Stacked Disc Cooler and Motor Vehicle

This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE102024109699.3, filed on Apr. 8, 2024, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to a stacked disk cooler with a plurality of heat exchanger plates arranged on top of each other to form a stack and a connecting plate arranged at the end of the stack. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle with such a stacked disk cooler.

Stacked disk coolers, in particular stacked disk oil coolers, usually consist of a connecting plate and the individual heat exchanger plates stacked one inside the other and transferring heat, with or without turbulence inserts. In addition, a cover plate and corresponding connections, in particular oil or coolant connections, are provided.

Compared to passenger cars, commercial vehicles in particular require a higher durability than can be achieved with conventional aluminum radiators from the passenger car region. In addition, commercial vehicles also require a significantly higher cooling capacity than passenger cars, which is why oil coolers for commercial vehicles are usually made of stainless steel. However, oil coolers made of stainless steel are significantly more expensive and heavier than oil coolers made of aluminum.

The transition to electrification has not only changed the entire technology in the automotive sector but also in the commercial vehicle sector. While commercial vehicles still require an oil cooler for transmissions and axles, this should be smaller and more compact than before, as the oil coolers are mounted in a very limited installation space on transmissions and axles.

Commercial vehicles with electric drives also require a significantly lower operating pressure compared to current commercial vehicles with combustion engines. Another important parameter for electric commercial vehicles is weight, which is why aluminum oil coolers are once again being considered as a solution for electric commercial vehicles. Nevertheless, the requirements for electric commercial vehicles are still too high for conventional aluminum oil coolers.

The present invention therefore deals with the problem of providing an improved embodiment for a stacked disk cooler, which in particular enables it to be used in the commercial vehicle sector.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by the object of independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

The present invention is based on the general idea that in a stacked disk cooler known per se, in particular in a stacked disk oil cooler, with a plurality of heat exchanger plates arranged on top of each other to form a stack and a connecting plate arranged at the end of the stack, the latter is formed in one piece and is comparatively solid, so that a base trough arranged at the lower end of the stack of heat exchanger plates can preferably be accommodated in a recess formed in the connecting plate in a completely positive-locking manner (e.g., the base trough being at least nearly completely form-fit within the recess). This makes it possible to create a comparatively rigid embodiment that can also easily withstand high vibrations, wherein the comparatively deep design in the solid connecting plate simultaneously reduces the overall height of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention or further heat exchanger plates can be arranged in the recess of the connecting plate, thereby increasing the performance of the stacked disk cooler. With the stacked disk cooler according to the invention with the one-piece metal plate according to the invention as a connecting plate, the vibration resistance in particular can be increased in such a way that the stacked disk cooler according to the invention can be used for the first time in an electrically powered commercial vehicle. The one-piece connecting plate also reduces the reject rate and simplifies the assembly of the stacked disk cooler. The recessed arrangement of the stack of heat exchanger plates in the recess of the solid connecting plate also allows more heat exchanger plates to be stacked on top of each other, thereby increasing the performance of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention. With two additional layers, i.e., four additional heat exchanger plates, the cooling capacity can be increased by approx. 10% and the pressure loss reduced by approx. 20%. The recessed arrangement of the stack of heat exchanger plates of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention in the recess can alternatively reduce the overall height while maintaining the same required cooling capacity, thereby increasing the vibration resistance. The recess formed in the connecting plate has an edge that is preferably arranged completely around the recess and over which the base trough and, above it, the stack with the heat exchanger plates are fully soldered. The circumferential soldering on the edge of the recess additionally increases the vibration resistance. The connecting plate according to the invention thus reduces the load exerted on the stack of heat exchanger plates.

In an advantageous further development of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention, the connecting plate has a continuous height h, with the exception of the recess, which is greater than the height hof the base trough. This size ratio of the two heights hand halready gives an idea of the solid design of the connecting plate, wherein the height hof the connecting plate can also be 1.2 or 1.4 times the height hof the base trough. The size ratio, according to which h>h, and the continuous height h, already result in the increased vibration resistance of the connecting plate and thus enable the use of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention in the commercial vehicle sector.

