US5964284A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heat exchanger for air conditioner and method of fabricating the heat exchanger
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Filing: 1998-02-10
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Granted: 1999-10-12
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Expires: 2018-02-10
Abstract
Abstract A heat exchanger for an air conditioner comprises a plurality of heat-transfer tubes arranged in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals, and heat-transfer fins formed by helically winding a plurality of fine wires around the plurality of heat-transfer tubes. Preferably, the heat-transfer tubes are divided into groups of two adjacent heat-transfer tubes (1a, 1b), (1b, 1c), (1c, 1d), . . . , and at least one fine wire fin is wound helically around the two adjacent heat-transfer tubes of each group so that the fine wire fin does not cross other portions of the fine wire fin as viewed along a direction perpendicular to a plane including the axes of the plurality of heat-transfer tubes. When fabricating the heat exchanger, at least either the outer circumferences of the heat-transfer tubes or the outer circumferences of the fine wires are coated with a metal film formed by plating, and then the heat-transfer tubes and the fine wires are interlaced to form a heat exchanging structure. Then, the heat exchanging structure is heated to the melting point of the metal film so that the metal film is melted and the heat-transfer tubes and the fine wires are bonded together by the molten metal film.
Inventors
- 👤 Kaoru Ikejima
- 👤 Takashi Gotoh
- 👤 Tsuneo Yumikura
- 👤 Michimasa Takeshita
- 👤 Takayuki Yoshida
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 19:59
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23K; B23K1/00; B23K1/0008; B23K1/0012; F; F28; F28F; F28F1/00; F28F1/10; F28F1/12; F28F1/122; B23K2101/00; B23K2101/04; B23K2101/14; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S165/00; Y10S165/454; Y10S165/50; Y10S165/51; Y10S165/518; Y10S165/906; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/4935; Y10T29/49377; Y10T29/49378; Y10T29/4938; Y10T29/49393
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, comprising: a plurality of heat-transfer tubes through which a cooling medium flows arranged in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals; a plurality of first support bars arranged parallel to each other on one side of said plurality of heat-transfer tubes and a plurality of second support bars arranged parallel to each other on the other side of said plurality of heat-transfer tubes; and first fine wire fins entwined with the plurality of heat-transfer tubes and the first support bars so as to be in contact with the surfaces of at least two adjacent heat-transfer tubes on the lower side with respect to the flowing direction of a fluid that flows perpendicular to a plane including the axes of the heat-transfer tubes; and second fine wire fins entwined with the plurality of heat-transfer tubes and the second support bars so as to be in contact with the surfaces of at least two adjacent heat-transfer tubes on the upper side with respect to the flowing direction of the fluid that flows perpendicular to the plane including the axes of the heat transfer tubes.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, comprising: a plurality of heat-transfer tubes through which a cooling medium flows arranged in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals; a plurality of first support bars arranged parallel to each other on one side of said plurality of heat-transfer tubes and a plurality of second support bars arranged parallel to each other on the other side of said plurality of heat-transfer tubes; and first fine wire fins entwined with the plurality of heat-transfer tubes and the first support bars so as to be in contact with the surfaces of at least two adjacent heat-transfer tubes on the lower side with respect to the flowing direction of a fluid that flows perpendicular to a plane including the axes of the heat-transfer tubes; and second fine wire fins entwined with the plurality of heat-transfer tubes and the second support bars so as to be in contact with the surfaces of at least two adjacent heat-transfer tubes on the upper side with respect to the flowing direction of the fluid that flows perpendicular to the plane including the axes of the heat transfer tubes.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 1, wherein the heat-transfer tubes are flat tubes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 1, wherein the fine wire fins are stretched to hold the same in close contact with the heat-transfer tubes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 1, wherein the heat-transfer tubes are formed of a soft material, recesses are formed in the surfaces of the heat-transfer tubes and the fine wire fins are in close contact with the surfaces of the recesses when the fine wire fins are stretched.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 1, wherein the heat-transfer tubes are provided in their surfaces with recesses, and the fine wire fins are fitted in those recesses.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 1, wherein a contour defined by said heat-transfer tubes, said support bars and said fine wire fins, when viewed in cross-section, is wave-like.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 2, wherein the fine wire fins are stretched to hold the fine wire fins in close contact with the heat-transfer tubes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 2, wherein the heat-transfer tubes are formed of a soft material, recesses are formed in the surfaces of the heat-transfer tubes and the fine wire fins are in close contact with the surfaces of the recesses when the fine wire fins are stretched.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, according to claim 2, wherein recesses are formed in the surfaces of the heat-transfer tubes and the fine wire fins are fitted in the recesses.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
185 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, comprising: a series of heat-transfer tubes each having a passageway for transporting a cooling medium, said heat-transfer tubes being located generally parallel to each other and spaced from each other; a row of first spaced apart bars; a row of second spaced apart bars, said row of first spaced apart bars being spaced from said row of second spaced apart bars, said series of heat-transfer tubes being located in the space between said row of first spaced apart bars and said row of second spaced apart bars; at least a first wire fin contactually entwined with a plurality of said first spaced apart bars and a plurality of said heat-transfer tubes so as to contact oppositely facing surfaces of said plurality of first spaced apart bars and said plurality of heat-transfer tubes; and at least a second wire fin contactually entwined with a plurality of said second spaced apart bars and a number of said heat-transfer tubes so as to contact oppositely facing surface of said plurality of second spaced apart bars and said number of heat-transfer tubes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
185 words
A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, comprising: a series of heat-transfer tubes each having a passageway for transporting a cooling medium, said heat-transfer tubes being located generally parallel to each other and spaced from each other; a row of first spaced apart bars; a row of second spaced apart bars, said row of first spaced apart bars being spaced from said row of second spaced apart bars, said series of heat-transfer tubes being located in the space between said row of first spaced apart bars and said row of second spaced apart bars; at least a first wire fin contactually entwined with a plurality of said first spaced apart bars and a plurality of said heat-transfer tubes so as to contact oppositely facing surfaces of said plurality of first spaced apart bars and said plurality of heat-transfer tubes; and at least a second wire fin contactually entwined with a plurality of said second spaced apart bars and a number of said heat-transfer tubes so as to contact oppositely facing surface of said plurality of second spaced apart bars and said number of heat-transfer tubes.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein said heat-transfer tubes are flat tubes.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein said first wire fin and said second wire fin are each in a state of tension.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said heat-transfer tubes includes a recess that receives at least one of said wire fins.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein each of said heat transfer tubes includes a semi-circular cross section.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-10-11 | 2003-04-12 | 2003-10-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-10-11 | 2007-04-12 | 2007-10-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-10-11 | 2011-04-12 | 2011-10-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |