Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioning apparatus 100 mounted on a vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in fig. 1, the air conditioner 100 includes a casing 10 (casing) having a flow passage 29 formed therein and a blower 17 (blower fan) accommodated in the casing 10. The blower 17 is driven by the motor 20 and sends air into the interior of the vehicle 1 through the interior of the casing 10. The air flow rate (the flow rate of discharged air per unit time) of the blower 17 is switched in multiple stages by the control unit 5 (controller).
An outside air inlet 11, an inside air inlet 12, and an inflow flow path 14 are provided on the upstream side of the blower 17 in the blower path in the casing 10. The outside air inlet 11 is a flow passage through which air is introduced from outside the vehicle 1 as indicated by an arrow a 1. The inside air inlet 12 is a flow passage through which air is introduced from the room 2 as indicated by an arrow a 2. The inside air introduction port 12 is formed to have a shorter flow path length and a smaller flow path resistance than the outside air introduction port 11.
An intake valve 13 for opening and closing the outside air introduction port 11 and the inside air introduction port 12 is provided at a junction of the outside air introduction port 11 and the inside air introduction port 12. The angle (opening degree) of the intake valve 13 can be changed by the control portion 5. The intake valve 13 is switchable between an outside air introduction position and an inside air introduction position shown in fig. 1, and adjusts a mixing ratio of the inside air and the outside air according to an angle thereof. The intake valve 13 swings about a swing shaft 13 a. The swing shaft 13a extends on a plane substantially orthogonal to the rotation central axis O of the blower 17 with respect to the rotation central axis O.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a particulate concentration sensor 6 (dust concentration sensor) as a particulate concentration detector and a filter 16 (electrostatic filter) are provided in the inflow channel 14.
As shown in fig. 2, the particulate concentration sensor 6 includes: an intake flow passage 61 for taking in the air flowing in the inflow flow passage 14 into the particulate concentration sensor 6; an exhaust flow path 62 for discharging air to the outside of the particulate concentration sensor 6; and a sensor unit 63 that is provided in the body and detects the passing fine particles. The particulate concentration sensor 6 drives a built-in fan, not shown, to suck air flowing through the inflow channel 14 and detect the concentration of particulates in the air. The detection signal of the particulate concentration sensor 6 is transmitted to the control section 5.
A filter 16 is provided upstream of the blower 17 in the inflow flow path 14 for removing foreign substances in the air sucked from the inflow flow path 14 to the blower 17. The filter 16 is placed on a pair of rails (not shown) formed in the housing 10, and is detachably accommodated in the housing 10. The filter 16 can be attached and detached through an outlet 10a formed in the case 10. The ejection port 10a is closed by a lid member 40 attached to the case 10.
As shown in fig. 1, an outflow passage 15, a defroster air outlet 25, a ventilation air outlet 26, and a foot air outlet 27 are provided on the downstream side of the blower 17 in a passage 29 in the casing 10. Air is blown out from the defroster air outlet 25 toward the window 3 of the room 2. Air is blown out from the ventilation outlet 26 toward a seat (not shown) in the room 2. Air is blown out from the foot air outlet 27 toward the floor (not shown) of the room 2.
The outflow channel 15 is provided with an evaporator 18 (air-cooling heat exchanger), a heater core 19 (air-heating heat exchanger), and an air mix door 21. The air discharged from the blower 17 as indicated by an arrow a4 is temperature-regulated after passing through the evaporator 18 by passing through the air mix door 21 and flowing through the heater core 19.
The angle (opening degree) of the air mix door 21 is changed by the control unit 5 to adjust the flow rate of air passing through the heater core 19.
Doors 22 to 24 are provided in the defroster air outlet 25, the air outlet 26, and the foot air outlet 27, respectively. The angles (opening degrees) of the doors 22 to 24 are changed by the control unit 5, thereby changing the distribution of the air flow rate blown into the room 2.
