FR2846599A1 - Air conditioning system comprises air duct formed by several casings and comprising air evacuation orifices closed and opened by registers formed from plate shaped elements inserted in duct through casing lateral hole - Google Patents

Abstract

The air conditioning system comprises an air duct formed by connecting several lateral casings (31,32). In the air duct is an air mixer register for adjusting the quantity of air flow which crosses a hot air path with a quantity of air which crosses a cold air path. There is an opening and closing register for several air evacuation orifices (11,12) formed in the air duct. One of the registers is formed from a plate shaped element (6,17) able to move longitudinally and which is longitudinally flexible and transversely rigid. The plate is inserted in the air duct through a hole (33,34) in the surface of a lateral casing. An Independent claim is included for the making of the air conditioning system.

Description

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME

MANUFACTURING.

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for vehicles, which comprises an air mixer register and a register for controlling the opening and closing of an air discharge orifice in an air duct formed in connecting a plurality of side boxes 5. The invention also relates to a manufacturing process

  of this air conditioning system.

  An air conditioning system for vehicles, which includes an air mixing damper for adjusting the flow of an amount of air, which passes through a hot air path, to an amount of air, which passes through a cold air path, and an air exhaust port opening and closing control register for opening and closing each of a plurality of air exhaust ports formed on the air duct air according to the respective air conditioning modes required, is well known. In such an air conditioning system, swing type registers are used as the air mixer register and the control register for opening and closing the air exhaust port to adjust the outlet temperature. and to control the operations

  opening and closing of the respective air exhaust ports.

  Recently, the requirement for miniaturization of an air conditioning system for vehicles has increased. To satisfy such a requirement, for example, a structure has been proposed, in which a sliding damper with a flap configuration is provided in place of the pendulum type damper described above (see, for example, JP-A- 7 103 559). In addition, another structure has also been proposed, in which a rotary type damper constructed by affixing a flexible film to a schematic arc-shaped frame in section is

  planned (see, for example, JP-A-999 725).

  However, in the proposed structure described above for

  offer a sliding type damper, space extending vertically or horizontally to use the damper is required.

  On the other hand, in the proposed structure described above to offer a rotary type damper, since it is necessary to enlarge an opening of the damper so as to guarantee a sufficient quantity of air, the size of the damper even can become important. In addition, in the two proposed structures, there is a problem that the freedom to design the style of movement and the direction of movement

of the registry is strongly limited.

  In addition, when the air conditioning system for vehicles is assembled, since the mounting of an evaporator, a radiator and the respective dampers must be carried out, as well as the connection of the boxes, great precision is obtained. required for assembly, and practicability can be reduced, because the assembly work is quite complicated. In addition, for the maintenance of the air conditioning system, when it becomes necessary to remove the respective registers, as it is not possible to remove only the registers, the efficiency of the maintenance can be reduced. Furthermore, although the requirement for recycling of the air conditioning system for vehicles has recently increased and it is necessary to classify the respective parts in recycling, high recycling efficiency cannot be expected. in the systems of

  traditional air conditioning for vehicles described above.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning system for vehicles which can meet the requirements for reducing the size of the system and increasing the freedom of design, while at the same time improving the practicability of the vehicle. mounting and increasing the mounting efficiency and the efficiency of

  recycling, and a process for making it.

  This object is achieved by the air conditioning system for

vehicles according to the invention.

  A first object of the invention is a method of manufacturing an air conditioning system for vehicles, which comprises an air duct formed by connecting a plurality of side boxes and, in said air duct, a damper air mixer, to adjust the flow rate from an amount of air flowing through a hot air path to an amount of air flowing through a cold air path, and an opening and closing control register air exhaust port closure to open and close each of a plurality of air exhaust ports formed on the air duct according to the respective air conditioning modes required, characterized in that at least one of said air mixer register and control register for opening and closing the air discharge orifice is formed from a plate-shaped element which is movable in its longitudinal direction and is flexible in its longitudinal direction and rigid in its transverse direction l, and at least said plate-shaped element is inserted into said air duct through an insertion hole which is provided on a surface of a side housing of said plurality of side housings which form said air duct 'air. In this method, the plate-shaped member can be temporarily assembled with a control gear to move the plate-shaped member, and the plate-shaped member and the control gear can be fully inserted into the 10 air duct. For example, the plate-like member can be inserted in a condition in which the plate-like member is engaged with the drive gear in advance. In addition, the plate-shaped member can be temporarily assembled with a cover to cover the insertion hole, and the plate-shaped member can be inserted into the air duct with the fixing of the cover to the hole. insertion. In addition, the plate-shaped element, the control gear and the cover can be temporarily mounted and

