HEAT EXCHANGER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. JP2024-097605 filed on Jun. 17, 2024, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, as the heat exchangers that may be used in vehicles such as automobiles, an oil cooler has been proposed in which one surface of the base plate part is used as the cooler core fixing surface and the other side is used as the mounting surface (for example, see Patent Literature 1). In the oil cooler described in Patent Literature 1, a plurality of grooves are formed in the base plate part, and by using the plate to block this groove, a fluid flow path may be formed. In addition, a pipe for inflow or outflow of fluid is connected orthogonally to the base plate such that it will pass through a through hole in this plate.

(PATENT LITERATURE 1) Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2010-190055

In the oil cooler described in Patent Literature 1, the pipe for the inflow or outflow of fluid is connected orthogonally to the base plate, and therefore the fluid flows vertically in relation to the groove via the pipe and the direction of the fluid will undergo a 90° direction change within the narrow groove, making it easy for a large pressure drop to occur. On the other hand, in recent years, due to a reduction in the amount of work that pumps must do due to the electrification of automobiles, etc., it has become necessary to have a low pressure loss in heat exchangers, especially for the pipe part. In addition, due to changes in the placement position of the heat exchanger associated with the electrification of the automobile, the layout of the heat exchanger in the height direction has become more restrictive than in the past, and flattening of the heat exchanger itself has also become required, or the height of the heat exchanger including the pipe was at times limited.

SUMMARY

The present invention was constructed in light of the above-noted challenges, and is intended to provide a heat exchanger that can easily accommodate the layout constraints in the height direction and that can maintain a low pressure drop.

In order to solve the above-noted problems, the heat exchanger according to the present invention is characterized by the fact that it is provided with a laminated body in which a flow path may be formed through the lamination of a plurality of plates, and a base plate that may be attached to one side of said laminated body in the layering direction, wherein in addition to the formation of a groove on a surface of a side of said laminated body amongst said base plates that is connected to the flow path of said laminated body and extends in the in-plane direction, a lid member that blocks said groove and that may be connected with a pipe member is provided, said lid member may be connected such that it extends in an angled direction in relation to both said lamination direction and said in-plane direction, and there is a dome-shaped junction that swells to the said of said laminated body from the surface of the side of said laminated body amongst said lid member.

According to this aspect, as fluid flows between the pipe member and the base plate, the direction of the flow of the fluid changes by the amount of the angle of inclination of the pipe member relative to the in-plane direction. In addition, it will be possible to minimize any pressure drop because the fluid will flow through the dome-shaped junction into the groove. In comparison to a configuration in which the pipe member is connected along the lamination direction, it will be possible to reduce the change in the direction of the flow of fluid and to minimize any pressure loss that may occur during the inflow or outflow of fluid. At the same time, because the pipe member is angled relative to the lamination direction, the height (the lamination direction dimension) of the heat exchanger including the pipe member can be minimized while ensuring the length of the pipe member, making it is easy to accommodate layout constraints in the height direction.

It is also acceptable for said lid member to have an angled part that extends in an angled manner away from the base plate in said in-plane direction and away from said laminated body in said lamination direction. According to this aspect, it will be easy to angle and connect the pipe member. Also, it will be possible to ensure that fluid flowing from the pipe member to the base plate or fluid flowing from the base plate to the pipe member will flow along the angled part.

It is also acceptable for said lid member to have a retaining part that may be retained between said laminated body and said base plate in said lamination direction. According to this aspect, it will be easy to ensure the contact area between the lid member and the laminated body, and to minimize fluid leakage. In other words, in a configuration in which the edge of the plate-shaped lid member is in contact with the side surface of the laminated body, the contact area corresponds to the thickness of the lid member, whereas if a retaining part is provided, it is possible to form a part in which the lid member and the laminated body overlap opposite the lamination direction, and the area of this part can be set as appropriate.

Said base plate and said lid member may also be brazed and formed as a single unit by overlapping the planar parts provided in each member. According to this aspect, it will be possible to stably join the base plate and the lid member.

