# US 11,305,386 B2 · Heat exchanger, air conditioner, and apparatus for manufacturing heat exchanger > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,386 B2 - Document ID: US11305386B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/484,187 - Filed: 2018-01-19 - Published: 2021-09-16 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-20 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Inventors: Toshimichi Baba; Nobuaki Miyake; Takashi Kato; Ryoichi Ikeda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305386B2 ## CPC - B23P 15/26: heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} - B21C 37/22: Making finned or ribbed tubes by fixing strip or like material to tubes - B21D 53/08: of both metal tubes and sheet metal (connecting tubes in openings B21D39/06) - B21D 53/085: {with fins places on zig-zag tubes or parallel tubes} - B23P 19/04: for assembling or disassembling parts - F28D 1/047: the conduits being bent, e.g. in a serpentine or zig-zag - F28D 1/0471: {the conduits having a non-circular cross-section (F28D1/0473, F28D1/0476, F28D1/0478 take precedence)} - F28F 1/32: the means having portions engaging further tubular elements - F28F 1/34: and extending obliquely (F28F1/38 takes precedence) - F24F 1/18: characterised by their shape - F28F 1/02: Tubular elements of cross-section which is non-circular (F28F1/08, F28F1/10 take precedence) - F28F 1/325: {Fins with openings} - F28F 2215/04: Assemblies of fins having different features, e.g. with different fin densities - F28F 2215/12: with U-shaped slots for laterally inserting conduits - B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q) - B21C: MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES, PROFILES OR LIKE SEMI-MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL - B21D: WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL (working or processing of wire B21F) - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02) ## Abstract A heat exchanger includes a flat tube and a plurality of fins. The plurality of fins are arranged on the flat tube and inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of a cross section perpendicular to an axis of the flat tube. The plurality of fins may be inclined at different angles with respect to the axis of the flat tube. The flat tube may include a straight portion on which the plurality of fins are arranged, and a bend on which at least one fin other than the plurality of fins is arranged. The at least one fin extends perpendicularly to the axis of the flat tube. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for manufacturing a heat exchanger including a flat tube and a fin attached to the flat tube with an outer periphery of the flat tube being fitted to a fitting groove on the fin, the apparatus comprising: a drum rotatable about a center axis; a fin holder arranged in a radial direction of the drum and configured to hold the fin with the fitting groove open outward in a direction of an outer periphery of the drum, the fin holder being rotatably held by the drum and movable to a fin attaching position when the drum rotates; a flat tube positioner configured to restrict the flat tube to a position at which a cross section of the flat tube perpendicular to the axis of the flat tube has a longitudinal direction toward the drum; a moving mechanism configured to move the flat tube restricted by the flat tube positioner to the fin attaching position; and a cam follower arranged on the fin holder and configured to, when the fin holder moves to the fin attaching position, come in contact with a cam member to rotate the fin holder, wherein the fin attaching position includes a position at which the rotated fin holder inclines the fin held by the fin holder with respect to the longitudinal direction of the flat tube and the fin is fixed to the tube at an inclined position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the flat tube. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cam mover to move the cam member to change a position at which the cam follower comes in contact with the cam member. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cam mover includes a moving mechanism to move the cam member toward or away from the center axis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cam mover includes a moving mechanism to move the cam member toward the axis of the flat tube restricted by the flat tube positioner. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation controller extensible to come in contact with the fin holder at the fin attaching position and to rotate the fin holder. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fin holder has an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the axis of the flat tube restricted by the flat tube positioner at the fin attaching position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inclination mechanism configured to cause the flat tube positioner to be inclined with respect to the fin held by the fin holder at the fin attaching position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cam-follower mover configured to move the cam follower to change an amount by which the fin holder rotates in response to the cam follower coming in contact with the cam member. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flat tube positioner includes a pressing member configured to press the flat tube against the fin held by the fin holder at the fin attaching position.