The intake valve 13, the air mix door 21, and the doors 22 to 24 constitute a flow passage switching mechanism 30 that switches a flow passage 29 (path) through which air flows. In the air conditioner 100, if the length and curvature of the flow path or the flow rate passing through the heater core 19 are changed under the operation of the flow path switching mechanism 30, the flow path resistance acting on the airflow increases or decreases. Further, the flow path resistance is smaller in the case of the internal air circulation state where the internal air introduction port 12 is opened than in the external air introduction state where the external air introduction port 11 is opened. The flow path resistance is smallest in an internal air circulation state in which the air in the room 2 circulates through the internal air introduction port 12, the inflow flow path 14, the outflow flow path 15, and the defroster air outlet 25 as indicated by arrows a2 to a 6.
The control unit 5 includes: a CPU (central processing unit) for controlling the operation of each unit, a ROM (read only memory) in which a map file (map) of a control program and the like is stored, and a RAM (random access memory) in which detection signals of the particle concentration sensor 6 and the like and various information are temporarily stored.
The control unit 5 displays the concentration of the fine particles detected by the fine particle concentration sensor 6 on a display device (not shown) installed indoors. The control unit 5 controls the operation of the motor 20 (the amount of air blown by the blower 17) and the various valves (the intake valve 13, the air mix valve 21, and the valves 22 to 24) based on detection signals from the particulate matter concentration sensor 6, a temperature sensor (not shown), and the like.
Next, the lid member 40 will be explained.
As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the lid member 40 is attached to a position facing the side surface of the filter 16 so as to close the outlet 10 a.
The cover member 40 includes: a main body 41 covering the outlet 10a of the case 10; a pair of holding portions 42 and 43 formed at both ends of the main body portion 41; a first through hole 44 that penetrates the main body 41 and communicates with the intake flow passage 61 of the particulate concentration sensor 6; a second through hole 45 that penetrates the main body 41 and communicates with the exhaust flow path 62 of the particulate concentration sensor 6; a rib (rib)46 formed to protrude from the body 41 in the direction of the filter 16; and a partition wall 47 provided across the holding portion 42 and the holding portion 43.
The body portion 41 is formed in a flat plate shape. A particle concentration sensor 6 is attached to the outer surface of the main body 41.
When the lid member 40 is attached to the housing 10, the filter 16 is fitted between the pair of holding portions 42 and 43. Thereby, the movement of the filter 16 in the direction of the swing shaft 13a is restricted.
The rib 46 is formed to abut against the filter 16 when the lid member 40 is mounted on the housing 10. This restricts the movement of the filter 16 in the attachment/detachment direction. The rib 46 has a function of securing a space (gap G) between the side surface of the filter 16 and the body portion 41 of the lid member 40. By securing the gap G, it is possible to prevent the first through-holes 44 and the second through-holes 45 from being covered by the side surfaces of the filter 16 and preventing the flow of air to the particulate concentration sensor 6 from being blocked.
The first through-hole 44 is formed on the upstream side of the second through-hole 45. Further, the first through hole 44 and the second through hole 45 are formed so as to sandwich the rib 46. Thus, the intake flow passage 61 and the exhaust flow passage 62 are opened to the inflow flow passage 14 (gap G) so as to pass through the first through hole 44 and the second through hole 45 formed in the cover member 40 and sandwich the rib 46. By opening the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62 to the inflow flow path 14 (gap G) with the rib 46 interposed therebetween in this manner, it is possible to prevent the air discharged from the exhaust flow path 62 from being sucked again from the intake flow path 61. This can improve the measurement accuracy of the particulate concentration sensor 6.
The partition wall 47 is provided to connect the holding portion 42 and the holding portion 43, and abuts against a downstream surface (lower surface in fig. 2) of the filter 16. As described above, the gap G exists between the body portion 41 and the filter 16. The air flowing into the gap G is to flow toward the downstream side of the filter 16 through the gap G (without passing through the filter 16). However, in the present embodiment, since the partition wall 47 is provided, the air flowing into the gap G flows from the side surface of the filter 16 to the downstream side through the inside of the filter 16. This also removes foreign matter in the air passing through the gap G, and therefore, foreign matter in the air sucked into the blower 17 can be reliably removed. The partition wall 47 may not be provided as long as the gap G is small or air can be allowed to flow without passing through the filter 16.
