipment, legs 70 of the second cap would deflect the first cap away without contact being made on the filter membrane of the second cap. In other words, the distance between the legs 70 assures that no part of the rounded main body 50 of the cap 34 would be able to contact the filter membrane 62; the rounded main body 50 would instead contact the collar 64 without penetrating the collar 64 enough to contact the filter membrane 62.
Referring to
During assembly, an operator can press the collar 64 over the rim 60. A tapered outer surface 86 of the rim 60 can contact a corresponding tapered inner surface 88 of each finger 76. This bends the fingers 76 outward, until the collar 64 is pressed over the rim 60. Once the tapered inner surfaces 88 have been pressed beyond the tapered outer surface 86 of the rim 60, the fingers can bend and “snap” back into place, in which the upper surface 80 of the shoulder 78 contacts the lower surface 82 of the rim. This provides a snap-fit engagement between the collar 64 and the rim 60 of the main body 50 of the cap. In one embodiment, only the fingers 76 have the shoulder 78 extending radially inward therefrom, but the remainder of the collar 64 does not include such a shoulder.
While a snap fit between the collar and the rim is disclosed herein, it should be understood that other connections methods are contemplated herein. For example, a separate fastener can be provided between the collar and the main body of the cap. In other embodiments, an adhesive is provided at the interface between the collar and the rim.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, to the extent any embodiments are described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.