It is also acceptable to form a plurality of said grooves in said base plate. According to this aspect, it will be possible to provide a plurality of pipe members on the base plate.

According to the heat exchanger pertaining to the present invention, it will be easy to accommodate any layout constraints in the height direction and to minimize any pressure drop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the heat exchanger according to an example of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the heat exchanger according to an example of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the base plate of the heat exchanger according to an example of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the overlay of the lid member on the base plate of the heat exchanger according to an example of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the bottom plate of the laminated body that has been overlaid over the lid member of the heat exchanger according to an example of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the stacking of the bottom plate and the lower first plate of the laminated body on the lid member of the heat exchanger according to an example of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the stacking of the bottom plate, the lower first plate, and the second plate of the laminated body on the lid member of the heat exchanger according to an example of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the stacking of the bottom plate, the lower first plate, the second plate, and the normal first plate of the laminated body on the lid member of the heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The examples of embodiment of the prevention invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Heat exchanger 1 according to an example of embodiment of the present invention is provided with laminated body 2 in which a flow path is formed as a result of the lamination of a plurality of plates 21 to 25, and base plate 3 that may be attached to one side of laminated body 2 in the Z direction (lamination direction), as shown in FIGS. 1 through 8. On upper surface 3A of the side of laminated body 2 of base plate 3, grooves 31 and 32 that are connected to the flow path of laminated body 2 and that extend in the direction along the XY plane (in-plane direction) are formed, and there is lid member 4 that can connect pipe members 5 and 6 while blocking grooves 31 and 32. Lid member 4 may be connected to pipe members 5 and 6 in a direction that is angled in relation to both the Z-direction and the XY-plane, and has dome-shaped bulges (junctions) 46 and 47 that swell from the side surface of laminated body 2 to the side of laminated body 2 of lid member 4.

Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing heat exchanger 1 according to an example of embodiment of the present invention, while FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing base plate 3 of heat exchanger 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing base plate 21 of laminated body 2 that overlaps base plate 21 of lid member 4, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing bottom plate 21 of laminated body 2 and bottom first plate 22 of laminated body 2 that are overlaid onto lid member 4, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing bottom plate 21 of laminated body 2, bottom plate 22 of lower plate 22, and second plate 23 of normal first plate 24 that are overlaid onto lid member 4.

Heat exchanger 1 may be used, for example, in a cooling water system of an automobile (vehicle). The automobile to which heat exchanger 1 may be provided may have only an internal combustion engine as the driving source, it may have an internal combustion engine and a motor, or it may have only a motor, and heat exchanger 1 may be provided in order to cool the heating part in each driving method. Cooling water is an example of the fluid that may be used for cooling, and oils such as hydraulic oil are examples of the fluids to be cooled, but these fluids may be selected as appropriate according to the driving method of the automobile, the type of heating part, and the required cooling performance, etc. Further, according to the present embodiment, the fluid used for cooling may be treated as the first fluid, while the fluid to be cooled may be treated as the second fluid, but the fluid to be cooled may be treated as the second fluid and the fluid to be cooled may be treated as the first fluid. In the following description, the first fluid will be cooling water and the second fluid will be oil.

In addition to laminated body 2, base plate 3, and lid member 4, heat exchanger 1 is further provided with pipe member 5 that is the inlet pipe for the first fluid, and pipe member 6 that is the outlet pipe for the first fluid.

Laminated body 2 may be formed as a whole in a square column, as shown in FIG. 1, through the lamination of a plurality of square-shaped plates 21 to 25. In other words, bottom plate 21 may be overlapped by lower first plate 22 (see FIG. 6), which may be further overlapped by second plate 23 (see FIG. 7), with further overlapping of normal first plate 24 (see FIG. 8), followed by the alternating lamination of second plate 23 and normal first plate 24, at which point the topmost portion is overlapped by top plate 25, which has an approximately square shape. These plates 21 to 25 may be brazed and joined together. As a result, the flow path for the first fluid (cooling water flow path) and the flow path for the second fluid (oil flow path) may be constructed in alternating fashion.

