Patent Application
20060054306
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to heat exchanger attachments in general, and specifically to a novel design for an automotive heat exchanger mounting bracket.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automotive heat exchangers generally include a central core made of regularly spaced tubes and intermediate corrugated air fins. The tubes extend between a pair of header tanks at opposite ends of the core. A pair of reinforcement members extend along sides of the core between the tanks. The heat exchanger is usually mounted to a vehicle or other heat exchangers by bracket(s) extending from the header tanks or from the reinforcement members to a vehicle structure, where the bracket accepts a fastener. Most of the brackets are metal pieces that are somehow held in place before the brazing operation and then are brazed into a fixed attachment. Such is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,737 where the bracket clamps on to the header tank prior to the furnace brazing of the heat exchanger assembly.
The addition of the bracket during the furnace brazing introduces irregularities to the braze temperature profile. In addition, such brackets are limited to locations on the pre-brazed heat exchanger that are able to receive and retain the bracket until after the brazing joins the components.
Separate brackets may be attached to the unit after the brazing operation, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,819, where the brackets are bolted by fasteners to the core assembly by one or more fasteners for each of the four brackets. Using fasteners requires considerable labor and additional equipment.
To avoid such labor a plastic bracket may be snapped onto the heat exchanger, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,579. These plastic brackets are light molded pieces that are attached to the corners entirely post braze, in a simple press fit operation that requires no additional fasteners. An additional plastic bracket as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,767, utilizes a molded plastic bracket designed to engage the extruded rail on the header tank. The extruded rail is machined with additional features, such as three holes, to allow the bracket to snap onto the rail.
There is always utility for a simple and unique bracket that can accommodate the brazing and processing of the heat exchanger, requires no additional fasteners or machining, and allows flexibility to locate the bracket along the length of the heat exchanger for better integration with the demands of the complex vehicle structures and the varying location of mating components.
The subject invention provides a unique mounting system for a heat exchanger assembly comprising a core having a first end and a second end defining a length and sides defining a width and opposite faces defining a thickness. At least one reinforcement member, having an edge, extends along a side thereof between the first and second ends. A bracket, having a pair of first and second arms, extends around the reinforcement member and engages the faces of the core for supporting the heat exchanger assembly on a vehicle. The first arm of the bracket includes a resilient finger and a protrusion extending inward toward the second arm. The protrusion presents a ramp to allow the resilient finger to move over the reinforcement member as the resilient finger flexes outward from the arms until the ramp snaps over the edge of the reinforcement member to secure the bracket to the reinforcement member.
The bracket is secured without any additional fasteners between the reinforcement member and the bracket.
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, an automotive heat exchanger assembly, e.g., a condenser, radiator, or the like, is generally shown at 10. The heat exchanger assembly 10 comprises of a core 12 having a length (l) extending between a first end and a second end and a width (w) extending between sides and a thickness (t) extending between faces. The core 12 is the well-known type made of regularly spaced tubes and intermediate corrugated air fins attached on the tubes for effective heat transfer. The tubes convey a fluid between the header tanks 14, 15.
The heat exchanger assembly 10 generally shown in
The heat exchanger assembly 10 further includes at least one bracket 26 as shown in
The first arm 28 includes a resilient finger 38 and a protrusion 40 extending inward toward the second arm 30. The resilient finger 38 is disposed to extend from a root or connection at the first arm 28 and is supported in a cantilever fashion extending toward the bottom wall 32 to a distal end.
The protrusion 40 presents a ramp or inclined surface on the distal end of the finger 38, which allows the resilient finger 38 to flex outward for snapping over and engaging with the reinforcement member 16 of the heat exchanger 10. As shown in
The first arm 28 of the bracket 26 includes a first section 44 supporting the finger 38 in spaced relationship to the adjacent face of the core 12 thereby allowing clearance, as shown in
As shown in
The bracket 26 including the resilient finger 38 and the protrusion 40 defining the ramp, allows the bracket 26 to be secured to the reinforcement member 16 after the brazing process with no additional fasteners between the bracket 26 and the core 12 or reinforcement member 16. The exploded view of
The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and do come within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.
