JP2002012021A - Air-conditioning unit for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an air-conditioning unit that can improve assembling property and airtightness by providing piping support structure of high airtightness between an air-conditioning case and piping. SOLUTION: This air-conditioning unit is provided with the air-conditioning case 10 dividable in first and second cases 11 and 12, a blower 20, a heat exchanger 30 for cooling, and the refrigerant piping 33 led outside of the air- conditioning case 10. The refrigerant piping 33 is held to the combined face of the first and second case parts 11 and 12, and first and second piping holding parts 13 and 14 maintaining airtightness between the first and second case parts 11 and 12 and the refrigerant piping 33 are formed facing each other at the combined faces of the first and second case parts 11 and 12. The first and second piping holding parts 13 and 14 are provided with a plurality of first and second projecting parts 13a and 14a so as to compress a piping heat insulating material 34 in the different axial positions of the refrigerant piping 33, and the first and second cases 11 and 12 are combined to hold the first and second piping holding parts 13 and 14 and the refrigerant piping 33 in between.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioning unit for a vehicle having an air passage, and more particularly, to a holding and airtight structure for a pipe covered with an elastic member penetrating an air conditioning case.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a vehicle air unit of this type described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-32185. According to this publication, the cooling case is divided into at least two parts, and has a semicircular hole facing each other at a divided edge portion, and the semicircular hole forms a pipe drawing hole, and is accommodated in the cooling case. In a cooling case unit having an evaporator drawn out of the pipe outlet after the pipe end is surrounded by an elastic member, a recess extending outward is formed at both ends near the joint of the pipe outlet. Let me. As a result, even when the elastic member is deformed so as to shift to both sides by the compressive force from the vertical direction when the pipe is assembled to the pipe outlet hole, the deformed portion is absorbed in the recess. Thereby, the airtightness between the cooling case and the piping end portion is ensured.

[0003]

However, the above publication does not describe the relationship between the inner diameter of the pipe outlet and the outer diameter of the elastic member and the dimension of the pipe outlet in the depth direction. The size of the compression allowance and the compression area for compressing the elastic member when assembling the terminal portion is affected by the quality of the assemblability and airtightness. In the above publication, the depth dimension (or the compression area) and the compression allowance are generally small and suitable for airtightness such as air leakage.

However, when the cooling pipe is attached to the cooling case so as to be directed downward from the vehicle, condensed water generated in the cooling case may travel along the outer surface of the elastic member and leak out of the cooling case. There is. Therefore, in order to prevent this and in consideration of the variation of the elastic member, generally, a filler such as a sealing material is filled inside the pipe outlet hole to prevent water leakage. By doing this, the assemblability and workability deteriorate, and the assembling cost increases.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air-conditioning unit that has improved assemblability and air-tightness by providing a highly airtight pipe support structure between an air-conditioning case and a pipe.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the technical means according to claims 1 to 3 are adopted.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an air-conditioning case (10) that can be divided into at least first and second case portions (11, 12) and housed in the air-conditioning case (10) to blow air. Blower (20) and air conditioning case (1
0) for cooling or heating the air blown from the blower (20), and a heat exchanger (3).
0) Piping (33) leading out of the air conditioning case (10)
And a structure in which a pipe (33) covered with an elastic member (34) is held on a combined surface of the first and second case portions (11, 12), and the first and second case portions (11, 1
The first and second case portions (11,
12) and a pipe holding part (1) for hermetically sealing between the pipe (33).
3 and 14) are formed so as to face each other, and elastic members (34) covering the pipes (33) are provided on the pipe holding portions (13 and 14) at different positions along the axial direction of the pipes (33). At least a plurality of protrusions (13
a, 14a), and the first and second case portions (1) are sandwiched between the pipe holding portions (13, 14) and the pipe (33).
1, and 12) are combined.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, generally, water leakage is required to be more airtight than air leakage. Therefore, the present invention provides the first and second case portions (11, 12) and the piping (3).
3) The pipe holding parts (13, 14) which are airtight between
The elastic member (34) covering the pipe (33) is connected to the pipe (3).
By providing at least a plurality of projecting portions (13a, 14a) so as to compress at different positions along the axial direction of 3), a conventional semicircular hole is formed and the pipe holding portion (13, 1) is formed.
Compared with the structure of 4) in which the width of the flat plate is increased to increase the compression area, the entire structure has a small compressive force and a highly airtight pipe holding structure, so that the assembling property is improved and the assembling cost can be reduced.

