JP2000220881A - Connecting structure of air conditioning duct - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting structure of air conditioning duct in which the number of steps of work is reduced and a seal material arranged at the air conditioning duct is not peeled off. SOLUTION: There is provided a connecting structure of an air conditioning duct to connect the air conditioning duct to a connecting segment 11 having an opening formed at a mating equipment 1, wherein the connecting segment 11 is formed with a recess 12 at an inner wall set inside only by a predetermined distance from its inlet side. In turn, an air conditioning duct inserted into the connecting segment 11 is provided with a duct main body 2, and a thermal insulating material 3 applied to cover at least an outer circumferential surface around the extremity end of the duct main body 2. The extremity end of the duct main body 2 is provided with a flange 21 projecting from its outer circumferential surface toward a radial outward direction. This flange 21 is projected by more than a thickness(t) of the thermal insulating material 3. The flange is inserted into the connecting segment 11 while resiliently deformed to cause the extremity end 25 of the duct main body 2 to be bent inside. When the flange 21 is fitted into the recess 12, the thermal insulating material 3 is press adhered with the connecting segment 11 by a resilient recovering of the duct main body 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for mounting an air-conditioning duct used for air-conditioning equipment provided in an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an automobile, an air conditioning unit 6 is usually provided.
(Air Conditioning Unit) is installed, and the air conditioning duct 7 is connected to the air conditioning unit to send comfortable air to the vehicle interior (FIG. 12). At present, a duct made of a hard resin generally formed by blow molding or the like is used as the air conditioning duct 7 of the automobile. One of the air conditioning ducts 7 is connected to a nozzle 61 of the air conditioning unit 6 as an air conditioner, and the other is connected to another duct or an air outlet to guide the air conditioned by the air conditioning unit 6. By the way, the air-conditioning duct 7 has a very thin plate thickness of 1.0 to 1.5 mm, has poor heat insulation properties, and is easily affected by the outside air temperature. For example, the temperature of warmed air drops, or the temperature of cold air rises. In addition, when cold air passes through the air conditioning duct when the humidity of the outside air is high, dew condensation occurs on the surface of the duct, which causes water droplets to drop. In order to prevent such a problem, measures have been taken today to attach a heat insulating material 8 made of a urethane sheet or a foamed polyethylene sheet to the surface of the air conditioning duct. A urethane seal material 9 is attached to the joint between the air-conditioning duct 7 and the air conditioning unit 6 inside the tip of the duct to prevent wind leakage. Then, a concave portion 74 and a convex portion 611 for preventing separation are formed in both the air conditioning duct 7 and the air conditioning unit 6.

[0003]

However, according to the above-mentioned countermeasure technique, as shown in FIG. 12, the sealing member 9 and the heat insulating member 8 must be separately attached to the inside and outside of the air conditioning duct 7, and the number of working steps increases. In addition, the cost of the sealing material 9 is high, and the product cost is high. Furthermore, when inserting and assembling the air conditioning duct 7 into the air conditioning unit 6, the projection 611 provided on the air conditioning unit 6 may peel off the sealing material 9, causing an air leakage problem.