  they can be inserted into and fixed to the air duct.

  In such a temporary assembly and such an integral insertion, a plurality of parts can be inserted and fixed simultaneously in

  a single process, and the assembly efficiency can be further improved.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides an air conditioning system for vehicles which comprises an air duct formed by connecting a plurality of side boxes and which comprises in the air duct an air mixing damper for adjusting the flow of an amount of air flowing through a hot air path to an amount of air flowing through a cold air path and an air exhaust opening and closing control register for opening and closing each of a plurality of air exhaust ports formed on the air duct according to the respective required air conditioning modes, characterized in that at least one of the mixer register of air and the control register for opening and closing the air exhaust port is formed from a plate-shaped element which is movable in its longitudinal direction and is flexible in its longitudinal direction and 35 rigid in its transverse direction, a lateral housing d e the plurality of side housings includes an insertion hole on its surface, and the insertion hole is formed so as to allow at least the element to be inserted

  shaped like a plate in the air duct through the insertion hole.

  In this system, the insertion hole can be formed such that the plate-like member and the drive gear for moving the plate-like member temporarily assembled one

  with the other are fully inserted into the air duct. In addition, the insertion hole can be formed in such a way that the plate-shaped element is inserted into the air duct with a cover fixed to cover the insertion hole, which is temporarily assembled to 10 ' plate-shaped element at the insertion hole.

  In the air conditioning system for vehicles and in its manufacturing method according to the present invention, as at least one of the air mixer registers and control register for opening and closing the exhaust orifice of air is formed from a plate-like element which is flexible in its longitudinal direction (direction of movement) and rigid in its transverse direction, the plate-shaped element can be bent substantially freely in its direction longitudinal (direction of movement). Consequently, the plate-shaped element can be inserted into the air duct through the insertion hole of the side housing from a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the plate-shaped element, in a condition in which the plate-like member is curved in its longitudinal direction (direction of movement) in a desirable curved shape (i.e. a curved shape easy to insert), and the shaped member plate can be easily attached inside the

  air duct. In addition, the plate-like element can be easily detached from the air duct by removing it through the insertion hole.

  Therefore, it becomes possible to easily fix and detach only the plate-shaped element (i.e. the air mixer damper and / or the opening and closing control damper). air exhaust port), and the practicality of the assembly can be greatly improved, while the maintenance efficiency and recycling efficiency can be greatly improved. Furthermore, since the plate-like member can be bent in the direction of movement in a substantially free shape, the insertion hole can be designed in an arbitrary shape and its opening surface can be chosen to be small. Therefore, the requirements to reduce the size of the system and provide great design freedom

  can be sufficiently satisfied.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention

  Will emerge from the detailed description which follows of embodiments thereof. In this description, reference will be made to the drawings

