FR2845946A1 - Motor vehicle heating, ventilation/air conditioning system has regulator made from two halves with gap between inner and outer walls - Google Patents

Abstract

The system, comprising at least one air circulation channel (10, 12) and a regulator (16) with a shutter wall (44) to control the air flow, has the inner wall (46) of the regulator made in a selected shape and spaced from the shutter wall. The regulator can made in two halves connected by a film hinge and assembled by staples, welding or clips. Its edges can have over-moulded sections, at least one of the halves has projecting ribs, and its interior (48) is preferably filled with a sound absorbing material such as foam.

Description

Heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device for the passenger compartment of a

  motor vehicle with an air adjustment flap

  The invention relates to heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning equipment for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

  More specifically, the invention relates to such a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device comprising at least one air circulation pipe and an adjustment flap comprising a closure wall for adjusting the

air flow.

  An apparatus of this type can take different forms, the adjustment flap being able to be placed, for example, either in an air circulation pipe, or at the intersection of two air circulation pipes. Also, the configuration of the shutter, which is most often a shutter

  swivel, is susceptible to many variations.

  In a particular application, the invention relates to an apparatus comprising a housing, an outside air intake duct and an air recirculation duct for admitting into the housing respectively outside air and recirculated air, the adjustment flap being arranged to regulate the proportion of outside air and recirculated air admitted into the housing. A heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device of this type usually comprises a housing housing a blower for pulsing an air flow in the housing and then distributing it in the passenger compartment. This air flow can be taken either from outside the motor vehicle, for example by

  a grille located at the front of the windshield, ie inside the passenger compartment. It is said in this case that the air is recirculated.

  This solution is advantageous in the event of intense external cold or in the event of heavy external pollution. The heating and / or air conditioning apparatus 40 includes a shutter for

  adjustment which makes it possible to close either the outside air intake pipe in order to recirculate the air in the passenger compartment, or the air recirculation pipe in order to admit outside air into the housing. The adjustment flap can also be placed in the intermediate position in order to mix the two air flows.

  However, in currently known devices, the adjustment flap is constituted by a generally 10 spherical shutter wall. This wall creates turbulence which

  obstruct the flow of air and generate noise.

  The subject of the invention is a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device which overcomes these drawbacks. This object is achieved, according to the invention, by the fact that the adjustment flap has an interior wall of shaped

  chosen which is spaced from the closure wall.

  Thanks to this characteristic, the flap has two walls 20 each having a distinct function and which provide between

  they an interior volume or space. The outer wall, or shutter wall, has the function of adjusting the flow rate of the air flow as a function of the adjustment position of the shutter, while the inner wall allows the shutter to be given a shape which guides the flow air and avoids turbulence.

  Thus, the air flow is not slowed down and the noises

aerodynamics are avoided.

  The invention applies to different types of heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus of the aforementioned type.

  In the preferred application to an apparatus comprising an outside air intake pipe and an air recirculation pipe, the closure wall has the function of preventing the entry of outside air, respectively air from the passenger compartment, in the housing depending on the position of the flap, the inner wall allowing

  guide the air flow and avoid turbulence.

  The invention applies to all types of shutters. It preferably applies to shutters with a spherical closure wall, but also to cylindrical shutters, flag-type shutters, butterfly-type shutters, etc.

  Many embodiments of the adjustment flap are possible. According to a first embodiment, the adjustment flap consists of two half shells having

  peripheries assembled to each other.

  The two half shells can be entirely separate from each other. Or they can be linked by a

film hinge.

  Advantageously, the two half shells have a range

assembly at their periphery.

  The peripheries of the two half shells can be assembled by any suitable method, in particular by a method chosen from the group comprising stapling, welding, clipping. The peripheries of the two half-shells may include molded parts, for example by a thermoplastic material or by rubber. Overmolding ensures a seal between the two half shells. It can also make it possible to produce functional parts, such as a

axis of articulation of the flap.

  Advantageously, at least one of the two half shells can

have ribs.

  The adjustment flap can also be made in one piece, for example by a gas injection molding process.

  Advantageously, the adjustment flap is filled with an acoustic absorbing body, for example foam. This arrangement further reduces noise from

aerodynamic operation.