In the following explanation, the lamination direction of the plurality of plates in laminated body 2 is the Z direction, the direction in which the pair of sides of the plurality of square plates 21 to 25 extends is the X direction, and the direction in which the other pair of sides extends is the Y direction. Also, of the Z direction, the side on which bottom plate 21 has been provided is on the lower side, while the side on which top plate 25 has been provided is on the upper side, and these sides may be simply referred to as the upper and lower sides, but the use of the upper and lower sides in the Z direction is for the sake of convenience, and this may not necessarily match the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction in the state of actual use.

As shown in FIG. 5, bottom plate 21 has square plate body 211, peripheral flange part 212 that has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body 211, first inlet opening 213 that forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet opening 214 that forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet opening 215 that forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet opening 216 that forms the outlet for the second fluid, central opening 217 that has been provided in the center part, and a plurality of protruding parts 218 that have been formed on the upper surface of plate body 211.

First inlet opening 213 and first outlet opening 214 are arranged at corners connected by a diagonal line, while second inlet opening 215 and second outlet opening 216 are arranged at corners connected by another diagonal line. In other words, the first fluid and the second fluid flow along these diagonal lines, respectively. Also, a flange is formed on the peripheral edge of second inlet opening 215, second outlet opening 216, and central opening 217, but no flange is formed on first inlet opening 213 or first outlet opening 214.

As shown in FIG. 6, lower first plate 22 has square plate body 221, peripheral flange part 222 that has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body 221, first inlet opening 223 that forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet opening 224 that forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet opening 225 that forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet opening 226 that forms the outlet for the second fluid, and central opening 227 that has been provided in the center part.

First inlet opening 223 is positioned above first inlet opening 213, while first outlet opening 224 is positioned above first outlet opening 214, second inlet opening 225 overlaps with second inlet opening 215, second outlet opening 226 overlaps with second outlet opening 216, and central opening 227 overlaps with central opening 217.

The peripheral edge of second inlet opening 225 and second outlet opening 226 is planar, and the lower surface of this planar portion is brazed with the flange of the peripheral edge of second inlet opening 215 and second outlet opening 216 of bottom plate 21. A flange is also formed on the peripheral edge of first inlet opening 223, first outlet opening 224, and central opening 227. The lower surface at the peripheral edge of central opening 227 is brazed with the flanged portion at the peripheral edge of central opening 217 of bottom plate 21.

As shown in FIG. 7, second plate 23 has square plate body 231, peripheral flange part 232 that has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body 231, first inlet opening 233 that forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet opening 234 that forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet opening 235 that forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet opening 236 that forms the outlet for the second fluid, central opening 237 that has been provided in the center part, and a plurality of protruding parts 238 that have been formed on the upper surface of plate body 231.

First inlet opening 233 is overlapped onto first inlet opening 223, while first outlet opening 234 is overlapped onto first outlet opening 224, second inlet opening 235 is positioned above second inlet opening 225, second outlet opening 236 is positioned above second outlet opening 226, and central opening 237 overlaps with central opening 227.

At the peripheral edge of first inlet opening 233 and first outlet opening 234, a flange is formed on the lower side, and at the peripheral edge of the innermost circumferential side of central opening 237, each of these flanges are brazed with each flange of the peripheral edge of first inlet opening 223, first outlet opening 224 and central opening 227 of first plate 22. Also, at the peripheral edge of second inlet opening 235 and second outlet opening 236, a flange is formed on the lower side, and at the peripheral edge of the outermost circumferential side (in other words, the side that is further outside of the innermost side of the flange) of central opening 237, each of these flanges are brazed with the boss part of the peripheral edge of first inlet opening 245, first outlet opening 246 and central opening 247 of normal first plate 24, which will be discussed later.

As shown in FIG. 8, normal first plate 24 has square plate body 241, peripheral flange part 242 that has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body 241, first inlet opening 243 that forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet opening 244 that forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet opening 245 that forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet opening 246 that forms the outlet for the second fluid, and central opening 247 that has been provided in the center part.