Further, by compressing the elastic member (34) at a plurality of projecting portions (13a, 14a) at different positions along the axial direction, a transition space for escape due to deformation of the elastic member (34) due to compression. First and second
Of the case portions (11, 12) does not bite into the combined surface, thereby reducing poor airtightness.

The pipe holding portions (13, 14) are held in the axial direction of the pipe (33), so that the pipe (33)
Can be reliably carried out, so that a separate pipe support fitting is not required, and the cost of parts can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pipe holding portion (13,
The protruding portions (13a, 14a) formed in (14) are characterized in that they are formed in a ring shape facing the entire circumference of the pipe (33).

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the projecting portion (13
a, 14a) are formed in a ring shape in opposition to the entire circumference of the pipe (33) and provided in a plurality, so that a maze structure is provided between the first and second case portions (11, 12) and the pipe (33). Are formed, and the airtightness increases as the number of stages increases. For example, piping (3
3) In the first and second case portions (11, 12) for accommodating the heat exchanger for cooling, which is attached in the downward direction of the vehicle, filling work with a filler or the like is not required, and assembling cost is reduced. Reduction can be achieved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the protruding portions (13a,
4a), the first and second case portions (1
When the combination of (1) and (12) is combined, the outer diameter of the elastic member (34) is smaller than the outer diameter of the pipe (33).

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the projecting portion (13
a, 14a) to improve the assemblability by reducing the compression allowance, but to reduce the protrusion size by the elastic member (3).
By making it constant within a range smaller than the outer diameter of 4) and larger than the outer diameter of the pipe (33), the compressive force acting on the elastic member (34) acts uniformly, so that remarkable deformation does not easily occur and the assembling property and The airtightness is improved.

The protruding portions (13a, 14a) may have, for example, the first and second case portions (11, 12).
By forming substantially perpendicular to the combination plane of
It can be handled with a simple mold structure.

The reference numerals in parentheses of the above means indicate the correspondence with the concrete means of the embodiment described later.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a rear air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, the vehicle air conditioning unit is arranged in front of the vehicle (inside the vehicle) of the instrument panel, and is located at a substantially central portion in the vehicle left-right direction. There are so-called front air-conditioning units and rear air-conditioning units arranged below the rear tray.

The rear air-conditioning unit for a vehicle includes an air-conditioning case 1
0, a blower 20 and a cooling heat exchanger 30.

The air-conditioning case 10 accommodates the cooling heat exchanger 30 and forms an air passage. As shown in FIG. 2, the air-conditioning case 10 is a two-part case and has a first case 11 and a second case 11.
It is composed of a combination of cases 12. The two cases 11 and 12 are integrally formed of an appropriate resin, for example, polypropylene containing a reinforcing material.

Next, the cooling heat exchanger 30 is connected to a condenser and a compressor (not shown) through a refrigerant pipe 33 by a cooling evaporator 31 and an expansion valve 32 to form a refrigeration cycle. I have. 34 is a pipe insulation material, for example, EPD
The refrigerant pipe 33 is covered by molding a material rich in elastic heat insulating material such as M sponge. The refrigerant pipe 33
Is made of a metal such as aluminum, and a connection union 33a is brazed to each end thereof.

Here, the first pipe holding portion 1 is provided at a portion of the two cases 11 and 12 facing the refrigerant pipe 33, respectively.
3. The second pipe holding portion 14 is formed outside the refrigerant pipe 33 in the axial direction, and is wider than the other mating surfaces 11a, 12a of the first and second cases 11, 12. The first and second pipe holding portions 13 and 14 are provided with the components shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), at least two or more first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a are formed so as to project to different positions along the axial direction of the refrigerant pipe 33, respectively.

The first and second projecting portions 13a, 14
As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the shape of “a” is such that the protrusion height is larger than the outer diameter of the refrigerant pipe 33 when the two cases 11 and 12 are combined.
Are opposed to each other and each have a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the pipe heat insulating material 34 covered with
The plurality of substantially semi-circular arcs are arranged to form a wave shape, that is, a shape shown by a broken line in the figure. As a result, the first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a are formed in a ring shape (annular shape) along the outer periphery of the refrigerant pipe 33.
Are combined so as to compress the pipe heat insulating material 34 uniformly.

