Bendable cooling fin and heat-exchanger with a bent cooling fin block

#1. Field of the invention

#The present invention relates, in general, to cooling fins. In particular, the invention relates to a bendable cooling fin which is stacked together in prescribed numbers and is used in the heat-exchanger of an air conditioning apparatus.

#2. Description of the related art

#These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

#FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a cooling fin of one embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is an enlarged segmentary side view of the cooling fin shown in FIG. 1;

#Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to accompanying drawings. However, same numerals are applied to similar elements throughout the accompanying drawings, and therefore the detailed descriptions thereof are not repeated.

#As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cooling fin 11 having a high heat conductively is preferably made of aluminum. Cooling fin 11 is formed in a thin elongated plate shape. A plurality of holes 13 are formed in the elongated plate in a zigzag state along the elongated direction. A prescribed number of such cooling fins are stacked one on another to make a cooling fin block 11s, and a refrigerant flow pipe 15 is inserted into each hole 13 of the stacked fins (hereinafter referred as a cooling fin block) 11s when a heat-exchanger 17 is made, as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, a plurality of slit fins 19 are formed in a portion of cooling fin 11 between holes 13 formed in cooling fin 11. Each slit fin 19 is formed by cutting and depressing the surface of cooling fin 11.

#A first notch 21 is formed at one side of the middle portion of cooling fin 11 in the elongated direction. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, first notch 21 is formed in a substantially V-shape so that the upper side 21a of first notch 21 is declined and the lower side 21b of first notch 21 is leveled. A perforated line portion 23, acting as a breakable section, extends from the end of the upper side 21a of first notch 21 to the middle portion of cooling fin 21 in the width direction of cooling fin 11. The strength of perforated line portion 23 is designed so that it is broken when the upper part 11a of cooling fin 11 is bent against the lower part 11b of cooling fin 11 with a prescribed force in a direction indicated by a solid arrow A in FIG. 3. A previously cut line portion 25 extends from the end of perforated line portion 23 toward the other side of cooling fin 11 in the width direction so that it is inclined upward. A second notch 27 is formed at a portion of the other side of cooling fin 11 corresponding to the end of previously cut line 25 in the width direction. Second notch 27 is also formed in a V-shape so that upper and lower sides 27a and 27b of second notch 27 are inclined in an inverse relation to one the other. An uncut portion 29 is provided between the end of previously cut line 25 and second notch 27. Thus, upper part 11a of cooling fin 11 and lower part 11b are connected to one another through uncut portion 29. The above-described first and second notches 21 and 27, perforated line portion 23 and previously cut line portion 25 are formed in not only cooling fin 11 but also slit fins 19. In addition, first and second notches 21 and 27, perforated line portion 23 and previously cut line 25 are simultaneously formed when slit fins 19 are formed in cooling fin 11.