In the air conditioner 100, when the air blower 17 is driven with the intake valve 13 in a state in which the outside air introduction port 11 is opened and the inside air introduction port 12 is closed, and the particulate concentration sensor 6 detects a concentration of particulates equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the control unit 5 switches to an inside air circulation mode in which the intake valve 13 closes the outside air introduction port 11 and opens the inside air introduction port 12. Note that such a control method may not be adopted, and for example, only the particle concentration detected by the particle concentration sensor 6 may be displayed on a display device (not shown) installed indoors. In this case, the occupant checks the particle concentration displayed on the display device and operates, for example, an internal switch, not shown, to switch to the internal air circulation mode.
The air conditioner 100 configured as described above has the following effects.
In the air conditioner 100, the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62 of the particulate concentration sensor 6 are opened to the inflow flow path 14. Accordingly, for example, even if the pressure of the air blower 17 flowing into the flow passage 14 is reduced by operation, the pressure difference between the intake flow passage 61 and the exhaust flow passage 62 does not change, and therefore, the particulate concentration sensor 6 can accurately detect the particulate (dust). That is, the measurement accuracy of the particulate concentration sensor 6 can be improved.
In the air conditioner 100, the particulate concentration sensor 6 detects the concentration of particulate flowing into the flow channel 14. Accordingly, the number of the particulate concentration sensors 6 can be reduced as compared with the case where the particulate concentration sensors 6 are provided at the outside air introduction port 11 and the inside air introduction port 12, respectively. Therefore, the cost can be reduced.
Further, in the air conditioner 100, the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62 pass through the cover member 40 and open to the inflow flow path 14. The space (gap G) between the lid member 40 (housing 10) and the side surface of the filter 16 has small variations in wind speed and pressure. Therefore, by opening the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62 in the space (gap G), the pressures of the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62 are stabilized, and therefore, the fine particles (dust) can be detected more accurately by the fine particle concentration sensor 6, and the measurement accuracy of the fine particle concentration sensor 6 can be improved.
In the above embodiment, the particulate concentration sensor 6 is attached to the cover member 40. Since the cover member 40 can be detached from the housing 10, maintenance can be performed in a state where the particle concentration sensor 6 is detached from the housing 10. Therefore, the maintainability of the particulate concentration sensor 6 is improved.
In the above embodiment, the pair of holding portions 42 and 43 and the rib 46 provided in the cover member 40 regulate the movement of the filter 16. This can prevent the filter 16 from moving accidentally.
Although the above embodiment has been described with the holding portion 42, the holding portion 43, and the rib 46 provided as an example, the holding portion 42, the holding portion 43, and the rib 46 are not necessarily provided if not necessary.
In the above embodiment, the particulate concentration sensor 6 is attached to the lid member 40, and the intake flow passage 61 and the exhaust flow passage 62 of the particulate concentration sensor 6 are communicated with the first through hole 44 and the second through hole 45 of the lid member 40, but alternatively, the intake flow passage 61 and the exhaust flow passage 62 may be configured to be communicated with the first through hole 44 and the second through hole 45 by a pipe, a duct, or the like. In this case, the particulate concentration sensor 6 can be mounted on a portion other than the cover member 40 and the housing 10.
Next, a modified example of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 4.
In the present modification, the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62 of the particulate concentration sensor 6 are open to the side surface portion 10b of the housing 10. The concrete description is as follows: the casing 10 has a side surface portion 10b formed in parallel with the swing direction of the intake valve 13 (in the direction orthogonal to the swing axis 13 a). The side surface portion 10b is provided with a support portion 10c that rotatably supports a swing shaft 13a of the intake valve 13.
When the air conditioning apparatus 100 is operated in an intake mode in which the intake valve 13 closes the outside air inlet 11 and the inside air inlet 12 and the inflow channel 14 communicate with each other, if the particle concentration sensor 6 is attached to the cover member 40, the particle concentration sensor 6 is positioned on the flow path of the air from the inside air inlet 12, and is therefore susceptible to pressure fluctuations and wind speed fluctuations. In this way, by mounting the particulate concentration sensor 6 on the side surface portion 10b and opening the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62 to the side surface portion 10b as in the present modification, the particulate concentration sensor is less susceptible to pressure fluctuations and wind speed fluctuations, and can detect the particulate concentration with high accuracy.