The blower 20 is, as shown in FIG.
The sirocco fan 21 and the blower motor 22 are housed in the air-conditioning case 10. The sirocco fan 21 is connected to the scroll case 15 of the air-conditioning case 10.
And is rotated by being driven by the blower motor 22, and is driven from the suction port 10 a of the air-conditioning case 10 through a duct (not shown) to air inside the vehicle (or any air outside the vehicle).
And the ventilation passage 2 of the scroll case 15
Air is blown from 3a to the cooling heat exchanger 30.

The cooling heat exchanger 30 includes a blower 20
And is sandwiched and held by the two cases 11 and 12 described above.

The assembly of the vehicle rear air conditioning unit having the above configuration will be described. First, while accommodating the cooling heat exchanger 30 in the first case 11,
The refrigerant pipe 33 covered with the above is installed in the first protruding portion 13a formed in the first pipe holding portion 13 so that the front end side (the connection union 33a side) of the refrigerant pipe 33 protrudes out of the first case 11. . Thereafter, the second case 12 is assembled on the mating surface 11a of the first case 11 so as to cover the cooling heat exchanger 30 from above. At this time, the first pipe holding unit 13
Refrigerant pipe 3 installed between the second pipe holding portion 14 and
The pipe heat insulating material 34 on the outer periphery of the third pipe 3 is provided only with the protrusion height of the first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a in accordance with the close contact between the mating surfaces 11a and 12a of the first case 11 and the second case 12. It is compressed so as to be pushed into the center side of the pipe 33, and is well held by the first and second pipe holding parts 13 and 14. Finally, the two cases 11 and 12 are integrally connected by a clip or screw made of a metal spring (not shown) to complete the fixing of the cooling heat exchanger 30 and the refrigerant pipe 33.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a are formed so as to project at different positions along the axial direction of the refrigerant pipe 33, and the first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a are formed. ,
The outer surfaces of the pipe heat insulating material 34 are divided into a plurality of pieces and compressed by the second projecting portions 13a and 14a, so that the two cases 11, 1
In addition to reducing the compressive force at the time of assembling 2, the escape of the deformation of the pipe heat insulating material 34 due to the compression can be absorbed in the space on both sides, and the mating surfaces 11a,
It is possible to assemble without protruding into 12a and to ensure the airtightness of the compression surface.

Further, the above-mentioned compression surface is provided in the air-conditioning case 1
The air-tight part which leaks the air leaked from the inside and the dew water generated in the air-conditioning case 10 to the outside surface of the pipe heat insulating material 34 and leaks out. The structure of this part is a maze structure (enlarged air passage,
(Reducing the length and length of the pipe) increases the friction loss when passing through the hermetic portion, making it difficult to pass through. Therefore, the higher the number of the first and second projecting portions 13a, 14a, the higher the airtightness can be achieved.

According to the rear air-conditioning unit for a vehicle according to the above-described embodiment, the first and second pipe holding portions 13, 1 for hermetically sealing between the first and second cases 11, 12 and the refrigerant pipe 33 are provided.
4, at least a plurality of first and second protrusions 13a and 14a are provided so as to compress the pipe heat insulating material 34 covering the refrigerant pipe 33 at different positions along the axial direction of the refrigerant pipe 33. Thereby, the conventional semicircular hole is formed, and the first and second holes are formed.
Compared with a structure in which the width of the flat plate of the pipe holding portions 13 and 14 is increased to increase the compression area, a highly airtight pipe holding structure with a small compressive force improves the assemblability and reduces the assembly cost. .

Further, by compressing the pipe heat insulating material 34 at a plurality of different protruding portions 13a and 14a at different positions along the axial direction, a space for escape transition due to deformation of the pipe heat insulating material 34 due to compression is secured. First and second case 1
There is no biting of the combined surfaces of 1 and 12 on the combined surface, so that poor airtightness can be reduced.

The first and second pipe holders 13 and 14 formed in the first and second cases 11 and 12 are connected to the refrigerant pipe 3.
By holding the pipe 3 in the axial direction, the pipe can be reliably supported, so that a separate pipe support fitting is not required and the cost of parts can be reduced.