Normal first plate 24 differs from lower first plate 22 in that a flange is formed on the lower peripheral edge of second inlet opening 245 and second outlet opening 246, a plurality of protruding parts are formed on the lower surface of plate body 241, and a flange is formed on the top side at the peripheral edge of the innermost circumferential side of central opening 247, and a boss part is formed on the lower side at the peripheral edge of the outermost circumferential side (in other words, the side that is further outside of the innermost side of the flange), but the remaining structure is similar to that of lower first plate 22.

In this way, the flange of the periphery of the opening of each plate is brazed and joined with respect to the other plate such that each flow path is divided in a liquid-tight manner, with only the first fluid flowing between bottom plate 21 and first plate 22, only the second fluid flowing between the upper and lower sides of first plates 22 and 24, and only the first fluid flowing between the upper side of second plate 23 and the lower side of normal first plate 24. The overlapping of the openings in each plate also creates a distribution channel through which the first fluid and the second fluid can pass in the Z direction.

In laminated body 2, the first fluid introduced from first inlet opening 213 of bottom plate 21 passes through the distribution channel constructed of first inlet openings 213, 223, 233, and 243 towards the upper side in the Z direction (see FIG. 2) and flows along a diagonal line between the plates in the XY plane. The first fluid that reaches first outlet openings 214, 224, 234, and 244 passes through the distribution channels constructed of first outlet openings 214, 224, 234, and 244 towards the lower side in the Z direction and exits first outlet opening 214 of bottom plate 21 out of laminated body 2.

Similarly, the second fluid introduced from first inlet opening 215 of bottom plate 21 passes through the distribution channel constructed of first inlet openings 215, 225, 235, and 245 towards the upper side in the Z direction and flows along a diagonal line between the plates in the XY plane. The second fluid that has reached second outlet openings 216, 226, 236, and 246 passes through the distribution channel constructed of second outlet openings 216, 226, 236, and 246 towards the lower side in the Z direction (see FIG. 2) and exits second outlet opening 216 of bottom plate 21 out of laminated body 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, base plate 3 is formed as a rectangular plate with the X direction as the long direction and the Y direction as the short direction, and it has two grooves 31 and 32 that have been formed in its upper surface 3A of this plate, along with two through-holes 33 and 34, and four corner through-holes 35 for attaching heat exchanger 1 to other equipment.

Grooves 31 and 32 extend along the X direction and are non-through-hole depressions in the Z direction, while one end of groove 31 overlaps with first inlet opening 213 of bottom plate 21 and one end of groove 32 overlaps with first outlet opening 214. In other words, groove 31 forms a flow path on the inlet side for the first fluid and groove 32 forms a flow path on the outlet side for the first fluid. In the position in which grooves 31 and 32 have been formed, base plate 3 will swell towards the lower side to ensure the groove depth while ensuring a plate thickness that is equivalent to that of the other parts.

Through-hole 33 overlaps with second inlet opening 215 of bottom plate 21, while through-hole 34 overlaps with second outlet opening 216 of bottom plate 21. In other words, through-hole 33 forms a flow path on the inlet side for the second fluid, and through-hole 34 forms a flow path on the outlet side for the second fluid.

Lid member 4 has plate body 41 formed separately from base plate 3 and extending along the XY plane, as well as first inlet opening 42, first outlet opening 43, second inlet opening 44, and second outlet opening 45 formed in the plate body, bulging parts 46 and 47 as dome-shaped junctions that bulge upwardly from plate body 41, and four corner through-holes 48 for attaching heat exchanger 1 to other equipment, as shown in FIG. 4.

Plate body 41 is formed in a rectangular shape to overlap base plate 3 such that through-holes 48 that have been formed in the four corners overlap through-holes 35 of base plate 3. The outer edge shape of lid member 4 is the same as the outer edge shape of base plate 3, and the outer edge dimensions of both are the same in the X and Y directions.

