Stacked cooler

Abstract

A stacked cooler includes flow pipes that are stacked, each of the flow pipes having a flat shape and including a medium passage in which a heat medium flows, a heat exchange object that is disposed between each adjacent two of the flow pipes and is clamped between their flat planes, a protruding pipe part that is connected to at least one of the flow pipes and protrudes in a stacking direction of the flow pipes, and a load restraining part that restrains a load applied to a connection portion of the at least one of the flow pipes to the protruding pipe part as compared with a load applied to the other portion of the at least one of the flow pipes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A stacked cooler comprising:
 a heat exchange part that includes a plurality of flow pipes arranged side by side, such that each adjacent two of the plurality of flow pipes are coupled together and define therebetween an arrangement space for disposing a heat exchange object wherein each of the plurality of flow pipes includes a medium passage in which a heat medium flows;   a refrigerant introduction pipe for introducing refrigerant into the medium passage;   a refrigerant discharge pipe for discharging the refrigerant from the medium passage, wherein the refrigerant introduction pipe and the refrigerant discharge pipe extend out in a stacking direction of the plurality of flow pipes from a front end cooling pipe of the plurality of flow pipes that is located at their front end, which is one end in the stacking direction; and   a rigidity improving part that improves a rigidity of the front end cooling pipe, wherein:   the front end cooling pipe includes:
 a front outer shell plate that is disposed on its front side; and 
 a rear outer shell plate that is disposed on its rear side and is joined to the front outer shell plate to define a space serving as the medium passage between the rear outer shell plate and the front outer shell plate; 
   the refrigerant introduction pipe and the refrigerant discharge pipe are joined to the front outer shell plate; and   at least a thickness of the front outer shell plate is larger than a thickness of the rear outer shell plate to serve as the rigidity improving part.   
     
     
         2 - 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The stacked cooler according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the heat exchange part includes the front end cooling pipe, a rear end cooling pipe disposed at its rear end in the stacking direction, and a middle cooling pipe disposed between the front end cooling pipe and the rear end cooling pipe; and   the rigidity of the front end cooling pipe is larger than a rigidity of the middle cooling pipe.   
     
     
         6 . The stacked cooler according to  claim 5 , wherein the rigidity of the front end cooling pipe is larger than a rigidity of the rear end cooling pipe. 
     
     
         7 . The stacked cooler according to  claim 1  further comprising a reinforcing plate overlaid on the front end cooling pipe as the rigidity improving part; wherein the reinforcing plate includes a join part that is joined around each of connection parts of the front end cooling pipe to the refrigerant introduction pipe and the refrigerant discharge pipe. 
     
     
         8 . The stacked cooler according to  claim 7 , wherein the reinforcing plate includes a protruding part, which protrudes toward the front end cooling pipe, at the join part. 
     
     
         9 . The stacked cooler according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the front end cooling pipe includes an engaging claw that holds the reinforcing plate;   the reinforcing plate includes an engaged part that is capable of being engaged with the engaging claw; and   the engaged part is engaged with the engaging claw, so that the reinforcing plate is capable of being temporarily held by the front end cooling pipe.   
     
     
         10 . The stacked cooler according to  claim 9 , wherein:
 the reinforcing plate includes a thin part between the join part and the engaged part; and   the thin part is formed to have a thickness smaller than a thickness of the joint part.   
     
     
         11 - 17 . (canceled)