[0004] The present invention solves the above problems,
Attaching heat insulating material only to the outside of the air conditioning duct to reduce the number of work steps. Also, when inserting and assembling the air conditioning duct to the connection part of the partner equipment such as the air conditioning unit, the sealing material provided on the air conditioning duct It is an object of the present invention to provide an air-conditioning duct connection structure in which the air-conditioning duct is not stripped.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object,
The gist of the invention according to claim 1 is a connection structure of an air-conditioning duct for connecting an air-conditioning duct to a connection portion having an opening formed in a partner device, wherein the connection portion is recessed in an inner wall recessed from the entrance by a predetermined distance. Is formed, while the air-conditioning duct inserted into the connection portion includes a duct main body, and a heat insulating material attached to an outer peripheral surface around at least a distal end portion of the duct main body, and The tip is provided with a flange projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the flange projects beyond the thickness of the heat insulating material and satisfies the following formula (1):
Furthermore, when the following formulas (2) and (3) are satisfied, and the distal end of the duct body is elastically deformed so as to be bent inward, the duct body is inserted into the connection portion and the flange is fitted into the recess.
The connection structure of an air conditioning duct, wherein the heat insulating material is crimped at the connection portion by elastic return of the duct main body. D1 ≧ D2 + 2t (1) D3 ≧ D1 (2) (D4−D2) / 2 <t (3) where D1 is the outer diameter of the flange, D2 is the outer diameter of the duct body, D3
Is the inside diameter of the connection part of the counterpart device at the point of the depression obtained by adding the depth of the depression, D4 is the inside diameter of the connection part of the counterpart device, and t is the thickness of the heat insulator. The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is a connection structure of an air-conditioning duct for connecting an air-conditioning duct to a connection portion having an opening formed in a counterpart device, wherein the connection portion has an inner wall recessed a predetermined distance from its entrance. The air-conditioning duct inserted into the connection portion includes a duct body made of a foam and a cylindrical insert inserted into a tip portion of the duct body. The base end is provided with a flange projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the flange projects beyond the thickness of the duct body disposed around the insert, and further includes the heat insulating material according to claim 1. 2. The expressions (1) to (3) according to claim 1, wherein the duct main body is read as an insert, and the end of the insert is bent inward to elastically deform the connecting portion. When entering the city the flange is fitted into the recess above, in the connection structure of the air-conditioning duct, wherein the duct body is crimped to the connecting portion by the elastic return of the insert.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the air-conditioning duct connection structure according to the present invention will be described below in detail. (1) Embodiment 1 FIGS. 1 to 7 show a connection structure of an air conditioning duct installed in an automobile, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view around a connecting portion of a partner device, and FIG. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which an air conditioning duct is inserted into a connection part, and Figs. 5 to 7 are states in which an air conditioning duct is connected to a connection part of a partner device. FIG. Note that FIG.
FIG. 7 to FIG. 7 show only one side portion of the vertically symmetric vertical sectional view.

[0007] The connection structure of the air-conditioning duct is defined as a connection portion 11 having an opening O1 formed in a partner device 1 such as an air conditioning unit.
(Fig. 5). The connection portion 11 here has a cylindrical nozzle shape, and a depression 12 is formed in an inner wall which is recessed by a predetermined distance from its entrance. The depression 12 in this embodiment is a ring-shaped groove as shown in FIG. The groove 12 is an enlarged diameter portion that is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the nozzle 11. Instead of the groove 12, a notch 13 can be provided as a depression at the root of the nozzle 11 connected to the main body of the partner device as shown in FIG. When the air conditioning duct A is connected to the nozzle 11, the groove 12 is where a flange 21 (described later) of the duct main body 2 fits.

An air conditioning duct A inserted into the nozzle 11
Is an axially symmetrical product and includes a duct main body 2 and a heat insulating material 3 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the duct main body 2 (FIG. 2). The duct body 2 is a conduit made of a thin plate such as a hard resin or a metal plate made by blow molding or the like, and has a thickness of about 1 to 2 mm. Reference symbol O2 indicates a hollow portion of the duct body 2. The outer diameter D2 of the duct body 2 is smaller than the inner diameter D4 of the nozzle, and unlike the prior art shown in FIG. 12, the distal end 25 of the duct body 2 is inserted into the nozzle 11 for connection. The duct main body 2 has a thin plate thickness as described above, and has elastic resilience (elastic force) that can be elastically deformed even if it is slightly bent, and that can follow the elastic deformation and can be elastically restored when the external force is released.

The distal end of the duct body 2 is provided with a flange 21 projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof. Tsuba 2
Numeral 1 is set so as to extend beyond the thickness of the heat insulating material 3. That is, assuming that the outer diameter of the flange 21 is D1, the outer diameter of the duct body 2 is D2, and the thickness of the heat insulating material 3 is t, D1 ≧ D2 + 2t (1) is satisfied.

The flange 21 fits into the groove 12 when the air-conditioning duct A is connected to the nozzle 11. The outer diameter of the flange 21 is set to D1 so that the flange 21 does not float or become unstable due to the fitting. The groove 12 obtained by adding the depth of the groove 12
If the inside diameter of the nozzle 11 (the connection part of the partner device) at the point is D3, then D3 ≧ D1 (2) is set. Reference numeral 22 denotes a protrusion having a stopper function and formed at a predetermined distance from the tip of the duct body 2. In FIG. 2, the air conditioning duct A on the left side from the convex portion 22 becomes an insertion portion Z that enters the nozzle 11.