First inlet opening 42 overlaps one end of groove 31 and first inlet opening 213, while first outlet opening 43 overlaps one end of groove 32 and first outlet opening 214, second inlet opening 44 overlaps through-hole 33 and second inlet opening 215, and second outlet opening 45 overlaps through-hole 34 and second outlet opening 216.

Base plate 3 and lid member 4 are brazed together, such as by sandwiching a braze between these parts or using a cladding material for one or both parts, making each opening reliably liquid-tight. In other words, base plate 3 and lid member 4 may be brazed together and formed as a single unit.

Dome-shaped bulging part 46 aligns with first inlet opening 42 in the X direction and is arranged such that base end 461 is continuous with the other end of groove 31. Here, “dome-shaped” refers to a shape having a predetermined space inside. Bulging part 46 has angled tube part 462 that protrudes from base end 461 towards the upper side, and connection surface part 463 that is provided at the tip of angled tube part 462, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4.

Angled tube part 462 is formed as a cylinder that extends upwardly in the Z direction as it moves away from first inlet opening 42 in the X direction. In other words, angled tube part 462 functions as a ramp extending in the Z direction away from base plate 3 as it moves away from laminated body 2 in a direction within the XY plane.

Connection surface part 463 extends generally orthogonally to the direction of extension of angled tube part 462 to form connection opening 464. Connection opening 464 is connected by an inlet side pipe member 5 that may be, for example, inserted and brazed in place. At this time, the portion of pipe member 5 that may be connected to connection opening 464 extends generally orthogonally to connection surface part 463. In other words, pipe member 5 is connected such that it extends along angled tube part 462 as an inclined part, and extends in an inclined direction with respect to both the Z direction and the direction within the XY plane.

The portion of plate body 41 that has been sandwiched between first inlet opening 42 and bulging part 46 becomes the blockage part 411 that blocks groove 31 from the upper side. A channel extending along the X direction is formed by groove 31 and blockage part 411 such that the first fluid flowing from pipe member 5 passes through the channel and into laminated body 2.

The outlet side bulging part 47 has a similar configuration to the inlet side bulging part 46 to connect the outlet side pipe member 6. Also, the portion of plate body 41 that has been sandwiched between first outlet opening 43 and bulging part 47 forms blockage part 412 that blocks groove 32 from the upper side.

Laminated body 2 may be arranged on the upper side of lid member 4. The part of plate body 41 where laminated body 2 is overlapped is overlapping part 413, and overlapping part 413 is the retaining part that may be held between laminated body 2 and base plate 3 in the Z direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inlet side pipe member 5 has insertion part 51 that may be inserted into connection opening 464, insertion restriction 52 that is formed to be larger in diameter than the inner diameter of connection opening 464, angled part 53 that extends along the extension direction of angled tube part 462, parallel part 54 that extends along the X direction, and curved part 55 between angled part 53 and parallel part 54. The outlet side pipe member 6 also has the same shape as the inlet side pipe member 5.

The flow of the fluid in heat exchanger 1 as described above will be described next. First, the first fluid passes through parallel part 54 of pipe member 5 on the inlet side and after the direction is changed in curved part 55, it passes through angled part 53 and flows into angled tube part 462. In addition, the first fluid passes through angled tube part 462, passes through the flow path formed by groove 31 and blockage part 411, and passes through first inlet opening 42 to be introduced into laminated body 2. The first fluid flowing out of laminated body 2 passes through first outlet opening 43, passes through the flow path formed by groove 32 and blockage part 412, and passes through bulging part 47 and pipe member 6 having a configuration similar to that on the inlet side.

Base plate 3 may be connected to other equipment such that the second fluid flows in and flows out directly from the other equipment to heat exchanger 1 (through through-holes 33 and 34, only through second inlet opening 44 and second outlet opening 45) without going via any pipes, etc.

Each part in heat exchanger 1 (such as between base plate 3 and lid member 4, between lid member 4 and laminated body 2, or between the plates in laminated body 2) is brazed, such as using a braze or cladding material, and is connected in a liquid-tight manner.