Instead of mounting the particulate concentration sensor 6 on the side surface portion 10b, for example, the particulate concentration sensor 6 may be mounted on the cover member 40, and the intake flow passage 61 and the exhaust flow passage 62 may be opened to the side surface portion 10b by a pipe, or the like. In this case, the maintainability can be improved, and the influence of pressure fluctuation or wind speed fluctuation is less likely to be received.
Next, another modification will be described with reference to fig. 5.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to fig. 3 of this modification. In the modification shown in fig. 5, the cover member 40 has a bulging portion 48 bulging outward, and the intake flow passage 61 and the exhaust flow passage 62 are configured as a space S opening in the bulging portion 48. The space S in the bulging portion 48 is formed so as to communicate with the inflow channel 14 (upstream side of the filter 16).
When a sufficient gap G cannot be secured between the lid member 40 and the side surface of the filter 16, the provision of the bulging portion 48 (space S) as in the present modification prevents the intake flow passage 61 and the exhaust flow passage 62 from being blocked, and ensures the flow of air to the particulate concentration sensor 6. This enables the fine particle (dust) to be accurately detected by the fine particle concentration sensor 6, and the measurement accuracy of the fine particle concentration sensor 6 to be improved.
In this modification, a rib 10d is also provided between the intake flow path 61 and the exhaust flow path 62.
In the modification shown in fig. 5, the particulate concentration sensor 6 is provided in the space of the bulging portion 48, but the particulate concentration sensor 6 may be attached to the outer surface of the bulging portion 48 or another member, and the air intake flow passage 61 and the air exhaust flow passage 62 may be opened to the space in the bulging portion 48 by a through hole, a pipe, or the like penetrating the bulging portion 48.
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are merely illustrative of some application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.
The application claims priority based on patent application No. 2017-129444, filed on 30.6.2017 with the office of the present patent, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference in the present specification.
The claims (modification according to treaty clause 19)
1. An air conditioning apparatus is characterized by comprising:
an outside air introduction port for introducing air from outside the vehicle;
an interior air inlet port for introducing air from the interior of the vehicle;
an intake valve for opening and closing the outside air inlet and the inside air inlet;
an inflow passage provided downstream of the intake valve, through which air introduced from the outside air inlet and the inside air inlet flows;
a filter provided in the inflow channel; and
a housing for accommodating the filter,
a particle concentration detector for detecting a concentration of the particles flowing into the flow channel,
the particle concentration detector includes:
an intake flow path for taking air into the particle concentration detector; and
an exhaust flow path for exhausting air to the outside of the particle concentration detector,
the intake flow passage and the exhaust flow passage are opened in a gap between the side surface of the filter in the inflow flow passage and the housing.
2. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a take-out port formed in the case for attaching and detaching the filter; and
a cover member for closing the outlet,
the air intake flow passage and the air discharge flow passage pass through the cover member and open to the gap.
3. Air conditioning unit according to claim 2,
the particle concentration detector is attached to the cover member.
4. Air conditioning unit according to claim 2 or 3,
the cover member includes a rib protruding in a direction toward the filter,
the intake flow passage and the exhaust flow passage are opened in the gap with the rib interposed therebetween.
5. Air conditioning unit according to any of claims 2 to 4,
the cover member includes a rib protruding in a direction toward the filter,
the rib abuts against the filter to restrict movement of the filter.
6. Air conditioning unit according to claim 2,
the cover member has a bulging portion bulging outward,
the air intake flow passage and the air discharge flow passage are open to a space inside the expansion portion.
7. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
the housing has a side surface portion on which a support portion for rotatably supporting a swing shaft of the intake valve is provided,
the intake flow passage and the exhaust flow passage are open to the side surface portion where the support portion is provided.
8. Air conditioning unit according to claim 7,
the particle concentration detector is attached to the side surface portion.