Integrated condenser-accumulator-subcooler assembly for vehicles

Abstract

Heat exchange assembly for vehicles, comprising a condenser and a plate subcooler, and an accumulator having an accumulator inlet and an accumulator outlet. The condenser and the subcooler are connected to one another in such a way as to form a single pack of plates. The accumulator is defined by a plurality of through apertures formed through the plates, and aligned with one another. In the accumulator, a filter is arranged, comprising a cage support and a filtering medium arranged on the cage support. The cage support has a first end provided with a sealing lip formation adapted to elastically engage the edges of the through apertures defining the accumulator, and a second end provided with a spacer adapted to engage a bottom of the accumulator so as to set the position of the sealing formation between the accumulator inlet and the accumulator outlet.

1 . A heat exchange assembly for vehicles, comprising
 a condenser having a condenser inlet and a condenser outlet, said condenser having a body formed by a pack of condenser plates secured to one another and defining cavities between a pair of plates and the other for refrigerant fluid to flow therebetween, wherein inlet passages for fluidically connecting said cavities to the condenser inlet and outlet passages for fluidically connecting said cavities to the condenser outlet are formed on said condenser plates;   an accumulator having an accumulator inlet in fluid connection with the condenser outlet, and an accumulator outlet, and including a filter inserted within the accumulator; and   a subcooler having a subcooler inlet in fluid connection with the accumulator outlet, and a subcooler outlet, said subcooler having a body formed by a pack of subcooler plates secured to one another and defining cavities between a pair of plates and the other for refrigerant fluid to flow therebetween, wherein inlet passages for fluidically connecting said cavities to the subcooler inlet and outlet passages for fluidically connecting said cavities to the subcooler outlet are formed on said subcooler plates;   wherein said condenser and said subcooler are connected to one another in such a way as to form a single pack of plates;   wherein said accumulator is defined by a plurality of through apertures formed through said plates, and aligned with one another when said plates are in packing relationship;   wherein at least one of said outlet passages of the condenser plates is formed coplanarly with a respective one of said condenser plates, and constitutes the condenser outlet, being in fluid connection with the accumulator inlet; and   wherein at least one of said inlet passages of the subcooler plates is formed coplanarly with a respective one of said subcooler plates and constitutes the subcooler inlet, being in fluid connection with the accumulator outlet;   characterized in that said filter comprises a cage support and a filtering medium arranged on said cage support, said cage support having a first end provided with sealing means adapted to elastically engage the edges of said through apertures defining the accumulator, and a second end provided with spacer means adapted to engage a bottom of the accumulator so as to set the position of the sealing means between the accumulator inlet and the accumulator outlet, in such a way as that the accumulator inlet and the accumulator outlet are in mutual fluid connection only through the filtering medium.   
     
     
         2 . An assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said sealing means comprise a sealing lip formation arranged circumferentially on the first end of the cage support. 
     
     
         3 . An assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said accumulator is fluidically separated from said cavities for refrigerant fluid to flow by means of projecting portions of the plates surrounding each of the through apertures of the plates and are sealingly joined to one another when the plates are in packing relationship, and wherein the condenser outlet and the subcooler inlet are formed through said projecting portions of the plates, being located in a length of the projecting portions of the plates interposed between said accumulator and said cavities, and extending in a direction which is parallel to the longitudinal direction of said plates. 
     
     
         4 . An assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the last condenser plate and the first subcooler plate constitute connection plates fluidically separating said condenser from said subcooler, and wherein the outlet passages constituting the condenser outlet and the inlet passages constituting the subcooler inlet are formed at least on said connection plates. 
     
     
         5 . An assembly according to  claim 4 , wherein, with the exception of the condenser outlet and the subcooler inlet, the inlet and outlet passages of the condenser plates and the subcooler plates are constituted by through apertures formed through said condenser plates and subcooler plates. 
     
     
         6 . An assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein, with said plates in packing relationship,
 the through apertures constituting the inlet passages of the condenser plates are arranged aligned with one another, defining a condenser inlet header;   the through apertures constituting the inlet passages of the subcooler plates are arranged aligned with one another, defining a subcooler inlet header,   the through apertures constituting the outlet passages of the condenser plates are arranged aligned with one another, defining a condenser outlet header; and   the through apertures constituting the outlet passages of the subcooler plates are arranged aligned with one another, defining a subcooler outlet header.   
     
     
         7 . An assembly according to  claim 6 , wherein said inlet and outlet headers and said accumulator are arranged at one side end of the heat exchange assembly. 
     
     
         8 . An assembly according to  claim 4 , wherein the through apertures constituting the inlet and outlet passages are formed through punched recesses formed on the plates, the connection plates having corresponding punched blind recesses. 
     
     
         9 . A filter accumulator for a plate heat exchanger, wherein said plate heat exchanger comprises an accumulator defined by a plurality of through apertures, aligned with one another and formed through plates of the heat exchanger, characterized in that said filter comprises a cage support and a filtering medium arranged on said cage support, said cage support having a first end provided with sealing means adapted to elastically engage the edges of said through apertures defining the accumulator, and a second end provided with spacer means adapted to engage a bottom of the accumulator so as to set the position of the sealing means within the accumulator. 
     
     
         10 . A filter according to  claim 9 , wherein said sealing means comprise a sealing lip formation arranged circumferentially on the first end of the cage support.