A GUIDE ELEMENT Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a guide element used for passing the transfer tubes of the heat exchangers disposed in home appliances through the heat transfer layers thereof during the manufacture of the heat exchanger.

Prior Art

In home appliances like refrigerators or air-conditioners comprising a heat exchanger, a fluid is circulated within the appliance by means of tubes such that heat is given out to or taken in from the setting of the respective appliance according to the pressure change of the fluid. In order to enhance the heat exchange of the fluid with the respective setting, in turn, heat exchangers are used. Heat exchangers comprise at least one heat transfer layer which is preferably arranged in layers and is made from a material such as a metal having a high heat transfer rate, as well as at least one transfer tube which is passed through the heat transfer layer and through which the fluid is circulated. By virtue of the increased surface area of the heat transfer layer, the heat exchange rate thereof with the setting it occupies is enhanced.

During the manufacture of heat exchangers, the operation of passing the transfer tubes through the heat transfer layer is somewhat troublesome. In conventional methods, the transfer tubes are manually passed through holes disposed in the heat transfer layer. Since, however, the operation is carried out manually, the manufacture of the heat exchanger turns out to be inefficient in terms of time and the costs. Furthermore, due to the failures of the production staff (e.g. incorrect alignment of the transfer tube), there is the risk that the transfer tubes and/or heat transfer become damaged.

In the patent document WO2013012100A2 according the prior art, a production system for heat exchangers is disclosed. According to that system, grip members are used to grip the outer surface of tip portions of transfer tubes and pass them through openings provided in a heat transfer layer. Since these grip members grip the transfer tubes at their outer surface, however, the width of the openings provided in the heat transfer layer should be arranged larger than the diameter of the transfer tubes. For this reason, in the embodiment disclosed in the patent document WO2013012100A2, gaps are left between the heat transfer layer and the transfer tube once the transfer tube is placed to the opening, but these gaps reduce the heat transfer efficiency between the transfer tube and the heat transfer layer. Additionally, since the transfer tubes are gripped at the outer surfaces of their tip portions in that embodiment, the tips may deform when a force higher than necessary is applied during gripping.

Brief Description of Invention

According to the present invention, a guide element is developed for passing the transfer tubes of the heat exchangers disposed in home appliances through at least one hole provided in the heat transfer layers thereof during the manufacture of the heat exchanger. Said guide element comprises at least one inner body in the form of a bar; at least one outer body surrounding at least one part of the inner body and moving along a lateral surface of the inner body; and at least one holder with at least one lug disposed on at least one end of the inner body, extending towards the body through said lateral surface, and moving away from the outer surface when a tip portion of the outer body is introduced between itself and the outer surface, and moving close to the outer surface when said tip portion is retracted from between itself and the outer surface.

The guide element developed according to the present invention grips the transfer tube from its inner surface by means of the lug as the transfer tube is passed through the heat transfer layer. Thus, the transfer tube is passed through the heat transfer layer in a practical and safe manner.

Object of Invention

The object of the present invention is to develop a guide element for passing the transfer tubes of the heat exchangers disposed in home appliances through the heat transfer layers thereof during the manufacture of heat exchangers. Another object of the present invention is to develop a guide element enabling to hold the transfer tubes from the inner surface thereof such that the tubes are passed through the heat transfer layer. A further object of the present invention is to develop a guide element enabling to pass the transfer tube through the heat transfer layer even when the width of the hole in the heat transfer layer, through which the tube is passed, is very close in size to the diameter of the transfer tube. A further object of the present invention is to develop a practical and safe guide element. Description of Figures

Illustrative embodiments of a guide element according to the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying figures briefly described below.

Figure 1 is a front view of a configuration of the guide element as the transfer tubes are passed through the heat transfer layer.

Figure 2 is a front view of another configuration of the guide element as the transfer tubes are passed through the heat transfer layer.

Figure 3 is a side view of the heat transfer layer.

Figure 4 is a front view of a configuration of the guide element.

Figure 5 is a front view of another configuration of the guide element. The parts in the figures are individually designated as following.

Transfer tube

Heat transfer layer

Hole

Guide element

Inner body

Outer surface

Outer body

Tip portion Sloped surface (5b)

Holder (6)

Lug (6a) Description of Invention

Heat exchangers provided in home appliances comprise at least one heat transfer layer for heat transfer and at least one transfer tube disposed in said heat transfer layer. Accordingly, the respective setting is heated or cooled when a fluid with a higher or lower temperature, respectively, than that of the setting in which the heat exchanger is situated, is passed through the transfer tube. The operation of passing the transfer tube through the heat transfer layer is troublesome. For this reason, a guide element is developed according to the present invention for passing the transfer tube through the heat transfer layer.

The guide element (3) according to the present invention illustrated in figures 1 -5 is used for passing at least one transfer tube (1 ) through at least one hole (2a) disposed in at least one heat transfer layer (2). As illustrated in figures 4 and 5 in details, the guide element (3) comprises at least one inner body (4) preferably in the form of a cylindrical bar; at least one outer body (5) surrounding at least one part of the inner body (4) and moving along an outer surface (4a) of the inner body (4); and at least one holder (6) with at least one lug (6a) disposed on at least one end of the inner body (4), extending towards the outer body (5) through said outer surface (4a), and moving away from the outer surface (4a) when a tip portion (5a) of the outer body (5) is introduced between itself and the outer surface (4a), and moving close to the outer surface (4a) when said tip portion (5a) is retracted from between itself and the outer surface (4a). Said lug (6a) is preferably in the form of a resilient member monolithic with the holder (6).

According to a representative embodiment according to the present invention, the guide element (3) is passed through at least one hole (2a) of the heat transfer layer (2) so that the part of the guide element comprising the holder (6) faces the transfer tube (1 ), as illustrated in figures 1 and 2. The holder (6) part of the guide element (3) which is passed through the hole (2) is placed from the tip portion of the transfer tube (1 ) into the transfer tube (1 ) when the tip portion (5a) of the outer body (5) is not between the lug (6a) and the outer surface (4a). Then, the outer body (5) is displaced with respect to the inner body (4) such that the tip portion (5a) of the outer body (5) is introduced between the lug (6a) and the outer surface (4a). The lug (6a) which moved away from the outer surface (4a) during this displacement becomes jammed between the inner surface of the transfer tube (1 ) and the tip portion (5a) of the outer body (5). Thus, the fixation of the guide element (3) to the transfer tube (1 ) is ensured. By virtue of retracting the guide element (3) from the side thereof which is free of the holder (6) so as to be moved along the hole (2a), the transfer tube (1 ) is passed through the heat transfer layer (2). After the transfer tube (1 ) is passed through the hole (2a), the lug (6a) is moved towards the outer surface (4a) once the outer body (5) is moved with respect to the inner body (4) so that the tip portion (5a) of the outer body (5) is pulled between the lug (6a) and the outer surface (4a). Thus, the guide element (3) is uncoupled from the transfer tube (1 ) as the lug (6a) is not jammed between the tip portion (6a) and the inner surface of the transfer tube (1 ) in this configuration. By virtue of the guide element (3) developed according to the present invention, the transfer tube (1 ) is passed through the hole (2a) in a practical and safe manner even if the clearance between the width of the hole (2a) and the diameter of the transfer tube (1 ) is very low, based on the fact that the transfer tube (1 ) is gripped at its inner surface (i.e. that no part enters between the transfer tube (1 ) and the hole (1 a)). In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the tip portion (5a) of the outer surface (5) comprises at least one sloped surface (5b) on a part thereof making contact with the lug (6a). The tip portion (5a) can be introduced in between the lug (6a) and the outer surface (4a) by means of said sloped surface (5b) in an easy and safe manner.

In another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the guide element (3) developed with the present invention is used in an autonomous assembly system (not illustrated in the figures). According to this embodiment, the assembly system comprises at least one actuator providing the displacement of the outer body (5) with respect to the inner body (4).

The guide element (3) developed according to the present invention grips the transfer tube (1 ) from its inner surface by means of the lug (6a) as the transfer tube (1 ) is passed through the heat transfer layer (2). Thus, the transfer tube (1 ) is passed through the heat transfer layer (2) in a practical and safe manner.