  Finally, when the adjustment flap is filled with an acoustic absorbing body 5, one or both of the walls can

have perforations.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following description of exemplary embodiments given by way of illustration in

  reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic view of a heater, ventilation and / or air conditioning of the passenger compartment 15 of a motor vehicle; - Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the adjustment flap of a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one half of the flap; - Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view of an adjustment flap according to the present invention, consisting of two half shells assembled by their periphery; - Figure 5 is a schematic sectional view of an adjustment flap whose half shells have ribs; FIGS. 6 and 7 represent an adjustment flap made up of two half-shells connected by a film hinge respectively in the open position and in the assembled position; - Figure 8 shows an adjustment flap whose volume

interior is lined with foam.

  There is shown schematically in Figure 1 a heater, ventilation and / or air conditioning of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. The housing 4 has an upstream end 6 comprising an air inlet 8. A pipe 5 for admitting outside air 10 and an air recirculation pipe 12 are connected to this air inlet 8. The pipe outside air intake 10 allows air to be taken from outside the motor vehicle, for example at the base of the windshield 14 of the vehicle. Air recirculation line 12 allows air to be taken

  in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle.

  A rotary adjustment flap 16 makes it possible to close either the outside air intake duct 10 or the air recirculation duct 12. When the outside air duct 10 is closed, the air is taken in. the cockpit. Conversely, when the air recirculation line 12 is closed, the air is sucked inside the vehicle. The adjustment flap 16 can also be arranged in an intermediate position in order to mix the flow of outside air and the flow of recirculated air coming from the passenger compartment. The housing comprises a fan 20 driven by an electric motor 25 (not shown) which draws air in through the inlet 8 and creates an air flow in the housing 4. This air flow first passes through an evaporator making part, conventionally, of an air conditioning circuit. The air flow is cooled and dried as it passes through the evaporator 30. A heating radiator 32 is also mounted in the housing 4. The air flow can be directed to the heating radiator so as to be preheated thanks to a shutter of

air mixing 36.

  This flap can be moved, in a conventional manner, between a position shown in solid lines, opening a bypass passage 34 and preventing the flow of air from passing through the heating radiator 32 and a position represented in broken lines preventing the passage of the flow air through the

  bypass passage and constraining it to pass through the radiator. The air is then admitted into the passenger compartment by air outlets, namely respectively a defrost air outlet 38, a ventilation and / or heating air outlet from the passenger compartment 40 and an outlet 42 for heating the feet of the driver and passengers.

  FIG. 2 shows a detailed view on an enlarged scale of the air recirculation duct 12 and of the shutter 16, and in FIG. 3 a detailed perspective view of a section through the middle of the shutter 16 In FIG. 2, there is shown diagrammatically by a broken line the pipe 10 for the arrival of the outside air. Also shown in phantom is the upstream part 6 of the housing 4 of the heating and air conditioning apparatus to which the air recirculation pipe and the outside air suction pipe 10 are connected by means of the air inlet opening 8. In FIG. 2, the flap 16 is shown in the air recirculation position. In other words, it is oriented so as to close off the outside air intake pipe 10. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flap 16 has a closing wall or outside wall 44 and an interior wall 46 of selected shape which is spaced from the

  closing wall 44. In this way, these two walls delimit between them an interior space or volume 48. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the space 48 is empty, but it could also be filled, by example, 30 of an absorbent material.

  In the example, the inner wall 46 is planar, but this shape is not compulsory and it could also have other chosen shapes, for example, a convex shape. As can be seen in Figure 2, the inner wall 46 allows better aerodynamic flow of the recirculated air. Indeed, in the absence of this wall, the sealing surface 44 causes turbulence in the flow of the recirculated air flow. This turbulence causes aerodynamic operating noises and also generates pressure drops. Thanks to the presence of the inner wall 46, the air flow is guided laminarly into the housing 4 without turbulence or noise 5 of aerodynamic operation. The flap 16 has a flange 50 and two half pivot axes 52 (a single axis is shown in Figures 2 and 3) allow it to

  rotate around an axis XX (Figure 2).

  FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of a shutter 16 according to the invention. In this example, the flap is made up of two half-shells 54 and 56. One of these two half-shells is an external half-shell, while the other half-shell is an internal half-shell. If it is assumed that the half-shell 54 is the external half-shell, the external wall of the half-shell 54 constitutes the closing wall 44 of the external air suction pipe 10 and of the recirculation pipe 12 air from the vehicle interior. The outer wall of the half-shell 56 then constitutes the

  inner wall 46 of the flap. However, the functions of the half flaps 54 and 56 could be reversed. The half shell 56 could constitute the outer half shell and the half shell 54 could constitute the inner half shell.

  The two half shells 54 and 56 can be assembled to each other by any process within the reach of the skilled person. In the example shown in FIG. 4, each of the two half-shells 54 and 56 has an assembly area 58 at its periphery. The two half shells can be assembled by a process such as stapling, welding or clipping. The assembly pads 58 may include an overmolding 60 of a thermoplastic or rubber material to ensure a seal between the assembly pads 58. The overmolded part may also include a

seal.

  FIG. 5 shows a particular variant embodiment in which each of the two half-shells 54 and 56 is provided with ribs, for example stiffening ribs 64. The ribs can also play an aerodynamic role of orientation of the flow d 'air. In the example shown, each of the two half shells is provided with ribs. However, it is also possible not to

  provide ribs only on one of the two half shells.

  There is shown in Figures 6 and 7 a particular embodiment of the two half shells 54 and 56. They are connected by a film hinge 59, that is to say by a very small thickness of material to ensure flexibility. The half-shell 54 has an assembly range 58 comprising a hole 66. The half-shell 56 has a clip 68 intended to penetrate into the opening 66. The two half-shells are shown in the assembled position in FIG. 7, after introduction of the clip 68 in the opening 66 of the area 58 of the half-shell 54. As previously explained, the interior volume 48 defined between the exterior 44 and interior 46 walls of the shutter 16 can be filled . FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of this type. In this example, the volume 48 25 is lined with a foam 70 which constitutes an acoustic insulator whose effect is to further reduce operating noise. In addition, the walls of the half shells 54 and 56 are

perforated by openings 72.

  In the example shown in Figure 8, the two walls have openings, but it goes without saying that such openings could be provided in only one of the

interior and exterior walls.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above by way of example and extends to other variants. As already indicated, the adjustment flap is not necessarily located at the junction of an outside air pipe and a recirculated air pipe. He can be

  simply housed in a single pipe and its wall can have different shapes.

Claims (11)

claims   1 - Apparatus for heating, ventilating, and / or air conditioning the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, comprising at least 5 a duct (10, 12) for air circulation and an adjustment flap (16) comprising a wall d shutter (44) for adjusting the air flow rate, characterized in that the adjustment flap has an interior wall (46) of selected shape   which is spaced from the closure wall (48).   2 - Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment flap is made of two half shells (54,   56) having peripheries assembled to one another.   3 - Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the two half shells (54, 56) are connected to each other by a film hinge (59).   4 - Apparatus according to one of claims 2 and 3, caracté20 risé in that the two half shells (54, 56) comprise   an assembly area (58) at their periphery.   - Apparatus according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the peripheries of the two half shells (54, 25 56) are assembled by a process chosen from the group   including stapling, welding and clipping.   6 - Apparatus according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the peripheries of the two half shells (54, 30 56) have molded parts (60).   7 - Apparatus according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that at least one of the two half shells (54, 56) has ribs (64). 35   8 - Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the distribution flap (16) is made in one piece.   9 - Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the distribution flap (16) is produced by a method of gas injection molding.   10 - Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the distribution flap (16) is filled with a sound absorbent (70).   11 - Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one of the walls of the distribution flap (16) has perforations (72).   12 - Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a housing (4), a pipe (10) for outside air intake and a pipe (12) for air recirculation   for admitting into the housing respectively outside air and recirculated air, and an adjustment flap (16) comprising a shutter wall (44) for adjusting the proportion of outside air and recirculated air admitted into the housing 20 (4) and an interior wall (46), of selected shape, which is   spaced from the closure wall (48).