Evaporator

Abstract

A second fin 27 is disposed outside a refrigerant passing body 2 positioned at one side end of a heat exchange core 4 where a refrigerant inlet 14 and a refrigerant outlet 15 are provided. A side plate 26 is disposed externally of the second fin 27. The second fin 27 and the side plate 26 have respective upper ends so positioned as to permit an upper portion outer surface of the refrigerant passing body 2 to be exposed. A refrigerant inflow member 16 and a refrigerant outflow member 17 are arranged on the refrigerant passing body 2 at an external portion thereof above the second fin 27 and the side plate 26, and the inflow member 16 is connected to the inlet 14, and the outflow member 17 is connected to the outlet 15. The inflow member 16 and the outflow member 17 have respective outer side faces positioned within an upward extension of the plane of outer side face of the side plate 26 or inwardly of the extension. The evaporator 1 can be housed in a case C without leaving any useless space therein, and the case C can therefore be made smaller in size.

1 . An evaporator comprising a heat exchange core having a plurality of flat refrigerant passing bodies arranged in parallel at a spacing with their widths oriented in a front-rear direction and first corrugated fins arranged between respective adjacent pairs of refrigerant passing bodies, and a refrigerant inlet header and a refrigerant outlet header arranged on the upper side of the heat exchange core side by side in the front-rear direction and each having at least one end positioned at a widthwise outer end of the heat exchange core, the inlet header having a refrigerant inlet at said one end thereof positioned at the widthwise outer end of the heat exchange core, the outlet header having a refrigerant outlet at said one end alongside the inlet, a second fin being disposed outside the refrigerant passing body positioned at said widthwise outer end of the heat exchange core, a side plate being disposed externally of the second fin, the evaporator being so adapted that a refrigerant flows into the inlet header through the inlet, returns to the outlet header after flowing through all the refrigerant passing bodies and is sent out from the outlet, 
 the second fin and the side plate having respective upper ends so positioned as to permit an upper portion outer surface of the core-end refrigerant passing body to be exposed, a refrigerant inflow member and a refrigerant outflow member being arranged on the core-end refrigerant passing body at an external portion thereof above the second fin and the side plate, the inflow member being connected to the inlet of the inlet header, the outflow member being connected to the outlet of the outlet header, the inflow member and the outflow member having respective outer side faces positioned laterally externally of the heat exchange core and positioned within an upward extension of the plane of an outer side face of the side plate or inwardly of the extension.    
   
   
       2 . An evaporator according to  claim 1  wherein the inflow member and the outflow member each comprise a tube which is open at one end and closed at the other end and has a pipe joint opening at the open end, and the inflow member and the outflow member are connected, each at a peripheral wall portion thereof toward the closed end, to the inlet of the inlet header and the outlet of the outlet header respectively.  
   
   
       3 . An evaporator according to  claim 1  wherein an outwardly projecting flange is formed around each of the inlet of the inlet header and the outlet of the outlet header, and the inflow member and the outflow member are joined respectively to the inlet header and the outlet header with the flange fitted in a through hole formed in a peripheral wall of each of the inflow member and the outflow member.  
   
   
       4 . An evaporator according to  claim 3  wherein the inlet of the inlet header and the outlet of the outlet header are each oblong, and the through hole formed in the peripheral wall of each of the inflow member and the outflow member is an oblong hole for the flange around each of the inlet and the outlet to fit in.  
   
   
       5 . An evaporator according to  claim 1  wherein one of the inflow member and the outflow member which is positioned in front of the other extends forward from a closed end thereof, and the other member extends forward from a closed end thereof as bent to clear said one member in front.  
   
   
       6 . An evaporator according to  claim 1  wherein one of the inflow member and the outflow member which is positioned in front of the other extends forward straight from a closed end thereof, and the other member is curved downwardly forward from a closed end thereof and has an outer end extending straight forward.  
   
   
       7 . An evaporator according to  claim 1  wherein the side plate is provided at the upper end thereof with a portion bent toward the refrigerant passing body, and the inflow member and the outflow member are rectangular in cross section and have their outer side faces positioned within the upward extension of the plane of the outer side face of the side plate, a covering member being provided for closing a space between the upper-end bent portion of the side plate and a lower end of one of the inflow member and the outflow member which is positioned in the rear of the other when the space is seen from the front.  
   
   
       8 . An evaporator according to  claim 7  wherein the side plate has an upward bent portion integral with a free end of the bent portion, and the covering member is provided integrally with at least one of front and rear side edges of the upward bent portion.  
   
   
       9 . An evaporator according to  claim 1  which comprises a plurality of flat hollow bodies each comprising two vertically elongated rectangular plates brazed to each other along peripheral edges thereof and having bulging refrigerant passageway portions and bulging header forming portions continuous with opposite ends of the passageway portions of the plates, the flat hollow bodies being arranged side by side with opposed outer faces of corresponding header forming portions in contact with each other, the corresponding header forming portions of each adjacent pair of flat hollow bodies being joined to each other at their outer faces, the refrigerant passing bodies of the heat exchange core being provided by the passageway portions of the flat hollow bodies.  
   
   
       10 . An evaporator according to  claim 9  wherein the plurality of flat hollow bodies are arranged in succession from the widthwise outer end of the heat exchange core and have bulging header forming portions providing the inlet header and the outlet header.  
   
   
       11 . An evaporator according to  claim 1  wherein each of the refrigerant passing bodies of the heat exchange core comprises a tube having a plurality of parallel refrigerant channels.  
   
   
       12 . An evaporator according to  claim 11  which comprises a plurality of intermediate headers in addition to the inlet header and the outlet header, and two tube groups each comprising refrigerant passing bodies arranged at a spacing in at least one row are arranged respectively between the inlet header and one of the intermediate headers opposed thereto and between the outlet header and another one of the intermediate headers opposed thereto, the refrigerant passing bodies of each of the tube groups having opposite ends joined to the respective corresponding headers opposed to each other.  
   
   
       13 . An evaporator according to  claim 12  wherein the inlet header and the outlet header are provided by dividing interior of a refrigerant inlet-outlet tank into front and rear two portions by a partition wall.  
   
   
       14 . An evaporator according to  claim 13  wherein the inlet-outlet tank comprises a first member having the refrigerant passing bodies joined thereto, a second member brazed to the first member at a portion thereof opposite to the refrigerant passing bodies, and caps brazed to respective opposite ends of the first and second members, the partition wall being integral with the second member, one of the caps being provided with the inlet and the outlet.  
   
   
       15 . A refrigeration cycle comprising a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, the evaporator being an evaporator according to  claim 1 .  
   
   
       16 . A vehicle having installed therein a refrigeration cycle according to  claim 15  as an air conditioner.