The heat insulating material 3 is made of a foam sheet such as a urethane foam sheet or a polyethylene foam sheet (FIG. 3). The heat insulating material 3 has a predetermined thickness t and is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the duct main body 2. The heat insulating material 3 made of foam is rich in cushioning properties and can be elastically compressed and deformed. Insulation material 3 for duct body 2
Until now, the heat insulating material 3 has been applied to the general portion of the duct body 2 excluding the insertion portion Z and the convex portion 22. The region extends over the protrusion 22 and extends around the duct tip 25 where the flange 21 is located. The heat insulating material 3 is placed on the convex portion 22, and the bulging portion 31 of the heat insulating material 3 is formed. The heat insulating material 3 satisfies the above formula (1), and its thickness t is t> (D4−D2) / 2 (3) when the inner diameter of the nozzle 11 is D4 and the outer diameter of the duct body 2 is D2. ) Is set so as to satisfy the following expression.

As described above, in the air-conditioning duct connecting structure, when the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the nozzle 11 for connection, the flange 21 protrudes more than the thickness t of the heat insulating material 3. (FIG. 4). The distal end portion 25 of the duct body 2 can be inserted into the nozzle 11 while being elastically deformed so as to be bent inward. In order to easily bend the distal end portion 25 inward, a vertical slit may be cut only in the distal end portion 25 in the duct longitudinal direction. When the tip of the air-conditioning duct is inserted into the nozzle 11 and the flange 21 is fitted into the groove 12, the tip of the duct body 2 expands outward due to the elastic return of the duct body 2, and the heat insulating material 3 is crimped with the nozzle 11. (FIG. 5). Since the inner diameter D4 of the nozzle 11 is smaller than the sum of the outer diameter D2 of the duct body 2 multiplied by twice the thickness t of the heat insulator 3, the heat insulator 3 is attached to the nozzle 11 and the duct body 2. It is crimped. The duct body 2 is also an elastic body on a certain surface, and the distal end portion 25 is bent inward to be elastically deformed and inserted into the nozzle 11, but the amount of elastic deformation with respect to an external force is remarkably higher in the heat insulating material 3 having a rich cushioning property. Because the collar 21 is large,
When the air conditioning duct A is connected and set to the nozzle 11, the heat insulating material 32 sandwiched between the nozzle 11 and the duct main body 2 is crushed and pressed. Nozzle 11
Is slightly deformed elastically, the resilience of the nozzle 11 for restoring works to press and compress the heat insulating material 3.

In the connection structure of the air-conditioning duct A thus configured, since the thickness t of the heat insulating material 3 satisfies the expression (3), when the flange 21 is fitted into the recess, the heat insulating material 3 is compressed and sealed. It can play the same role as wood. Since the air conditioning duct A and the nozzle 11 of the air conditioning unit and the like are firmly fitted and sealed, no air leakage or the like occurs, and the sealing reliability can be maintained for a long time. As shown in FIG. 12, there is no need to attach a sealing material to the inside and outside of the air conditioning duct A, and further, it is not necessary to separately attach a sealing material. Thermal insulation 3
Is attached to the duct main body 2, the heat insulating material 3 applied to the outer peripheral surface around the distal end portion 25 of the duct main body functions as a sealing material as it is, so that the labor of the operation can be saved. In addition, there is no need to prepare a sealing material of another specification, and the product cost is lower than that of the conventional product. When the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the nozzle 11 and connected, the flange 21 protects the heat-insulating material 3 because the protrusion of the flange 21 is greater than the thickness of the heat-insulating material 3 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the duct body 2. The problem that the heat insulating material 3 (sealant), which has been seen conventionally, comes off does not occur.

The connection structure of the air conditioning duct A is as shown in FIG. 5 when the depression 12 formed in the nozzle 11 is a groove orbiting the inner wall of the nozzle of FIG.
The case of the notch 13 provided in the nozzle base of (b) is as shown in FIG. By the way, the distance from the convex portion 22 to the flange 21 of the duct body 2 is slightly longer than the length of the nozzle 11,
When the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the nozzle 11 and the flange 21 is fitted into the main body space 14 of the air conditioning unit or the like, the bent duct main body distal end portion 25 is elastically restored, so that the groove 12 or the cut-out portion 13 can be formed. Similarly to the above, the heat insulating material 3 can be pressed by the nozzle 11 and the duct body 2 (FIG. 7). Therefore, the depression of the present invention includes the concept of the main body space 14 of the partner device 1 (such as an air conditioning unit).

