US 8,782,891 B2Granted

Apparatus for temporarily assembling heat exchanger

AssigneeKeihin Thermal Technology Corporation

InventorsAkira Sekine, Takashi Tamura

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Abstract

A temporary assembly apparatus includes a support member for supporting heat exchange tube blanks having their lengthwise direction positioned laterally, with their widthwise direction positioned vertically. Header supports are arranged respectively at the left and right sides of the support member and movable leftward or rightward. Tube blank correcting members are each in the form of a plate having slits formed in a side edge thereof and arranged from the front rearward at the same spacing as the heat exchange tubes to be produced. Each of the blank correcting members is movable between a correcting position where the corresponding ends of the tube blanks as supported on the support member are fitted into the respective slits and a noncorrecting position where the tube blanks are not fitted into the slits.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An apparatus for temporarily assembling a heat exchanger, comprising:

a support member having a support surface with opposite side portions, the support member being configured to support, on the support surface, a plurality of heat exchanger tube blanks positioned in parallel to one another and extending in a longitudinal direction such that the heat exchanger tube blanks each have an end portion extending beyond a respective side portion of the support member and aligned with the end portion of an adjacent heat exchanger tube blank;
a plurality of header supports configured to support headers, the header supports being positioned longitudinally outward of respective opposite side portions of the support member and movable with respect to the support member in the longitudinal direction;
and
a plurality of tube blank correcting members configured to correct dimension of the heat exchanger tube blanks, each of the tube blank correcting members having a plurality of blank fitting slits formed along a side edge thereof at a spacing corresponding to a spacing of heat exchange tubes of the heat exchanger,
wherein each of the tube blank correcting members is movable between a correcting position and a noncorrecting position such that, when the tube blank correcting member is at the correcting position, the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks are fitted into the blank fitting slits, and when the tube blank correcting member is at the noncorrecting position, the heat exchanger tube blanks are not fitted into the blank fitting slits, and the tube blank correcting members are movable in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchange tube blanks from the end portions toward center portions of the heat exchange tube blanks such that the headers supported by the header supports are connected with the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks.

2 more elements

A method for temporarily assembling a heat exchanger, comprising:

providing an apparatus comprising:
a support member having a support surface with opposite side portions, the support member being configured to support, on the support surface, a plurality of heat exchanger tube blanks positioned in parallel to one another and extending in a longitudinal direction such that the heat exchanger tube blanks each have an end portion extending beyond a respective side portion of the support member and aligned with the end portion of an adjacent heat exchanger tube blank;
a plurality of header supports configured to support headers, the header supports being positioned longitudinally outward of respective opposite side portions of the support member and movable with respect to the support member in the longitudinal direction;
and a plurality of tube blank correcting members configured to correct dimension of the heat exchanger tube blanks, each of the tube blank correcting members having a plurality of blank fitting slits formed along a side edge thereof at a spacing corresponding to a spacing of heat exchange tubes of the heat exchanger, wherein each of the tube blank correcting members is movable between a correcting position and a noncorrecting position such that, when the tube blank correcting member is at the correcting position, the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks are fitted into the blank fitting slits, and when the tube blank correcting member is at the noncorrecting position, the heat exchanger tube blanks are not fitted into the blank fitting slits, and the tube blank correcting members are movable in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchange tube blanks from the end portions toward center portions of the heat exchange tube blanks such that the headers supported by the header supports are connected with the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks;
placing a plurality of heat exchange tube blanks on the support surface of the support member such that the heat exchanger tube blanks are positioned in parallel to one another and extend in a longitudinal direction, and that the heat exchanger tube blanks each have an end portion extending beyond the respective side portion of the support member and aligned with the end portion of an adjacent heat exchanger tube blank;
placing a plurality of headers on the header supports, respectively;
moving each of the tube blank correcting members to the correcting position to fit the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks on the support member into the blank fitting slits, respectively;
and
moving the header supports laterally toward the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks to connect the headers with the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks.

6 more elements

A process for producing a heat exchanger, comprising:

temporarily assembling a heat exchanger by
providing an apparatus comprising:
a support member having a support surface with opposite side portions, the support member being configured to support, on the support surface, a plurality of heat exchanger tube blanks positioned in parallel to one another and extending in a longitudinal direction such that the heat exchanger tube blanks each have an end portion extending beyond a respective side portion of the support member and aligned with the end portion of an adjacent heat exchanger tube blank;
a plurality of header supports configured to support headers, the header supports being positioned longitudinally outward of respective opposite side portions of the support member and movable with respect to the support member in the longitudinal direction;
and a plurality of tube blank correcting members configured to correct dimension of the heat exchanger tube blanks, each of the tube blank correcting members having a plurality of blank fitting slits formed along a side edge thereof at a spacing corresponding to a spacing of heat exchange tubes of the heat exchanger, wherein each of the tube blank correcting members is movable between a correcting position and a noncorrecting position such that, when the tube blank correcting member is at the correcting position, the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks are fitted into the blank fitting slits, and when the tube blank correcting member is at the noncorrecting position, the heat exchanger tube blanks are not fitted into the blank fitting slits, and the tube blank correcting members are movable in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchange tube blanks from the end portions toward center portions of the heat exchange tube blanks such that the headers supported by the header supports are connected with the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks;
placing a plurality of heat exchange tube blanks on the support surface of the support member such that the heat exchanger tube blanks are positioned in parallel to one another and extend in a longitudinal direction, and that the heat exchanger tube blanks each have an end portion extending beyond the respective side portion of the support member and aligned with the end portion of an adjacent heat exchanger tube blank;
placing a plurality of headers on the header supports, respectively;
moving each of the tube blank correcting members to the correcting position to fit the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks on the support member into the blank fitting slits, respectively;
and
moving the header supports laterally toward the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks to connect the headers with the end portions of the heat exchanger tube blanks;
and
brazing the headers and the heat exchange tube blanks.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/942,085Filed 9 Nov 2010 · division
Priority: JP 2003-07423618 Mar 2003
Published: US 2011/0047797 A13 Mar 2011
Granted: 22 Jul 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

B23K 3/087
Auxiliary devices therefor: soldering or brazing jigs, fixtures or clamping means
B23P 15/26
Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass: heat exchangers or the like
B23K 2101/14
Tubular or hollow articles: heat exchangers
F28D 1/0391
With plate-like or laminated conduits: a single plate being bent to form one or more conduits

Family

Application60/465,788Us provisional application · filed 28 Apr 2003
PCT/JP2004/003697Parent of this division · filed 18 Mar 2004
US 2011/0047797 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Mar 2011
Application10/549,286Parent of this division
US 2006/0231244 A1Published application
US 8,782,891 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.