In this way, according to heat exchanger 1 according to the example of embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to perform any installation work for each groove 31 and 32 because lid member 4 will block the plurality of grooves 31 and 32. In addition, the contact area between grooves 31 and 32 can be secured between lid member 4 and base plate 3, reducing the accuracy required to minimize fluid leakage, and reducing manufacturing costs. In this way, fluid leakage can be inhibited while lowering costs. In addition, a plurality of grooves 31 and 32 may be formed in base plate 4 to provide a plurality of pipe members 5 and 6 on base plate 4.

Also, because a portion of pipe members 5 and 6 that may be connected to bulging parts 46 and 47 extends at an angle in relation to both the Z direction and the direction within the XY plane, the direction of flow of the fluid will change by an amount that is equal to the angle of incline of pipe members 5 and 6 relative to the direction within the XY plane as the first fluid flows between pipe members 5 and 6 and base plate 3. In addition, it will be possible to minimize any pressure drop because the fluid will flow through dome-shaped bulging parts 46 and 47 into groove 31. In comparison to a configuration in which pipe members 5 and 6 are connected along the lamination direction, it will be possible to reduce the change in the direction of the flow of fluid and to minimize any pressure loss that may occur during the inflow or outflow of fluid. At the same time, because pipe members 5 and 6 are angled relative to the lamination direction, the height (the lamination direction dimension) of heat exchanger 1 including pipe members 5 and 6 can be minimized while ensuring the length of pipe members 5 and 6, making it is easy to accommodate layout constraints in the height direction.

In addition, bulging part 46 has angled tube part 462, allowing pipe member 5 to be easily inclined and connected. In addition, bulging part 47 has an angled tube part, allowing pipe member 6 to be easily inclined and connected. Also, it will be possible to ensure that fluid flowing from pipe member 5 to base plate 3 or fluid flowing from base plate 3 to pipe member 6 will flow along the angled tube part.

In addition, lid member 4 has overlapping part 413 as a retaining part that may be held between laminated body 2 and base plate 3 in the Z direction, making it easier to secure the contact area between lid member 4 and laminated body 2, and to minimize fluid leakage. In other words, an overlapping part in which lid member 4 and laminated body 2 overlap in the Z direction is formed, and the area of this part can be set as appropriate.

In addition, base plate 3 and lid member 4 are brazed together with the planar portions provided in each, and may be formed as a single unit such that base plate 3 and lid member 4 can be stably joined together.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-noted examples of embodiment, but may include other configurations, etc., in which the object of the present invention can be achieved. Further, variations, etc., such as those described below are also included in the present invention. For example, in the examples of embodiment of the present invention described above, lid member 4 had angled tube part 462, which ensured that a part of pipe members 5 and 6 were angled, but the inclination may be achieved using another structure as well. As an example of another such structure, the inner circumferential surface of the connection opening of the lid member may be extended by a predetermined length along the angle direction and the pipe member may be angled as it follows the inner circumferential surface.

In addition, in the above-noted examples of embodiment of the present invention, lid member 4 has overlapping part 413 as a retaining part that may be held between laminated body 2 and base plate 3 in the Z direction, but this type of retaining part does not need to be provided, for example, if the spacing between adjacent grooves is sufficiently large to ensure an area of contact between the lid member and the laminated body. By omitting the retaining part, the lamination direction dimension of the heat exchanger can be reduced.

Also, in the above-noted examples of embodiment of the present invention, a fluid flow path is formed within the interior of laminated body 2, and laminated body 2 and base plate 3 are connected, but the heat exchanger may further be provided with a case to house the laminated body, wherein a flow path may be formed between the laminated body and the case.

In the above-noted examples of embodiment of the present invention, grooves 31 and 32 for forming a first fluid flow path are also formed in base plate 3, and these grooves 31 and 32 are blocked by lid member 4, although grooves for forming a second fluid flow path may also be formed in the base plate. In other words, depending on the connection state, etc., with other equipment, it may be necessary to form a groove for forming the appropriate fluid flow path.