(2) Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, an air-conditioning duct A in which a heat insulating material 3 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the duct main body between the convex portion 22 and the flange 21 of the duct main body 2 is used. , And an air-conditioning duct connection structure. FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. Duct body 2
The heat insulating material 3 attached to the outer peripheral surface around the front end portion is separated from the general heat insulating material (not shown) disposed to the right from the convex portion 22 in FIG. Therefore, the portion of the heat insulating material 3 to be pressed against the nozzle 11 and the duct main body 2 can have a high sealing force unlike the general portion. It is also possible to select a sealing material. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment indicate the same or corresponding parts. The connection structure of the air-conditioning duct A configured as described above has the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment.

(3) Embodiment 3 The shape of the nozzle serving as the connecting portion 11 in this embodiment is shown in FIG.
Is the same as The nozzle 11 has a groove 12 formed as a depression on an inner wall that is recessed from the inlet by a predetermined distance. On the other hand, the air-conditioning duct A inserted into the nozzle 11 is an axially symmetrical product, as shown in FIGS.
And a cylindrical insert 5. FIGS. 9 to 11 correspond to FIGS. 3 to 5 and show only one side of a vertically symmetric vertical cross-sectional view. The duct body 4 is formed of a closed-cell foam having a certain cushioning property, and serves as a conduit for guiding air-conditioned wind to the air-conditioning unit 1 and the like. By forming the duct main body 4 with a foam having a predetermined thickness t, the duct main body 4 is given heat insulation. Of course, even if the duct main body 4 is made of a foam, it has a certain shape-retaining property to form the duct main body and keeps airtightness.
The duct main body 4 is provided with a protrusion 41 at a predetermined position from the tip.

The insert 5 is a resin-made or metal-made cylindrical body which is press-fitted into the distal end portion 45 of the duct body 4.
A flange 51 is provided at the base end of the insert 5, and a bulge 52 is formed near the distal end. When the insert 5 is inserted through the distal end opening O2 of the duct main body 4, the bulging portion 52 is fitted into the convex portion 41 of the duct main body 4, and can be integrated. At this stage,
The flange 51 of the insert 5 is in a state of projecting more than the thickness of the duct body 4 arranged around the insert 5. That is, when the outer diameter of the flange 51 is D1, the outer diameter of the insert is D2, and the thickness of the duct body 4 is t, the following satisfies the following expression: D1 ≧ D2 + 2t (1 ′).

Further, the inner diameter of the nozzle 11 at the point of the groove 12 to which the depth of the groove 12 is added is set to D3 so that the flange 51 is stably fitted into the groove 12 of the nozzle 11 (a in FIG. 1). When the outer diameter of the flange 51 is D1, D3 ≧ D1 (2 ').

The duct body 4 satisfies the formula (1 '), and the thickness t of the duct body 4 corresponds to the inner diameter of the nozzle 11 by D4.
When the outer diameter of the insert 5 is D2, it is determined that t> (D4−D2) / 2 (3 ′) is satisfied.

Thus, the air-conditioning duct A in which the insert 5 is inserted into the duct main body 4 has a shape as shown in FIG. When the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the nozzle 11, since the flange 51 projects at a height equal to or greater than the thickness t of the duct body 4 as shown in FIG. Prevent hurt. Outer diameter D of flange 51
Although 1 is slightly larger than the inner diameter D4 of the nozzle 11, the insert 5 has elasticity and can be inserted into the nozzle 11 while elastically deforming the base end portion of the insert 5 by bending it inward. Furthermore, the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the back, and when the flange 51 is fitted into the groove 12, the base end portion of the bent insert 5 spreads outward. The duct body portion 42 sandwiched between the insert 5 and the nozzle 11 by the elastic return of the insert 5
Is crushed and crimped to form an air-conditioning duct connection structure.

That is, when the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the nozzle 11 for connection, the flange 51 projects beyond the thickness of the duct body 4.
The flange 51 prevents the nozzle wall and the like from peeling off the heat insulating material 3 (FIG. 10). When the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the nozzle 11 and the flange 21 is fitted into the recess, the formula (3 ′) is satisfied.
(FIG. 11). Here, since the insert 5 is press-fitted into the duct main body 4 in advance, the duct main body 4 does not fall down inside, and the required dimensions are secured. The bulging portion 52 and the convex portion 41 serve as a stopper for preventing the air conditioning duct A from entering deeply into the nozzle. The groove 12 can be replaced with a notch 13 or a main body space 14 as in the first embodiment.