The first and second cases 11 and 12 and the refrigerant pipes are formed by forming the first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a in a ring shape facing the entire circumference of the refrigerant pipe 33 and providing a plurality of the first and second cases. 33, a maze structure is formed, and the airtightness increases as the number of stages increases. Therefore, in the first and second cases 11 and 12 that house the cooling heat exchanger 30 in which the refrigerant pipes 33 are attached in the downward direction of the vehicle, filling work with a filler or the like is not required, and assembly cost is reduced. Can be achieved.

Also, increasing the number of the first and second protruding portions 13a and 14a to reduce the compression allowance improves the assemblability, but the protrusion size is smaller than the outer diameter of the pipe heat insulating material 34. By making it constant within a range larger than the outer diameter of the pipe 33, the compressive force applied to the pipe heat insulating material 34 acts uniformly, so that remarkable deformation hardly occurs and the assembling property and airtightness are improved.

The projecting shapes of the first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a are formed, for example, substantially perpendicularly to the combined surface of the first and second cases 11 and 12, thereby providing a simple mold structure. Is possible.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, a plurality of first and second projecting portions 13a and 14a are provided, and the first and second pipe holding portions 13 and 14 having a highly airtight structure have been described. However, when high airtightness such as wind leakage is not required, as shown in FIG. 4, the third and fourth cases 41 and 42 are provided with third and fourth projecting portions 43a and 44a, respectively. The pipe holding portions 43 and 44 may be formed. Accordingly, the length of the third and fourth pipe holding portions 43 and 44 protruding outward can be reduced, and a simple mold structure can be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, the assembling structure of the cooling heat exchanger 30 and the two-part cases 11 and 12 has been described. However, the present invention provides a heating heat exchanger having a hot water inlet / outlet pipe. It is needless to say that the present invention can be similarly applied to an assembling structure of the two-part case.

The first and second pipe holding parts 13 and 14
Has described the structure in which two refrigerant pipes 33 are arranged and sandwiched, but the first and second pipe holding portions may be configured by separating the refrigerant pipes 33 one by one.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an air conditioning case of a vehicle rear air conditioning unit according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an entire configuration of an air conditioning case according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pipe holding portion of the air conditioning case according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a pipe holding portion of an air conditioning case according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Air-conditioning case 11 ... 1st case (1st case part) 12 ... 2nd case (2nd case part) 13 ... 1st piping holding part (piping holding part) 13a ... 1st projection part (projection) 14) Second pipe holding part (piping holding part) 14a ... Second protruding part (projecting part) 20 ... Blower 30 ... Heat exchanger for cooling (heat exchanger) 33 ... Refrigerant pipe (piping) 34 ... Pipe insulation (elastic member)

Claims (3)

[Claims] At least a first and a second case portion (1)
An air conditioning case (10) that can be divided into 1, 12); a blower (20) housed in the air conditioning case (10) for blowing air; and a blower (20) housed in the air conditioning case (10). 2
A) a heat exchanger (30) for cooling or heating the air blown from 0), and a pipe (33) leading out of the air conditioning case (10) from the heat exchanger (30). The pipe (33) covered with an elastic member (34) is held on the combined surface of the two case parts (11, 12), and the first and second case parts (11, 1) are held.
On the combined surface of 2), pipe holding portions (13, 14) for hermetically sealing the first and second case portions (11, 12) and the pipe (33) are formed so as to face each other. The pipe holding portions (13, 14) have at least a plurality of protrusions so as to compress the elastic member (34) covering the pipe (33) at different positions along the axial direction of the pipe (33). Setting parts (13a, 14a), and the first and second case parts (11, 12) sandwiching the pipe holding parts (13, 14) and the pipe (33).
An air conditioning unit for a vehicle, characterized by combining: 2. The projections (13a, 14a) formed on the pipe holding portions (13, 14) are formed in a ring shape facing the entire circumference of the pipe (33). The vehicle air conditioning unit according to claim 1. 3. The projecting height of the projecting portions (13a, 14a) is greater than the outer diameter of the elastic member (34) when the first and second case portions (11, 12) are combined. The air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air conditioning unit is small and larger than an outer diameter of the pipe (33).