  annexed, in which: FIG. 1 is a vertical section view of an air conditioning system for vehicles according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an open portion with air exhaust ports of the air conditioning system illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a plate-like element of the air conditioning system illustrated in Figure 1; FIG. 4 is a plan view of a plate-shaped element used as a control register for opening and closing the exhaust air port of the air conditioning system illustrated in FIG. 1; Figure 5 is a side view of a plate-like element of the air conditioning system illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the engagement portion of the plate / control gear member of the air conditioning system illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioning system illustrated in Figure 1; FIG. 8 is an AERATION development of the air conditioning system illustrated in FIG. 1, which presents the conditions for opening and closing the respective air exhaust orifices 30 using the shaped element plate used as a control register for opening and closing the exhaust air port; FIG. 9 is a development according to a LEVEL mode of the air conditioning system illustrated in FIG. 1, which presents the conditions for opening and closing of the respective air exhaust orifices, by use of the element in the form of a plate serving as a register for controlling the opening and closing of the air outlet orifice; FIG. 10 is a development in a FOOT mode of the air conditioning system illustrated in FIG. 1, which presents the conditions for opening and closing the respective air exhaust orifices, by using the element in the form of a plate serving as a register for controlling the opening and closing of the air outlet orifice; FIG. 11 is a development according to a DEF-FOOT mode of the air conditioning system illustrated in FIG. 1, which presents the conditions for opening and closing the respective air exhaust orifices, by using the 'plate-shaped element serving as a register for controlling the opening and closing of the exhaust air port; FIG. 12 is a development according to a DEF mode (defrosting)

  of the air conditioning system illustrated in FIG. 1, which presents the conditions for opening and closing the respective air exhaust orifices, by using the plate-shaped element serving as a control register opening and closing of air exhaust port.

  Figures 1 to 12 show an air conditioning system for vehicles according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the air conditioning system for vehicles illustrated in Figure 1, an evaporator 2 of refrigerant as a cooler and a radiator 3 are arranged in an air duct 1, in this order from the bottom of the figure . A path of hot air 4, to send the air which has passed through the evaporator 2 into the radiator, and a path of cold air 5, to send the air which bypasses the radiator 3, are formed between the evaporator 2 and the radiator 3. In this embodiment, the air duct 1 is constructed by connecting two

  side boxes 31 and 32 to each other.

  A plate-shaped element 6 is provided between the evaporator 2 and the radiator 3 as an air mixer register, to adjust the flow rate of the quantity of air passing through the hot air path 4 to the air flow rate which 35 crosses the cold air path 5. This plate-shaped element 6 has a structure similar to that of a plate-shaped element 17 described below for opening and closing the air discharge orifices, which is flexible in its longitudinal direction (direction of movement) and

rigid in its transverse direction.

  The respective air exhaust orifices for the respective air conditioning modes are formed on the air duct 1 at 5 positions downstream of the radiator 3. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the orifice exhaust air 9 in AERATION mode includes three air exhaust holes arranged in the transverse direction of air duct 1 and, concretely, it includes a central air exhaust hole 10 in open AERATION mode on a central part 10 and air exhaust orifices 11 and 12 lateral in AERATION mode provided on both sides. In addition, an air discharge orifice 13 in DEF mode is open on the same surface 16a of the air duct 1 as that which comprises the air discharge orifice 9 in AERATION mode. In addition, the air exhaust ports 14 and 15 in the FOOT mode open onto a surface 16b different from the surface 16a which includes the air exhaust port 9 in AERATION mode and the orifice exhaust 13

in DEF mode.

  The respective air exhaust ports described above are controlled to be opened / closed by a plate member 20 17, used as a control register for opening and closing the air exhaust port. air, according to the respective air conditioning modes required. The plate-shaped element 6 (and the plate-shaped element 17) is constructed in the form illustrated in FIG. 3, and it is flexible in its longitudinal direction A (direction of movement) and rigid in its direction transverse. The raw material of the shaped element

  plate can be for example a flexible resin, and the flexibility described above of the plate-shaped element is provided by the flexibility of the resin. The rigidity in the transverse direction of the plate-shaped element is structurally ensured by the concave and convex shapes of the surface.

  In this embodiment, one surface 18 of the plate-like member 6 or 17 is formed substantially as a plane (bottom surface in Figures 3 and 5), and the other surface is formed as a concave / convex structure 21, in which the convex parts 19 and the concave parts 20 which extend in the transverse direction crossing the direction of movement A (in this embodiment, a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement A) are

  arranged alternately in the direction of movement A and connected to each other. In this concave / convex structure 21, the convex parts 19 and the concave parts 20 are arranged regularly and alternately, and the surface of the concave / convex structure 21 can engage with a gear or the like.