In an advantageous further development of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention, the connecting plate is manufactured as an aluminum stamped part. The design as an aluminum stamped part offers the great advantage that, despite the solidity of the connecting plate, it is still comparatively light due to the low density of aluminum. In addition, manufacturing the connecting plate as an aluminum stamped part enables cost-effective yet high-quality production.

In an alternative embodiment of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention, the connecting plate is manufactured as a forged part. Forged parts are characterized by high elasticity and dynamic load capacity, wherein sudden peak loads can even be reduced by plastic tiling, which minimizes the risk of brittle fracture, which is particularly advantageous when used in electric commercial vehicles due to the high vibrations that occur there.

In another advantageous embodiment of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention, the recess is reworked, in particular milled or ground, at least in some areas, for example in the region of an edge. A comparatively smooth edge can be produced, which enables a flush and thus extremely tight and firm soldering with an associated rim of the base trough. As an alternative to soldering, gluing is also theoretically conceivable.

A flank angle α of an edge of the recess corresponds to a rim angle β of a rim of the base trough, so that the edge can be connected flush with the base trough when the stacked disk cooler is mounted. The flush connection and thus, for example, the flush bonding or flush soldering of the edge of the connecting plate to the rim of the base trough can achieve a particularly tight connection, which can also better absorb pressure pulsations that occur during operation.

In another particularly preferred embodiment of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention, the flank angle α is between 80° and 90°, in particular approx. 87°. The base trough thus has a comparatively upright rim, just as the recess has a complementary and comparatively upright rim. This enables a positive-locking receiver of the base trough in the connecting plate, whereby lateral support of the base trough and also of a lower part of the stacked disk cooler can be achieved by the edge of the connecting plate. This enables significantly increased vibration resistance to be achieved.

In another particularly preferred embodiment of the stacked disk cooler according to the invention, a spacer plate is arranged between the base trough and the connecting plate. Such a spacer plate creates a support on which the base trough rests on a base of the recess of the connecting plate. A great advantage of such a spacer plate is that it can be used to create a solder deposit from which solder can be drawn into a gap between the edge of the base trough and the edge of the recess when soldering the stacked disk cooler. As the stamped or forged connecting plate has no solder plating, the spacer plate is plated with solder on both sides, which ensures a sufficient amount of solder at the edge (rim) of the base trough and the connecting plate for soldering.

The base plate is soldered to an adjacent heat exchanger plate and to the connecting plate. The base plate forms the lower end of the stacked disk cooler stack, wherein the heat exchanger plates and/or the base trough can be soldered, for example. In this way, a fluid-tight connection between the individual heat exchanger plates and the heat exchanger plate and the base trough or the base trough and the connecting plate can be achieved comparatively easily and yet with high quality by simply stacking one inside the other and moving the stacked disk cooler into a soldering oven.

The present invention is further based on the general idea of equipping a motor vehicle with a stacked disk cooler described in the previous paragraphs and thereby transferring the advantages described with respect to the stacked disk cooler to the motor vehicle. In particular, the motor vehicle may be a commercial vehicle, especially preferably an electrically powered commercial vehicle. Specifically, the advantages of such a motor vehicle according to the invention lie in a comparatively small yet powerful stacked disk cooler, which also has a high vibration resistance due to the preferably complete receiver of the base trough of the stack in the recess of the connecting plate, which is particularly advantageous when used in commercial vehicles.

Further important features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the dependent claims, from the drawings, and from the associated description of the figures with reference to the drawings.

It is understood that the above-mentioned features and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the combination indicated in each case, but also in other combinations or on their own, without deviating from the scope of the present invention. The above-mentioned components of a superordinate unit, such as a device, an apparatus, or an arrangement, which are designated separately, can form separate parts or components of this unit or be integral areas or sections of this unit, even if this is shown differently in the drawings.

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings by way of example and will be explained in more detail in the following description, wherein identical reference numbers refer to identical or similar or functionally identical elements.