With the air-conditioning duct connecting structure thus configured, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be expected. That is, since the thickness of the duct main body 4 satisfies the expression (3 '), when the flange 51 is fitted into the groove 12, the duct main body 4 is compressed, and an effect equivalent to that of the sealing material is obtained. Conventionally, it is free from the trouble of attaching a necessary sealing material. When the air-conditioning duct A is inserted into the nozzle 11 and connected thereto, the flange 51 extends beyond the thickness of the duct body 4 so that the flange 51 protects the duct body 4 and damages the duct body 4 serving as a heat insulating material. Does not occur. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to attach the heat insulating material 3 to the duct body 2 made of a hard resin or the like as in the first embodiment, and the foam itself of the duct body 4 is made of a heat insulating material. The cost can be further reduced from the first embodiment.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention depending on the purpose and application. The shape, size, material, and the like of the partner device 1, the duct body 2, the heat insulating material 3, the duct body 4, the insert 5, and the like can be appropriately selected within the scope of the present invention. For example, the other device 1 may be an air outlet or another duct.

[0024]

As described above, the air-conditioning duct connecting structure of the present invention requires only attaching the heat insulating material only to the outside of the air-conditioning duct.
When assembling, the heat insulating material that also serves as the seal material provided in the air conditioning duct will not be peeled off, and the product will have excellent effects of cost reduction and quality stability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a connection structure of an air conditioning duct according to a first embodiment, around a connection portion of a partner device.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view around a distal end portion of an air conditioning duct.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where an air conditioning duct is inserted into a connection portion.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which an air conditioning duct is connected to a connection portion of a partner device.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment different from FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment different from FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which an air conditioning duct is connected to a connection portion of a partner device in the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view around the distal end of an air conditioning duct according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where an air conditioning duct is inserted into a connection portion.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which an air conditioning duct is connected to a connection portion of a partner device.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning unit (partner apparatus) 11 Nozzle (connection part) 12 Groove (dent) 13 Notch (dent) 2 Duct main body 21 Flange 25 Tip part 3 Heat insulation material 4 Duct body 45 Tip part 5 Insert 51 Flange O1 Opening t Thickness

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An air-conditioning duct connecting structure for connecting an air-conditioning duct to a connecting portion having an opening formed in a partner device, wherein the connecting portion has a recess formed on an inner wall recessed by a predetermined distance from an entrance thereof. The air-conditioning duct inserted into the connection portion includes a duct main body, and a heat insulating material attached to an outer peripheral surface around at least a distal end portion of the duct main body, and the distal end of the duct main body has an outer peripheral surface. And a flange extending radially outward from the flange is provided, and the flange extends beyond the thickness of the heat insulating material to satisfy the following expressions (1), and further satisfy the following expressions (2) and (3). When the distal end portion of the duct body is elastically deformed so as to be bent inward and inserted into the connection portion and the flange is fitted into the recess, the heat insulating material is crimped to the connection portion by elastic return of the duct body. Characterized by the sky Connection structure of tone duct. D1 ≧ D2 + 2t (1) D3 ≧ D1 (2) (D4−D2) / 2 <t (3) where D1 is the outer diameter of the flange, D2 is the outer diameter of the duct body, D3
Is the inside diameter of the connection part of the counterpart device at the point of the depression obtained by adding the depth of the depression, D4 is the inside diameter of the connection part of the counterpart device, and t is the thickness of the heat insulating material. 2. An air-conditioning duct connection structure for connecting an air-conditioning duct to a connection portion having an opening formed in a partner device, wherein the connection portion has a recess formed on an inner wall recessed a predetermined distance from an entrance thereof. The air-conditioning duct inserted into the connection portion includes a duct body made of a foam and a cylindrical insert inserted into a distal end portion of the duct body, and a base end of the insert is formed from an outer peripheral surface thereof. A flange that extends radially outward is provided, the flange extends beyond the thickness of the duct body disposed around the insert, and the heat insulating material according to claim 1 is read as the duct body and the duct body is inserted. 2. The formula (1) to formula (3) according to claim 1 are read, and the insert is inserted into the connecting portion while being elastically deformed by bending an end of the insert inward, so that the flange is indented. Wherein the duct main body is press-fitted to the connection part by elastic return of the insert when the air conditioning duct is fitted into the air conditioning duct.