  In addition, in this embodiment, each convex part 19 is formed as a hollow structure (hollow part 22), and the plate-shaped element 6 or 17 can be lightened. As shown in FIG. 6, the control gears 7 or 23 fixed to the axis 30a 10 or 30b are engaged with the end parts of the concave / convex structure 21 which extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement A of the plate-shaped element 6 or 17. The plate-shaped element 6 or 17 is movable, accompanying the rotation of the control gears 7 or 23 in the direction of the arrow illustrated in the figure 6, and the plate-shaped element 6 or 17 is guided along the slide 8 or 24 in the form of a groove. In this embodiment, the groove-shaped slides 8 or 24 are placed on both sides of the plate-shaped element 6 or 17 in its transverse direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the respective edges 28 and 29 of the plate-shaped element 6 or 17 in the direction of movement are of rounded shape, as shown in FIG. 5. By forming this rounded, smoother movement of the shaped element

  plate 6 or 17 along the slides 8 or 24 can be provided.

  A plurality of openings are placed on the plate-like member 17 used as an air exhaust port opening and closing control register, for opening and closing the air exhaust ports. respective air. In this embodiment, three openings are provided on the plate-like element 17. As shown in FIG. 4, the openings 25, 26 and 27 are provided in such a way that they are arranged in the transverse direction of the plate-shaped element 17. The openings 25 and 27 have the same shape and the opening 26 has a different shape. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the openings 25, 26 and 27 are arranged in such a way that they overlap with respect to their position in the longitudinal direction of the plate-shaped element 17. The element in plate 17 is arranged so that it can be moved to be rolled up into a cylinder in the air duct 1, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The control which uses the element in form of plate 17 for opening and closing the respective air exhaust ports according to the respective required air conditioning modes will be described later with reference to Figures 8

at 12.

  As shown in Figure 7, an insertion hole 33 for the plate-shaped member 6 and an insertion hole 34 for the plate-shaped member 17 are open on the side surface 39 of the housing lateral 31 forming an air duct 1, respectively. The insertion hole 33 is opened and closed by the cover 35, and the hole

  insert 34 is opened and closed by cover 36, respectively.

  The insertion hole 37 for the control pin 30a is placed on the cover 35, and the insertion hole 38 for the control pin 30b is placed on the cover 36, respectively. Of course, the insertion holes 33 and 34 can be placed on the side of the lateral box 32.

  The process for producing the air conditioning system for vehicles according to the present invention will now be explained in

reference to Figures 1 to 7.

  First, the evaporator 2, the radiator 3, etc., are attached to the side boxes 31 and 32, and the side boxes 31 and 32 are connected to each other. In this state, the air duct 1 is formed, the evaporator 2 and the radiator 3 are arranged in the air duct 1, and the parts, with the exception of the parts which form an opening control device and closing the air exhaust port comprising the plate member 17, are already placed in positions

  predetermined in the air duct 1.

  Then, the plate-shaped member 6 is inserted into the air duct 1 through the insertion hole 33 of the side housing 31 and the plate-shaped member 17 is inserted into the air duct 1 at the through the insertion hole 34. The plate-shaped elements 6 and 17 are inserted into the respective insertion holes 33 and 34 from the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement A. When the plate-shaped element 6 is inserted, the concave / convex part 21 of the plate-like element 6 can be engaged with the control gear 7 in advance, to be temporarily fully assembled, and the plurality of temporarily mounted parts can be inserted simultaneously from the insertion hole 33. In addition, the plate-like member 6, the control gears 7 and the cover 35 can be temporarily assembled in advance, and the plurality of temporarily assembled parts can be inserted s simultaneously from the insertion hole 33. Also, when the plate-shaped element 17 is inserted, the plate-shaped element 17 can be bent into a cylinder shape as shown in FIG. 7, the concave / convex part 21 of the plate-shaped element 17 can be engaged with the control gear 23, the axis 30b can be temporarily assembled with these parts, and the plurality of parts 10 temporarily assembled can be inserted simultaneously at

  from the insertion hole 34. In addition, the plate member 17, the control gear 23 and the cover 36 can be temporarily assembled in advance, and the plurality of temporarily assembled parts can be inserted simultaneously from insertion hole 15.