According to, a stacked disk cooleraccording to the invention, in particular a stacked disk oil cooler, has a plurality of heat exchanger platesarranged on top of each other to form a stackand a base trougharranged at the lower end of the stack, which is connected, in particular soldered, to a connecting plate. According to the invention, the connecting plateis now designed as a one-piece metal plate with a recess, in which the base troughis accommodated in an at least almost completely positive-locking manner. This means that one edgeof the recessis positively-locking to a rimof the base trough, so that the base troughis positively-locking fixed in the recess.

Looking more closely at the connecting plate, it can be seen that, with the exception of the recess, it has a continuous height h(see) which is greater than the height hof the base trough. This already gives an idea of the comparatively solid design of the connecting plate, which offers the great advantage that the stacked disk cooleraccording to the invention, in particular the stacked disk oil cooler, has a comparatively high vibration resistance and can therefore also be used in the commercial vehicle sector, in particular also in electrically powered commercial vehicles.

The connecting platecan be designed as an aluminum stamped part, which has the great advantage of high strength and low weight at the same time. Due to the fact that aluminum also has a high thermal conductivity, an improved heat dissipation and thus improved cooling can also be achieved via a connecting platedesigned as an aluminum stamped part.

Alternatively, it is of course also conceivable that the connecting plateis designed as a forged part, wherein the design as a forged part has the great advantage that the connecting platein this case has a high ductility, which in particular significantly reduces the risk of brittle fracture. Such a risk of brittle fracture is particularly important in the event of vibrations occurring during operation, especially pressure pulsations.

The recessin the final filecan be reworked, in particular milled, at least in some areas, for example at the edge, allowing the edgeto lie flush against the rimof the base troughand thus achieve an extremely tight and firm connection, for example by bonding or soldering.

A flank angle α of the edgeof the recesspreferably corresponds to a rim angle β of the rimof the base trough, so that the edgecan be connected flush with the base troughwhen the base troughis inserted into the recessof the connecting plate. This makes it possible to achieve not only a firm but also a tight connection.

The flank angle α, β can be in a region between 8° and 90°, in particular for example approx. 87°, whereby a particularly reliable fixation of the stacktransverse to the stacking direction can be ensured by the edgeof the connecting plate.

Looking further at, it can be seen that a spacer plateis arranged between the base troughand the connecting plate, which holds the base troughat a distance from a base of the recess. Such a spacer platecan be used, for example, to create a solder depotin which solder can be stored, which can be drawn into a capillary gap between the edgeof the recessof the connecting plateand the edgeof the base troughduring subsequent soldering of the stacked disk cooler. Such a solder depositcan also be provided around an upper edge of the recess. As the stamped or forged connecting platehas no solder plating, the spacer plateis plated with solder on both sides, which ensures a sufficient amount of solder at the edge (rim) of the base troughand the connecting platefor soldering.

The heat exchanger platesare usually connected to each other and to the base troughor the base troughto the connecting plateby soldering, which creates a connection that is not only tight but also extremely strong, especially vibration-resistant.

The stacked disk cooleraccording to the invention is used in a motor vehicle, in particular in a commercial vehicle, which can also be electrically powered. This makes it possible for the first time to use an aluminum stacked disk cooler in commercial vehicles, which was previously not possible due to the vibration resistance. This can be achieved by the comparatively solid connecting platewith its height hand the recess, in which the base troughof the stackof the stacked disk cooleris preferably completely accommodated.

In addition, chamfers(see), in particular segmented chamfers, can be arranged at inlet openings and/or outlet openings, whereby a pressure loss can be reduced. The term “segmented chamfer” is to be understood here in particular as a certain partial areaof the chamfer(see), which is specified for a tolerance zone. An optimum chamfer contour is calculated using CFD simulation, simulated and integrated into a 3D model, wherein a lower pressure loss can be achieved due to a smooth transition.

A connection on the connecting plateis normally made with an additional connecting piece; in the case of the stacked disk cooleraccording to the invention, the connecting piece can be adapted directly to the connecting plate. This makes it possible to achieve better tolerances and increased robustness at the connection.

For this purpose, the connecting platecan have a hole, recessed by 10 mm, for example, to accommodate a connection not shown, whereby the connection can be supported against loads on a shell surfaceor a base surface(see).

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.