Also, in the above-noted examples of embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of grooves 31 and 32 are formed in base plate 3, but only one groove may be formed in the base plate and a single groove may be blocked by a single lid member.

In the above-noted examples of embodiment of the present invention, grooves 31 and 32 are constructed by forming an bulging part towards the lower side of base plate 3, but by overlapping two sheets of a base plate having a long through-hole and a base plate without a long hole formed at a position corresponding to grooves 31 and 32 in the above-noted examples of embodiment, a groove may be provided in the base plate (or in other words, a groove may be formed by combining a member with a through-hole that has been formed and a member blocking one side of the through-hole).

In addition, in the above-noted examples of embodiment of the present invention, base plate 3 and lid member 4 are brazed together and formed as a single unit with each other, but it is sufficient for the base plate and the lid member to be connected such that the fluid flow paths are divided in a liquid-tight manner, and for example, these parts may be connected by welding, or the points to be connected do not need to be the planar parts.

While the examples of embodiment of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the heat exchangers according to the examples of embodiment described above, and it includes all aspects included in the concept and scope of patent claims for the present invention. Also, each configuration may be optionally and selectively combined to address at least a portion of the above-noted problems and to achieve at least some of the effects. For example, the shape, material, arrangement, and size, etc., of each component in the above-noted examples of embodiment may be changed accordingly according to the specific use aspects of the present invention.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES

• • 1 . . . Heat exchanger, 2 . . . Laminated body, 21 to 25 . . . Plate, 3 . . . Base plate, 3A . . . Top surface, 31 and 32 . . . Grooves, 4 . . . Lid member, 413 . . . Overlapping part (retaining part), 46 and 47 . . . Bulging part (junction), 462 . . . Angled tube part (angled part), 464 . . . Connection opening, 5 and 6 . . . Pipe member

Various examples/embodiments are described herein for various apparatuses, systems, and/or methods. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the examples/embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that the examples/embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the examples/embodiments described in the specification. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the examples/embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and do not necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments.

Reference throughout the specification to “examples, “in examples,” “with examples,” “various embodiments,” “with embodiments,” “in embodiments,” or “an embodiment,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example/embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “examples, “in examples,” “with examples,” “in various embodiments,” “with embodiments,” “in embodiments,” or “an embodiment,” or the like, in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more examples/embodiments. Thus, the particular features, structures, or characteristics illustrated or described in connection with one embodiment/example may be combined, in whole or in part, with the features, structures, functions, and/or characteristics of one or more other embodiments/examples without limitation given that such combination is not illogical or non-functional. Moreover, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof.

It should be understood that references to a single element are not necessarily so limited and may include one or more of such element. Any directional references (e.g., plus, minus, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of examples/embodiments.

“One or more” includes a function being performed by one element, a function being performed by more than one element, e.g., in a distributed fashion, several functions being performed by one element, several functions being performed by several elements, or any combination of the above.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. are, in some instances, used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. The first element and the second element are both elements, but they are not the same element.

The terminology used in the description of the various described embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the phrase at least one of successive elements separated by the word “and” (e.g., “at least one of A and B”) is to be interpreted the same as the term “and/or” and as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and the like) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements, relative movement between elements, direct connections, indirect connections, fixed connections, movable connections, operative connections, indirect contact, and/or direct contact. As such, joinder references do not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected/coupled and in fixed relation to each other. Connections of electrical components, if any, may include mechanical connections, electrical connections, wired connections, and/or wireless connections, among others. Uses of “e.g.” and “such as” in the specification are to be construed broadly and are used to provide non-limiting examples of embodiments of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited to such examples.

While processes, systems, and methods may be described herein in connection with one or more steps in a particular sequence, it should be understood that such methods may be practiced with the steps in a different order, with certain steps performed simultaneously, with additional steps, and/or with certain described steps omitted.

As used herein, the term “if” is, optionally, construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” is, optionally, construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.

All matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the present disclosure.