  In the air conditioning system for vehicles and its manufacturing method according to the embodiment described above, each of the plate-shaped elements 6 forming an air mixing damper and plate-shaped elements 17 forming a 20 control register for opening and closing the air exhaust port is constructed as a plate-shaped element which is flexible in its longitudinal direction (direction of movement) and rigid in its transverse direction. Therefore, since the plate-like member 6 and the plate-like member 17 can be bent in the direction of movement in a substantially curved shape

  arbitrary, they can easily be installed in the air duct through the insertion holes 33 and 34 placed on the side box 31, while retaining their curved shape desirable for their insertion.

  In addition, the plate-shaped member 6 and the plate-shaped member 30 17 can be removed from the air duct 1 by removing them through the insertion holes 33 and 34. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily fix and detach only the plate-shaped element 6 or the plate-shaped element 17, that is to say only the air mixer register and the opening and closing control register 35 of air exhaust port, and the implementation of the assembly can be greatly improved and the maintenance efficiency can be greatly increased. Furthermore, since the plate-like elements 6 and 11 can be bent in the direction of movement in substantially arbitrary shapes, the shapes of the insertion holes 33 and 34 can be designed in arbitrary shapes and, by Consequently, the opening surfaces of the insertion holes 33 and 34 can be chosen to be small. In addition, by temporarily assembling the plate-like elements 6 and 17 with the control gears 7 and 23, etc., and inserting the plurality of temporarily assembled parts into the air duct through the insertion holes 33 and 34, a plurality of 10 pieces can be installed simultaneously. Furthermore, by detaching

  the covers 35 and 36, the plate-shaped elements 6 and 17 and the control gears 7 and 23 can be detached simultaneously.

  Therefore, the implementation of the assembly, the efficiency of

  maintenance and recycling efficiency can be further improved.

  The control of the movement of the plate-shaped element 17 for the opening and closing of the respective air discharge orifices in the embodiment described above will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12, which each illustrate a

  development of each mode of air conditioning.

  FIG. 8 presents a state at the time of an AERATION mode.

  In this AERATION mode, the edge 29 of the plate-shaped element 17 is positioned between the air evacuation orifice 9 in AERATION mode (air evacuation orifices 10, 11 and 12) and the air outlet 13 in DEF mode, and only air outlet 9 in AERATION mode 25 is open, so as to obtain the required air conditioning mode

of the AERATION mode.

  Figure 9 shows a state at the time of a LEVEL mode.

  In this TWIN LEVEL mode, the edge 29 of the plate-shaped element 17 is moved to a lateral position of air exhaust orifice in AERATION mode (right side in FIG. 9), in comparison with the position

  in the AERATION mode described above, and the respective air exhaust ports in AERATION mode 10, 11 and 12 are partially closed. In addition, the openings 25 and 27 and the air outlet ports in the stand mode 14 and 15 partially overlap, and the air outlet openings 35 in the stand mode 14 and 15 are partially open.

  Thus, the air exhaust port 9 in AERATION mode and the air exhaust ports in FOOT mode 14 and 15 are partially open, so as to achieve the required air conditioning mode of

Bi-level.

  FIG. 10 illustrates a state at the time of the FOOT mode. In this FOOT mode, the edge 29 of the plate-shaped element 17 is moved further upwards to a position on the right in FIG. 10, in comparison with the position of the LEVEL mode described above, and the the set of air exhaust ports 9 in AERATION mode is completely closed. On the other hand, the aperture 26 and the air exhaust port 13 in DEF mode are partially covered, and the air exhaust port 13 in DEF mode is partially open. In addition, part of the opening 25 is covered by the whole of the air exhaust orifice 15 in FOOT mode, part of the opening 27 is covered by the whole of the orifice. exhaust air 14 in FOOT mode, and the air exhaust ports 14 and 15 in FOOT mode are fully open. Thus, the required air conditioning mode of the FOOT mode can be ensured. In addition, since the air discharge orifice 13 in DEF mode is partially open in this FOOT mode, the fogging on the windshield, etc., inside a vehicle

can be avoided.

  FIG. 11 illustrates a state at the time of DEF-FOOT mode.

  In this DEF-FOOT mode, the edge 29 of the plate-shaped element 17 is moved further upwards to a position on the right in FIG. 11, in comparison with the position of the FOOT mode described above, and the importance of the covering of the opening 26 and the air discharge orifice 25 in DEF mode is enlarged, so as to obtain the

  air conditioning mode required from DEF-FOOT mode.

  Figure 12 shows a state at the time of a DEF mode. In this DEF mode, the edge 29 of the plate-shaped element 17 is moved further upwards, to a position on the right in FIG. 12, in comparison with the position of the DEF-FOOT mode described above. above,

  the extent of the overlap of the openings 25 and 27 of the air discharge orifices 14 and 15 in the FOOT mode disappears, and the air discharge orifices 14 and 15 in the FOOT mode are completely closed.

  On the other hand, part of the opening 26 and the whole of the air evacuation orifice 13 in DEF mode are covered, and the air evacuation orifice 13 in DEF mode is completely open. So the mode

  DEF mode air conditioning can be obtained.

Claims (6)

  1. A method of manufacturing an air conditioning system for vehicles which comprises an air duct (1) formed by connecting a plurality of side boxes (31, 32) and which comprises, in said air duct ( 1), an air mixer register, to adjust the flow from an amount of air passing through a hot air path to an amount of air passing through a cold air path, and a control register opening and closing air exhaust port, for opening and closing each of a plurality of air exhaust ports (11, 12, 14, 15) formed on the air duct (1) according to the respective required air conditioning modes, characterized in that at least one of said air mixer register and register for controlling the opening and closing of the exhaust orifice air is formed from a plate-like element (6, 17), which is movable in its longitudinal direction and is flexible in its longitudinal direction and rigid in s in a transverse direction, and at least said plate-shaped element (6, 17) is inserted into said air duct (1) through an insertion hole (33, 34) which is placed on a surface a side box of said plurality of side boxes (31, 32) which form said air duct (1).   2. A method of manufacturing an air conditioning system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said element in   plate form (6, 17) is temporarily assembled with a control gear (7, 23) to move said plate-shaped element (6, 17), and said plate-shaped element (6, 17) and said gear control (7, 23) are fully inserted into said air duct 25 (1).   3. A method of manufacturing an air conditioning system for vehicles according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said plate-shaped element (6, 17) is temporarily assembled with a cover (35, 36) to cover said insertion hole (33, 34), and said plate-like member (6, 17) is inserted into said air duct (1)   with the fixing of said cover (35, 36) to said insertion hole (33, 34).   4. Air conditioning system for vehicles which comprises an air duct (1) formed by connecting a plurality of side boxes (31, 32) and which comprises, in said air duct (1), a register air mixer, to adjust the flow rate from an amount of air passing through a hot air path to an amount of air passing through a cold air path, and an opening and closing control register air exhaust port, for opening and closing each of a plurality of air exhaust ports (11, 12, 14, 15) formed on said air duct (1) according to the modes respective required air conditioning system, characterized in that at least one of said air mixer register and control register for opening and closing of the air discharge orifice is formed from '' a plate-shaped element (6, 17) which is movable in its longitudinal direction and is flexible in its longitudinal direction and rigid in its transverse direction, a box lateral tier of said plurality of side housings (31, 32) includes an insertion hole (33, 34) on its surface, and said insertion hole (33, 34) is formed to allow insertion into the minus said plate-like member (6, 17) in said air duct (1) through said hole insertion (33, 34).   5. Air conditioning system for vehicles according to the   claim 4, wherein said insertion hole (33, 34) is formed such that said plate-shaped member (6, 17) and the drive gear (7, 23) for moving said shaped member plate (6, 17) temporarily assembled to each other are integrally inserted into said air duct (1).   The air conditioning system for vehicles according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said insertion hole (33, 34) is formed such that said plate-like member (6, 17) is inserted into said air duct (1) with a cover (35, 36) fixed to cover said insertion hole (33, 34), which is temporarily assembled to said plate-shaped element (6, 17), to said hole insertion (33, 34).